Love Bitstream: Chapter 21 - Thanks, Bros, for the Free Fish-Blasting Service
Chapter 21: Thanks, Bros, for the Free Fish-Blasting Service
Not long after Chi Zhen returned to the guild realm, a message from Endless Time arrived.
[Friend] Endless Time: Where are you?
[Friend] The Light Boat Has Passed: Guild realm.
[Friend] Endless Time: I only need the Zhēng Horn. I'll mail the rest of the materials to you.
[Friend] The Light Boat Has Passed: Okay.
Chi Zhen had originally wanted to say it wasn't necessary—he already had plenty of materials—but he swallowed the words.
He didn't want the chat to spiral even further in a strange direction.
After replying, The Light Boat Has Passed took out the watering can and carefully watered the newly planted seed.
[System] Thanks to the player's diligent watering, the [Nameless Seed] has grown a little. Don't forget to water it again tomorrow!
Chi Zhen nearly coughed up blood.
Wasn't this just another way of telling him he had to climb the mountain every day?
He zoomed the camera in. There wasn't the slightest change in the flowerpot. Could it really take forty-nine days to grow, like the viewers had joked?
[What, do you think staring at it will magically make a flower bloom?]
[Love-brain is terrifying. He can stare at a lousy seed gifted by someone for ten whole minutes. #doge]
[Wake up, bro. Time for daily quests. Weren't you going fishing?]
Chi Zhen remained completely unhurried. “The stream title also says daydreaming. A casual stream means I can do whatever I want, including daydreaming. Friends, daydreaming is actually a good thing. You see, daydreaming is this kind of thing where it seems like—”
He launched into a lengthy string of meaningless rambling.
The chat immediately filled with question marks.
[The streamer is this talkative? He didn't even say twenty sentences total over the last two days]
[This is what Xiao Chi is like during casual streams. He often rambles about nonsense. #troll]
[He wasn't talkative the last two days because he was gaming with Endless Time. #troll]
Chi Zhen defended himself. “Casual streams are relaxing. I can chat without thinking. The last two days I was busy being hunted, clearing dungeons, and progressing raids. I didn't even have time to talk. Since everyone likes hearing me talk, today's theme is maximum chatter—”
[Friend] Endless Time: Thanks.
[Friend] Endless Time: If there's any material you need, let me know. I might have it.
[Friend] The Light Boat Has Passed: Okay.
Chi Zhen froze. He completely forgot what he'd been talking about. Instead, he grabbed a fishing rod and headed for the small river in the guild realm.
[Didn't you just say today's theme was talking a lot?]
[A man sends you two messages, and suddenly you're lost in thought? Hm?]
[This feels so real that I'm genuinely confused. Xiao Chi, didn't you only become somewhat acquainted with Endless Time two days ago?]
[Endless Time seems pretty nice.]
[The fish took your bait, bro! Your soul has left your body!]
Chi Zhen snapped back to reality and realized the bait had already been stolen.
Trying to save face, he said, “There aren't any good fish in the guild river anyway. How about we go catch fish in Zhuyu Waters? That's where the real excitement is.”
Zhuyu Waters originated from Mount Zhuyu, rushing through the mountain valleys. The river was full of fish. It was also full of violent currents and submerged rocks. Because the water flowed so quickly, fishing with a rod was nearly impossible. The fastest method was simply jumping into the river and catching fish by hand. The problem was that there were rocks everywhere. Players had to control their characters through the raging current while avoiding collisions. Every collision caused heavy damage, and after only three or four impacts, a character's health bar would be empty. Even if someone wanted to give up halfway through, they still had to swim to shore before they could climb out. One careless mistake would send them smashing into another rock and being swept away again. To make matters worse, the river contained realistic undertows, whirlpools, and aquatic plants that could entangle players' feet. The difficulty was extremely high. If a character died, the respawn point was very far away, making every fishing attempt incredibly time-consuming.
For years, players had nicknamed Zhuyu Waters the River of Death.
Because anyone who jumped in usually died. The moment the stream heard he was heading there, excitement exploded. Gifts started pouring in.
Half the viewers thought it sounded thrilling. The other half just wanted to watch a disaster unfold.
[Didn't you say this was supposed to be a casual stream? Since when is fishing in the River of Death casual?]
[Wasn't someone saying he'd stream a little and then go rest because editing videos all day was exhausting?]
[Endless Time working overtime and not online: "I'm so tired, everyone, I'll stream a little then log off."]
[Endless Time logs in: "Everyone, let's go catch fish in the River of Death!"]
[Suddenly full of energy, huh?]
[Damn, this reminds me of when I was in an online relationship. As long as the other person stayed online, I wouldn't log off either.]
[Aren't you afraid of getting hunted if you go into the wilderness?]
Chi Zhen picked the most serious comment to answer. “It's actually very hard to kill people in Zhuyu Waters. If you don't believe me, they can come try. Catching fish, though, is easy. For me, fishing in Zhuyu Waters counts as a casual stream. Some people think it's difficult? Hmm... that's hard to comment on.”
[Holy crap, that's arrogant.]
[Both Way of Heaven and Dominating the Firmament have alt accounts lurking in your stream. With that kind of provocation, you're finished.]
Chi Zhen grinned. He ran to the warehouse, grabbed ninety-nine healing snacks and ninety-nine defensive potions, and set off immediately.
The teleportation array flashed with light. At the center of the formation appeared a Spirit Cultivator dressed in simple gray-green cloth robes.
The Spirit Cultivator bounced lightly on his feet and slowly turned his view to survey the surroundings. Night had only just fallen. The sky was filled with countless stars. Mount Zhuyu lay silent and still. Only the chirping of insects and the roaring waters of Zhuyu echoed through the mountains.
“I'd advise anyone planning to kill me not to come,” Chi Zhen said. “Visibility is terrible at night, and the current is fast. Don't end up losing both the lady and the army.”
A provocation. A completely naked provocation.
The Light Boat Has Passed quickly found a suitable diving spot, consumed a defense-boosting potion, and leaped into the river.
Zhuyu Waters was famous for its raging currents. Sure enough, the moment he entered the water, The Light Boat Has Passed was swallowed by the splashing waves. The night was so dark that the gray-green figure was almost impossible to see.
The Light Boat Has Passed focused completely. One hand gripped the mouse. Whenever he spotted a school of fish, he frantically clicked to collect them. His other hand danced across the keyboard, weaving left and right to dodge rocks, undertows, and water weeds.
Catching fish in Zhuyu Waters was essentially a parkour mini-game. It tested nothing but a player's hand speed, dynamic vision, and reaction time.
The difficulty was enormous. Most players couldn't simultaneously catch fish and avoid obstacles. If they successfully dodged the rocks, they usually missed the fish. If they focused on the fish, they crashed.
[Damn, Xiao Chi is amazing.]
[Streamer, your mechanics are seriously good. Watching you catch fish is ridiculously satisfying.]
[As someone who dies the moment I touch the water, I'm crying. Is this really what the developers intended? Turns out the devs aren't evil—I'm just bad.]
[No no no, friends, don't gaslight yourselves! How many people can play as well as Xiao Chi? The devs are absolutely evil!]
[Report! Way of Heaven is coming!]
[Report! Dominating the Firmament is coming too!]
Chi Zhen glanced at the chat and remained unconcerned. “I already told them not to come. Why won't they listen?”
[Friend] Endless Time: At Mount Zhuyu? Be careful. Someone's heading there.
Chi Zhen froze for a moment. His reaction was half a second too slow. He smashed into a reef. His health instantly dropped by one-fifth. Snapping back to his senses, Chi Zhen immediately stopped catching fish and didn't even bother eating recovery food. Instead, he hurriedly moved his mouse and closed the chat window.
The chat window could be closed. Normally, almost nobody did it. Whether fighting players or raiding dungeons, important system messages and combat information appeared there.
But he was streaming. His viewers could see the messages!
Unfortunately, it was already too late. The barrage exploded.
[Endless Time! HE'S DOWN BAD TOO!]
[Wow, mutual affection! Love to see it!]
[It's over! Way of Heaven will never let this tragic couple go!]
[The truly tragic ones are obviously Way of Heaven... Didn't they almost die climbing that mountain earlier?]
Chi Zhen sighed helplessly. Still, he wasn't worried about the two guilds coming after him. “I've already drifted this far downstream. Do you think they can catch me? If they're coming from the Mount Zhuyu teleport point, they won't be able to catch up at all. Unless—”
[They're coming from the Mount Kuang teleport point!]
Kuang Mountain's teleport point was much closer to Mount Zhuyu. Traveling from there was indeed significantly faster. More reports came in.
[Report! They're heading to several bends in Zhuyu Waters to ambush you where the current slows down~]
[I'm crying. To all our undercover friends in the ambush force, please stay safe!]
Chi Zhen continued catching every fish he saw. “Figured as much. From the Mount Kuang teleport point, there are only two or three reasonable interception spots. Still, I'll say it again. I advise them not to come. Mount Zhuyu isn't a good place to kill people.”
[Report! Way of Heaven has mobilized sixty or seventy people! Streamer, be careful!]
[Report! Dominating the Firmament brought dozens too!]
Chi Zhen laughed. “Seriously? Are those two guilds really that free? So many people coming over. Aren't they afraid of overcrowding and falling into the river?”
The viewer count climbed rapidly. Everyone had come to watch the spectacle.
Chi Zhen clicked his mouse. “Friends, I've turned off gift notifications. Otherwise, when things get too intense and gifts keep coming nonstop, all the flashy effects might affect my performance.”
[Holy crap, the streamer is insanely confident today. What's going on?]
[What else is he supposed to do? He already tried being polite. Both guilds insist on putting him on their kill list. Time to fight back.]
[Wouldn't this drive Way of Heaven insane?]
[If Way of Heaven and Dominating the Firmament can't kill the streamer even once today, they'll lose all face.]
Before long, figures began appearing in the darkness.
The first group to arrive belonged to Way of Heaven. There were seven or eight of them. They waited at a bend in Zhuyu Waters. The moment they spotted The Light Boat Has Passed, countless ranged attacks came flying toward him.
The Light Boat Has Passed took a deep breath and dove.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Every skill slammed into the river surface. Huge plumes of water exploded into the air. Countless fish were blown to pieces.
But The Light Boat Has Passed emerged completely unharmed, gliding through the darkness beneath the water.
The water itself had blocked every attack.
Of course, ordinary players couldn't pull off such a maneuver. Visibility underwater was even worse than above. Dive recklessly, and you'd either be swept into an undertow or smash straight into a reef.
The viewers could only see vague patches of light and shadow flashing across the screen. Before they could understand what was happening, The Light Boat Has Passed had already navigated around the underwater obstacles.
His dynamic vision and reaction speed were terrifying.
When he surfaced again, the seven or eight Way of Heaven players were already more than ten meters behind him.
The second wave of attacks came quickly.
This time, Way of Heaven had learned their lesson. No skills. Instead— they started throwing Fire Talismans directly at him.
Fire Talismans were designed to be thrown into water to blast fish. However, their explosive power was much weaker underwater than on land, normally only strong enough for fishing.
But when more than a dozen Fire Talismans were thrown at once, even with the water's surface dampening the impact, they could still inflict a fair amount of damage on players.
By the time The Light Boat Has Passed shook off this group, half his health bar was gone.
He popped a snack and continued catching fish.
Soon, players from Dominating the Firmament arrived. Separated by the river, they ran straight into the members of Way of Heaven.
Chi Zhen opened the chat window and, as expected, found the two guilds yelling insults at each other across the water. Yet the moment The Light Boat Has Passed appeared, all hostility immediately redirected toward him.
Fire Talismans rained into the river like a storm. Lightning Talismans followed.
The Light Boat Has Passed dove underwater and dodged rapidly.
The Fire Talismans could be avoided. The Lightning Talismans couldn't. Every now and then he got zapped.
Chi Zhen sighed. “Wow, they're rich. Seriously. How many Fire Talismans have they thrown already?”
The Light Boat Has Passed's health bar had dropped to only one-fifth remaining. Dangerously low.
“Friends, I have to use a Perfect Tonic now. This jar is incredibly expensive,” Chi Zhen said mournfully. He had The Light Boat Has Passed consume the delicacy Spring Returns to Green.
Spring Returns to Green — A famous dish of Guangling, made from the bones and meat of various precious spirit beasts, spirit herbs, dried scallops, lingzhi mushrooms, and thousand-year ginseng. Rich, fragrant, and nourishing. Restores a massive amount of health when consumed.
Spring Returns to Green was the most powerful healing food in Quest for the Azure Heavens. It was also the most expensive. Market price: 100,000 spirit stones. Cooldown: 40 minutes. It could only be eaten in open-world maps. Battlefields and dungeons prohibited its use.
In short, it was a luxury item designed specifically for open-world PvP.
The moment Spring Returns to Green was consumed, The Light Boat Has Passed's health bar surged back up to two-thirds.
“Sure, it cost me one hundred thousand spirit stones, but the Fire Talismans and Lightning Talismans they threw cost even more. This exchange is profitable, friends.”
Chi Zhen sounded extremely pleased. When The Light Boat Has Passed surfaced again, the swift current had already carried him more than ten meters downstream. The Fire Talismans could barely reach him now.
Meanwhile, the people chasing along the shore couldn't keep up at all. The mountain terrain was rocky and difficult to traverse.
The surface of Zhuyu Waters was now covered with fish that had been blasted or electrocuted to death.
Instead of continuing to flee downstream, The Light Boat Has Passed began drifting against the current.
Picking up fish. While picking them up, he repeatedly pasted the same message into local chat.
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Thanks to Way of Heaven and Dominating the Firmament, bros, for the free fish-blasting service!
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Thanks to Way of Heaven and Dominating the Firmament, bros, for the free fish-blasting service!
[Nearby] Chanxue: The Light Boat Has Passed, I **** you!
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Thanks to Way of Heaven and Dominating the Firmament, bros, for the free fish-blasting service!
[Nearby] Wen Gu: I'll **** your **** you ******
Several guild members were so enraged that they jumped into the river to chase him. Very quickly, they began smashing into reefs and losing health at alarming rates. Before they could even get close to The Light Boat Has Passed, the current swept them away.
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: If you can't swim, don't come to Zhuyu Waters! I'm heading off now. Good luck, okay?
Having provoked them enough, Chi Zhen quickly resumed his escape downstream. No point tempting fate and actually getting caught.
Behind him, dozens of players from both guilds splashed into the water and gave chase. The people remaining on shore continued screaming insults at one another and had even started using skills. It looked as though a guild war was about to break out.
Dozens of players chased after The Light Boat Has Passed. Then fewer. And fewer. And fewer.
When it came to swimming and catching fish in Zhuyu Waters, nobody was more confident than life-skills player Chi Zhen.
Not long after Chi Zhen returned to the guild realm, a message from Endless Time arrived.
[Friend] Endless Time: Where are you?
[Friend] The Light Boat Has Passed: Guild realm.
[Friend] Endless Time: I only need the Zhēng Horn. I'll mail the rest of the materials to you.
[Friend] The Light Boat Has Passed: Okay.
Chi Zhen had originally wanted to say it wasn't necessary—he already had plenty of materials—but he swallowed the words.
He didn't want the chat to spiral even further in a strange direction.
After replying, The Light Boat Has Passed took out the watering can and carefully watered the newly planted seed.
[System] Thanks to the player's diligent watering, the [Nameless Seed] has grown a little. Don't forget to water it again tomorrow!
Chi Zhen nearly coughed up blood.
Wasn't this just another way of telling him he had to climb the mountain every day?
He zoomed the camera in. There wasn't the slightest change in the flowerpot. Could it really take forty-nine days to grow, like the viewers had joked?
[What, do you think staring at it will magically make a flower bloom?]
[Love-brain is terrifying. He can stare at a lousy seed gifted by someone for ten whole minutes. #doge]
[Wake up, bro. Time for daily quests. Weren't you going fishing?]
Chi Zhen remained completely unhurried. “The stream title also says daydreaming. A casual stream means I can do whatever I want, including daydreaming. Friends, daydreaming is actually a good thing. You see, daydreaming is this kind of thing where it seems like—”
He launched into a lengthy string of meaningless rambling.
The chat immediately filled with question marks.
[The streamer is this talkative? He didn't even say twenty sentences total over the last two days]
[This is what Xiao Chi is like during casual streams. He often rambles about nonsense. #troll]
[He wasn't talkative the last two days because he was gaming with Endless Time. #troll]
Chi Zhen defended himself. “Casual streams are relaxing. I can chat without thinking. The last two days I was busy being hunted, clearing dungeons, and progressing raids. I didn't even have time to talk. Since everyone likes hearing me talk, today's theme is maximum chatter—”
[Friend] Endless Time: Thanks.
[Friend] Endless Time: If there's any material you need, let me know. I might have it.
[Friend] The Light Boat Has Passed: Okay.
Chi Zhen froze. He completely forgot what he'd been talking about. Instead, he grabbed a fishing rod and headed for the small river in the guild realm.
[Didn't you just say today's theme was talking a lot?]
[A man sends you two messages, and suddenly you're lost in thought? Hm?]
[This feels so real that I'm genuinely confused. Xiao Chi, didn't you only become somewhat acquainted with Endless Time two days ago?]
[Endless Time seems pretty nice.]
[The fish took your bait, bro! Your soul has left your body!]
Chi Zhen snapped back to reality and realized the bait had already been stolen.
Trying to save face, he said, “There aren't any good fish in the guild river anyway. How about we go catch fish in Zhuyu Waters? That's where the real excitement is.”
Zhuyu Waters originated from Mount Zhuyu, rushing through the mountain valleys. The river was full of fish. It was also full of violent currents and submerged rocks. Because the water flowed so quickly, fishing with a rod was nearly impossible. The fastest method was simply jumping into the river and catching fish by hand. The problem was that there were rocks everywhere. Players had to control their characters through the raging current while avoiding collisions. Every collision caused heavy damage, and after only three or four impacts, a character's health bar would be empty. Even if someone wanted to give up halfway through, they still had to swim to shore before they could climb out. One careless mistake would send them smashing into another rock and being swept away again. To make matters worse, the river contained realistic undertows, whirlpools, and aquatic plants that could entangle players' feet. The difficulty was extremely high. If a character died, the respawn point was very far away, making every fishing attempt incredibly time-consuming.
For years, players had nicknamed Zhuyu Waters the River of Death.
Because anyone who jumped in usually died. The moment the stream heard he was heading there, excitement exploded. Gifts started pouring in.
Half the viewers thought it sounded thrilling. The other half just wanted to watch a disaster unfold.
[Didn't you say this was supposed to be a casual stream? Since when is fishing in the River of Death casual?]
[Wasn't someone saying he'd stream a little and then go rest because editing videos all day was exhausting?]
[Endless Time working overtime and not online: "I'm so tired, everyone, I'll stream a little then log off."]
[Endless Time logs in: "Everyone, let's go catch fish in the River of Death!"]
[Suddenly full of energy, huh?]
[Damn, this reminds me of when I was in an online relationship. As long as the other person stayed online, I wouldn't log off either.]
[Aren't you afraid of getting hunted if you go into the wilderness?]
Chi Zhen picked the most serious comment to answer. “It's actually very hard to kill people in Zhuyu Waters. If you don't believe me, they can come try. Catching fish, though, is easy. For me, fishing in Zhuyu Waters counts as a casual stream. Some people think it's difficult? Hmm... that's hard to comment on.”
[Holy crap, that's arrogant.]
[Both Way of Heaven and Dominating the Firmament have alt accounts lurking in your stream. With that kind of provocation, you're finished.]
Chi Zhen grinned. He ran to the warehouse, grabbed ninety-nine healing snacks and ninety-nine defensive potions, and set off immediately.
The teleportation array flashed with light. At the center of the formation appeared a Spirit Cultivator dressed in simple gray-green cloth robes.
The Spirit Cultivator bounced lightly on his feet and slowly turned his view to survey the surroundings. Night had only just fallen. The sky was filled with countless stars. Mount Zhuyu lay silent and still. Only the chirping of insects and the roaring waters of Zhuyu echoed through the mountains.
“I'd advise anyone planning to kill me not to come,” Chi Zhen said. “Visibility is terrible at night, and the current is fast. Don't end up losing both the lady and the army.”
A provocation. A completely naked provocation.
The Light Boat Has Passed quickly found a suitable diving spot, consumed a defense-boosting potion, and leaped into the river.
Zhuyu Waters was famous for its raging currents. Sure enough, the moment he entered the water, The Light Boat Has Passed was swallowed by the splashing waves. The night was so dark that the gray-green figure was almost impossible to see.
The Light Boat Has Passed focused completely. One hand gripped the mouse. Whenever he spotted a school of fish, he frantically clicked to collect them. His other hand danced across the keyboard, weaving left and right to dodge rocks, undertows, and water weeds.
Catching fish in Zhuyu Waters was essentially a parkour mini-game. It tested nothing but a player's hand speed, dynamic vision, and reaction time.
The difficulty was enormous. Most players couldn't simultaneously catch fish and avoid obstacles. If they successfully dodged the rocks, they usually missed the fish. If they focused on the fish, they crashed.
[Damn, Xiao Chi is amazing.]
[Streamer, your mechanics are seriously good. Watching you catch fish is ridiculously satisfying.]
[As someone who dies the moment I touch the water, I'm crying. Is this really what the developers intended? Turns out the devs aren't evil—I'm just bad.]
[No no no, friends, don't gaslight yourselves! How many people can play as well as Xiao Chi? The devs are absolutely evil!]
[Report! Way of Heaven is coming!]
[Report! Dominating the Firmament is coming too!]
Chi Zhen glanced at the chat and remained unconcerned. “I already told them not to come. Why won't they listen?”
[Friend] Endless Time: At Mount Zhuyu? Be careful. Someone's heading there.
Chi Zhen froze for a moment. His reaction was half a second too slow. He smashed into a reef. His health instantly dropped by one-fifth. Snapping back to his senses, Chi Zhen immediately stopped catching fish and didn't even bother eating recovery food. Instead, he hurriedly moved his mouse and closed the chat window.
The chat window could be closed. Normally, almost nobody did it. Whether fighting players or raiding dungeons, important system messages and combat information appeared there.
But he was streaming. His viewers could see the messages!
Unfortunately, it was already too late. The barrage exploded.
[Endless Time! HE'S DOWN BAD TOO!]
[Wow, mutual affection! Love to see it!]
[It's over! Way of Heaven will never let this tragic couple go!]
[The truly tragic ones are obviously Way of Heaven... Didn't they almost die climbing that mountain earlier?]
Chi Zhen sighed helplessly. Still, he wasn't worried about the two guilds coming after him. “I've already drifted this far downstream. Do you think they can catch me? If they're coming from the Mount Zhuyu teleport point, they won't be able to catch up at all. Unless—”
[They're coming from the Mount Kuang teleport point!]
Kuang Mountain's teleport point was much closer to Mount Zhuyu. Traveling from there was indeed significantly faster. More reports came in.
[Report! They're heading to several bends in Zhuyu Waters to ambush you where the current slows down~]
[I'm crying. To all our undercover friends in the ambush force, please stay safe!]
Chi Zhen continued catching every fish he saw. “Figured as much. From the Mount Kuang teleport point, there are only two or three reasonable interception spots. Still, I'll say it again. I advise them not to come. Mount Zhuyu isn't a good place to kill people.”
[Report! Way of Heaven has mobilized sixty or seventy people! Streamer, be careful!]
[Report! Dominating the Firmament brought dozens too!]
Chi Zhen laughed. “Seriously? Are those two guilds really that free? So many people coming over. Aren't they afraid of overcrowding and falling into the river?”
The viewer count climbed rapidly. Everyone had come to watch the spectacle.
Chi Zhen clicked his mouse. “Friends, I've turned off gift notifications. Otherwise, when things get too intense and gifts keep coming nonstop, all the flashy effects might affect my performance.”
[Holy crap, the streamer is insanely confident today. What's going on?]
[What else is he supposed to do? He already tried being polite. Both guilds insist on putting him on their kill list. Time to fight back.]
[Wouldn't this drive Way of Heaven insane?]
[If Way of Heaven and Dominating the Firmament can't kill the streamer even once today, they'll lose all face.]
Before long, figures began appearing in the darkness.
The first group to arrive belonged to Way of Heaven. There were seven or eight of them. They waited at a bend in Zhuyu Waters. The moment they spotted The Light Boat Has Passed, countless ranged attacks came flying toward him.
The Light Boat Has Passed took a deep breath and dove.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Every skill slammed into the river surface. Huge plumes of water exploded into the air. Countless fish were blown to pieces.
But The Light Boat Has Passed emerged completely unharmed, gliding through the darkness beneath the water.
The water itself had blocked every attack.
Of course, ordinary players couldn't pull off such a maneuver. Visibility underwater was even worse than above. Dive recklessly, and you'd either be swept into an undertow or smash straight into a reef.
The viewers could only see vague patches of light and shadow flashing across the screen. Before they could understand what was happening, The Light Boat Has Passed had already navigated around the underwater obstacles.
His dynamic vision and reaction speed were terrifying.
When he surfaced again, the seven or eight Way of Heaven players were already more than ten meters behind him.
The second wave of attacks came quickly.
This time, Way of Heaven had learned their lesson. No skills. Instead— they started throwing Fire Talismans directly at him.
Fire Talismans were designed to be thrown into water to blast fish. However, their explosive power was much weaker underwater than on land, normally only strong enough for fishing.
But when more than a dozen Fire Talismans were thrown at once, even with the water's surface dampening the impact, they could still inflict a fair amount of damage on players.
By the time The Light Boat Has Passed shook off this group, half his health bar was gone.
He popped a snack and continued catching fish.
Soon, players from Dominating the Firmament arrived. Separated by the river, they ran straight into the members of Way of Heaven.
Chi Zhen opened the chat window and, as expected, found the two guilds yelling insults at each other across the water. Yet the moment The Light Boat Has Passed appeared, all hostility immediately redirected toward him.
Fire Talismans rained into the river like a storm. Lightning Talismans followed.
The Light Boat Has Passed dove underwater and dodged rapidly.
The Fire Talismans could be avoided. The Lightning Talismans couldn't. Every now and then he got zapped.
Chi Zhen sighed. “Wow, they're rich. Seriously. How many Fire Talismans have they thrown already?”
The Light Boat Has Passed's health bar had dropped to only one-fifth remaining. Dangerously low.
“Friends, I have to use a Perfect Tonic now. This jar is incredibly expensive,” Chi Zhen said mournfully. He had The Light Boat Has Passed consume the delicacy Spring Returns to Green.
Spring Returns to Green — A famous dish of Guangling, made from the bones and meat of various precious spirit beasts, spirit herbs, dried scallops, lingzhi mushrooms, and thousand-year ginseng. Rich, fragrant, and nourishing. Restores a massive amount of health when consumed.
Spring Returns to Green was the most powerful healing food in Quest for the Azure Heavens. It was also the most expensive. Market price: 100,000 spirit stones. Cooldown: 40 minutes. It could only be eaten in open-world maps. Battlefields and dungeons prohibited its use.
In short, it was a luxury item designed specifically for open-world PvP.
The moment Spring Returns to Green was consumed, The Light Boat Has Passed's health bar surged back up to two-thirds.
“Sure, it cost me one hundred thousand spirit stones, but the Fire Talismans and Lightning Talismans they threw cost even more. This exchange is profitable, friends.”
Chi Zhen sounded extremely pleased. When The Light Boat Has Passed surfaced again, the swift current had already carried him more than ten meters downstream. The Fire Talismans could barely reach him now.
Meanwhile, the people chasing along the shore couldn't keep up at all. The mountain terrain was rocky and difficult to traverse.
The surface of Zhuyu Waters was now covered with fish that had been blasted or electrocuted to death.
Instead of continuing to flee downstream, The Light Boat Has Passed began drifting against the current.
Picking up fish. While picking them up, he repeatedly pasted the same message into local chat.
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Thanks to Way of Heaven and Dominating the Firmament, bros, for the free fish-blasting service!
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Thanks to Way of Heaven and Dominating the Firmament, bros, for the free fish-blasting service!
[Nearby] Chanxue: The Light Boat Has Passed, I **** you!
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Thanks to Way of Heaven and Dominating the Firmament, bros, for the free fish-blasting service!
[Nearby] Wen Gu: I'll **** your **** you ******
Several guild members were so enraged that they jumped into the river to chase him. Very quickly, they began smashing into reefs and losing health at alarming rates. Before they could even get close to The Light Boat Has Passed, the current swept them away.
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: If you can't swim, don't come to Zhuyu Waters! I'm heading off now. Good luck, okay?
Having provoked them enough, Chi Zhen quickly resumed his escape downstream. No point tempting fate and actually getting caught.
Behind him, dozens of players from both guilds splashed into the water and gave chase. The people remaining on shore continued screaming insults at one another and had even started using skills. It looked as though a guild war was about to break out.
Dozens of players chased after The Light Boat Has Passed. Then fewer. And fewer. And fewer.
When it came to swimming and catching fish in Zhuyu Waters, nobody was more confident than life-skills player Chi Zhen.
He could even continue trash-talking while swimming.
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Bros, can't catch me?
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Is it because your swimsuits aren't good enough?
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Careful, there's water grass here!
The people behind him were furious. Whenever they tried to free a hand to type insults back, they immediately crashed into a rock. The only option was to retreat and keep frantically pressing movement keys to dodge.
Fifteen minutes later, the number of players still chasing Chi Zhen had dwindled to single digits.
At this point, Zhuyu Waters was nearing its end. The river had flowed down the mountain and the current was becoming gentler.
The pursuers breathed sighs of relief and flexed their stiff fingers.
To leave, The Light Boat Has Passed would eventually have to come out of the water. Either he'd run away on foot. Or he'd draw a teleportation array and leave.
If he stayed in the water forever, they could surround him. Skills couldn't be used underwater. But ordinary punches and kicks still worked. They could literally punch him to death one hit at a time.
No matter what, things had gone too far. If neither guild managed to kill The Light Boat Has Passed even once today, their reputations would be completely ruined.
So despite the fact that the two guilds had already started fighting each other upstream, the handful of players still pursuing The Light Boat Has Passed silently reached a consensus. Temporary cooperation.
Then— The Light Boat Has Passed suddenly dove underwater.
A few seconds later, they realized something was wrong.
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Bye-bye, bros~
Chi Zhen had used the same trick again. Underwater, he activated the Sandang Wood Branch, gaining a brief window during which skills could be used underwater.
Carrying an inventory stuffed full of fish—he teleported away.
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Bros, can't catch me?
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Is it because your swimsuits aren't good enough?
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Careful, there's water grass here!
The people behind him were furious. Whenever they tried to free a hand to type insults back, they immediately crashed into a rock. The only option was to retreat and keep frantically pressing movement keys to dodge.
Fifteen minutes later, the number of players still chasing Chi Zhen had dwindled to single digits.
At this point, Zhuyu Waters was nearing its end. The river had flowed down the mountain and the current was becoming gentler.
The pursuers breathed sighs of relief and flexed their stiff fingers.
To leave, The Light Boat Has Passed would eventually have to come out of the water. Either he'd run away on foot. Or he'd draw a teleportation array and leave.
If he stayed in the water forever, they could surround him. Skills couldn't be used underwater. But ordinary punches and kicks still worked. They could literally punch him to death one hit at a time.
No matter what, things had gone too far. If neither guild managed to kill The Light Boat Has Passed even once today, their reputations would be completely ruined.
So despite the fact that the two guilds had already started fighting each other upstream, the handful of players still pursuing The Light Boat Has Passed silently reached a consensus. Temporary cooperation.
Then— The Light Boat Has Passed suddenly dove underwater.
A few seconds later, they realized something was wrong.
[Nearby] The Light Boat Has Passed: Bye-bye, bros~
Chi Zhen had used the same trick again. Underwater, he activated the Sandang Wood Branch, gaining a brief window during which skills could be used underwater.
Carrying an inventory stuffed full of fish—he teleported away.
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