He achieved the pinnacle of martial arts starting with breaking through the limits of Tiger Fist.

[Skill] Fishing (Mastery 800/1000)

My fishing skill level increased by eight points, more than from one fish nest yesterday. This rare fish is not only worth a lot of silver, but my skill level has also increased rapidly. If it were a treasure fish, that would be incredible.

The sun was high in the sky, and it was only noon, but Jiang Lin was already preparing to row back.

There are few people in the fish market at this time, so you can sell fish without attracting attention. In this world, money can be a powerful motivator, so it's always good to be careful.

When the boat arrived at the fish market ferry, Jiang Lin first picked out the scattered small fish and shrimp to one side, took out his basket and put the "iron-skinned ray" at the bottom, then put the river eel and mandarin fish on top, and finally put the grass carp on top.

After carefully checking and finding no faults, he carried the basket off the boat.

It's fishing season now, and the docks are quiet, which suits Jiang Lin's taste perfectly.

Since he only carried half a basket, the gang members guarding the gate didn't give him any trouble. Jiang Lin paid ten coins as an entrance fee and was allowed to enter.

As soon as I entered the fish market, I saw a group of fish stall owners gathered together, ignoring their own stalls.

Jiang Lin's heart stirred, and he squeezed forward as well.

In the center of the crowd, a middle-aged man who looked like a manager stood quietly, with two strong-looking employees beside him.

"Everyone, please be quiet, please be quiet."

Upon hearing the manager's words, the murmurs among the crowd subsided slightly.

"Our Long family has opened a new fish stall here. We only buy rare and precious fish. We will not buy any other common fish. This will not affect the livelihood of our fellow villagers, so please rest assured."

"In addition, our Long family is recruiting heroes from all walks of life. Whether you are a boatman, a fisherman, or a martial arts expert, you can register here. As long as you pass the assessment, you will receive excellent treatment."

These words put the stall owners at ease. Rare fish are a rare find, appearing only a few times a month. While the presence of rare fish might have some impact, their main income still comes from ordinary fish.

The fact that the Long family was willing to do this is already considered righteous. Otherwise, with the power of the Long family, what difficulty would it have been forcibly to take over the entire fish market?

After receiving the answer, everyone dispersed, and soon only Jiang Lin remained at the entrance of the Long family's fish stall.

The death of Jiang Lin's father, Jiang Dachuan, was somewhat related to the Long family, but it's not necessarily true that Jiang Lin harbored much hatred towards them.

Firstly, Jiang Lin hadn't spent much time with his father since his transmigration. Secondly, the Long family was fair in their dealings, and they didn't deduct any money that was owed; it's just that the money was taken by Old Master Jiang and didn't end up in Jiang Lin's hands.

Seeing that everyone had left, Jiang Lin put aside his thoughts and stepped forward.

"Excuse me, steward, I have a metal ray here. What's its price?"

Upon hearing this, the manager smiled and said, "Oh, we've only just opened, and we already have business coming in. That's a good omen!"

"We not only buy stingrays, but we also offer prices that are 30% higher than usual. Please bring the fish out so I can have a look."

Jiang Lin emptied all the fish from the basket, revealing the "iron-skinned ray" at the bottom.

He had estimated the weight of the fish by hand beforehand, and it was around six pounds. He just didn't know how much the Long family's fish stall would rip him off. He just hoped it wouldn't be too much of a rip-off.

The head of the Long family raised his hand, and a shop assistant immediately began weighing the item.

"A full six pounds and two ounces."

The waiter called out, and the manager nodded. "Young man, this fish isn't small, but the value of this iron-skinned ray lies entirely in its skin. Although the fish meat can replenish qi and blood, it has more bones than meat, so I only buy the skin."

Jiang Lin frowned slightly, about to speak, but was stopped by the steward raising his hand. "Of course, this body shouldn't be wasted. Young man has been fishing outside for many years, exposed to wind and rain, so his body is bound to be somewhat depleted. Taking it back can replenish his blood and make up for the deficiencies."

These words struck a chord with Jiang Lin, and seeing that the Long family's stall did not overcharge, he had already made up his mind.

"Then we'll do as the steward says."

"This guy is a straightforward person."

Next came killing the fish and removing its skin. The fish skin was weighed and measured, and the remaining bones, meat, and edible internal organs were carefully wrapped in lotus leaves for Jiang Lin.

"The total price is six taels. Young man, you've caught a lucky break. You would never have been able to sell it for such a price under normal circumstances."

The steward handed over the money and then looked at Jiang Lin's other catch. "My surname is Zhang. I see that you have excellent fishing skills, young man. I hope we can do business together often in the future."

"Thank you for your praise, Manager Zhang. I will definitely come to bother you again if I have a good catch in the future."

After finishing his business, Jiang Lin didn't linger. He went to his usual fish stall to sell his other catch and earned another two hundred coins.

There were few people at the fish market at the moment, and such a large sum of money went unnoticed by others. Jiang Lin left the fish market, steered his awning boat upstream, and felt a sense of exhilaration.

Hurriedly returning home, Jiang Lin placed the wrapped ray meat on the stove, then laboriously moved the water vat again, putting the six taels of silver he had earned that day into his savings purse.

After hiding them, he weighed them down with a water vat. Then he piled up the copper coins he had earned over the past few days and carefully counted them. There were a total of 697 coins. Adding the 19 taels at the bottom of the vat, Jiang Lin's breathing became rapid.

"I'm only about three hundred coins short of the tuition fee for entering the Tiger Warrior Martial Arts School."

Jiang Lin was filled with a myriad of thoughts; he was finally about to take the first step into martial arts.

"Knock knock"

A knock suddenly sounded on the door.

"Who?"

Jiang Lin was startled and quickly pushed the pile of copper coins to the head of the bed and covered them with a pillow.

"Lin-ge'er is me, Sanlang."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lin breathed a sigh of relief, opened the door, and found Chen Sanlang and Liu Hanzi inside.

He stepped aside to let the two of them in, and after they sat down, Jiang Lin poured them two bowls of water.

"Hanzi told me about what happened last night. Although I'm not capable of standing up for you, since you said you want to learn martial arts, I have to help you with this." As he spoke, he pulled a heavy silver bag from his pocket.

Liu Hanzi also took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket, which amounted to about one or two taels. "I think the same as Sanlang, but I don't have as much as Sanlang. This is all the silver I can take out. Lin Ge'er, please don't mind."

A warm feeling welled up in his heart. What is money these days? Money is life! Even your own family members would trample you into the mud for money, but Chen Sanlang and Hanzi, his childhood friends, were willing to take out money to help him learn martial arts. What loyalty that is!

"Actually, I have enough money."

Jiang Lin wanted to refuse, but Chen Sanlang held his shoulder down.

"You haven't practiced martial arts, you don't understand. Practicing martial arts isn't just about paying tuition; meat and medicinal soups are the main components. Even someone like me who practices inferior martial arts needs to take supplements regularly, let alone those practicing orthodox martial arts at martial arts schools."

The simpleton chimed in, "I didn't sleep a wink last night. Thinking about the smile on your face when you left, I felt so sad. Please accept it, Lin-ge!"

Jiang Lin was speechless as the scenes from last night flashed through his mind. In the end, he still accepted the money.

"Wait a moment, I'll go buy some wine."

With that, Jiang Lin put the silver away, took out the copper coins from under his pillow, and went out to buy wine.

Three jugs of cheap wine, a pot of skewered ray with bones and meat, plus some small fish and shrimp—the three of them ate until the sun was setting.

The diluted liquor naturally wouldn't get anyone drunk, especially since each of them only had a small pot, and the three brothers were only slightly tipsy.

"When does Lin-ge'er plan to go to the martial arts school?"

Jiang Lin considered it briefly, "Tomorrow is worse than today, and today is worse than tomorrow. Let's go now."

"Alright, I admire your straightforward nature. It just so happens that Hanzi and I can give you a ride, so you don't get ambushed on the way."

The three of them quickly packed up. Jiang Lin packed all the silver and a few changes of coarse cloth clothes, and then, accompanied by the two men, headed towards the county town.