Now the Whole World Knows You Got Skunked

Over the next two days, Yu Xian remained completely skunked. Having given up entirely, he spent his time on the boat studying Forward Shield. Order and chaos were like two sides of the same coin: order was solidified chaos, while chaos was fluid order. If chaos was a disordered, chaotic, unpredictable power, then order was predictable and rule-bound. Just as Yu Xian's mastery of chaos allowed him to break down existing matter within any order and completely alter its nature, the power of order functioned by leveraging existing rules and amplifying them. Fire, when its combustive property was amplified, could incinerate all things. Water, when its fluid property was amplified, could slice through anything. Forward Shield was, in essence, a barrier formed of light. In the absence of any obstruction or external force, light would travel infinitely in a single direction. Such was the rule governing Forward Shield. When the power of order amplified this rule, Yu Xian's shield gained near-impenetrable defense against head-on collisions—because it would always push relentlessly forward. Yu Xian attempted to deploy Forward Shield at his right flank, but the attempt failed. Evidently, prior to being enhanced, this power remained highly rigid. He lacked the finesse to manipulate it as freely as his own limbs. Still, with nothing else to do, he had already devised numerous ways to utilize it. Once he got his hands on a character enhancement stone, this class would likely prove no worse than his previous ones. Over the following days, the competition raged on in full swing, though it had little to do with Yu Xian—or with Zhang Buyao, Ximen Wangcai, and the rest, for that matter. After appearing on the rankings on the first day, none of them made the leaderboard again. Only Gong Yinhu remained steadily among the top. Even so, Gong Yinhu did not take first place every day. Instead, a player named Zheng Gangye claimed top honors three times in a row. Word had it that back in his original world, this man had been a legendary master of angling. Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. The competition finally concluded just before Yu Xian could turn into a literal salted fish. Yu Xian was finally freed, and Chi Feihong's dangling heart finally hit rock bottom—he was even contemplating packing his bags and fleeing ahead of time. *** Novice City. Yu Xian was teleported back, feeling as though he had just been released from prison. The moment Zhang Buyao emerged, he grabbed her and headed for the nearest tavern to feast. Although the event had provided food, it had consisted solely of standardized bread, berries, and water. Had the event been enjoyable, he wouldn't have minded, but he had felt no sense of participation from start to finish. Surviving seven days on such meager rations had been pure torment. The two sat opposite each other as the NPC swiftly served an assortment of exquisite delicacies. Yu Xian immediately dug in. "Eat a little slower. Are you really that starving?" Zhang Buyao couldn't help but chuckle as she watched him wolf down the food. Yu Xian swallowed a chunk of meat and promptly began complaining about the provisions aboard the boat. Zhang Buyao blinked in astonishment. "Wait, Salty Fish, did you really not catch a single fish?" "Not one," Yu Xian replied with a dark expression. He actually knew how to fish and occasionally angled by the lakeside at Salty Fish Studio. Yet for reasons beyond his comprehension, not a single fish had bitten this time. What was he supposed to do about that? Zhang Buyao looked at him sympathetically and said in a low voice, "Actually, as long as you catch fish and upgrade your boat, the food provided gets more lavish. By the second day, my boat had all kinds of noodles, and by the third day, there were various meats..." She meant to continue, but glancing up, she saw Yu Xian completely petrified, his complexion draining to an ashen gray. "Chi Feihong..." At that moment, Yu Xian's resentment toward Chi Feihong practically took physical form. He swore he would make Chi Feihong get skunked for a hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years! *** Administrator Space. Feng Mingge looked at Chi Feihong with pity and advised, "I think you'd better find a place to hide as soon as possible." "Wait, how many people got skunked?" Chi Feihong asked, struggling to cling to hope. Feng Mingge glanced at the data and said, "Well, this is quite amusing. In the entire fishing competition, Yu Xian was the only one who got completely skunked. Every other participant hooked at least something." "I know! Let's prepare a consolation prize for getting skunked!" Chi Feihong blurted out at once. Feng Mingge voiced his doubt. "Are you certain that giving him this reward will make him happy rather than feel like you're openly mocking him?" "Who cares? I'm dead either way. Might as well give it a shot!" Chi Feihong gritted his teeth, burning his bridges with desperate resolve. For some reason, Feng Mingge had a bad feeling about this. In all likelihood, Chi Feihong was finished. *** Having finished their feast, Yu Xian and Zhang Buyao strolled through the city to aid digestion. Suddenly, an enormous screen of light manifested in the sky, and a line of text slowly appeared: *Congratulations to Yu Xian for participating in the Fishing Competition, triggering the Hidden Achievement: Seven Days Skunked, and receiving a hidden reward.* Yu Xian and Zhang Buyao both stopped in their tracks. Staring up at the glowing display in the sky, both fell into stunned silence. The surrounding players erupted into chatter, and several who recognized Yu Xian began surreptitiously glancing at his expression out of the corners of their eyes. "Seven whole days without catching a single fish? Is that for real?" "Yu Xian needs a new nickname. Don't call him the Semi-Truck anymore—call him the King of the Skunked!" "Hey, watch your phrasing—keep it civilized!" "Look, his face is completely black. Getting skunked is bad enough, but now the whole world knows about it!" "Maybe he's the Fish God himself, so other fish dared not bite." "Aren't you guys curious what the hidden reward is, though?" "Not in the slightest! Compared to getting a reward, I'd rather never get skunked in my life." *** Zhang Buyao looked at Yu Xian with deep pity and murmured, "Well... now the whole world knows you got skunked." "Chi Feihong!" Yu Xian ground his teeth in fury. The next instant, he vanished. *** Administrator Space. Yu Xian materialized out of thin air and delivered a direct Rider Kick. Chi Feihong played along with an exaggerated yelp and went flying through the air. Yu Xian then unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks upon him, while Chi Feihong could only clutch his head and beg for mercy. Once he had vented his wrath, Yu Xian snarled, "Don't pull any more unnecessary stunts, got it?" "Understood, understood!" Chi Feihong nodded frantically. Yu Xian turned to Feng Mingge and said helplessly, "Brother, don't let him run wild. From now on, you take the lead and let him assist. Any event you find questionable, you have the right to veto it outright." "Understood," Feng Mingge agreed with a nod. Yu Xian nodded, then said flatly, "Right. I'm heading back." Although entering the Zhen Realm prevented him from unleashing his full might, he could leave whenever he wished. That was an administrative privilege, and it functioned just as effectively inside the realm. The next moment, Yu Xian returned to the Zhen Realm, grabbed Zhang Buyao, and bolted all the way back to the inn. Once safely inside Yu Xian's room, Zhang Buyao could no longer hold it in and burst into laughter. While she felt a twinge of pity that he had spent seven days catching nothing, the whole affair was simply too comical—especially the fact that he was the sole player to trigger this hidden reward. Watching her laugh so merrily, Yu Xian grumbled under his breath, stepped forward, and deployed the skill: Protest Wall-Slam. Gradually, the atmosphere turned tender, until only the faint sound of soft breathing remained in the room.