Chapter 959: Confidence
The next second, the audience both on and off the stage saw Yue Feng make a very risky move.
He also adjusted the bait-to-water ratio, added extra concentration of the small medicine, even almost half a bottle of medicinal wine, he was going all in.
Leng Xiaojun swapped to the large triangle gun, Yue Feng followed suit.
As soon as Leng Xiaojun's float turned over, he lifted his rod, and Yue Feng followed.
Leng Xiaojun was casting at a rapid frequency, almost one rod after another, reaching a rhythm close to floating fishing speed, and Yue Feng followed.
The two seemed to be competing with each other relentlessly.
It's worth mentioning that Leng Xiaojun is no easy character; after this adjustment, the expected unbearable chaos from small fish didn't happen as predicted.
The increased concentration of the Qianlixiang was quite tempting to the engineering carp, with the bite rate significantly faster. In less than twenty casts, they caught two engineering carp.
Over on Yue Feng's side, the usually reliable medicinal wine didn't fail, and the previously slow fish bites sped up. The float turning over signaled bites from the small fish, but the lead was too heavy and the line too short for the fish to catch up, reducing mixed bites on the bottom.
With increased oxygen levels, the feeding desire of the engineering carp, lured in by strong scents, also entered the nest.
At this point, one had to admire Leng Xiaojun's shrewd sense of fish conditions. Just a breeze, and the fish in the pond displayed a completely different state from before. If Yue Feng had continued fishing conservatively, he might have suffered a loss.
Below the stage, Wang Zhen turned to Zhao Zheng in disbelief: "Is this for real? The engineering carp recognizes Loose Powder bait?"
Zhao Zheng shrugged: "Didn't you see the wind pick up? The fish's temperament is closely linked to their feeding desire. In the same pit, the bite frequency of big and small fish in the nest is different. Remember when we practiced rods before and the tricky fish took a bite wildly? That was the time we added too much medicinal wine!"
Wang Xiaomin chimed in: "Zheng is right, the cautious fish nibble at a few bites, but a little wind blows and they flee!
If the fish start feeding and gather in groups, they become much bolder. When we went out to challenge other pits, many old tricky fish pits felt like they were filled with new, eager fish!"
"The captain is the captain, Leng Xiaojun on the opposite side took a bold gamble, and who would've thought Brother Feng had the guts to follow! If it were me, I wouldn't dare! If we lose, I'd have to take the blame!" said Xue Kai, who rarely spoke, shrinking his neck and speaking softly.
"If it were me, I'd dare to follow! Tianyuan's captain isn't invincible, I'd beat him all the same!" said Wang Xiaomin boldly.
Zhao Zheng smiled and glanced at Xue Kai, saying, "We have an advantage of Ten Fish anyway! Why are you afraid? Do you know where the captain's confidence in keeping up comes from?"
"The medicinal wine?" Wang Zhen was unsure.
"The medicinal wine is just one aspect! It only ensures we don't lose on the additives front. Even if they use Tianyuan's Qianlixiang, without medicinal wine, adding Qianlixiang wouldn't be a big loss, it's just a matter of purity!
It's really simple; the captain has absolute confidence in his basic skills!
Think for yourselves, when going against Leng Xiaojun, don't you feel a bit uncertain? Xiaomin's confidence stems from his hard-practiced basic skills and firm grasp on fast-paced, high-frequency fishing!"
Zhao Zheng nailed it with one sentence, it really was like that!
Wang Zhen scratched his head, unable to help but lament, "Damn! Now that I think about it, it's true! No wonder Brother Feng always emphasizes the importance of practicing basic skills! Though I thought my basics were good enough, really going against Leng Xiaojun, I did feel a bit unsure!"
...
The match on the field was still ongoing. After the wind picked up, the fish condition throughout the pit noticeably improved, and on Leng Xiaojun and Yue Feng's side, it had already shifted from slow to fast lumps with a hint of consecutive catches.
Yue Feng was well-versed in catching these fast fish, and this species of engineering carp didn't like to bite at first, but when they did, they fed aggressively.
Yue Feng used a 0.6 line to Fly Copy, and his technique throughout was almost a textbook-level display, catching fish with fluid ease, with no flaws in the entire process.
Unknowingly, this segment of the match reached its end; Leng Xiaojun bagged 13 engineering carp, and Yue Feng brought in 15, not only not falling behind but once again accumulating a two-fish advantage.
With one minute left until the switch, Xue Kai felt a bit nervous, glancing towards Niu Ben and Zhao Zheng.
"Uncle Niu, Brother Zheng, how should I fish in the next segment? Should I maintain Brother Feng's rhythm from the third segment?"
"No need to ask, fish are biting all over the pit, engineering carp are feeding now, just grab them, do it as fast as possible!" Zhao Zheng didn't hesitate to offer advice.
Niu Ben was more conservative, slowly saying, "If the fish condition doesn't change, continuing to aggressively fish using Yue Feng's method is also fine, but be mindful of small fish disrupting the float during the journey! Don't rush to fish when you get on, just quickly ask for Yue Feng's opinion!"
"Alright!" Xue Kai nodded, beginning to warm up his wrist and ankle in advance, feeling somewhat nervous.
"All athletes, please note, there are only five minutes left until the end of the third segment, stand up and switch upon hearing the whistle. Switch time is one minute! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Switch!"
At the sound of the referee's whistle, Xue Kai strode up to the competition stage.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Yue Feng had already stood up.
Seeing Xue Kai a bit nervous, Yue Feng smiled at him and said, "Don't be nervous, just continue fishing with my aggressive method from the third segment!
If I'm not mistaken, the fourth angler next door will also continue to attack aggressively, relying on basic skills to gain an advantage over you!
Just treat it like fishing a fresh fish in a Black Pit! Keep with the frequency and rhythm, even if a few fish are caught up to, it's okay, your brother will go on in the fifth segment and have it under control!"
It was strange, but Yue Feng's few words, softly spoken with a calm tone, swept away Xue Kai's nervousness. Looking at Yue Feng's determined gaze, Xue Kai instantly calmed down.
"Alright, I got it!" Xue Kai nodded, taking over the warm handle of the fishing rod from Yue Feng.
Once the switch was complete, Tianyuan's angler next door also came up.
This guy was half a head taller than Xue Kai, standing nearly 190 centimeters tall, built like an iron tower, it could only be Mu Lin.
Unlike others who came up loudly chatting away, Mu Lin said nothing and directly picked up the double hook and large Loose Powder, casting at a frequency even slightly faster than Leng Xiaojun!
Mu Lin was also a top angler at Tianyuan, don't be fooled by his large stature, his skills were comprehensive, being rough when needed, and fine when he wanted, capable of holding his own at any position. With Hu Changsheng leading the youth second team, Mu Lin was the acting vice-captain of the first team, and his prestige within the team was very high.