They say outsiders watch the excitement, while insiders watch the way, and this is indeed the case. Yu Wensheng just glanced a few times and saw the essence through the phenomena.

Sun Yi: "Um, with such a dense competition pond, it seems that not fishing at the bottom may not be a big issue! But the competition time is only half an hour, and positions have to be swapped in the middle. Falling behind in tail count significantly makes it hard to catch up later!"

"The tail count shouldn't fall behind too much. In my view, Liu Wenbo is gambling! If he wins the gamble, he secures the competition!"

"Gambling on what? Please explain in detail!"

"Fishing off-bottom vs. fishing at the bottom doesn't seem problematic at first glance, but analyzing the whole session makes it quite interesting. He's gambling on Wang Chao not realizing he's fishing off-bottom! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Generally, when fishing at the bottom, there is a nest there, but if fishing off-bottom with loose bait, after changing positions, it's challenging to connect to the opponent's nest. One issue is the wrong position, another is fishing off-bottom; the surrounding fish are difficult to gather!"

Yu Wensheng was right; Liu Wenbo was using his understanding of fish conditions to lay a trap for Wang Chao.

Falling behind by a couple of fish temporarily is not a problem. As long as the bite off-bottom smooths out, it's possible to fish normally later on. Then, when positions swap in the second session, the accumulated subtle advantage in fishing technique will become evident. In a match between masters, victory is determined by inches. If Wang Chao reacts a little slow, he will lose the match.

...

While the on-site commentary and celebrity anglers were performing their roles and the competition was progressing orderly, Zhang Yang's match was simultaneously underway.

With less than five minutes remaining until the end of the first half, Zhang Yang had completely figured out the overall fish conditions at the current spot through early bite catching and test fishing.

The current score is 13:14, with Zhang Yang leading by one fish, while in the midst of changing bait and casting rods, Xu Ting next door caught a fish as well, leveling the score.

Facing a seemingly inseparable score, Zhang Yang wasn't as tense as outsiders might think. On the contrary, he was very relaxed at this moment, consciously keeping a firm grip on the rhythm of catching fish.

Many times, even when the float indicated that a fish had bitten the hook tightly, Zhang Yang intentionally waited half a beat, slowing down to let Xu Ting catch up, keeping the score within a one or two fish difference.

The first half ended quickly, with a temporary score stand at 23:23.

With the referee announcing the anglers should switch positions and take a five-minute intermission, Zhang Yang and Xu Ting stood up simultaneously, exchanged their spots, and started chatting quietly.

"The score is quite tight! I might not make it in the second half!" Xu Ting said with a smile.

Zhang Yang grinned as well: "Teacher Xu is putting quite a bit of pressure on me. I've participated in quite a few competitions, but rarely do I feel this tense; my reaction to catches slowed earlier!"

"Drink some water and relax, it's a double-elimination; the outcome of one match doesn't decide the final results, there's still a chance! Plus, I think you did pretty well, no mistakes!"

"Haha, I'll take your lucky words."

...

Despite their opponent status, the atmosphere in the chat between the two rested competitors was quite fine, devoid of sharp emotional confrontations, rather leaving each other some room.

This five-minute swap and rest time, according to the tournament organizers, is meant for anglers to make slight position adjustments or replace bait. If there were issues in the first half of the competition, they would adjust various things in this period, potentially causing an overall change in the situation for the second half.

For Zhang Yang and Xu Ting, this rest time indeed became a time to rest. Xu Ting felt he performed well; temporarily tying with Zhang Yang, although lacking advantages, no clear disadvantages either. Xu Ting believed as long as he performed normally in the second half, his winning chance is surely over fifty percent. After all, considered an experienced angler himself, he possesses considerable combat experience and psychological advantages.

But Xu Ting didn't take into account that the current 23-fish tie isn't Zhang Yang's limit—it's the result of him consciously controlling the score.

At this point, someone might complain, is Zhang Yang an idiot? With clear advantages, instead of fishing more to secure the lead, he deliberately controlled the score, what's he doing?

Zhang Yang isn't crazy; he has his own considerations.

Firstly, Zhang Yang is testing his ability to control fish conditions for a specific fish species. In an unfamiliar fish condition environment, ample attempts allow Zhang Yang to understand fish conditions deeper. With enough understanding, his subsequent decisions will be more accurate.

Secondly, Zhang Yang is consciously slowing down the rhythm, maintaining score balance with Xu Ting. This can lull the opponent into a false sense of security, allowing for a burst and increased fishing rhythm in the second half. If Xu Ting's reaction is slow, he'll instantly lose by a huge margin without even having time to reflect on his mistakes.

Conversely, if Zhang Yang had widened the tail count advantage in the first half, Xu Ting would surely contemplate where the issue lies during the break, even discussing countermeasures with the team. With the same fish conditions present, if Xu Ting responds well in the second half and surpasses in tail count, Zhang Yang's risk of losing increases significantly.

In short, Zhang Yang's behavior boils down to the essence: reaching the last 16 stage, most anglers do not exhibit obvious disparities in basic skills; the game is more often won based on on-site performance combined with tactical strategies.

The precious five-minute halftime break ended in a very harmonious atmosphere. Zhang Yang and Xu Ting returned to the fishing spots, and at the referee's command, the second half of the competition began again.

Entering the second half, Zhang Yang changed from the tepid fishing style of the first half to a sharp and deadly approach.

After understanding fish conditions and feeding habits, Zhang Yang tried appropriately letting go of the mouth to catch double tails from the first rod. Motion points, pauses, sweeps, dips, tops, every float action was no secret to Zhang Yang. The state of the fish underwater, whether the hook was in the fish's mouth or had been sucked in then spat out, Zhang Yang was crystal clear.

In this state, wouldn't the double-tail success rate be high? Just to put it this way, within the first five rods, Zhang Yang caught three double-tails, totaling six fish.

In just under a minute from the restart, Zhang Yang staged a 6:3 mini-climax, instantly establishing a clear three-fish advantage.

In the following dozen minutes, Zhang Yang continued the double-tail catch strategy, repeatedly achieving double-tail captures, further widening the fish count gap instead of diminishing it.

Taking note of this, Xu Ting initially feigned calm. As the score difference widened to five fish, he couldn't hold it anymore.

Anyone on the competition stage experiences pressure psychologically; just, some have more experience, thus stronger pressure tolerance, while others, with less experience, would feel exceptionally nervous encountering problems.

Fairly speaking, Xu Ting could be considered an angler with a strong heart, but Zhang Yang's unpredictability disrupted the competition rhythm, causing Xu Ting's mentality to explode.

The competition was balanced in the first half, yet as the second half began, Zhang Yang's double-tails left Xu Ting feeling completely powerless. Xu Ting tried bravely to catch double-tails by letting go too, but his understanding of float actions and fish conditions wasn't as profound as Zhang Yang's, rendering a touching success rate.

Competitions test the basics and spontaneous decisions and adaptations on site; many times it is a case of missing one step leading to consistently falling behind. Xu Ting was precisely in this state.

During Zhang Yang's stage of clarifying fish conditions, Xu Ting wasn't under much pressure, happily fishing with enjoyment. But when Zhang Yang accelerated to catch double-tails in the second half, Xu Ting couldn't identify the double-tail float actions and fish conditions, it was too late. Boiling frog effect, when the frog realizes the water is too hot, it has already lost the chance to leap out of the water.

When Xu Ting, amidst consecutive mistakes and empty guns, found some feel for double-tails, the competition had reached the ninth minute of the second half.

The current score now is 33:41. Zhang Yang, with an absolute eight-fish advantage, has completely grasped the match rhythm.