Outside the Beidou Bang headquarters, chaos reigned.

The Death God Battalion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard fought fiercely, but their opponents were not simple. At first, they were facing the major factions led by Lu Yuan Dao of the Danyang Sect; this was manageable—the main force, after all, was Beidou Bang itself.

However, later, surrounding and killing Liu Zuifeng was left entirely to the Death God Battalion. After all, he was a Grandmaster. Though Liu Zuifeng concealed his strength to assassinate Gu Zhan, the Death God Battalion still suffered heavy losses—Liu Zuifeng had once been a Third Tier talent; even revealing only his Fifth Realm cultivation, he was not to be underestimated.

Gu Zhan walked into the ranks of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, calming their somewhat stifled atmosphere.

Tian Yu came over with his sword, cupped his hands, and said, "Sir, please go and handle your affairs. Leave the aftermath here to me."

Gu Zhan nodded slightly.

After spending over a month together, Gu Zhan truly trusted Tian Yu’s abilities.

Not only did he possess Fourth Realm cultivation, he was a talent who could battle above his level. His personal combat strength could suppress the entire Death God Battalion. Furthermore, he was from a prestigious family and had always held high positions within the Tian Family—he was the face of the Tians. His personal management skills were also formidable.

Over the past month,

Gu Zhan had intentionally placed Tian Yu into the Death God Battalion; now, Tian Yu could replace him in most matters. Even independently commanding the Death God Battalion posed no issue, save for a lack of prestige,

but that kind of prestige is something nothing could be done about,

unless the day came that Gu Zhan retired from the front lines. Otherwise, it would always be Gu Zhan’s absolute authority in the Death God Battalion.

Still, with Tian Yu here in charge,

Gu Zhan felt at ease to leave and headed to a courtyard.

Beidou Bang had too many members—impossible for all to live in one manor. This manor served only as a temporary headquarters; other high-levels each had their own defined territories and staff.

After entering the courtyard,

Gu Zhan washed up and changed into a black embroidered uniform.

The Flying Fish Robe from earlier was soaked with blood, riddled with holes, no longer wearable.

After changing,

Gu Zhan walked out the door, opening his system panel as he strolled.

The accumulated Experience Points had reached over thirty million.

He did not hesitate and chose to upgrade his Water Manipulation Skill.

He had already personally experienced the Divine Techniques of Water Manipulation,

and the reason he could defeat Liu Zuifeng so quickly just now was precisely because of Water Manipulation Skill.

One could say Liu Zuifeng was just unlucky,

for today’s weather was poor—heavy with clouds, the air thick with moisture. With Gu Zhan wielding Water Manipulation, even if his Divine Techniques were suppressed, as long as he could touch water, his strength increased.

Otherwise, it would have taken longer to kill Liu Zuifeng.

This made Gu Zhan realize even more clearly the might of Divine Techniques—truly a different league from Martial Arts,

Martial Arts rely on one’s own body,

but Divine Techniques—this is the Power of Heaven and Earth.

...

The second realm of Water Manipulation—Forbidden Water—required thirty million Experience Points. Gu Zhan originally had more than six million remaining; killing Liu Zuifeng netted him twenty-five million, pushing his total past thirty million.

[Use 30 million Experience Points]

[Water Manipulation Skill upgraded to Minor Success Realm]

...

In that instant,

Gu Zhan felt more changes in his body, though he could not say exactly what. Not until he glanced down at the small river running beneath the bridge did an understanding suddenly come to him.

Looking at the muddy river, he seemed to see some lines within the water, faint lines appearing on the stones as well.

And in that moment,

He felt he could command the river through those lines.

They were not mere lines—they were the rules or patterns of the water.

He quietly watched the river, telekinesis from his sea of consciousness merging with the breath of Heaven and Earth surrounding him. Suddenly, the river rippled ever so slightly; a faint airflow seemed to splash upward, causing the water plants to sway.

But the next moment,

The water plants stopped swaying, frozen in their bent posture, as if solidified, 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The river still flowed,

But the water plants no longer moved,

Soon, several fish floated to the surface in grotesque postures, then instantly sank back down, floated up again, rolled belly-up, and died,

A supremely absurd scene appeared,

The fish drowned in water!

A gale blew through, shedding many leaves into the river,

And in that instant, a most bizarre scene occurred,

The leaves sank instantly like stones, vanishing without a trace.

Witnessing this,

Gu Zhan smiled faintly,

Water Manipulation Skill Second Realm—forbidden water!

The word "forbidden",

Earlier, Gu Zhan thought it meant "to prohibit," but only now did he realize—forbidden means forbidden ground, means taboo.

...

Within the main courtyard of the manor.

Beidou Bang’s Left Protector Xiao Chen walked in, spotting Mo Jingzhou standing in the pavilion from afar. He hurried over, asking, "Big Brother, you called for me?"

Mo Jingzhou gestured for Xiao Chen to sit, then poured him a cup of tea and asked, "What do you make of today’s events?"

Xiao Chen scratched his head and said, "A lot happened today—which one do you mean?"

Mo Jingzhou smiled and said, "Gu Zhan. What do you think of that young man?"

"He’s really quite something, Big Brother," Xiao Chen replied cheerfully, "And not just because he managed to kill a Grandmaster—it’s his temperament, really suits my tastes. Honestly, Big Brother, for the past decade our Beidou Bang has been stifled. The younger generation just doesn’t measure up, and facing outsiders, we always give ground. It’s become second nature by now.