Divine Ability: Mist Manipulation, Plotting Thunder

His consciousness withdrew from that bizarre "beach" of dazzling colors and strange sights, returning to his body.

Chen Yuan abruptly opened his eyes. The needle-like headache brought on by the intense mental expenditure had not completely faded, but he had no time to care about it.

Three entirely different streams of information and insight surged into his Sea of Consciousness like an advancing tide.

The first to flood in was the fragment of information formed from that White Shell.

It was not merely a string of words or a series of images, but an incredibly lifelike "memory" fragment, one that made him feel as though he had been there himself. It carried with it a cold sense of destiny:

The scene was the practice grounds outside the Lin Hai County Yamen. Banners fluttered in the wind, and the atmosphere was solemn.

An examiner dressed in official robes, his bearing imposing, was loudly announcing, "...After assessment in the first two trials, the following twenty people have advanced to the final practical trial."

"For the third trial, exterminate the Chishui Bandits entrenched in the Reef Cave on the sandbar at the mouth of the Chishui River, a hundred li east of the county! You have three days. The winners will be determined by the number of bandit leaders slain, the number of bandits exterminated, and your own casualties!"

The scene abruptly shifted, becoming gloomy and secretive. It was deep in the night, in a secret chamber where candlelight flickered. A man with a sinister gaze and a fierce bearing was whispering with a slightly portly, silk-clad middle-aged man.

Chen Yuan's consciousness seemed to draw closer. He could even vaguely sense their identities—the portly man was none other than Zhang Kui Shan, the head of the Zhang Family at the Fish Market!

As for the sinister man facing him, he was actually his younger biological brother, Zhang Kui Tao—the man who was said to have encountered a storm at sea many years ago and whose bones had long since vanished without a trace!

Zhang Kui Shan's voice was cold, carrying a trace of viciousness. "...The information is confirmed. The county yamen has already set the rules."

"None of those fledglings have even reached Sinew Changing. The highest among them is only at Skin Grinding - Peak... Make preparations early. Set more traps and station more archers. Make sure none of them return alive!"

"It will also let the County Magistrate and that bunch who are always trying to stick their hands in know exactly who has the final say over the waters of Lin Hai County!"

The man known as the "Chishui Flood Dragon," Zhang Kui Tao, bared his teeth in a feral grin, revealing stark white teeth. "Don't worry, Big Brother. A bunch of young soldiers who have never seen blood will make perfect offerings for my blade!"

"I'll definitely make them understand the might of your 'Chishui Flood Dragon.' We're just short of 'merchandise' lately. This batch of Blood Food delivered right to our door is strong in sinew and bone—perfect for making up for the brothers' cultivation deficit."

The final image flashed: the mouth of the Chishui River, a complicated stretch of water riddled with reed beds and hidden reefs.

The examinees who had advanced had just drawn near the sandbar in their small boats when they were met by a dense barrage of poisoned crossbow bolts and an assault by countless savage bandits who moved like Water Ghosts!

The bandits far outnumbered expectations. Every one of them looked like a ferocious fiend, and among them were no shortage of Skin Grinding experts. There was even the faintly concealed aura of Sinew Changing. Caught off guard, the examinees suffered heavy casualties in an instant, their blood staining the river red... The information ended there.

The news was like a thunderclap from the Ninth Heaven, exploding violently in Chen Yuan's mind and leaving his soul trembling and his entire body cold!

The exact contents of the third trial of the County Examination! The true identity of the Chishui Bandits' leader, the "Chishui Flood Dragon"—he was actually the "dead" younger brother of the Zhang Family's head!

The Zhang Family had actually dared to be this brazen!

The amount of information contained in this was too great, too shocking! Once it was leaked, it would be enough to whip up a monstrous storm in Lin Hai County!

And as the man who knew about this in advance, he undoubtedly held a key capable of determining the fate of countless people, giving him enormous initiative and endless room to maneuver.

This seemingly most unremarkable White Shell contained a value that was simply immeasurable, completely overturning his understanding that "white means ordinary."

Forcibly suppressing the storm raging in his heart, Chen Yuan slowly closed his eyes and sank his mind deep into his Sea of Consciousness, touching that ice-blue Divine Ability Seed.

"Buzz—"

A cool, moist, ever-changing insight instantly flowed through his entire body, as if he had been born knowing how to communicate with "mist."

The seed formed from countless tiny, profound Runes had already begun fusing with his soul, transforming into something almost instinctive.

Innate Lesser Divine Ability · [Mist Manipulation]: It originated from the remnant essence of an ancient Sea Beast or Spirit Beast that had been naturally capable of controlling water vapor and mist. After successfully fusing with it, one gained the ability to control the water vapor in the surrounding environment, forming and commanding mist.

With a thought, he tried circulating this newly acquired Divine Ability.

The faint water vapor in the room began gathering toward his palm at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, it formed a fist-sized mass of endlessly roiling white mist, cool and moist.

His thoughts shifted again, and the white mist suddenly spread, enveloping an area several feet around him. Though thin, it truly obscured his vision, making the oil lamp's light hazy.

He stood and moved through the faint mist. His footsteps felt slightly lighter, while his aura also became more restrained.

"Just as wondrous as I imagined!" Chen Yuan's heart surged with uncontrollable delight.

Though he had only just acquired this Divine Ability, its potential was boundless! Whether used for surprise attacks, concealment, or retreat in battle, or for hiding, spying, and even assisting in the cultivation of water-based techniques during ordinary times, it had endless uses.

This was undoubtedly an extremely powerful trump card, one worthy of being kept in reserve for the most critical moment!

He could even sense that the water-aspected qi-blood force cultivated through the Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method had produced a faint, subtle resonance with this Divine Ability. Its circulation seemed to have become a touch smoother.

At last, his attention fell upon the green treasure.

With a thought, a physical object appeared in his hand.

It was the size of a palm, cool and slick to the touch, as if covered in an extremely fine layer of azure scales. It radiated a faint oceanic aura.

The mouth of the pouch was cinched tight with an almost transparent yet resilient fish sinew. A tiny, lustrous pale-blue pearl the size of a grain of rice hung from it as a pendant. Its style was simple and ancient.

[Scarab Fish Secret Pouch]: A storage artifact forged through a simple water-refining method by an Artifact Forging expert. Its primary material was the swim bladder of a third-order "Scarab Fish," supplemented by the softest scales from its neck.

Its internal space had undergone an initial expansion and was approximately ten times the volume of its exterior.

It had excellent preservation and spirit-locking effects on water-aspected materials, especially aquatic spirit plants and Sea Beast materials. It could greatly slow the loss of their spiritual energy, perfectly isolate their fishy and salty odors, and preserve their freshness.

It only required a trace of qi-blood or spiritual power to activate and recognize its master. It was convenient to use, and items could be stored or retrieved with a single thought.

A storage pouch! The joy in Chen Yuan's heart reached its peak.

Without hesitation, he forced out another drop of blood containing his own qi-blood imprint and let it fall onto the small pearl of the Secret Pouch.

The blood was instantly absorbed. A close connection, as natural as the movement of his own arm and hand and linked directly to his heart, was immediately established.

He began testing it with great interest. His gaze swept across the room: the oil lamp on the table, a few taels of loose silver, the hardwood saber he used for practicing...

With a slight movement of his mind, the objects vanished in an instant, appearing inside a gray yet extremely stable, peculiar space about one cubic meter in size, where they floated quietly.

With another thought, they instantly returned to their original positions. Storing and retrieving them was effortless, without the slightest obstruction, as if that space had always been a part of his body.

He even tried placing half a cup of water inside. When he took it out a moment later, not a single drop had spilled, and the water's temperature had not changed at all.

"Excellent!" Chen Yuan could not help but let out a low cry.

For someone like him, who needed vast resources for cultivation and would also need to go out to sea, this was practically a divine artifact made to measure!

Its actual value even surpassed that of many offensive weapons. In the future, whether he harvested precious seafood, carried cultivation resources, or concealed important items, he would have an exceptional guarantee!

A single "Ebbing Tide" had yielded three priceless treasures: lethal information concerning life, death, and the future situation; a complete Lesser Divine Ability with boundless potential; and an exceptionally practical storage artifact. The harvest was far beyond imagination.

After a while, his excitement and elation ebbed away like the tide, replaced by a sudden rise in composure and profound thought.

The opportunity was already in his hands. The next step was figuring out how to turn it into tangible strength and advantages.

He took several deep breaths, forcing his boiling emotions to settle completely. Outside, the cold wind howled, making the room seem all the more silent.

He rose and slowly paced around the cramped room, his mind rapidly calculating.

The information had to be used, but he could not reveal it directly.

The best approach was to make himself a "keen discoverer" rather than an "all-knowing informant."

Perhaps during the County Examination, he could rely on his newly acquired Mist Manipulation and its sensitivity to water vapor to "happen upon" abnormal flows of water vapor or traces of blood in the bandits' ambush zone.

Or perhaps, when fighting the bandits, he could "accidentally" knock down a certain leader and discover a token bearing the Zhang Family's mark on him.

He could even take it a step further: use a Mist Barrier as cover, secretly capture a minor leader who knew the truth, pry open his mouth, and then inform the other examinees or examiners of what he had discovered...

That way, the clues would be things he had "risked his life" to uncover. He would have both merit and hardship to his name, while completely nailing the Zhang Family's crimes to the wall.

By then, he would not only be a hero who had exterminated the bandits, but also the hero who had exposed a heaven-shaking conspiracy. The rewards, reputation, and attention he could gain from the martial arts school and the government would far exceed those earned by merely passing the County Examination.

As for the enormous interests left vacant after the Zhang Family's collapse... Chen Yuan's gaze turned cold.

The Blackwater Martial Arts School would never let such a massive benefit slip away. As the key figure who had exposed this matter, and as a direct disciple of the school, he would certainly be able to claim a share. Perhaps he could even secure some of the Fish Market's allotment for his family. That would greatly ease the pressure of obtaining cultivation resources.

As for those Chishui Bandits... Chen Yuan clenched his fist, feeling the surging qi and blood within him and the Spiral Force flowing beneath his skin.

They were just what he needed to temper his newly acquired Divine Ability and test the results of a month of arduous cultivation!

He had already cultivated the Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method to considerable proficiency. The toughness of his skin increased by the day, and ordinary blades and swords could hardly injure him. What he lacked was precisely a true battle to temper himself.

Once he had made up his mind, Chen Yuan suddenly felt that the road ahead had become much clearer. He focused once more and sensed the Tidal Stele in his Sea of Consciousness.

The information on the stele had already been updated:

Realm: Skin Grinding Realm · Minor Accomplishment (26/100)

Techniques: Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method (Proficient) Cold River Spirit Blade Saber Canon (Initiate)

Divine Ability: Lesser Divine Ability · Mist Manipulation (Elementary)

Items: Scarab Fish Secret Pouch (Master Recognized)

Tide Fortune: 0/100

Status: Ebb Tide Period (the next Rising Tide requires a full accumulation of 100 Tide Fortune)

After twenty days of arduous cultivation, he had gone from having just entered Skin Grinding Realm (5/100) to Minor Accomplishment (26/100). His progress could be described as astonishingly fast.

This was not only thanks to his daily, unceasing cultivation and the Skin Tempering Ointment. The insights brought by the Tide Intent had also played an indispensable role.

Now that he had obtained Mist Manipulation as well, it was highly compatible with his own cultivation method. His future cultivation speed would surely increase by several degrees.

Tide Fortune had once again returned to zero, and he did not know when it would next become full. But Chen Yuan was not anxious. Now that he had a clear goal, he only needed to move forward one step at a time.

He pushed open the wooden window. The sea wind, carrying a biting salty and fishy scent, poured in at once. With the Divine Ability in hand and the Secret Pouch at his side, the killing trap had been laid bare.

The County Examination three months from now would no longer be merely an assessment. It would be the true beginning of Chen Yuan making his mark in Lin Hai County and stirring up waves!

"Chishui Flood Dragon... Zhang Family... Just wait." The young man murmured, his voice blending into the howling sea wind before he soon sank into a deep sleep.