Several more days passed. One evening, Gan Ning was practicing with his halberd alone on the shore. Suddenly, a sense of danger stirred within him, and he whipped around. Two men had appeared nearby without his noticing. One wore a plain green robe, his bearing open, his face smiling, and his presence composed; the other gently waved a feather fan, his eyes deep and penetrating. They were none other than Chen Yu and Guo Jia!
Gan Ning started in alarm and immediately went on guard. Chen Yu, however, waved a hand and smiled. "There is no need for alarm, General Gan. Mr. Fengxiao and I came because of your reputation. We mean you no harm."
Guo Jia added, "The valor you and Brother Zhao Yun displayed at sea during the day was truly captivating, General. So we came expressly to meet you."
Gan Ning was inwardly shaken. Chen Yu and Guo Jia had actually slipped silently into the heart of the Happo Navy's territory and found him. Such strength and daring were truly frightening. He steadied himself and cupped his fist. "So it is Mr. Chen and Mr. Guo. Forgive my lack of courtesy."
Chen Yu walked up to Gan Ning and looked at him candidly. "Xingba, I know you harbor great ambitions and refuse to settle for mediocrity. The Happo Navy may be good, but it is not the sea in which you can soar. Our Peach Blossom Spring is newly founded, with everything still to be built, and we especially lack experts in naval warfare. If you are willing to join us, I promise you independent command of a force, where you can put all your talents to use! I, Chen Yu, swear here and now to treat you as a hero of the nation and never betray the trust you place in me today!"
There was no beating around the bush in those words. They were direct, yet filled with sincerity and allure that were difficult to resist. Independent command of a force, with full scope for his talents! This was the opportunity Gan Ning had dreamed of!
Gan Ning looked into Chen Yu's clear, resolute eyes, then at Guo Jia beside him, so sure of his plans. He recalled the mutual appreciation he and Zhao Yun had felt that day, then thought of his own frustration in the Happo Navy... His chest heaved. Finally, he dropped sharply to one knee, cupped his fist, and said in a deep voice, "Brother Chen, you value me so highly. Though I am only a rough warrior, even I know that a man will die for one who understands his worth! If you will have me, I am willing to serve you with all my strength, follow you as my lord, and range across the four seas!"
Overjoyed, Chen Yu stepped forward and personally helped Gan Ning up. "With Xingba at my side, I am a tiger granted wings!"
Guo Jia gently waved his feather fan and smiled. "Congratulations, my lord, on gaining another mighty general! Xingba, now that you have joined our Peach Blossom Spring, you ought to have a title. How about 'Brocade Sail General'?"
Tears filled Gan Ning's fierce eyes as he firmly cupped his fist. "Gan Ning accepts the command!"
That night, in the secluded place where Chen Yu was temporarily staying, he told Gan Ning, "Xingba, since you have sincerely pledged yourself to me, I shall grant you a boon to help you undergo a complete transformation!"
[Assign the template "Kyogre (creator of the seas, symbolizing the oceans that cover the globe and rainfall)" to the unit "Gan Ning"?]
"Yes!"
With a thought from Chen Yu, the system's power descended. A vast, profound energy, seemingly containing the power of endless oceans, slowly flowed into Gan Ning's body. Gan Ning felt as though warm ocean currents were washing through every meridian in his body. Every cell rejoiced, and his affinity for water reached unprecedented heights. Images of giant whales roaming the seas, torrential rain, and towering tsunamis appeared in his mind... Mythical Zoan: Kyogre Fruit form successfully bestowed!
Gan Ning (initial strength: elite commander, immense potential) felt the surging power within him. In particular, the sensation of controlling water as naturally as moving his own limbs filled him with excitement. He knelt on one knee, his voice choked with emotion. "Gan Ning thanks my lord for this generous gift! With this body, I shall cleave the waves for you and open up ten thousand miles of maritime territory!"
Gan Ning's arrival and acquisition of Kyogre's power caused quite a stir among Peach Blossom Spring's senior ranks. To test his abilities and establish his authority, Chen Yu ordered Gan Ning and Zhao Yun to conduct a joint exercise.
High winds and rough waves swept the exercise waters. Gan Ning had begun to adapt to Kyogre's power. In his human-beast form, pale blue water patterns appeared across his body, and he could control nearby currents to accelerate and create whirlpools. Leading the newly formed Brocade Sail Battalion's fleet of fast boats, he faced Zhao Yun's White Dragon fleet.
As soon as the exercise began, Gan Ning pushed Kyogre's power to its limit. The speed of the fast boats under his command abruptly increased by thirty percent. They moved through wind and waves as though over level ground, and could even use the currents to create small whirlpools that disrupted the enemy formation. Gan Ning himself was even more in his element. With each sweep of his short halberd, high-pressure water arrows shot out with astonishing power!
Delighted by the challenge, Zhao Yun unleashed Reshiram's power and went at full speed, engaging Gan Ning at sea in a breathtaking display of classic naval warfare: pursuit and counter-pursuit, infiltration and counter-infiltration. In the end, the exercise concluded with Gan Ning's fleet winning by a narrow margin, having "sunk" the command tower of Zhao Yun's flagship.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, and the others watching all nodded in praise. In this battle, Gan Ning had not only proved his worth but also demonstrated his tremendous potential after acquiring his ability. The title of "Brocade Sail General" was truly deserved!
Gan Ning's allegiance was like the final crucial piece of a puzzle, completing the "extreme speed and unpredictable maneuvers" component of the Peach Blossom Spring Navy's tactical system. The establishment of the Brocade Sail Battalion complemented Zhao Yun's frontal assaults and Huang Zhong's long-range strikes, making the Peach Blossom Spring Navy a truly all-purpose maritime force.
Inside Dragon Might Hall, Chen Yu looked at the gathering of talented men under his command, filled with soaring pride. "With Xingba joining us, our navy is a tiger granted wings! The time has come to conquer the Flower Country!"
Guo Jia gently waved his feather fan. "Everything is ready; all we lack is the east wind. And that east wind... will come from Erbao and the Happo Navy."
Gan Ning's wholehearted allegiance marked the completion of Peach Blossom Spring's final preparations to swallow the West Blue whole. A storm that would sweep across the entire Flower Country was about to arrive.
In the late autumn of Sea Circle Calendar year 1515, the skies over the West Blue were high and the clouds sparse. The excitement of the great victory at Hurricane Gorge and Gan Ning's arrival gradually settled into solid confidence. Within Longwei City, there hung a stillness and focus unique to the eve of a great war, taut yet unreleased. Outwardly, Peach Blossom Spring maintained a relaxed appearance while remaining vigilant beneath the surface. Guo Jia's intelligence network spread silently like a spiderweb, maintaining pressure on the Flower Country's capital and monitoring its movements. Internally, they entered a rare period of "seclusion," focused on improving their core fighting strength.
Early in the morning, on the highest mist-wreathed peak in the hills behind Huaxia City (formerly Longwei City), Chen Yu stood alone at the edge of a cliff, looking down over the gradually awakening city and the boundless sea. He activated no abilities, simply standing quietly, his breathing in rhythm with the mountain wind.
His integration with [Arceus's Power] deepened by the day, and he perceived ever more clearly a sense of "rules" that transcended mere strength. The workings of all things, the flow of energy, and even the allegiance of human hearts seemed to follow some underlying rhythm. He extended a hand. Above his palm, a barely perceptible halo flowed-not an attack, but an attempt to simulate the refraction of light within a small area, briefly making a faint rainbow appear in the mist before him. This was an exercise in controlling power with the utmost precision, far more difficult than a display of martial might.
"Elder brother." Liu Bei's voice came from behind him, his footsteps steady. He offered a cup of clear tea. "Freshly brewed with morning dew. It can calm the heart and focus the mind."
Chen Yu accepted it and took a sip, his gaze still distant. "Liu Bei, look at this world. All its bustle seems chaotic, yet it has its causes and effects. What we must do now is establish a new order amid this chaos, one... more in keeping with 'the way of heaven and the hearts of the people.'"
Liu Bei nodded. "You are absolutely right, my lord. Force of arms can bring stability for a time; only benevolent governance and the kingly way can sustain it. Now that our military prestige is established, the next task is to sow this 'benevolence' across every inch of our newly acquired lands, so the people truly give us their allegiance." Standing atop the mountain, the two discussed not specific tactics, but deeper principles of governance and visions for the future. This was their cultivation as leaders.
Before you continue