Chapter 256 - 248: Divine Technique, Water Manipulation Skill (Part 2)
And the divine technique is divided into Mahayana Divine Power Technique and Minor Mahayana Divine Technique Method. However, I don’t know what distinguishes the Mahayana from the Minor Mahayana, because our Beidou Bang only has one Minor Magic Power Technique. This divine technique was snatched by the Dragon King from an ancient tomb relic, which is also his claim to fame."
Gu Zhan raised an eyebrow and asked, "The legendary Cyan Dragon Emerges from the Sea?"
Yun Wei chuckled and said, "What Cyan Dragon Emerges from the Sea—it’s just a rumor in the martial world. The technique is called Water Manipulation Skill, a water control divine technique. Just because every time the Dragon King makes a move, it causes the dragon to suck water, the martial world calls the divine technique he cultivates Cyan Dragon Emerges from the Sea.
The Left Protector and I also cultivate the Water Manipulation Skill, but neither of us is adept, only dabbling a bit, never reaching the entry level. That’s why no one claims we’re practicing Cyan Dragon Emerges from the Sea."
Gu Zhan asked, "Is the divine technique difficult to learn?"
Yun Huai nodded, "Mastering the divine technique is beyond the 90% of grandmasters in the world. Not only is it difficult to cultivate, but it also requires one to rely on personal innate spirituality to attempt cultivation. With divine techniques being hard to come by, Beidou Bang only possesses one, lacking the means to choose divine techniques based on personal spirituality."
After saying this, Yun Wei looked at Gu Zhan and said,
"But, you’re perhaps an exception!"
Yun Wei took a deep breath and said, "Seeing you able to cultivate so many unrelated martial arts to great success, I honestly can’t help but curse the heavens for being unfair—it’s simply leaving no path for others to live.
A normal person, even a gifted prodigy, would have squandered their talent by dabbling as you do, lacking focus, and would have extinguished their talent. At the least, their meridians would be severed, or at worst, they would fall into the state of a fallen demon, losing themselves entirely—yet, you not only remain unscathed, you excel in everything.
Perhaps this is your innate gift; those like you will thrive, while those who mimic you are doomed for failure. Without guidance from a renowned master, reaching this step would likely be unique to you. Therefore, I intend to pass the Water Manipulation Skill to you. The Dragon King has only reached great success; the Left Protector and I have barely grasped its basics. But you, perhaps you can truly comprehend the essence of the Water Manipulation Skill!"
Gu Zhan slightly furrowed his brow, saying, "At what cost?"
Yun Wei sighed, saying, "The environment you’ve encountered makes it hard for you to trust others. But honestly, this time you don’t need to pay any cost, simply because you’re the leading figure among the younger generation of Beidou Bang—it’s just that straightforward.
Once our elder generation retires, Beidou Bang must be handed off to your generation. However, among the younger generation, there’s no one in Beidou Bang who can take the lead. Even among those who joined us, Tian Yu counts as the most promising, but with his talent, without extraordinary fortune, he at most can become a grandmaster and might not even reach that level.
But now, Beidou Bang has you, who can shoulder the mantle without competitors. Should we not focus our resources on you?"
Gu Zhan’s brows furrowed, just about to speak, when Yun Wei suddenly stood up and patted Gu Zhan’s shoulder, saying, "You’ve been part of Beidou Bang for quite a short time, so a feeling of belonging is understandable. But don’t rush; take it slow. We trust you with your clean background and are willing to give you time to integrate into Beidou Bang.
However, Beidou Bang is currently facing a gap, and you need to stand out. Everything else can follow step by step. Whether you can take over Beidou Bang depends on your future progress. But currently, in martial arts, you must not hesitate or delay. Your opponents aren’t the young people in Beidou Bang; they aren’t fit to be your adversaries; your opponents are the first-tier prodigies!"
Having said this,
Yun Wei took out a jade slip approximately three inches long and one inch wide from his breast, handing it to Gu Zhan and saying, "This is the Inheritance Jade Slip for the Water Manipulation Skill, keep it, don’t transmit it outside. If this thing spreads in the martial world, it will undoubtedly trigger a massacre, and you should understand that."
Gu Zhan nodded,
not to mention divine techniques, the martial world is rife with forces exterminated due to possessing profound martial arts, following the principle that ’an innocent man possessing a treasure will be condemned.’
If one day Beidou Bang falls from grace, it can’t escape this fate.
Yun Wei chuckled and said, "This floor above is the Beidou Bang’s Inheritance Pavilion, housing numerous martial arts secret manuals. You can peruse freely. Your situation is unique, and while my realm is higher than yours, I can’t enlighten you much; you have to explore yourself.
Though Beidou Bang can’t match great sects passed down for centuries, we’ve accumulated plenty over the decades. There are quite a few Earth Tier martial arts available, and you should learn as much as you can.
Divine techniques are powerful, yet martial arts shouldn’t be neglected. Divine techniques are high-rise buildings, while martial arts are the foundation. Don’t disregard martial arts because of divine techniques."
Gu Zhan hesitated, "Please guide me further, Cloud Protector."
Yun Wei subtly laughed, saying, "Simply put, no one can use divine techniques indefinitely. Furthermore, while divine techniques are mighty, they are greatly restricted. Take the Water Manipulation Skill; from its name, it’s clear this divine technique is strongest only in aquatic environments, but you can’t always fight in water, or encounter an opposing divine technique—what then?
When divine techniques are countered, or lose their home-field advantage, personal combat ability still matters. Hence, divine techniques are tall buildings, martial arts are foundations; without a sturdy foundation, a building this tall is prone to collapse at any time."
Gu Zhan narrowed his eyes slightly, mostly comprehending Yun Wei’s point, yet feeling somewhat unclear.
Yun Wei chuckled and said, "Once you understand divine techniques, you’ll get it. Here you can receive the Water Manipulation Skill; this place is completely safe."
Having said, Yun Wei exited the door with a smile.
In the hall, only Gu Zhan remained.
Gu Zhan glanced at the Inheritance Jade Slip in his hand, channeling some True Essence into it.
Immediately,
a stream of martial arts information rapidly transferred into Gu Zhan’s consciousness,
However, the sheer volume of information was beyond his ability to memorize.
Fortunately, he didn’t need to memorize it,
as the system automatically recorded it.
Once the system recorded the Water Manipulation Skill, it briefly dissected and summarized it,
This is a water-based divine technique,
divided into three realms,
Entry Level is Entering Water, in this realm the user achieves integration with water, assimilating into an aquatic life form, also known as Submerging without Drowning.
Minor Success is Forbidden Water, as the name suggests, enabling a state where one can use water as a medium to impose restrictions while moving unrestrained and freely.
Great Success is Water Control, this realm allows command over river forces to be wielded, essentially borrowing the power of nature itself. In this realm, opening a water battle equates to a dragon entering the ocean.
...
Upon understanding the methods of divine techniques,
Gu Zhan finally grasped why Yun Wei would say martial arts are the foundation, and divine techniques are the high-rise; this illustrates the principle that the foundation dictates the superstructure.
Divine techniques possess a high potential,
such as the Water Manipulation Skill, though only a Minor Divine Technique Method, yet upon reaching the Peak of Perfection Realm, one can employ river forces as one’s own, outright seizing the power of heaven and earth, incredibly formidable.
However, they also face restrictions, specifically water,
appearing in a vast desert devoid of water, the divine technique’s power remains a fraction, or if specifically designed to counter, the divine technique’s power becomes null, at which point relying on foundational martial arts is crucial.
It was also at this moment Gu Zhan realized,
why few Grandmaster Level experts are assaulted at their own gates—the reason lies in home-field advantage.
Consider Canglan City, situated next to the Nu River, with interconnecting streams, anyone causing trouble in Canglan City will face challenges beyond Mo Jingzhou; even Yun Wei, who has barely grasped the basics of divine techniques, can leverage the home-field advantage to challenge grandmasters.
Furthermore, regarding divine techniques,
many major forces establish arrays at their sect entrances, utilizing array power to temporarily escalate the realm of divine technique cultivators—like Yun Wei, barely grasping the Water Manipulation Skill basics, yet a grandmaster can harness the power of the Great Dao, resonating with heaven and earth, enabling him to activate arrays aligning with divine techniques, harnessing the full might of Canglan City’s water sources.