If there was a ranking of all the known strongest individuals in the entire country or world—Li Yang would not have been part of that list. He was an unknown person that only recently entered the realm of those who obtained powers.

Compared to monsters that have cultivated for centuries and those who have obtained great magicks that were lost in ancient times.. he was a small player.

A greenhorn.

Someone who barely caused a blip or a shred of alertness in the realm of consciousness of the world. Save for those at the very pinnacle of power, the overall strength of those below them also waned and changed in time.

Cultivators or Mages, these people preferred to hoard the powers, secrets and techniques for themselves. If only to be bestowed upon those who they care or trust the most, family, same sect, alliances or those who provide benefits for them.

Yuan Gen had no particular or outstanding talent in the realm of cultivation, that was why he was trusted—because he was weak and couldn't do anything to betray the people above him. He was no general that could cripple down a king's power and take it for himself.

Even if he was the shopkeeper that had access to countless poisons, tinctures and the sharpest needles—he could not kill a man that might as well have been a beast.

Thus when he suddenly found the waters around him moving and then started lifting him out from drowning.. he blinked and tried to realize what he had come upon. Mermaids did not come and save humans, it wasn't surprising to be consumed.

But the water control was coming from someone and he could only point to one individual.

Did this speak of some unknown talent that was yet to be discovered? Yuan Gen already knew that even if this Ying Yue He was a valuable asset to the Liu Group right now—having this guy on their side was even better.

It was comparing a moon to a star—a star that had incredible chances of becoming a supernova.

He tried to peer underwater but found it too dark. Yuan Gen only found the others within his group surfacing like him and all of them started to gather together. Was this safe? Yuan Gen shook his head and searched for the item he always kept on his person.

Yuan Gen's shoulder still felt like it was bleeding because of the pen from earlier, but he worked and forced himself to move despite the pain.

The right hand man of Liu Guiren took out the golden compass.

—-

Li Yang was not exactly used to having water powers—it was as if he had grown an extra hand.. or grown too many hands around him. While his five senses were not linked with the water itself compared to him using his spiritual senses, the water around him somehow felt like it belonged to him.

He was able to use it and bend it to his will.

Now, if only that his competition wasn't against a creature that had lived its entire life in the ocean and a devourer to him completely out of his element. Li Yang was not grounded at all, he still felt the water pressure around him and it was kind of strange being so buoyant.

But he had to make do.

His concentration was split into doing several things. One of them was dedicated to keeping everyone afloat and as far away from the battle place as was possible—while also making sure that they didn't attract any other sea creatures.

Another part of himself was making sure that he stayed afloat and did not sink like a rock.

He dodged another hydro-powered energy attack and felt the water get charged around him. It was a strange battle that kept him up his wits—while trying to ignore the roars and attacks that came in his mind.

It was audible now, this creature's thoughts came in fragments.

Li Yang was beginning to understand more of its thoughts in addition to its emotions. He felt something go out of its lungs or body when he threw his own water javelin at it. While not exactly piercing through the scales, there was a pain that emerged within it.

The creature's attention was solely on him.

Death. Stench of death—purge.

Li Yang blinked but didn't say a thing. It was recognizing him as an equivalent of death. This Aroma of Death status was helpful in dealing with ghosts and making them succumb to his will—but detrimental when faced against those who despised it.

The two were practically at a stalemate—

The Nian beast slapped its tail at him and threw him several hundred feet back into the dark and cold waters. Its body was harder than anything Li Yang had encountered before and it showed.historical

While he was pretty sure that he should be bleeding, he wasn't exactly getting any—but the fight between them was going nowhere at this point. Li Yang needed to do something to even the odds as their powers were currently just blocking each other without any real harm.

If only there was a difference between their elements. Water against water was kind of useless in of itself. He needed a new environment to change the odds and stack them against the creature.

Was there anything that he could do with the water besides manipulating it, changing its form and also using it to heal? Was this the pinnacle of an Undine's shared power?

Seeing that he was currently far away from the beast, he quickly summoned the System Screen to find anything in his Inventory. There was a nagging suspicion within him that he could use something—he stopped at one of the monster parts obtained.

He got a lot of random loot from the Frostborne Mountains when he went there—from the largest feather to the fang of an ice wyvern—but there was a common thing to all of them.

An element of ice.

Could that work?