The roar of the Baspian Waterfall echoed endlessly.
Water crashed down like a raging sky.
Mist filled the air.
The ground trembled with every drop.
And beneath it—
Alex stood still.
Eyes closed.
Breathing steady.
A faint blue aura flowed around him.
Water energy… moving slowly through his body.
This time—
It did not resist.
It obeyed.
A thin stream of water gathered around his palm.
Unstable…
But controlled.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I can feel it…"
"It's listening to me…"
From behind—
Yi Zhau's voice came cold and sharp.
"Listening?"
A faint scoff.
"Do not flatter yourself."
"That is the lowest form of control."
A pause.
"You have barely stepped into Elemental Gathering."
"Even calling it control is an insult."
Alex's expression stiffened slightly.
But he did not argue.
Instead—
He focused more.
Yi Zhau stepped forward slowly.
"Since you have gained a fragment of control…"
"I will teach you your first technique."
The air grew heavy.
"Gathering Split Palm."
Alex opened his eyes.
"Gathering… Split Palm?"
Yi Zhau raised his hand casually.
Water gathered instantly.
Dense.
Sharp.
Compressed into his palm.
"Watch carefully."
A pause.
"This is not brute force."
"This is control."
He moved his hand forward—
A silent strike.
But the impact—
Split the falling waterfall for a moment.
Water scattered violently.
The force traveled forward
A distant rock shattered instantly.
Silence.
Alex's eyes widened.
"That…"
Yi Zhau lowered his hand.
"Is what you will learn."
A pause.
"Or fail trying."
Alex stepped forward.
He raised his hand slowly.
Water gathered.
Shaking.
Unstable.
He tried to compress it—
But it scattered.
Failure.
Again.
Failure.
His breathing grew heavy.
"I can't compress it…"
Yi Zhau did not even look at him.
"Of course you can't."
"You lack control."
"You lack understanding."
A pause.
"And yet you expect results?"
Silence.
Alex clenched his fist.
He tried again.
This time—
Slower.
Careful.
The water gathered…
Compressed slightly.
He pushed forward—
A weak strike.
The waterfall trembled slightly.
Then returned to normal.
Silence.
Yi Zhau glanced at him.
"Barely acceptable."
"But still trash."
Alex ignored the insult.
Instead—
A faint smile appeared.
"I did it…"
Without waiting—
He tried again.
This time with more focus.
More control.
The strike hit the waterfall again.
The surface shook harder.
Then—
Something changed.
The ground beneath them trembled.
A deep vibration spread.
Alex stepped back.
"What was that…?"
The water flow shifted slightly.
The sound changed.
Yi Zhau's eyes narrowed.
"…Interesting."
"Move."
They stepped closer to the base of the waterfall.
Water crashed down violently—
But something beneath it…
Was glowing faintly.
Alex squinted.
"There's something down there…"
Without hesitation—
They moved forward.
Entering beneath the waterfall.
The pressure increased instantly.
Water roared around them.
But inside—
A hidden space existed.
Dark.
Wet.
Ancient.
And in the center—
A massive shell.
Naturally formed.
Covered in mineral layers.
Faint blue light leaked from within.
Alex stepped closer slowly.
"What is this…?"
Yi Zhau looked at it.
For a moment—
Even he became serious.
"…A rare find."
A pause.
"Inside that shell…"
"…is a Natural Ocean Core Pill."
Alex's eyes sharpened.
"A pill?"
Yi Zhau continued calmly.
"Not made by alchemists."
"Not refined by humans."
"This is formed by nature itself."
A pause.
"Once in a hundred years."
"Sometimes… not even then."
The air felt heavier.
"For a water cultivator…"
"It is a treasure beyond measure."
"It strengthens control."
"Stabilizes energy."
"And can push your cultivation forward naturally."
Alex stared at the shell.
A strange pull…
Drew him toward it.
"So… if I take it…"
Yi Zhau interrupted coldly.
"You will improve."
"But do not think it will make you strong."
"Shortcuts create weak cultivators."
A pause.
"Still…"
"This is worth taking."
Alex nodded slowly.
He stepped forward.
Closer.
Closer.
The shell glowed brighter.
Just as he reached out—
A deep roar exploded.
The entire space shook violently.
Water surged wildly.
The shell trembled.
Alex froze.
"What… was that…?"
The roar came again—
Louder.
Deeper.
Ancient.
From the depths of water—
A massive shadow moved.
Two enormous eyes opened.
Glowing in the darkness.
Watching them.
Yi Zhau's expression turned serious.
"…So it wasn't unguarded."
A pause.
"Of course."
The water parted slightly.
A colossal form revealed itself.
The Crown Whale.
Its presence crushed the surroundings.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
Unmoving—
But aware.
Alex's body tensed instantly.
His breath slowed.
"That thing…"
"…it's huge…"
Yi Zhau's voice came low.
"Do not move."
A pause.
"You are not ready for this."
The whale's eyes locked onto Alex.
The water around them began to spiral.
Pressure increased—
Rapidly.
Dangerously.
Silence.
Then—
A single ripple moved forward.
Slow.
But unstoppable.
"Some treasures are not meant to be taken…"
"…unless you are ready to face what guards them."