Innate Ability "Water Manipulation"

The female water ghost seemed to feel insulted, her swollen face instantly contorting as she opened her mouth wide, emitting a series of ear-piercing shrieks!

The surrounding lake water, as if receiving a command, condensed into numerous water arrows.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Over a dozen water arrows, accompanied by a surge of current, shot fiercely toward Gu Qingfeng's back.

Gu Qingfeng had already sensed the abnormal changes in the water flow, but he didn’t even turn his head. Instead, he tightened his grip.

The next moment, the water arrows struck Gu Qingfeng’s back with full force.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

A series of notification sounds rang out continuously.

You have been attacked by a water ghost.

Water attribute +5 +5 +5 +5 +......

Congratulations, host. Your water attribute has reached its limit. You have gained the innate ability, [Water Manipulation].

Water Manipulation!?

The ability to control water.

Gu Qingfeng suddenly felt an increasing affinity with the surrounding water. He had a vague sense that with just a thought, he could command the water around him.

At this moment, the female water ghost had already prepared her second wave of attack, forming over fifty water arrows.

Gu Qingfeng focused his mind.

In an instant, the fifty-plus water arrows dissipated into nothingness.

Gu Qingfeng felt a surge of joy. This ability was quite interesting—it made him invincible in water battles.

Unconsciously, his gaze toward the female water ghost grew even more delighted, as if he had discovered a treasure trove.

She was clearly weak, yet she had provided him with two abilities in a row. Well done! Let’s aim for one more!

However, the female water ghost looked at Gu Qingfeng as if she had seen a ghost.

Even with her limited intelligence, she now understood that this man was no ordinary person.

Her instinct for self-preservation made her struggle frantically, trying to escape.

But Gu Qingfeng tightened his grip with both arms and legs, making it impossible for the female water ghost to break free. Instead, he held her even tighter, causing her swollen body to bulge under the pressure.

The immense force caused the female water ghost to cry out in pain, emitting more ear-piercing shrieks.

Annoyed by the noise, Gu Qingfeng shouted angrily, “Stop screaming! Even if you scream your lungs out, no ghost is coming to save you.”

Huh?

Gu Qingfeng suddenly froze. He could actually speak underwater now?

It must be the effect of the Water Manipulation ability. This was quite convenient—being able to speak meant he could communicate more easily, making it simpler to tame the water ghost.

So Gu Qingfeng continued, “As long as you behave and cooperate, I promise I won’t harm you.”

The female water ghost seemed to understand his words. She stopped screaming and struggling, as if resigned to her fate.

“Good. Now, continue attacking me with those water arrows like before. Use all your strength, understand? If you make me happy, I’ll let you go.”

The female water ghost nodded obediently and then let out a sharp shriek, beginning to gather water arrows.

Slap!

Gu Qingfeng delivered a hard slap across the female water ghost’s face, scolding her, “Didn’t I just tell you not to scream?”

The female water ghost was utterly confused. Gu Qingfeng’s words still echoed in her ears: “As long as you behave and cooperate, I promise I won’t harm you.”

And then she got slapped.

The female water ghost looked aggrieved. She opened her swollen mouth and let out a few weak shrieks, as if trying to explain something to Gu Qingfeng.

Gu Qingfeng paused. “What? Are you saying you need to scream to shoot water arrows? You can’t do it without screaming?”

The female water ghost nodded pitifully.

“Alright, my bad. I misunderstood. Go ahead and scream then.” Gu Qingfeng said without a hint of apology.

The female water ghost began shrieking again, and an invisible wave emanated from her body. Through his Water Manipulation ability, Gu Qingfeng could clearly sense the surrounding lake water condensing into sharp water arrows. In fact, he suddenly felt that forming water arrows seemed quite simple—as if he could do it with just a thought.

Soon, over fifty water arrows formed around Gu Qingfeng.

Only fifty?

Gu Qingfeng frowned in dissatisfaction.

Seeing his expression, the female water ghost trembled violently. Her snake-like black hair spread out wildly, and with all her might, she summoned another dozen or so water arrows.

All that effort for just a few more arrows?

Gu Qingfeng was about to scold her, but when he saw her current state, he held back.

The female water ghost’s face had turned even paler—so pale that it made his friend who had been dead for three days look positively rosy in comparison.

Clearly, summoning these water arrows had pushed her to her limit. Gu Qingfeng could also feel her body becoming increasingly weak and limp.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of over sixty water currents echoed.

The sixty-plus water arrows struck Gu Qingfeng with full force.

Gu Qingfeng didn’t feel a thing—it was like being bitten by sixty mosquitoes.

After enduring the sixty arrows, Gu Qingfeng waited to see if the system would grant him a new ability. However, after several seconds, not only was there no new ability, but even the anticipated “ding” sounds were absent.

“That’s it!?” Gu Qingfeng was furious.

He realized that his water attribute was probably too high now, making it impossible for the female water ghost to provide even a sliver of additional attribute. But... that didn’t stop him from being angry.

“Useless! What good are you?”

Gu Qingfeng abruptly released his grip on the female water ghost, then grabbed her slippery, ice-cold, snake-like black hair and began swinging her around.

One circle, two circles, three circles...

The water churned violently, and due to Gu Qingfeng’s immense strength, a whirlpool formed at the bottom of the lake.

On the shore, Wang Fatty and Xu Daizi, who had been eagerly watching, were startled. From their perspective, the previously calm lake surface suddenly surged with a whirlpool, as if some terrifying monster was about to emerge from its center.

At the bottom of the lake, Gu Qingfeng stopped after swinging the female water ghost hundreds of times—not out of pity, but because her hair had been torn out.

The female water ghost, now dizzy and disoriented, lay sprawled on the lakebed, motionless, as if she had fainted. A large patch of her scalp was bald, resembling a middle-aged man’s receding hairline.

“Hey, wake up.” Gu Qingfeng slapped her awake with two quick strikes.

“Now, you have two choices. Either submit to me, or I’ll swing you to death. Choose.”

The female water ghost, lacking any backbone, shrieked frantically to indicate her choice: submission.

Seeing his goal achieved, Gu Qingfeng pulled the female water ghost up and patted her swollen shoulder. “From now on, you’re my person... uh... ghost.”

The female water ghost nodded repeatedly, signaling her obedience.

“You know, even though you’re a ghost, you’re pretty tough. It took hundreds of swings before you agreed to submit.”

The female water ghost looked utterly baffled. “???”

She thought to herself: You didn’t even mention submission at the start! If you’d said so earlier, I would’ve agreed right away!