Reborn as a lotus, she initially refuses to hand it over to the state.

On the other side of Linjiang City.

In the spacious courtyard of the Chen family's old residence, Chen Ziyang, shirtless, was practicing his boxing against an ironwood stake.

The fists whistled through the air, and with each punch, the hundreds-of-pounds-heavy ironwood stakes shook violently.

Next to the courtyard.

Chen Xueli, the older sister, dressed in a white training uniform, is wiping her longsword.

On a rattan chair.

Chen Wuji was resting with his eyes closed.

Since entering the fifth rank, and through continuous cultivation, Chen Wuji's cultivation level reached the late stage of the fifth rank half a month ago.

Within the Martial Alliance, Chen Wuji's strength is undoubtedly that of a contemporary grandmaster.

Just then, Chen Ziyang threw a punch, preparing to throw another.

Suddenly, the stone vat filled with clear water in the center of the courtyard began to vibrate slightly.

Chen Wuji opened his eyes instantly: "Stop."

Chen Ziyang stopped his punch: "Grandpa?"

Chen Wuji ignored him. The old man stepped to the stone vat, and the water that had been swaying gradually calmed down.

Immediately afterwards, the scene of Heilong Lake clearly emerged in the water.

Chen Xueli also put down her long sword and walked over quickly.

Upon seeing Zhou Zhenshan clearly, Chen Ziyang instantly became excited.

"Is it Director Zhou? He's going to fight the Lord of the Azure Lotus?"

Chen Wuji's expression was somewhat solemn.

Chen Ziyang continued, "Grandpa, Director Zhou is a sixth-level cultivator, and the first sixth-level cultivator among humans."

"Even if the Lord of the Azure Lotus breaks through to the seventh rank, he should be able to last for several dozen rounds, right?"

Chen Xueli glanced at her younger brother and said somewhat helplessly, "Dozens of rounds? Aren't you overestimating Director Zhou?"

Chen Ziyang immediately expressed his dissatisfaction: "Sis, whose side are you on? Of course, I'm on the side of humans."

Chen Xueli said calmly, "But stance is one thing, and strength is another."

She pointed to Black Dragon Lake in the water mirror: "Didn't you notice? Director Zhou has already released a sixth-order domain. His blood and qi can only cover the sky above the lake."

"Not a single tree on the lake shore was broken, and the water in the lake was not truly out of control."

Chen Ziyang was taken aback, and then looked closely. Sure enough, the power emanating from the golden-red sun behind Zhou Zhenshan was extremely terrifying.

But when that force approached the lake shore, it seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier.

The Black Tiger King on the cliff was unaffected, and the Golden Feathered Sparrow on the treetop was not blown away by the shockwave.

Even the little wild boar hiding behind the mountain monster only shrank its neck out of fear.

All of Zhou Zhenshan's overflowing power was confined to the airspace above Heilong Lake.

The excitement on Chen Ziyang's face gradually faded: "Was this made by the Lord of the Azure Lotus?"

Chen Wuji finally spoke: "That's right, before Zhou Zhenshan could even throw a punch, the Lord of the Azure Lotus had already taken control of his sixth-order domain."

Chen Ziyang's heart sank: "Grandpa, what if you were facing Director Zhou's punch?"

Chen Wuji remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "We can't stop it."

Chen Ziyang said somewhat unwillingly, "You are a fifth-level Grandmaster."

"It is precisely because I have stepped into the fifth rank that I understand even more clearly how strong the sixth rank is."

Chen Wuji's gaze fell on the golden-red sun behind Zhou Zhenshan: "If this punch lands in Linjiang City, I might be able to protect a few streets even if I risk my life."

"There's nothing else we can do."

Chen Xueli's expression turned serious: "What about the Lord of the Azure Lotus?"

Chen Wuji looked at the silvery-blue lotus in the center of the lake.

From the moment Zhou Zhenshan began to build up his strength until now, those eight lotus leaves have only swayed gently in the wind.

No roots rose, no domain manifested, and not even Chu Zhou's aura was truly released.

Chen Wuji exhaled a breath of stale air: "He hasn't considered Zhou Zhenshan a true opponent yet."

Chen Ziyang's pupils contracted: "How is this possible?"

Chen Wuji shook his head: "The fifth level is when the physical body and spiritual power transcend the mortal realm; the sixth level is when essence, energy, and spirit unite, and one begins to borrow the power of heaven and earth; but the seventh level..."

The old man's gaze was solemn: "According to ancient records, the seventh level is no longer about borrowing from heaven and earth, but about turning a piece of heaven and earth into one's own domain. The two are not comparable."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ziyang clenched his fists. Even so, he was still unwilling to accept that the strongest human would be powerless to fight back.

"Surely Director Zhou can't possibly be unable to withstand even one move?"

Chen Wuji said, "It's too late. I must witness this battle myself."

"Grandpa, do you mean we should go to the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone?"

Chen Xueli was somewhat surprised.

Chen Wuji didn't say anything more. He took a step and disappeared into the courtyard in the blink of an eye.

Chen Xueli and her brother looked up again and saw that Grandpa Chen was sprinting at an extremely exaggerated speed.

The Chen family's courtyard is located in the No. 1 River View Villa District of Linjiang City, not far from the Lingnan Mountains.

Chen Wuji sprinted at full speed, reaching the extreme, and disappeared from the siblings' sight in the blink of an eye.

Chen Ziyang said, "Sister..."

Chen Xueli knew what her younger brother was up to, and immediately frowned and said, "You're not allowed to go anywhere. Keep practicing your fist techniques. You're only at the second level now, you must hurry up and advance to the third level."

……

At the same time, not only Linjiang City, but also Nanjiang City, which is more than 300 kilometers away from Heilong Mountain.

The artificial lake in the city center, which covers thousands of acres, has been completely transformed into a mirror-like surface.

The lakeside square was packed with people, with countless people looking up at the lake.

In Dongjiang City, the great river that flows through the city also reflects the scenery of Heilong Lake.

Tens of thousands of people stood in front of floor-to-ceiling windows in the high-rise buildings on both sides of the strait.

Even students who were in class rushed to the window.

Coastal area of ​​Haizhou City.

A vast expanse of seawater rose.

This forms a huge water curtain that stretches for several kilometers.

The fishing boats were anchored on the sea.

The crew members stood on the deck, dumbfounded.

In addition, the same scene appeared in more than 20 surrounding counties and hundreds of towns.

Reservoirs, rivers, artificial lakes, and even some large swimming pools.

Wherever there is enough water, the image of Heilong Lake can be faintly reflected.

The Ninth Bureau's technical department quickly determined the coverage area.

"With Heilong Mountain as the center, the complete water vein projection radius is close to 500 kilometers. Currently, clear images have been confirmed for the four cities of Linjiang, Nanjiang, Dongjiang, and Haizhou, as well as the surrounding 23 counties."

"The estimated number of direct eyewitnesses exceeds 35 million."

"The number of viewers online has exceeded one billion."

Four Nine Cities.

Ninth Bureau Headquarters.

The meeting room was completely silent.

Mr. Ye stood in front of the huge electronic map.

On the map, a blue area centered on Heilong Mountain is constantly flashing.

Wang Jun said with a solemn expression, "This is not an ordinary projection. All the water areas that appear in the image resonate briefly with the water veins of Black Dragon Lake."

"If the Lord of the Azure Lotus were willing, he could probably sense the condition of every body of water through these water veins."

One researcher couldn't help but say, "Doesn't this mean that the entire Lingnan region is under His sight?"

Elder Ye said with a solemn expression, "Judging from the current situation, this should be the case."

Looking at the Black Dragon Lake image on the electronic screen, Wang Jun said, "The Lord of the Azure Lotus did this on purpose. He could have easily prevented these water mirrors from appearing, but he deliberately made this battle reflect in all the waters."

"He wanted to use Zhou Zhenshan's punch to tell everyone that he was qualified to rule over the waterways of Lingnan."

Elder Ye did not deny it; this was precisely the purpose of the Lord of the Azure Lotus—to let strength speak for itself, the simplest and most direct approach.

……

The first few videos uploaded online quickly climbed to the top of the trending charts.

[Battlefield of Heilonghu discovered along the Linjiang River!]

[Zhou Zhenshan challenges the seventh-tier Azure Lotus Master!]

[Projections appeared simultaneously across 500 kilometers of waterway in Lingnan!]

[Sixth-tier vs. Seventh-tier, who will win?]

In just a few minutes.

Countless live streaming rooms emerged.

Some residents living along the river were broadcasting live.

Some residents of Nanjiang pointed their cameras at the artificial lake.

Some people even carried a basin of clean water.

A blurry image also appeared in the water.

The number of comments has increased dramatically.

[Has a real war broken out? The official statement says it's not a war, but a test of strength.]

"That sounds nice, but isn't proving your strength just about fighting? Zhou Ju only broke through to the sixth rank three days ago, while the Azure Lotus Lord is already at the seventh rank. How can they possibly fight?"

[Realm level doesn't represent everything. Have you all forgotten how fierce Zhou Ju was in the battle at Donghai Port? In the end, it was the Lord of the Azure Lotus who killed the Black Tide King.]

Back then, he was only at the late stage of the sixth rank; now he's at the seventh. Regardless of victory or defeat, Zhou Ju's willingness to take action is admirable.

[Is the Lord of the Azure Lotus deliberately showing us this battle? This isn't a live broadcast; it's a water vein projection, showing up hundreds of kilometers away. This is outrageous.]

[What if this ability is used to attack cities? From now on, the drinking water in our homes will be under the control of the Azure Lotus Lord. Does the Ninth Bureau really dare to hand over the Lingnan waters?]

What else can we do if we don't hand it over? Let's see if Director Zhou can win first.

The debate is getting increasingly heated.

But soon, the commenters fell silent and looked at the strange phenomenon. At this moment, Zhou Zhenshan in the water mirror finally opened his eyes.

Above Heilong Lake, the golden-red sun behind Zhou Zhenshan had reached its peak, its enormous halo illuminating the sky.

His internal energy, spiritual power, and willpower began to continuously contract towards his fist.

At the beginning, the sun was over a kilometer in diameter. As the force compressed, the kilometer-long sun gradually shrank to a hundred meters, and finally to ten meters, until it was completely integrated into Zhou Zhenshan's right fist.

The golden light between heaven and earth also dimmed rapidly at this moment.