Chapter Forty-Four: Outshining the Jade Crane (Part Two)

“That Yang Xiao really doesn’t know his place, daring to go up against Senior Brother Qingyu He. It looks like his fate will be truly miserable this time. Even if he survives Senior Brother Qingyu He’s ultimate technique, he’ll probably be left with half a life at best.”

“Exactly. Senior Brother Qingyu He’s skills are leagues above the other disciples. Did Yang Xiao not see the previous examples? Yet he still refuses to admit defeat—he must be out of his mind.”

“Senior Brother Qingyu He is truly formidable, having reached the realm of communicating with the elements of heaven and earth. That’s the highest attainment of the Shattering Thunder Fist. It’s said that ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators rarely master it, and even our master, Immortal Lingfeng, has only reached a minor achievement. A technique at this level could very well contend with a Qi Condensation cultivator. This time, it seems Yang Xiao is doomed; there’s no way he can withstand it.”

Beneath the arena, the disciples once again broke into discussion, all focused on the might of Qingyu He’s technique. Such power was simply astonishing, leaving everyone in awe. They all believed Yang Xiao was certain to lose, with no chance for redemption. Some even felt pity for Yang Xiao—by all accounts, he was a true prodigy, but in the face of a giant talent like Qingyu He, his brilliance seemed insignificant; defeat was inevitable.

“Senior Brother Lingfeng, your prized disciple Qingyu He is truly extraordinary. To have brought the Shattering Thunder Fist to such a level—he must be close to a minor achievement. At this rate, he’ll soon catch up to you and me,” said Master Kuruo, watching Qingyu He with some amazement.

“Yu He is indeed a prodigy in cultivation. I hadn’t expected him to make another breakthrough so soon. It seems this disciple named Yang Xiao won’t be his match.” Lingfeng stroked his beard as he spoke.

“It’s just that I find Qingyu He’s killing intent too intense. He shows no mercy at all to his fellow disciples; such a temperament is a bit too extreme,” Master Kuruo said, shaking his head.

“You’re right. Yu He, orphaned and raised by me, has many extreme tendencies in his character, which I’m not entirely satisfied with. I hope that through future tempering, he’ll improve. After all, the future of the Giant Spirit Sect rests in the hands of their generation. I truly hope they can shoulder this heavy responsibility safely,” Lingfeng said earnestly.

Master Kuruo nodded in agreement, then said with some concern, “I fear that with this attack, Yang Xiao will have a hard time surviving. Senior Brother Lingfeng, do you think we should intervene and help him? It would be a real shame to lose such a promising disciple.”

“Very well. If things take a turn for the worse, I’ll trouble you, Junior Sister, to step in and save him. I can see you’ve taken quite an interest in Yang Xiao. You must appreciate his potential. But in my opinion, although Yu He’s move is powerful, Yang Xiao should be able to hold out for a while. He’s clearly concealing his true strength—his cultivation may have already reached the late eighth level of the Spirit Sense Realm, and not a weak one at that. Coupled with the support of his mid-grade spiritual weapon, he should be able to withstand the attack for a time,” Lingfeng replied with a nod.

“So you’ve also seen through Yang Xiao’s true cultivation, Senior Brother? I sensed something unusual about him from the start, but only after a careful sweep with my spiritual sense did I realize he’s been hiding his strength all along. No wonder he keeps winning. I just can’t figure out his motive for doing so,” Master Kuruo remarked in puzzlement.

“We’ll ask him after the contest is over,” Lingfeng replied. “Look, Junior Sister Kuruo—Yu He’s thunder from heaven and earth is already descending. Let’s see how long Yang Xiao can endure.”

As Lingfeng pointed to the top of Yang Xiao’s head, a massive bolt of lightning stretched down from the dark clouds above, striking directly at him. This bolt was powerful enough to reduce an ordinary disciple to ashes.

Facing the oncoming lightning, Yang Xiao’s expression grew solemn. At this moment, he unleashed his cultivation without reservation, revealing that he had indeed reached the eighth level of the Spirit Sense Realm, and the spiritual energy around him was far denser than that of ordinary disciples. He also brought out his spiritual spear, which crackled with countless arcs of electricity.

Confronted with Qingyu He’s attack, Yang Xiao could only focus on defense, with no chance to counterattack.

The lightning quickly crashed down above Yang Xiao’s head, making contact with both his spiritual weapon and his body.

But then, something miraculous occurred. The thick bolt of lightning, upon striking Yang Xiao, was largely absorbed, its power diminishing noticeably in an instant. The remaining lightning was easily withstood by Yang Xiao.

“What’s happening? Can Yang Xiao really withstand such an attack?” Everyone was bewildered.

Yang Xiao, of course, knew exactly why. He could endure Qingyu He’s attack because of the lightning mark within his body—a mark that could specifically absorb lightning. No matter how fierce the attack, Yang Xiao could guide the lightning into the mark within him.

Of course, Yang Xiao couldn’t let the mark absorb all the lightning openly, or its secret would be exposed. If it became known that he had such a strange thing in his body, it could lead to his death.

In the world of cultivators, killing for treasure was all too common. Even if the lightning mark wasn’t some rare treasure, its ability to absorb lightning and turn it to one’s own use was already miraculous enough to drive others to covet it. The only way to obtain it would be to kill Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao was not foolish enough to reveal the secret of the lightning mark. He only used it to absorb a portion of the lightning, while the rest he resisted himself. If questioned, he could explain that he possessed a lightning constitution, allowing him to withstand lightning attacks to some extent. Such constitutions, though rare, were not unheard of in the cultivation world, where many strange tales persisted.

But if Yang Xiao used the lightning mark to absorb all the attacks at once, it would be clear that something more than a simple lightning constitution was at play. No constitution alone could achieve such an effect. That would make others suspect he possessed a powerful magical item, and someone would surely plot to seize it—even Immortal Lingfeng, the master of the Giant Spirit Sect, might not be able to resist the temptation.

Yang Xiao’s performance was both astonishing and, at the same time, not entirely beyond reason. This left many in doubt, unable to fathom how he had managed it.