Chapter Six: Yao Yuan

“This lightning mark is indeed strange,” Yang Xiao murmured to himself in a low voice. At that moment, he was gazing intently at the arcs dancing across his palm, lost in thought.

This mark had formed when a trace of Annihilation Divine Thunder entered Yang Xiao’s body. Yet, this sliver of divine thunder differed from others—it had not harmed his body in the slightest. On the contrary, when Yang Xiao was in danger just now, the mark had actively split off a portion to coil around his hand, as if to help him weather the crisis.

“It seems I’ll need to study this lightning mark carefully in the future, to see if it might truly serve me in battle.” Such were Yang Xiao’s thoughts. Although the lightning on his hand possessed some power, it was clearly insufficient against a master of the fifth level of Spiritual Perception like Wuli.

Wuli, meanwhile, had taken note of Yang Xiao’s movements. He, too, saw the arcs of electricity flickering on Yang Xiao’s hand. While not especially threatening to someone of his own level, those arcs would pose a serious danger to anyone at the third or fourth level.

“To condense the lightning element from the air into arcs—this is a divine ability only those in the late stages of Spiritual Perception possess. How could Yang Xiao, a mere second-level disciple, possibly wield such a power?” Wuli could not comprehend it. “Still, if Yang Xiao managed to block my ultimate move just now, his cultivation must have advanced in some extraordinary way. He is certainly not as simple as his apparent level suggests. Perhaps he has acquired some rare spiritual artifact with lightning attributes. If so, then he truly has the qualifications to stand against me.”

After pondering for a moment, Wuli attributed Yang Xiao’s anomaly to some fortuitous encounter. After all, it was not unheard of for a cultivator to come across the esoteric arts of ancient masters or obtain some wondrous spiritual artifact, and such strokes of luck could greatly enhance one’s strength—even to the point of overcoming opponents of higher rank.

While Yang Xiao and Wuli each harbored their own thoughts, another person strode into Yang Xiao’s courtyard. He was a man in his early twenties, dignified in appearance. Entering the courtyard, he greeted them with, “It’s rather lively here, isn’t it? Are you all sparring with one another, my junior brothers?”

“So it’s Senior Brother Yao Yuan. I heard you’ve been in secluded cultivation. What brings you here today?” Wuli responded courteously.

Though Wuli was outstanding within the Giant Spirit Sect, he was not the finest; there were three or four others whose cultivation surpassed his. However, these individuals were usually occupied with their own cultivation, rarely making appearances or concerning themselves with sect affairs. Thus, the hundreds of disciples of the Giant Spirit Sect were typically managed by Wuli.

Nevertheless, facing Yao Yuan, whose cultivation was higher than his own, Wuli was naturally exceedingly polite.

“I just ended my seclusion,” Yao Yuan replied, “and while passing by, I heard the sounds of fighting here, so I decided to take a look. Wuli, with whom were you sparring? You even used your ultimate technique—surely it wasn’t with Yang Xiao?”

As he spoke, Yao Yuan paid particular attention to Yang Xiao. The arcs on Yang Xiao’s hand had already vanished, but the residual tension from his clash with Wuli remained. Anyone perceptive would sense it at once. And Yao Yuan was nothing if not astute; though he hadn’t witnessed the fight directly, he could infer much, and he too was surprised that Yang Xiao could withstand Wuli. He was well aware of the abilities of these two, and Yang Xiao’s newfound capability to stand against Wuli was entirely beyond his expectations.

“Senior Brother Yao Yuan, just now Senior Brother Wuli was giving me a few pointers—I’m sorry we disturbed you,” Yang Xiao answered before Wuli could speak.

Wuli glanced at Yang Xiao and followed with, “That’s right. Junior Brother Yang’s cultivation has improved greatly, so I sparred with him for a bit. I didn’t expect you to be passing by, Senior Brother Yao Yuan.”

Yao Yuan laughed. “A moment ago, I heard the sounds of fighting and thought perhaps it was some serious conflict among brothers. Since it was only friendly sparring, I’m relieved. I trust you wouldn’t harm a fellow disciple, would you, Wuli?”

“Of course not. Such things would never happen in the Giant Spirit Sect,” Wuli replied, his face full of good humor.

Yao Yuan was satisfied with this answer and paid Wuli no further heed. He walked straight over to Yang Xiao and said, “Yang Xiao, it’s been two years since I last saw you, and you’ve grown taller. Your cultivation seems to have advanced as well. If you have time, come by my place—we can have a good chat.”

“Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Yao. I will be sure to visit when I have the chance,” Yang Xiao replied. He understood Yao Yuan’s intent to win him over—clearly, now that Yang Xiao had proven himself capable of contending with Wuli, he had become a disciple of great potential. Befriending such a disciple could only bring benefit.

Of course, Yao Yuan was known for his kindness and concern for his juniors, so Yang Xiao’s impression of him was already favorable. Now that Yao Yuan had taken the initiative to befriend him, Yang Xiao accepted graciously.

Pleased with Yang Xiao’s answer, Yao Yuan nodded and said, “I’m leaving the mountain to procure some herbs, so I won’t intrude on your sparring any longer. I’ll take my leave now.”

With that, Yao Yuan departed.

“Wuli, does this mean I no longer need to attend to the sect’s routine chores?” Yang Xiao asked.

“Naturally, you’re excused from such duties,” Wuli replied. Although he had hoped to humble Yang Xiao further, he was wary of Yao Yuan and could not ignore Yang Xiao’s remarkable abilities. There was no reason to go back on his word, so he agreed to Yang Xiao’s terms.

“I always keep my promises. From now on, you needn’t trouble yourself with the sect’s daily affairs. Those tasks can be left to the junior disciples with lesser cultivation. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. There are many matters yet to be handled.” With those words, Wuli too left Yang Xiao’s residence.

“Take care, Senior Brother Wuli,” Yang Xiao called politely after him.

Only after Wuli had gone did Yang Xiao finally breathe a sigh of relief, his body and spiritual strength beginning to recover.

He Ming, too, felt they had escaped disaster. As soon as Wuli left, he turned to Yang Xiao with concern, “Are you hurt, Yang Xiao?”

“I’m fine,” Yang Xiao replied. “I only overexerted myself with my spiritual power, but a half day’s rest should see me fully recovered.”

“I’m glad to hear it. You did amazingly to withstand that terrifying strike from Wuli. Had it landed on me, I doubt I’d have survived,” He Ming said, still a little shaken.

“It was just luck,” Yang Xiao replied, half truthfully. “Fortunately, I once mastered a certain mysterious movement technique, or I never would have evaded it.”

“As long as you’re well! Still, you’ve gained from this incident—not only did you escape harm, but you’re now free from the sect’s chores. That will give you much more time to cultivate. Unlike me, who still has to handle so many tasks and can only train half the day,” He Ming said with envy. His cultivation was already low, and the burden of daily affairs made progress even slower—a frustration shared by many junior disciples.

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother,” Yang Xiao said thoughtfully. “One day, my cultivation will surpass Wuli’s. Then I’ll ask that you, too, be excused from the sect’s chores.”