"Powerful!"
"It's been a long time since I felt this way!"
Cao Youqian shouted excitedly twice. The next moment, a divine light radiated from his body.
With the appearance of the divine light, his pressure exploded outward, and his aura instantly soared to its peak.
The onlookers by the lake gasped one after another.
"Hiss…"
"Who exactly is this kid? Struck by heavenly thunder, yet not harmed at all—instead, he grows even more excited."
"There aren't many cultivation techniques that can temper the body with heavenly thunder. Plus, this guy has awakened a divine body. It must be the prodigy from the Inquiry Dao Institute!"
"You mean—he is the Peerless Overlord Fist, Cao Youqian!"
Those nearby changed their gaze from scorn and disdain to reverence when they heard this.
Peerless Overlord Fist is ranked alongside the Invincible Sword Xiao Chen as the unmatched twin prodigies of the Literary Dao Institute.
To witness such a prodigy's cultivation here is a rare opportunity they will surely talk about for a long time.
The rolling thunderclouds in the sky thickened, and the lightning grew increasingly fierce.
Each bolt was stronger than the last.
Days passed. Cao Youqian's robe was reduced to ashes, and every inch of his skin was charred to a crisp.
After nine days,
The thunderclouds disappeared, and the lake's surface returned to calm.
Only a tall, humanoid charred figure remained on the lake.
The cultivators present did not rush forward to seize the Lightning Spirit Sacred Lotus on the lake.
Instead, a group of poised demon beasts swooped toward the lake.
Among them were several god-breeding demon beasts.
A few greedy beasts opened their bloodthirsty jaws, ready to swallow Cao Youqian on the lake whole.
"Careful!"
A cultivator by the lake shouted, unwilling to see Cao Youqian swallowed by beasts, even if he wouldn't intervene himself.
Seeing this, Song Zhaoyi's heart leapt to her throat. Instinctively, she flew toward the lake to rescue Brother Qian from the beasts' mouths.
At the critical moment,
Cao Youqian suddenly threw a punch.
Boom!
The explosive sound of the punch.
The group of demon beasts flying toward the lake were instantly shattered into scraps by a huge fist aura.
The beasts mid-flight all turned and fled toward the lakeshore, terrified of this human.
Crack, crack, crack...
The sound came as the charred husk wrapped around Cao Youqian began to fall off his body.
"Hmph!"
Cao Youqian let out a light snort as the charred skin peeled away, revealing a black robe that instantly enveloped him.
What no one noticed was the pale, jade-like face beneath the robe.
Feeling his increasingly perfect body, Cao Youqian muttered, "The Chaotic Body Refining Technique has finally reached minor success. No, even the Overlord Divine Body has reached minor success. My strength is now far beyond what it was before."
After speaking, he looked at his hand, slightly activated his spiritual power, and lightning appeared in his palm. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
This trip was truly worth it. That kid Long Yan really is a good person!
After the thought, Cao Youqian casually pulled the Lightning Spirit Sacred Lotus from behind him.
Everyone present saw this but no one dared to compete for it. They only watched respectfully at the black-robed man before them.
Under everyone's gaze, Cao Youqian floated back to Song Zhaoyi and casually handed her the Lightning Spirit Sacred Lotus.
"A little gift for you, Xiao Yi. Do you like it?"
"Thank you, Brother Qian, but I can't accept this," Song Zhaoyi said seriously.
"You don't like it?"
Cao Youqian had never before seen anyone reject a sacred item.
Song Zhaoyi shook her head. "It's not that I don't like it, but I possess the Nine Yin Sacred Body. The Lightning Spirit Sacred Lotus contains a large amount of lightning energy, which conflicts with my own nature."
"Alright then, once I find something suitable, I'll give it to you," Cao Youqian said with some regret. They had known each other for so long, yet he had never proactively given her anything good.
At that moment, an elderly voice came from nearby: "Daoist Cao, I have a Yin Spirit Flower here, also a sacred item. I wonder if I could exchange it for the Lightning Spirit Sacred Lotus you hold."
Cao Youqian and the others looked toward the voice and saw an old man with a transcendent aura smiling warmly at them.
"May I take a look at your Yin Spirit Flower, senior?" Cao Youqian asked without refusal.
The Lightning Spirit Sacred Lotus wasn't of great use to him.
Since he had come to Jilei Valley partly thanks to Xiao Yi, he couldn't let her effort be in vain.
"Of course, but this doesn't seem like a good place for a trade," the old man said, glancing at the surrounding cultivators.
Cao Youqian smiled. "Of course."
He wasn't afraid the old man would play tricks; that way, he might obtain a Yin Spirit Flower and other treasures for free.
"Then please, Daoist Cao, find a quiet place," the old man offered.
"Alright, follow me," Cao Youqian said, taking Song Zhaoyi and the spirit tiger as they flew off. The crowd watching had mixed intentions; some followed from afar, hoping for a chance to profit.
An hour later, Cao Youqian brought the old man to a cave.
The old man looked around; seeing no one nearby, he took out a pure white flower from his storage ring.
Its stem was pure black, and as soon as the flower appeared, the temperature inside the cave dropped by more than ten degrees, causing involuntary shivers.
"Daoist Cao, do you recognize this flower?" the old man asked with a smile, his eyes carrying a hint of appraisal.
Cao Youqian replied calmly, "Yin Spirit Flower. It grows in places of extreme yin, extreme cold, and deathly aura. Its stem is black, leaves dark green, and petals pure white. When it drinks a drop of blood, it stains a petal red, releasing a chilling yin aura."
The old man gave Cao Youqian a thumbs-up. "Daoist Cao, no wonder you're a top disciple of the Cao family at the Inquiry Dao Institute. Your knowledge of medicinal herbs is extraordinary."
"Let's proceed with the trade inspection," Cao Youqian said, unwilling to waste words.
The old man nodded and extended the Yin Spirit Flower toward Cao Youqian.
As Cao Youqian casually tossed the Lightning Spirit Sacred Lotus, his other hand was already on his sword jade.
After receiving the lotus, the old man quietly watched Cao Youqian and Song Zhaoyi.
"Xiao Yi, the Yin Spirit Flower can only be dyed with one person's blood. You verify it first," Cao Youqian said, handing the flower to Song Zhaoyi.
"Thank you, Brother Qian."
Song Zhaoyi cut her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto a petal of the Yin Spirit Flower. The petal quickly absorbed her blood and turned a seductive red.
The cave's temperature dropped again by over ten degrees.
The old man cupped his hands. "Daoist Cao, since the flower has been verified, I will take my leave."
"Mm," Cao Youqian nodded slightly, watching the old man disappear. He murmured, "What a pity."
Hearing this, Song Zhaoyi instinctively asked, "Brother Qian, what's a pity?"
Cao Youqian smiled. "A pity this Harmonious Dao elder didn't make a move against us. Otherwise, his treasures would've been ours."
At that moment, a muffled thud came from outside the cave, as if someone had fallen.
The two exchanged a smile.
"Xiao Yi, you should start taking and refining this Yin Spirit Flower," Cao Youqian said.
"Alright."
After replying, Song Zhaoyi took the flower and began secluded cultivation.
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