20: Zhang Xuanyangzi: I am still too kind

"Master."

Xiao Ruobai cupped his fists in a salute, his voice hoarse from exhaustion, his clothes stained with blood, yet unable to conceal the bright gleam in his eyes.

After a day of fierce fighting, although his spiritual Qi was almost depleted, the sharpness he had tempered was several times keener than when he arrived.

Gu Changge didn't even lift his head. He reached behind him and picked up a verdant leaf from the stone slab beside the bonfire, wiping it over the roasted meat. Instantly, the aroma intensified.

"You're back?"

With a gentle flick of his finger, a soft spiritual Qi, like a warm current, flowed into Xiao Ruobai's body, instantly soothing the burning pain in his Meridians.

Xiao Ruobai looked at the glistening, golden-brown roasted meat, crispy and fragrant at the edges.

He swallowed, about to speak, when he saw Gu Changge hand him the cooked meat, a small dagger still stuck in the bamboo skewer.

"Try it."

Gu Changge's gaze swept over him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"I refined this meat with spiritual Qi. Although it no longer has its original ferocity, it's perfect for nourishing your body. However, your Realm is still shallow, so you shouldn't eat too much. Three to five pieces will suffice."

Xiao Ruobai took the roasted meat; it was warm to the touch. As soon as he used the dagger to cut off a piece and put it in his mouth, he felt a gentle spiritual Qi slide down his throat.

Unlike the intense absorption of Medicinal Pills before, it permeated his limbs and bones like a gentle stream. His Dantian instantly felt warm, and most of the fatigue accumulated during the day dissipated.

He watched his Master pick up another bamboo skewer full of meat and place it over the fire, and couldn't help but ask,

"Master, what kind of meat is this? It has such a miraculous effect."

"Oh, it was just a little snake that was stealing eggs. Its meat looked good, so I caught it and cut off some to roast," Gu Changge said casually, turning the bamboo skewer, his tone as light as if he were talking about roadside weeds.

Little Black Bird on the side let out a "chirp" and secretly rolled its eyes—that was a Saint King Realm Dragon.

Xiao Ruobai didn't notice Little Black Bird's peculiarity and cut off another piece of meat to eat.

This time, the spiritual Qi circulated even faster, flowing through his Meridians and even giving him a faint sensation of breaking through a Bottleneck.

The previously somewhat blocked spiritual Qi channels were cleared significantly, and even the hidden injuries left by the day's battle were greatly relieved, filling his body with inexhaustible energy.

"How do you feel?" Gu Changge asked, seeing his eyes grow brighter.

"This Disciple feels much more spiritual Qi in his body; it's more effective than three days of meditation!" Xiao Ruobai exclaimed joyfully.

Gu Changge nodded, placed the other cooked skewer of meat on a stone plate, gestured for Little Black Bird to peck at it, and then turned to Xiao Ruobai.

"You've made significant progress in today's battle. You know how to use the terrain to avoid the Iron-Armored Rhinoceros's charge, and you can change your moves in time when facing the Golden-Armored Python—these are strengths.

But your weaknesses are also very obvious. You are too fixated on direct confrontation. When facing speed-type Yao Beasts, your movement technique is too rigid. Several times you almost got ambushed. If your Physical Body wasn't strong enough, you would have suffered greatly."

Upon hearing this, the joy on Xiao Ruobai's face faded. He seriously recalled the day's battle, and indeed, it was as his Master had said. He couldn't help but say with shame, "This Disciple knows his mistake."

"It's good to correct your mistakes." Gu Changge stood up, patting the grass clippings from his clothes.

"You're tired today. Go back and rest first. Tomorrow morning, I will teach you a set of 'Shadow Step.' If you Master it, it will make you more flexible in actual combat."

"Thank you, Master!" Xiao Ruobai's spirits lifted, and he quickly bowed.

The bonfire still crackled, and moonlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows.

Xiao Ruobai watched his Master's figure disappear into the depths of the bamboo forest, touching the gentle spiritual Qi circulating in his stomach, his heart filled with warmth... Meanwhile, at the Burning Heaven Palace, in the Sect Master's main hall.

Lie Tianxiong lay on a soft couch covered with crimson beast hide, half of his face swollen like fermented dough.

His once sleek topknot was disheveled, a few strands of hair sticking to his bruised forehead.

He groaned, grimacing in pain; every movement felt like needles pricking his bones.

"Hiss... Be gentle!" The Elder applying medicine trembled. As the trauma medicine touched the bruise on his back, he winced in pain, nearly knocking over the medicine bowl.

This ointment was a Saint Grade healing Medicinal Pill refined from a thousand-year-old snow lotus. In the past, applying it to fractured wounds would show immediate results, but now it couldn't even reduce the superficial swelling and redness.

He tried to circulate his Qi to regulate his breathing but felt an overwhelmingly domineering force raging uncontrollably within his body.

Like a wild horse, no matter how he tried to control it, it refused to settle, instead disrupting his originally robust spiritual Qi, causing him to groan in pain.

"This... what kind of power is this? How can it be so domineering?" Lie Tianxiong gritted his teeth, feeling surprised and angry, but more so, helpless.

As a Heavenly Human Realm expert, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

Yet, this power was extremely strange; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't expel it, as if it had taken root and sprouted.

"Palace Master, this force is too domineering." The white-haired Elder stroked his beard, his brows furrowed into a knot.

"It clings to the Meridians like a bone-marrow parasite, drilling into the bone seams every time you try to circulate your Qi..."

Lin Lie, beside him, held his dislocated arm, his missing front teeth whistling as he chimed in, "Exactly! My arm is clearly set, but whenever I try to lift it, it feels like a large hand is pulling it down, and it hurts to the core!"

Zhao Yan was even worse off, his cheeks swollen so high that he spoke indistinctly.

"Master... will my teeth... not grow back?" He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, half a front tooth mixed in, a sight that made one's heart jump.

The four purple-robed Elders were no better. They sat crookedly in their chairs, some groaning while clutching their bellies, others holding their waists, unable to straighten up.

The most disheveled one had half his buttocks bruised and swollen, forcing him to sit sideways, looking like a wounded shrimp.

"Investigate! Keep investigating for me!" Lie Tianxiong slammed the soft couch, wincing in pain himself.

"It must be that old geezer from the Myriad Law Pavilion. But what kind of Divine Ability is that palm technique that descended from the sky? I've never seen it before...?"

"But the Myriad Law Pavilion is best at Formations; how could they have such a domineering palm technique?" an Elder retorted.

"In my opinion, it's like the Azure Profound Sect's 'Sky-reaching Palm,' but its power is a hundred times greater!"

"Impossible!" Lie Tianxiong flatly denied.

"Xuan Yangzi, that old fox, is only in the Middle Stage of the Cave Heaven Realm. Even if he's hiding his true strength, at most he's at the Peak of the Cave Heaven Realm. How could he unleash such a world-destroying palm technique?"

Everyone argued back and forth, unable to reach a conclusion, and ultimately blamed the Myriad Law Pavilion.

Just then, in the Azure Profound Sect's Sect Master's main hall.

Xuan Yangzi held the Jade Slip sent by the spy from the Burning Heaven Palace, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito.

"That's not right..." he muttered, stroking his beard.

"I clearly held back, just kicked Lie Tianxiong a few times, and beat them up. How could they be so severely injured?"

The Jade Slip clearly stated: Burning Heaven Palace Master Lie Tianxiong is severely injured and bedridden, with domineering palm force lingering in his Meridians, suspected to be the work of a King Realm Cultivator.

Chief Disciple Lin Lie suffered severe arm injuries and cannot use his Qi for a month.

Everyone else sustained internal injuries of varying degrees and requires a month of rest to recover.

"A palm technique descending from the sky?" Xuan Yangzi was even more puzzled.

"I clearly acted while wearing a grey short jacket. Where did a palm technique come from?"

"Could it be that some Junior Brother from another Peak did it later? They're really ruthless, but they did a good job."

"Compared to them, I'm still too kind. It seems I need to exert more force in the future and can't be outdone by other Junior Brothers." Xuan Yangzi silently made up his mind.

Similarly, after receiving the news, Shi Wanshan, the Peak Master of Qingyue Peak, and Ye Guying, the Peak Master of Jianxiao Peak, also reflected on the force they used, lamenting whether they had been too gentle.

The two seemed to have found new goals, deciding to be more decisive and ruthless in their future actions.

Meanwhile, Lie Tianxiong, the Palace Master of the Burning Heaven Palace, thousands of miles away, inexplicably felt a chill run through him and couldn't help but shiver.

He touched his still swollen face, muttering to himself, "How can the weather change so suddenly?"