224: Chapter 223 Senior Brother Chu Hou, the Awakened Xia Jin, and a Historic Handshake

One day later.

In the sky of the Third Heaven, a dark shadow fell like a meteor, crashing violently onto the earth of the Third Heaven.

"Boom!!!"

A loud explosion followed, and a visible shockwave rippled out in all directions as the ground shook violently.

The dust and smoke slowly cleared.

A massive crater about ten feet deep appeared in the ground, its rocks scorched red by intense heat; at the bottom, a figure slowly climbed up.

It was The Bald Man.

His build was not particularly burly, but every inch of his muscle was like refined steel tempered a thousand times over, with distinct lines containing explosive power.

The Bald Man's expression was somewhat unsightly.

"I didn't expect... the strength of this foreign race team to be so formidable." He touched a scar on his bald head, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.

"Especially that pretty boy; even I almost suffered a loss."

That's right, this bald man was none other than Marquis Chu.

Among the Hun-class Disciples of the Temple's Third Heaven, he was the undisputed First Senior Brother.

The moment Marquis Chu appeared in the Third Heaven, Yang Qingxuan and the others sensed it almost simultaneously.

In the spiritual fields, a rare look of joy appeared on Yang Qingxuan's usually steady face.

"Senior Brother Chu is back!"

He dropped his hoe and took a step forward; the ground beneath his feet seemed to fold and compress as he vanished instantly.

In the valley outside the Yuanling Pool, The Drunkard was sitting on a large rock. He suddenly stood up and set down his wine gourd, revealing a genuine smile devoid of any drunkenness.

"Boss is finally back."

His figure blurred, turning into a streak of light as he sped away.

Four figures from four different directions arrived at the massive crater almost at the same time.

"Senior Brother Chu!"

"Boss!"

"First Senior Brother!"

Four voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Yang Qingxuan looked at Marquis Chu with a smile. "Senior Brother Chu, you're finally back. The day of the battle with the foreign race is approaching, and I was worried you wouldn't make it in time."

The Drunkard sized up Marquis Chu, his smile vanishing as his gaze fell on the wound atop his head. "Boss Chu, who did this to your head?"

"Boss, are you okay? Where are you hurt? Let me see..." Hearing The Drunkard's words, Fourth Senior Brother, who had a Butcher Knife tucked into his waist, reached out nervously.

Marquis Chu looked at his four Junior Brothers, a smile appearing on his resolute face.

"Don't worry, I'm not dead yet."

"However... the opponents this time won't be easy to deal with. I happened to clash with that foreign race team while I was out. Fortunately, I'm strong enough, otherwise, it's hard to say if I would have made it back safely!"

Marquis Chu joked for a bit, then beckoned to them and walked toward a nearby Pavilion.

"Come, let's sit over there and talk."

"Boss Chu, tell us quickly, what's the deal with that foreign race team you encountered!" The usually boisterous Fourth Senior Brother hurriedly pulled up a stool for Marquis Chu and urged him.

"It's a long story!" Marquis Chu didn't stand on ceremony and recounted everything he had discovered while scouting. He didn't say much, but every word carried the weight of a stone.

When he spoke of the eerie young man in the foreign race team, his voice clearly carried a hint of wariness.

"That person... is very strong." Marquis Chu touched the wound on his head, a cold glint in his eyes. "I only exchanged thirty blows with him, and though it wasn't a life-or-death struggle, I didn't gain the slightest advantage. When the others began to surround me, I had no choice but to flee. Luckily I'm fast, or I would have suffered a major setback this time..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood his meaning.

For a moment, the Stone Pavilion fell into silence.

The four looked at each other.

They hadn't expected someone in the foreign race team to be able to rival Marquis Chu without being disadvantaged. In that case, the battles involving the rest of them would become particularly critical.

Yang Qingxuan sat to the side, silent for a moment before suddenly speaking up, "By the way, Senior Brother, there's something... I need to tell you."

Marquis Chu looked at him. "What is it?"

"A new Disciple has joined our Hun-class," Yang Qingxuan said. "His name is Xia Jin."

"Oh?" Marquis Chu raised an eyebrow. "A new Disciple? How is his Aptitude?"

Yang Qingxuan and The Drunkard exchanged a glance, then he slowly said, "He's very strong. When he first arrived at the Third Heaven, I tested his strength, and as it turned out... I was the one who suffered a minor setback."

"With your strength, you actually suffered a setback at the hands of a newcomer? Interesting." A sharp light suddenly flashed in Marquis Chu's eyes as he stood up. "Where is he?"

"The Yuanling Pool," Yang Qingxuan said. "He's been soaking for over half a month. Based on the timing, he should be waking up soon. With the help of the Yuanling Pool, Junior Brother Xia's strength will likely reach a whole new level!"

"Hmm? Then I must go see him. Perhaps he will be the key to victory in the upcoming battle against that foreign race team!!"

...

Yuanling Pool.

The lake water shimmered with a faint green light.

Marquis Chu stood on the shore, his gaze piercing through the water to rest on the figure still sleeping deep at the bottom of the lake.

At this moment, Xia Jin was enveloped in an intense pale green light. Even through the water, Marquis Chu could feel the aura that was slowly awakening—heavy and unfathomable, like a Dragon lurking in the abyss.

"Junior Brother Yang, is this the Junior Brother Xia you mentioned?" Marquis Chu asked with some surprise.

"Correct." Yang Qingxuan stood behind him and nodded.

Marquis Chu said no more, simply watching the lake bottom in silence.

Before they had been standing by the Yuanling Pool for even half a stick of incense's time,

deep at the bottom of the lake, the sleeping Xia Jin's fingertip suddenly twitched.

Immediately after, the pale green light became blinding, and the entire Yuanling Pool began to churn violently. In the center of the lake, a column of water shot into the sky, and atop the water column, a figure slowly rose.

Xia Jin was bare-chested, his wet long hair draped over his shoulders as water droplets slid down his physique, glistening in the sunlight. His eyes slowly opened, with lingering pale green light still swirling deep within his pale-gold pupils.

The first person he saw was Marquis Chu on the shore.

That bald head.

The man standing in front of everyone, clearly the center of attention.

Xia Jin had never met him, but he felt an unprecedented aura from this man—a strength so great that even he had to take it seriously. He narrowed his eyes slightly as his body slowly descended from the top of the water column, his bare feet stepping onto the grass of the lakeshore to stand face-to-face with Marquis Chu.

Water droplets slid off him and dripped onto the grass with a faint sound.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Then, Marquis Chu smiled.

He extended his hand and asked with a smile, "You must be Junior Brother Xia?"

Xia Jin was slightly taken aback. He looked down at the extended hand, then back up at the resolute face, seemingly realizing something.

"Indeed, I am Xia Jin. You must be First Senior Brother Marquis Chu!" He stated his name and reached out, shaking hands with Marquis Chu.

The moment their hands met, both felt a heavy power emanating from the other's palm—not as a contest, but as a silent form of recognition.

Yang Qingxuan stood to the side, watching this scene with a slight upturn of his lips.

The Drunkard leaned against a nearby tree trunk, took a swig of wine, and smiled with narrowed eyes.

It seemed that this time, they had gained another powerful ally.