Chapter 630: Dragon, Spirit Root, Corpse
Ye Xingli lay sprawled on the ground, her starlight-emitting hands and feet carelessly tossed aside, mixed among seven or eight sets of Bionics and the Void Calamity Transformation Diagram, scattered like trash.
“Senior Sister!” Zhang Yu immediately scooped up the unconscious Ye Xingli, feeling her empty meridians — not a trace of Magic Power or Gang Qi remained.
“This…” Zhang Yu’s mind flashed to the name of Ye Xingli’s opponent on the duel roster.
At that moment, a voice echoed from behind him: “Human, is she your senior sister? Lots of tricks, but surprisingly durable.”
“Speaking of which, according to the duel roster, you’re my next opponent, right? I never imagined I’d get both you and your senior sister.”
Zhang Yu turned to see a towering figure with a dragon’s head and human body standing behind him, looking down with condescension.
It was Ying Mingchi, the top-ranked student at Celestial Monsters University, who possessed the True Dragon Bloodline.
Staring into Ying Mingchi’s dragon eyes, Zhang Yu said coldly, “That’s good. It means I won’t have to wait long.”
Ying Mingchi’s dragon mouth twitched slightly, as if forming an ugly smile. “I agree. Delivering you into my hands is something countless monsterfolk have been longing to see.”
“Heh, speaking of which, you and your senior sister both had the same overblown confidence and stubbornness before your battles.”
With that, he turned away, murmuring, “See you next week, human.”
After watching Ying Mingchi’s retreating figure, Zhang Yu turned back to Ye Xingli, reattaching her Bionics and infusing it with Magic Power.
Moments later, Ye Xingli abruptly awoke. She blinked at Zhang Yu, then chuckled bitterly. “Looks like I lost pretty badly.”
“Your next match is against that dragon, right?”
Ye Xingli sighed, seemingly reliving her battle. “He’s a bad matchup for me, and probably for you too.”
“I’ll send you the battle recording and footage. Study it carefully.”
As Zhang Yu reviewed the battle footage, his brow furrowed involuntarily.
Ye Xingli said, “This guy can control the weather and manipulate spiritual energy within a certain range. That’s a real problem for someone like me who uses Bionics and consumes vast amounts of Magic Power.”
“He can also control water and breed massive armies of Demon Beasts in it. The True Dragon Bloodline seems to have special applications for controlling Demon Beasts, so you need to be careful…”
As Ye Xingli relayed this information to Zhang Yu, the first round of the competition drew to a close with the arrival of all fifteen winners and fifteen losers.
Kuang Tianqing, widely acknowledged as the strongest competitor, was the first to defeat her opponent and secure victory.
Other powerhouses from various schools, such as Yan Xiang from Netherworld, Cang Shenyu from Vajra, Tian Shengong from Immortal Soldiers, Mu Qiansi from Joyous Union, and Ying Mingchi from Celestial Monsters, all triumphed over their opponents in roughly the same amount of time and arrived in quick succession.
Following closely behind were Jiutian Liu, Yan Qianji, Wen Wuya, and Zhang Yu, all finishing within a similar timeframe.
Bai Zhenzhen, however, took far longer than Zhang Yu had anticipated and was the last to arrive.
Seeing Bai Zhenzhen’s shaky legs as she landed, Zhang Yu rushed over. “A-Zhen, what’s wrong?”
Bai Zhenzhen, her face flushed crimson, clutched her stomach. “Don’t come any closer!”
Zhang Yu stopped in his tracks, thinking to himself, “Is A-Zhen worried that if I get too close, she’ll unleash her sword qi and reveal that I can withstand some of it?”
As she spoke, Bai Zhenzhen glared at him, inwardly cursing, “Damn it! Why is Yu Zi’s Spirit Root so restless? It’s been a week, and it’s not only still throbbing but seems to be growing stronger!”
Though the Feather Spirit Root’s constant agitation caused Bai Zhenzhen occasional stomach cramps and leg weakness, she secretly rejoiced at the enhancements it brought.
Over the past week, she had felt her body’s resistances, the efficiency of her breathing technique, the recovery of her Magic Power, her mastery of sword technique, and her understanding of the martial dao all steadily improving.
While these enhancements were subtle, for Bai Zhenzhen, who had already reached her limits in every aspect, each tiny improvement translated into a significant advantage in combat, creating a desperate gap between her and her opponents in real-world battles.
“Hmph, if it hadn’t acted up during my fight, I would have finished my opponent long ago.”
As Zhang Yu approached, the Feather Spirit Root seemed to sense his body and the True Spirit Root within him, its pulsations growing more intense, causing sharp pains in Bai Zhenzhen’s Dantian.
Simultaneously, Zhang Yu observed Bai Zhenzhen’s expression and realized, “The effects of my Feather Spirit Root on A-Zhen haven’t subsided yet?”
Reflecting on how the Feather Spirit Root had adapted to various martial arts, daoist arts, and accumulated set bonuses within his own body, Zhang Yu mused, “Could it be that the excessive adaptations are causing such a strong reaction?”
“In comparison, I’ve adapted much better to A-Zhen’s True Spirit Root.”
But the next moment, Zhang Yu felt his own True Spirit Root begin to throb violently, as if trying to pull him toward Bai Zhenzhen, causing his brow to furrow sharply.
Only after Zhang Yu retreated several steps did the commotion in his Dantian gradually subside.
Zhang Yu glanced at Bai Zhenzhen, thinking, “It seems that during the period while we exchange Spirit Roots…”
Their eyes met, and they nodded slightly. Without needing words, they both understood each other’s meaning: “Maintain distance for now.”
On the way back, Zhang Yu saw victory banners for Kuang Tianqing’s battle plastered throughout the Spirit Realm.
Ever since Kuang Tianqing revealed her longevity-enhancing plans during her last interview, public opinion in the Spirit Realm had overwhelmingly shifted in her favor.
Not only had the Spirit Transformation experts from the Four Heavenly Demon Schools publicly endorsed her, but even Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators from various schools, as well as Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining practitioners, had rallied to support her.
“I want to live a few more years, of course I support Kuang Tianqing!”
“Kuang Tianqing won the championship and promised us centuries of extra life! I support her obtaining the Immortal Sect Technique.”
“Kuang Tianqing isn’t just fighting for herself, she’s fighting for all living beings! I’m donating to her cause!”
Titles like “Benefactor of Kunxu,” “Savior of the Masses,” and “Champion of the People” were heaped upon Kuang Tianqing, leaving Zhang Yu with mixed feelings.
While some voiced opposition, arguing that widespread lifespan extension might not be entirely beneficial, anyone who dared express such views was immediately swarmed by countless critics.
Zhang Yu couldn’t tell how many of the attackers were real people and how many were accounts bought by Spirit Transformation experts, but within just a few days, it had become nearly impossible to find anyone in the Spirit Realm criticizing the universal lifespan extension.
Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, “It seems everyone, from heaven to earth, is supporting Kuang Tianqing.”
Fu Ji chuckled, “Heh, it’s not like no one has considered the downsides of universal lifespan extension. But even if there are drawbacks, they’re for the future. Let’s just live a few extra years first, shall we?”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Even the Four Myriad Laws Schools haven’t launched a counter-propaganda campaign… Are they planning to support Kuang Tianqing too? If that’s the case, if I win the championship, will I have no choice but to choose the lifespan extension cultivation art?”
Fu Ji said, “You haven’t shown much promise of winning yet. Once you win another round or two, leaders from Myriad Laws University should contact you for a discussion. That’s when we can figure out what arrangements the Spirit Transformation experts at Myriad Laws University have made since Dao Qiankun’s death.”
Zhang Yu shook his head. He couldn’t fathom the thoughts of Spirit Transformation experts, so he stopped worrying about it. Returning to his laboratory, he buried himself in cultivating the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture.
This black art, refined from the Monsterfolk Bloodline through the resonance of the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor, the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art, and the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body cultivation arts, revealed its boundless potential to Zhang Yu with just a brief demonstration.
It proved particularly well-suited for concealment within the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor’s Demon Beast breeding function, making it Zhang Yu’s most promising path to enhancing his current strength.
After cultivating diligently until nightfall, Zhang Yu received word that Brother Dao’s corpse had been placed aboard the flying boat. He resolved to visit and pay his final respects.
Before departing, he consumed a quantity of monster blood, intending to keep Brother Dao company while secretly continuing his cultivation of the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture.
As he swallowed mouthful after mouthful of monster blood, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, “The blood of lesser monsterfolk is manageable, but the blood of higher-tier monsterfolk is truly expensive. Especially since the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture requires such a large quantity. I’ve already spent over a hundred Spirit Coins on cultivating this daoist art.”
Yet, when he recalled the exorbitant cost of cultivating the Heaven and Earth Cataclysmic Formless Heart Weapon daoist art, Zhang Yu felt a sense of relief.
“Cultivating daoist arts is all about spending money. Compared to that, the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture is practically a bargain.”
Inside Dao Qiankun’s flying boat, Zhang Yu entered the memorial hall and immediately saw Dao Qiankun’s seated figure, as lifelike as the last time he had seen him.
Zhang Yu sat down across from Dao Qiankun, his gaze fixed on the man’s chest. “Brother Dao, are you truly dead, or are you still alive?” he wondered inwardly.
After glancing at the surveillance cameras around the room, Zhang Yu refrained from doing anything further. He sat cross-legged, gazing at Dao Qiankun while secretly cultivating the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture.
“Will the Dao Seed ever reappear?” he wondered.
Several hours later, just as Zhang Yu was refining monster blood to advance the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture to the 13th-tier, a figure suddenly materialized before Dao Qiankun.
“Kuang Tianqing?” Zhang Yu’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the projection. “What do you want?”
Kuang Tianqing glanced at Zhang Yu and said coolly, “I came to see him. Is that a problem?”
Simultaneously, Kuang Tianqing stared at Dao Qiankun, recalling their conversation from that fateful night.