Chapter 563 — Breakthrough, a Mystic Rank Expert!

"This... I did it, Brother Kang. It was an accident... I'm sorry..." Zou Ruoguang had no choice but to steel himself and step forward.

"Your father calls me Brother Kang, and you call me Brother Kang too? Your family's generational rankings are a real mess!" Kang Xiaobo had finally found himself an outlet for his temper. These people had bullied his family—back then he hadn't dared do a thing about it, but now he was Wei Zhao's number-one underling, and a big shot in his own right!

"Uh... Uncle Kang! I'm sorry! Just slap me, I really didn't mean it, it was an accident..." Zou Ruoguang was terrified of Wei Zhao as well. The moment he heard Kang Xiaobo take offense, he changed how he addressed him at once.

"Dad, you do it instead!" Kang Xiaobo meant for his father to get some of his own back.

Kang's father was in a complicated mood: astonished at just what sort of formidable figure his son's classmate was, that the Zou father and son should be frightened to this degree. But whatever the case, he was thrilled and delighted! Zou Ruoguang, who had made him call him "brother" only moments ago, had in the blink of an eye become his grandson's generation—because he called his son "uncle"!

Still, Kang's father was not a crude man; he could not bring himself to raise a hand. Nor did he intend to let Zou Ruoguang off easy, so he needled him aloud: "Forget it. This young Master Zou has said he didn't mean it... Ah, my apologies, Brother Zou—I've misspoken again. Not young master. Brother Zou..."

"Gah!" Zou Ruoguang was so frightened his face turned purple! He was a "brother" his ass! Wasn't this just mocking him? But after a moment's blankness he understood—Kang's father really was mocking him! Zou Ruoguang was no fool either; in his fright he dropped to his knees with a thud. "Grandpa Kang, how am I any kind of brother? Before you, I'm a grandson! A child! Please don't lower yourself to argue with a child!"

"Ruoguang, since neither Brother Kang nor Uncle Kang will lift a hand, slap yourself," Zou Tiandi said. He too wanted to quell Kang Xiaobo's anger, so he simply had him beat himself.

"Yes, yes!" Zou Ruoguang, hearing this, began smacking himself across the face—smack, smack—the sound crisp and loud.

"Brother Kang, Uncle Kang, I'm sorry. I will give you a proper accounting for this matter! Rest assured, that Grade-Eight Teahouse—I'll make it disappear!" Zou Tiandi needed a way out, so he had to give the Kang family something. "It was Zhang Baji who deceived me. I won't let that little wretch off!"

Kang Xiaobo had no intention of keeping them anyway; hearing Zou Tiandi out, he sent them on their way.

Only after Zou Tiandi had gone did Kang's father and mother breathe a sigh of relief—yet they immediately began pestering Kang Xiaobo with questions about Wei Zhao. Kang Xiaobo did not know much either, so he could only pick out a few things that had happened at school...

After three nights of recovery, Wei Zhao's strength had returned to the late Yellow Rank, but there was still a gap between that and his former peak at the late Yellow Rank. In fact, by the second night he had already recovered to late Yellow Rank; on the third night he made almost no progress at all, not the slightest improvement, which left him rather depressed.

"I don't know." Jiao Yazi's voice landed on Wei Zhao like a blow to the head.

"Uh... you're kidding, right?" Wei Zhao broke out in a sweat.

"The thing is, you and I cultivate different arts, and I have never cultivated the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art myself. I can only answer some of your general questions. As for your progress after cultivating the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art, and the state of your body—that I could not tell you," Jiao Yazi said, entirely without shame.

"Fine, I'll just keep training on my own." Wei Zhao knew Jiao Yazi was telling the truth. It seemed he would have to feel his way forward alone.

Wei Zhao sat cross-legged in the jade pendant space as usual, silently circulating the mnemonic verses of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art. The energy elements around him were stirred at once, and as though answering his Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art, they poured into his body at an inconceivable speed...

Yet although Wei Zhao could feel the energy being absorbed, could feel the thrill of it entering his body in that instant, the total sum of energy within him did not increase at all! That was what left him depressed and baffled.

If it were like before—energy saturating to a certain point and simply ceasing to grow—that would be one thing! Because once saturated, no more energy would be drawn in. But this time it was different: though Wei Zhao felt the energy inside him stop increasing, the energy outside was still pouring in frantically!

Fortunately the jade pendant space was rich in energy elements and cost nothing; otherwise Wei Zhao's heart would have bled. Absorbing without gaining was truly maddening! It was like a skinny man who ate delicacies every day yet never put on an ounce of flesh.

Still, maddening or not, since Jiao Yazi did not know, Wei Zhao could only grope his own way. He kept cultivating. In any case, the energy was being absorbed and he had no idea where it went; he had nothing else to do, so he might as well pass the time.

Time slipped by, second by second, and the horizon began to pale with the first light of dawn. Another night was nearly over. Wei Zhao was still frantically absorbing energy inside the jade pendant space.

Just as Wei Zhao was about to stop and withdraw from his cultivation, to return to reality, he suddenly discovered that the energy elements around him were still pouring into his body at the same unbroken speed!

He was startled—but then he abruptly recalled the scene the first time he had entered the jade pendant space! It had happened once before, when the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art broke through from the first layer into the second! Could it be that this time, too, he was about to break through?

At that thought, Wei Zhao was both alarmed and overjoyed, and his heart settled a good deal. After all, the first time is strange, the second familiar; he knew this had to be a sign of an impending breakthrough.

"Boom..."

Wei Zhao's body finally could bear no more of that immense energy—it felt as if it had burst apart... Yet Wei Zhao was not afraid. A sense of energy filling him as never before surged through his entire body; it was an exquisite, mysterious feeling, one he had never known!

In an instant, Wei Zhao felt that the energy in his body was not only more abundant than ever, but that his body itself seemed far nimbler too! As for how nimble—he could not say, because it was all sensation, with no chance to test it.

"So it was a breakthrough after all. Early Mystic Rank—not bad." Jiao Yazi's voice rang out. "Your human constitutions determine that, beyond the rank of your art, there is also your own rank. That much I overlooked..."

"You humans? Elder Jiao, are you saying you're not human?" Wei Zhao was taken aback.

"Do I look human to you?" Jiao Yazi regarded Wei Zhao teasingly.

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