Jia Hao's chest heaved as his meridians trembled, lightning crackling faintly beneath his skin.
The Heaven-Shaking Azure Thunder was still only half-digested in his mind, yet the moment he sat down cross-legged and circulated it, his body responded instinctively.
A surge of Qi rushed in, fiercer and purer than anything he had ever experienced.
His eyes widened in shock.
(This… this feels like swallowing a pill. No—stronger than that! At least a thousand… no, ten thousand times better than what I've cultivated before!)
Every breath drew in more Qi, refined instantly into lightning essence that merged with his Heavenly Tyrant Thunder attribute.
It was as if the world itself was pouring strength into him, acknowledging his existence for the first time.
Jia Hao's heart beat faster.
His doubts, frustrations, and resentment—all of it crumbled in the face of this overwhelming cultivation speed.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze to Li Fengyuan.
The young master he had thought no different from the arrogant nobles—perhaps even worse—had not only stood up for him, but now had bestowed upon him a cultivation technique beyond imagination.
Jia Hao's throat tightened.
He stood, then dropped to his knees, bowing low until his forehead touched the ground.
"Young Master Li," his voice trembled with sincerity, "I was blind and ignorant before. For giving me this chance… for helping me when you had no reason to… I swear, from this day on, I will do whatever you ask of me. I am forever grateful!"
Zhao Dazhu's eyes went wide, almost falling over at his classmate's sudden change of tone.
(Just what did Li Fengyuan feed him?)
Zhao Dazhu didn't know what came over Jia Hao, to even bow before fellow Classmate.
Li Fengyuan, however, only gave a light chuckle.
With a dismissive wave of his hand, he said, "Stand up. No need for that between brothers."
He smirked, his tone casual as ever.
"If you really want to repay me, then just focus on cultivating well. That'll be more than enough."
Jia Hao lifted his head slowly, his eyes burning with newfound determination.
"Yes!"
Zhao Dazhu scratched his head, his face a mixture of confusion and doubt.
"Wait, wait, wait…" he said, staring at Jia Hao, who still looked shaken from the flood of knowledge.
"Are you saying Fengyuan really gave you a cultivation technique? A powerful one? Or are you two just pulling my tail?"
Jia Hao shook his head firmly, his eyes sharper than ever before.
"Zhao Dazhu… if I tell you in words, it'll be meaningless. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it for hours. You'll know soon enough!"
Zhao Dazhu frowned. His curiosity burned even stronger.
Before he could press further, Li Fengyuan chuckled lightly, stepping closer.
"You're next."
"Huh? Okay!"
Zhao Dazhu stepped forward.
Li Fengyuan extended his hand, just as he had with Jia Hao.
"Give me your wrist."
Zhao Dazhu hesitated, his heart pounding.
Half of him was nervous, half of him expectant.
He still wasn't sure if Jia Hao's reaction was genuine, or if this was some elaborate prank by these two.
Still, with a gulp, he slowly extended his thick arm toward Li Fengyuan.
The moment Li Fengyuan's fingers wrapped around his wrist, his expression changed.
His playful smirk faded, replaced by a flicker of surprise—genuine surprise.
Within Zhao Dazhu's meridians, Qi didn't flow in neat, refined streams like most cultivators.
Instead, it rumbled, raw and wild, like molten stone boiling beneath the earth's crust.
Every inhale drew in a subtle heaviness, as though Zhao Dazhu's body itself was weighed down by invisible mountains, yet at the same time, those mountains seemed to resonate with his being.
Li Fengyuan's eyes narrowed.
(This… this isn't ordinary earth attribute. No… it's something far more primal. Like the origin essence of the land itself…)
His lips curled into a faint grin.
(Heh. First Heavenly Tyrant Thunder, and now this. What kind of backwater city hides such talents?)
He finally released Zhao Dazhu's wrist.
Zhao Dazhu blinked nervously.
"W-What? Why are you looking at me like that? Don't tell me I've got some sort of strange disease or something!"
Li Fengyuan chuckled, folding his arms.
"Not a disease. On the contrary—you've got an attribute that's incredibly rare. The Titan Indestructible Body"
"Titan… what now?"
Zhao Dazhu tilted his head, clearly lost.
Zhao Dazhu rubbed the back of his head, confused as ever.
"Okay, but what does that even mean? Is it good? Bad? Don't keep me hanging!"
Li Fengyuan smirked faintly, the light in his eyes sharp as blades.
"It means, Zhao Dazhu, that if you cultivate properly… you could become as unshakable as a mountain, as immovable as the heavens themselves. A body born to endure and crush. An attribute even rarer than most high-grade talents."
Zhao Dazhu and Jia Hao still looked at him with confusion.
Well, unless they have seen what their attributes full potential is, they won't know just how powerful it is.
As someone who fought against the Titan Indestructible Body, Li Fengyuan was well-aware about how powerful it is.
(If not for Soul Attack, it would have been me that would have been dead!)
Just thinking about that time gave him goosebumps.
(Enough reminiscing!)
Now it was time to think about the best Cultivation Technique for Zhao Dazhu!