Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

However, just as the elders were waiting for Lin Feng to offer another excuse, he suddenly crushed a ball of black mist and bolted.

"Damn it! It really is that scourge! Seize him!" Dongfang Shi bellowed.

The next moment, a group of elders surged out in unison. Lin Feng was merely at the first layer of the Martial Saint realm; how could he possibly outrun a group of elders who were all above the third layer? In just a few minutes, he was captured and thrown into the dungeon.

As he was being led away, Lin Feng's eyes looked as if they were about to bleed. He was filled with such hatred! Such a perfect plan. But how could this damned Zhao Dong be so lucky!?

With the misunderstanding cleared, the crowd turned to Zhao Dong, their eyes filled with guilt.

Dongfang Shi said with shame, "Young friend Zhao, please forgive my transgression. I was blind and failed to distinguish a true monster from an innocent man. I deserve death for wrongly hurting you!"

Zhao Dong gave a bitter smile. "If it weren't for my senior brother, I might be a corpse right now."

With that, Zhao Dong turned to Su Li and bowed deeply. "This little brother thanks you for your immense kindness, Senior Brother! If it weren't for you, my name would never have been cleared!"

Su Li smiled calmly. "I knew it! How could I have possibly misjudged someone? Hahahaha..."

As the heavy burden lifted from his heart, Zhao Dong was suddenly overcome by a wave of exhaustion. The damage inflicted by the Soul Destruction Cage erupted within him at that moment.

SPURT!

He coughed up a mouthful of black blood and collapsed backward.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Dongfang Shi immediately caught him, his eyes filled with heartache and guilt. "Everyone, stand back! I will personally heal his wounds!"

Dongfang Shi picked up Zhao Dong and rushed out.

「Inside Dongfang Shi's Cave Abode」

Zhao Dong was laid upon a white jade bed. Dongfang Shi sat beside it, forming a hand seal and channeling Spiritual Energy into the bed. This white jade bed was clearly a priceless treasure. Once activated by Dongfang Shi, wisps of green energy began to spiral around Zhao Dong's body. The injuries on his skin healed at a visible rate. Even his damaged soul was being mended.

「Outside the door」

Watching Dongfang Shi from outside, the elders sighed endlessly.

"Alas, Elder Dongfang thought very highly of this boy. He even said he wanted to accept him into the sect. It's a shame he ran into this kind of trouble. What a mess!"

"Elder Dongfang is truly wracked with guilt. Otherwise, he never would have taken out a treasure like the Ice Lotus White Jade Bed."

"Indeed. That bed is his most prized possession. It can not only heal physical injuries but also mend the soul. Unfortunately, the Spiritual Energy within it is finite; each use permanently depletes it."

"Elder Dongfang didn't even use the bed on himself when he was injured before."

「Time passed.」

None of the elders left. They simply waited quietly outside the door, their hearts heavy with guilt. If not for them, Zhao Dong would not be in this state.

On the bed, Zhao Dong remained unconscious, but the Spiritual Energy from the white jade bed continuously nourished his body. Wisps of it entered his Dantian, slowly raising his cultivation realm. By evening, when the Spiritual Energy in his Dantian accumulated to the peak of the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, he finally stirred and groggily opened his eyes.

"You're awake!?" Dongfang Shi was overjoyed and rushed forward to check on him. After confirming that Zhao Dong was all right, he breathed a sigh of relief. His face was etched with bitter exhaustion, and the massive expenditure of energy had made him look as if he had aged more than ten years.

Zhao Dong was deeply moved. When you get right down to it, Elder Dongfang didn't really do anything wrong. If I were in his position, I probably couldn't bring myself to doubt someone so close to me, could I? His gratitude deepened, especially when he sensed that not only had his injuries fully healed, but his cultivation had even advanced a level.

Zhao Dong rose and bowed. "Elder Dongfang, please don't blame yourself. You have granted this junior a heavenly opportunity. It is I who should be thanking you. The matter with Lin Feng is in the past. This junior holds no grudge against you, so I hope you will also stop blaming yourself."

"...Thank you, Zhao Dong..." Dongfang Shi said, his old eyes welling with tears as he allowed Zhao Dong to help him up.

At that moment, the elders outside surged into the room. They too wore expressions of guilt and began to apologize one after another, all of whom Zhao Dong naturally forgave.

Just then, an elder took a bottle of pills from his robes and offered it to Zhao Dong. "This is a Soul Nourishing Pill. It can help you enhance your Soul Power. Please consider it my apology. You must accept it!"

Enhance my Soul Power? Zhao Dong was ecstatic.

But before he could even accept the pill, the other elders began presenting their own pills and magic artifacts.

"Young friend Zhao, this is a Dragon Tiger Pill. It can increase your Physical Power. This is also my apology. You must accept it."

"This three-inch flying sword is called the Red Lotus. Please accept it, young friend."

"This Fire Summoning Technique is my most prized Cultivation Technique. I bestow it upon you."

"..."

As the elders presented one treasure after another, Zhao Dong was so excited his jaw hung open. A blessing in disguise! This is absolutely a blessing in disguise! After a few token refusals, he accepted everything.

He then eagerly took out the Red Lotus Sword. It was incredibly tiny, no bigger than his palm. But when controlled with Spiritual Energy, the flying sword could float by his side and be launched like a hidden weapon. Because it could be maneuvered by Spiritual Energy, the sword was extremely agile, capable of spinning and shifting in mid-air. Unlike ordinary throwing weapons, it didn't become useless after a single toss. Moreover, the Red Lotus Sword was incredibly sharp and contained an innate fire energy. When activated, its tip could reach temperatures high enough to melt steel as it shot toward its target. Given its small size, it would be almost impossible for an ordinary person to defend against. In the middle of a fight, this is definitely a treasure capable of taking an opponent's head in a single strike!

Zhao Dong put away the Red Lotus Sword and turned his attention to the Fire Summoning Technique. After just a brief glance, he was overcome with joy. This Fire Summoning Technique was the very same art the Law Enforcement Hall elder had used to summon a rain of fire!

Zhao Dong immediately began to practice it. Seeing him sit cross-legged, the others cast curious glances his way.

"Young friend Zhao seems a bit too eager," one said. "The Fire Summoning Technique isn't that easy to cultivate. It's impossible to grasp its essence without at least a month or two of practice."

"Still, we owe him a great deal. Let him cultivate here. We can stand guard and offer him some guidance."

"Mm, the Third Elder is right. Let's wait here a while longer," another agreed.

With that, the elders sat down in a circle, acting as protectors for Zhao Dong. If any outsider were to witness such a scene, their jaw would surely hit the floor. The five great elders of the renowned Qingyun Sect were all acting as protectors for a single young man? What kind of honor was that? And beyond the five of them, there was also the great Sword Immortal, Su Li! Such a lineup was so extravagant it was outrageous!

An hour later, Zhao Dong had finished reading through the Fire Summoning Technique. He slowly rose to his feet and began to try it out. Forming a seal with his right hand, he followed the steps of the technique and began to circulate his Spiritual Energy.

However, his first attempt was clearly not going well. His Spiritual Energy was instantly drained, yet only a few sparse sparks of fire appeared in the sky?