Daoist Competition

Zhang Yan decided to take in Yuan Yanhui and Weng Zhiyuan with the intention of recruiting talented individuals. He originally valued their innate talents and abilities, without expecting much, but unexpectedly found himself pleasantly surprised by Weng Zhiyuan.

He couldn’t help but nod. After all, these two were disciples painstakingly cultivated by Elder Zhu. No matter Elder Zhu’s character, his eye for choosing disciples was indeed exceptional.

Whether they could be heavily utilized, however, still needed to be observed further.

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Zhang Yan cast a faint glance at the two, waved his sleeve, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Yuan Yanhui and Weng Zhiyuan couldn’t discern his intentions, their hearts filled with unease. They didn’t dare to rise or depart, and thus remained kneeling for several hours.

After Luo Xiao left, the affairs of the mansion were handled by Shang Shang. When Zhang Yan departed, she also left to deal with a few petty matters. After making rounds, she returned to the grand hall once more, only to see the two still kneeling there, which immediately stirred a hint of compassion in her heart.

She walked over with graceful steps and softly said, "You both may rise now. The lord has always acted decisively. If he intended to punish you, it would’ve happened earlier. Since he said nothing, it means he truly does not blame you."

Shang Shang was a long-standing member of the Cave Mansion and her words were highly credible. Upon hearing this, Weng Zhiyuan immediately let out a sigh of relief, stood up, cupped his hands, and gratefully said, "Thank you, Miss Shang, for your guidance."

Shang Shang smiled gently, returned the gesture with a bow, and replied, "It’s no trouble."

Yuan Yanhui quickly stood up as well, lightly patting her full chest, and said, "Senior Brother, Pavilion Master’s stern face nearly scared me to death."

Weng Zhiyuan did not reproach her. Instead, he smiled and said, "Junior Sister, you mustn’t act so recklessly in the future. If you end up dead, with no one left to chatter endlessly in front of me, I wouldn’t be used to it at all."

Yuan Yanhui’s cheeks flushed slightly. She raised her hand and gave him a light punch. Suddenly recalling something, her doe-like eyes widened and she asked, "Senior Brother, what should we do about those two people?"

Weng Zhiyuan calmly pondered for a while and replied, "That person is, after all, our martial uncle and cannot be killed. As for the other who insulted our master, he cannot be let off lightly."

Yuan Yanhui had always trusted her senior brother deeply. She gave a heavy "Mm" and said loudly, "I will follow Senior Brother’s lead in everything."

After Zhang Yan left the grand hall, he returned to the Twelve Layers Main Mansion. Sitting on the jade couch, he calmed his restless thoughts and prepared to cultivate the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder.

He waved his sleeve and poured out a gourd of Purple Profusion Gang Sand onto the ground. The fine sand spilled out, forming a pile several feet high. Instantly, the room was filled with spiritual energy, and everything turned purple.

This gourd contained several thousand grains of Gang Sand. Normally, such items could only be obtained by Nascent Soul cultivators who occasionally traveled to the Heavenly Extreme to train. Thus, its accumulation was exceedingly rare.

What Zhang Yan had before him represented nearly all of Spirit Mechanism Institute’s sporadic collection over several decades.

The Spirit Mechanism Institute was controlled by noble families. If not for Huo Xuan wanting to do him a favor, while Zhang Yan had other means to acquire it elsewhere, it would have required considerable effort.

And currently, time was the scarcest resource for him. From this perspective, the noble families had indeed calculated his predicament accurately by hindering his access to Gang Sand.

Following the Dharma technique written for the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder, Zhang Yan pointed his finger. A single grain of Gang Sand rose into the air, igniting with Elixir Evil to transform into a blade. He cut forward, instantly splitting the grain in two. As its outer shell broke, a streak of violet light surged forth eagerly.

Fixing his gaze on the emerging light, Zhang Yan made a sharp shout, swirling Elixir Evil into a ring that enclosed it. Tilting his body backward, he inhaled the wisp of purple energy through his nose and mouth. His body quivered violently as he felt a robust and untamed force rampaging through his flesh, chaotically colliding and sparking numbness in his muscles and bones before he finally managed to suppress it.

Once he completely subdued this Qi Mechanism, he rotated his Mysterious Skill to refine it away.

Shaking his head, he selected another grain of Gang Sand and repeated the process.

After several repetitions, his brows furrowed slightly, and he paused.

Within this Gang Sand lay traces of Heavenly Thunder energy—ferocious and difficult to tame. Each time he refined it, he had to endure significant torment.

Fortunately, his body was as tough as iron. He brushed it off as insignificant. If it had been someone else, how could they possibly withstand it?

That wasn’t all. Each time he refined and dissipated the majority of the Thunder Qi, an extremely stubborn trace always remained unrefined. After several cycles, this lingering Qi had already accumulated.

The more this Qi grew, the greater the damage it inflicted on his physical body. It was hard to imagine what might happen once he absorbed all several thousand grains of Purple Surplus Thunder Gang Sand. The Thunder Qi accumulating in his flesh would be unimaginably intense. If it went unchecked, it could lead to instant death with no remains left behind.