55 Chapter 1212: The Emergence of the Ghost Cavern (2/2)
”Yes!”
Realizing that he had been noticed by the lightning ordeal as well, Wu shi's body trembled in fear. He quickly turned around and retreated back into his body.
”Zhang shi, what should I do next?” Wu shi asked Zhang Xuan with his face pale in fright.
”These lightning clouds have gathered together in a rush after abruptly sensing your aura, so it wouldn't be too strong. Furthermore, most of the Power of Lightning has already been absorbed by Hall Master Xing, so as long as you don't face the lightning ordeal with your Primordial Spirit straight, you should be able to withstand it.” Zhang Xuan said.
Even though Wu shi had only just made a breakthrough, considering how his body had just been nourished by the Spirit Reinforcing Pill, and the flaws in his Primordial Spirit had just been resolved, he should still be able to withstand the weakened lightning ordeal.
”Most of the Power of Lightning has been absorbed by Hall Master Xing? That's good…” Hearing that, Wu shi heaved a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, his relief didn't last for too long.
A moment later, a flash of lightning descended on Wu shi.
Huala!
Every single strand of hair on Wu shi's head immediately leaped up from the static lightning, as if alarmed by the might of the lightning. The astounding might of the lightning bolt nearly caused his Primordial Spirit to dissipate on the spot.
”… You call this 'wouldn't be too strong'? Why do I feel like it has gotten much stronger than before?” Wu shi roared in frenzy.
You told me that most of the Power of Lightning has already been absorbed by Hall Master Xing! How could the lightning bolt still be so powerful then?
In the midst of his frenzy, Wu shi heard the voice of a certain young man sounding sheepish not too far away, ”Oh. My mistake. Calculation error… It seems like your involvement in Hall Master Xing's Leaving Aperture Ordeal has caused your own Leaving Aperture Ordeal to intensify instead. However, there's still no need for you to panic. Un, no need to panic at all. I have complete trust in your strength. You can do it! Fighting!”
”…” Wu shi.
To think that the young man before him would be such an unreliable person! Damn it!
How can you make me take such risk before confirming the matter? This is too much!
While Wu shi was filled with grudges against Zhang Xuan, the Power of Lightning swiftly accumulated in his body, leaving him with no spare attention to think about anything else anymore. He quickly concentrated his mind into dealing with the Power of Lightning coursing through his body.
Huala!
But despite his efforts, the might of the lightning coursing through his body was simply too destructive. In just a moment, his Primordial Spirit had already been ravaged to the point of near dissipation.
At the same time, countless charred marks appeared throughout his body, and blood wouldn't stop flowing down the edges of his lips. It felt as if he would cave in at any moment and die.
”It's over…” Wu shi's face turned livid with despair.
He had just achieved a breakthrough, and he hadn't even reinforced his cultivation yet. There was no way he could face a powered up Leaving Aperture Ordeal in his current state.
Tzzzzzzzz!
Just when he thought that it was the end, he suddenly felt a surge of zhenqi hidden in the depths of his body suddenly surging forth, repairing his injuries at a visible rate.
This surge of zhenqi seemed to carry the authority of the heavens, and it was incredibly pure as well. It could even repair the damages on his Primordial Spirit with ease!
”This… Did Zhang shi leave this surge of zhenqi within my body?” Wu shi widened his eyes in astonishment.
He had verified with his own eyes Zhang Xuan's identity as a Celestial Master Teacher. Considering the mystical effects of the zhenqi, there was little doubt that it was the latter who left it in his body.
This would explain why the young man would instruct him to save Hall Master Xing without any hesitation. It seemed like he had prepared a hand in case something awry were to occur!
Hu!
In the blink of an eye, his Primordial Spirit and physical body had already recovered back to its peak. However, the Power of Lightning coursing through his body was far from dying down yet.
Injury, recovery, injury, recovery…
It was just a short ten minutes, but Wu shi felt as if he had been to and fro the gates of hell several times within this short span of time.
Nevertheless, he had finally successfully cleared the Leaving Aperture Ordeal!
Opening his eyes once more, he saw that Hall Master Xing's lightning ordeal had also passed, and the ominous clouds had scattered, revealing a clear night sky once more.
Even though Hall Master Xing had started the Leaving Aperture realm on a shaky note, he was ultimately still the head of the Combat Master Hall, possessing capabilities far surpassing ordinary cultivators. While he had nearly died on several occasion, he managed to successfully withstand it with gritted teeth.
”Principal Zhang, thank you.” Wu shi quickly walked up to Zhang Xuan and clasped his fist.
If not for the zhenqi the young man had left in his body, he would have indubitably succumbed to the lightning ordeal and lost his life.
While the process was extraordinarily excruciating, he still managed to leap two cultivation stages within a very short period of time, jumping from Half-Leaving Aperture realm to Leaving Aperture realm primary stage. In such a sense, the pain that he had been put through was worthwhile.
At this moment, however, he suddenly heard Zhang shi's telepathic voice sounding by his ears, ”Don't speak anymore and feign a state of severe injury!”
Wu shi had no idea why Zhang Xuan would abruptly make such an instruction, but he knew that the latter would have his own reason for doing so. Thus, his body suddenly wobbled weakly before collapsing powerlessly to the ground, as if he had been sapped of all of his strength.
”Wu shi!” Alarmed, Zhang Jiuxiao rushed over.
With Zhang Jiuxiao's support, Wu shi was barely able to get back onto his feet. Just as Wu shi was about to ask what Zhang Xuan was up to, the latter suddenly shouted loudly into the surroundings.
”It seems you have already known that we would come. Since that's the case, why don't you show yourself straight? I know that you want to kill me, and you know that I want to kill you as well. There's no point wasting time playing hide-and-seek, don't you think so?”
”Hide-and-seek? What's that? More importantly, who is Principal talking to?” Wu shi was taken aback.
Wu shi wasn't the only one who was surprised by Zhang Xuan's abrupt actions. The remaining members of the group were perplexed as well.
They had swiftly scouted the island and scanned the area with their Spiritual Perception earlier and confirmed that there was no one in the area other than them. If there was truly someone in the area, there was no way that person could have managed to bypass the detection of their Spiritual Perception.
While the uncomprehending crowd was just about to ask about the matter, an eerie voice suddenly echoed in the air, ”Hehehehe, as expected of Zhang shi. Formidable indeed, noticing my presence right after I played a small trick…”
Following which, another island slowly surfaced from the depths of the marsh.
”T-that… That is the Ghost Cavern!” Zhang Jiuxiao exclaimed with clenched fists.