Chapter 563 — A Breakthrough: A Master of the Mystic Rank!

"This... I'm the one who hit him, Brother Kang. It was an accident... I'm sorry..." Zou Ruoguang had no choice but to step forward and face the music.

"My dad calls me Brother Kang, and you call me Brother Kang too? Your family's generations are a real mess!" Kang Xiaofeng had finally found an outlet for his temper. These people had bullied his family, and in the past he'd never dared to fight back — but now he was Wei Zhao's number-one henchman, and that made him a pretty impressive figure himself!

"Uh... Uncle Kang! I'm sorry! Go on, give me a slap, I really didn't mean it, it was an accident..." Zou Ruoguang was terrified of Wei Zhao too, and the moment he heard Kang Xiaofeng was displeased, he changed his tune at once.

"Dad, why don't you do it yourself!" Kang Xiaofeng was set on letting his father have his chance to vent.

Father Kang's feelings at that moment were complicated — astonished at just what sort of formidable character his son's classmate was, that the Zou father and son should be so frightened of him. But whatever the reason, he was thrilled and delighted! Zou Ruoguang, who a moment ago had made him call him "brother," had in the blink of an eye become his grandson — because the man had to call his son "uncle"!

Still, Father Kang was not a crude man, and he couldn't bring himself to raise a hand. But neither did he intend to let Zou Ruoguang off easy. He needled him: "Never mind. This young Master Zou here has already said it wasn't intentional... Ah, forgive me, Brother Zou, I misspoke again — not young master, Brother Zou..."

"Gah!" Zou Ruoguang turned purple with fright. Brother? He was no brother to anyone! Wasn't this just mocking him? But after a moment's daze he understood: Father Kang really was mocking him! Zou Ruoguang was no fool either. Scared out of his wits, he dropped to his knees with a thud: "Grandfather Kang, what brother am I? Before you, I'm a grandson! A child! Please don't hold it against a child!"

"Ruoguang, since Brother Kang and Uncle Kang won't lift a hand, then slap yourself!" Zou Tiandi was also trying to cool Kang Xiaofeng's fury, so he simply had him beat himself.

"Yes, yes!" Zou Ruoguang, hearing this, began smacking his own face — smack, smack — each blow crisp and loud.

"Brother Kang, Uncle Kang, I'm sorry. This business — I'll give you a proper accounting, I promise! Rest assured, that Grade Eight Teahouse — I'll see to it that it vanishes!" Zou Tiandi needed a way out, and so he had to give the Kang family an accounting. "I was deceived by Zhang Baji. That little wretch — I won't let him off!"

Kang Xiaofeng had no intention of keeping them there, and hearing Zou Tiandi say this, he sent them on their way.

Only after Zou Tiandi had gone did Father Kang and Mother Kang breathe a sigh of relief. Even so, they kept pulling Kang Xiaofeng aside to ply him with questions about Wei Zhao. Kang Xiaofeng didn't know much himself, so he could only pick out a few things that had happened at school to tell them...

After three nights of recovery, Wei Zhao's strength had returned to the late Yellow Rank, though there was still some distance between him and the peak of the late Yellow Rank he had reached before. In fact, by the second night he had already recovered to late Yellow Rank strength, but on the third night he had nearly stalled, without the slightest improvement — and this left Wei Zhao somewhat depressed.

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

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

"This much I can tell you: you and I cultivate different methods, and I've never cultivated the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art. I can only answer your questions on matters of common knowledge. As for your progress and your body's condition after cultivating the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art — that I know nothing about," Jiao Yazi said, thoroughly shameless.

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

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

Yet although Wei Zhao could feel the absorption of energy, and could feel that delightful rush at the instant it entered his body, the total sum of energy within him did not increase! This was what left Wei Zhao depressed and bewildered.

If it were like before — energy saturating to a certain level, and then ceasing to grow — that would be one thing! For once saturated, no more energy would be drawn in. But this time was different: though Wei Zhao sensed that the energy inside him was no longer increasing, the energy outside his body kept pouring in like mad!

Fortunately, the energy elements in the jade pendant's space were plentiful and cost nothing — otherwise Wei Zhao's heart would have ached for the waste! All this absorbing with no increase was truly maddening. It was like a skinny man who feasted on delicacies every day and yet never put on an ounce of flesh.

But whether he was depressed or not, since Jiao Yazi didn't know, Wei Zhao had no choice but to feel his way. He might as well keep cultivating. In any case, the energy was being drawn in and disappearing heaven knew where, and he had nothing else to do, so he treated it as a way to pass the time.

Time slipped by, minute by minute, second by second, and the horizon began to show the pale white of a fish's belly — another night was nearly gone. Wei Zhao was still in the jade pendant's space, frantically absorbing energy.

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

Wei Zhao's heart gave a start — but then he abruptly recalled the scene from the first time he had entered the jade pendant's space! This situation had happened once before, when the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art had broken through from the first level to the second! Could it be — was he about to break through this time as well?

At this, Wei Zhao was both startled and delighted, and his heart grew much steadier. After all, the first time is strange and the second familiar; Wei Zhao knew this was surely the sign of an impending breakthrough.

"Boom..."

Wei Zhao's body could no longer withstand such tremendous energy, and it was as if he had burst apart... Yet Wei Zhao felt no fear. A sensation of energy filling him, more complete than anything he had ever known, surged through his whole body; it was a wondrous, mysterious feeling, one he had never experienced before!

In an instant, Wei Zhao sensed that the energy within him was not only more abundant than ever, but that his movements seemed to have grown much nimbler as well! As to just how nimble, Wei Zhao could not say, for it was all sensation, untested in practice.

"So it was a breakthrough after all. Early Profound Rank, not bad." Jiao Yazi's voice rang out. "The constitution of you humans determines that, apart from the grade of your cultivation method, there is also your own rank. This is what I neglected..."

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

"Do I look human to you?" Jiao Yazi regarded Wei Zhao with a teasing look.