Chapter 2144 — Stirring Restlessly
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Of course. And now that Wei Zhao had reached the Earth Rank, such a phenomenon could only arise when he used compressed true qi to force someone through a breakthrough to the Earth Rank—except that Wei Zhao had not yet mastered the method of forcing others to break through to the Earth Rank.
Otherwise, Wei Zhao would not have traded for so many minor Qi-Gathering Pills at this Hidden World Clan Summit.
"Is the leader about to break through?" Han Xiaohu was startled at the sight, and hurriedly planted himself on guard before Wei Zhao, looking as though he would defend him to the death and serve as his guardian. Han Tianba, seeing this as well, leaped up to the front of the arena and took his place at Wei Zhao's side.
As for Tang Yuyi, after a bitter internal struggle, he slowly walked toward the arena...
Old Master Tang furrowed his brow and raised a hand as if to call Tang Yuyi back, but in the end he let his arm fall, sighed, and did not stop him.
"What... what are you doing?" Tang Yuyi's approach gave Han Xiaohu a fright; he thought the man meant Wei Zhao harm—after all, the hidden Tang family had been targeting Wei Zhao all along.
"I... have come to help you guard him." Tang Yuyi's feelings were tangled. Wei Zhao was, in a sense, his brother-in-law, and at this Hidden World Clan Summit he had leaned in Tang Yuyi's favor every time they traded. By both sentiment and reason, Tang Yuyi could not simply stand by.
"Old Master Tang, this grandson of yours seems unable to tell friend from foe?" Old Master You remarked mildly, watching Tang Yuyi mount the arena.
"Blind loyalty, unable to tell friend from foe, this child..." Though Old Master Tang privately thought that Tang Yuyi's act left the Tang family a sliver of hope, outwardly he could only shake his head. "In-law, you know as well as I... that boy Yuyi... is not the least bit like his father!"
"Old Master Tang, are you saying, then, that he takes after me?" After all, Tang Yuyi's father was You Xiaoxin, Old Master You's daughter! A married daughter was water poured out, and Tang Yuyi's ties to the hidden You family were no longer of much consequence, but ties there still were—so Tang Yuyi's conduct left Old Master You quite helpless. The boy was his own daughter's son; he could hardly speak too harshly of him.
Old Master Tang shook his head and did not pursue the matter, saying instead, "Wei Zhao's strength—have you seen it?"
"He is breaking through from the peak of the early Earth Rank, charging toward the mid Earth Rank..." Before Old Master You could speak, Old Master Zhao had already opened his mouth.
"Could it be that all our earlier estimates were wrong, and Wei Zhao is merely an expert at the peak of the early Earth Rank?" Old Master Yu frowned, finding it somewhat inconceivable.
"Where does he look like an expert at the peak of the mid Earth Rank?" Sect Master Wo said venomously. "My disciple's man-beast unity technique with that spirit wolf could stand against even an expert at the peak of the early Heaven Rank—and this Wei Zhao, at the peak of the early Earth Rank, is still not dead?"
"That is precisely what puzzles me!" Old Master You neither confirmed nor denied, saying only with an unreadable expression, "But from his present condition, he is indeed charging toward the mid Earth Rank. Most of those present are inner-family cultivators—surely you can all sense it?"
"Indeed!" Old Master Yu nodded. "The sense cannot be mistaken: it is the peak of the early Earth Rank breaking through to the mid Earth Rank. Yet there is something I still cannot quite fathom..."