AHHH!

A miserable shriek echoed in the mountain forest. Fortunately for the group, this location was part of the sealed area that no one was allowed to enter. If not, that cry alone would have drawn numerous busybodies over.

Ch ch!

Zhou Yuan was seated on the stone stage as two torrents of water and fire spouted from the mouths of the stone dragons on his left and right, ruthlessly drowning his body.

Mist could be seen rising from the surface of his body.

In the mist, Zhou Yuan’s face was warped in pain, making it look extremely hideous. It was clear that he was under exceedingly intense pain.

Half of his body was an icy blue, cold mist seemingly pouring from his pores, while the other half was a red hot with rippling burning heat rising from it, as if his blood was boiling inside.

High heat and extreme cold invaded his flesh, causing every inch of it to tremble uncontrollably as fire Qi and water Qi washed over layer after layer of skin, blood and flesh.

The challenges faced by those on the path of external cultivation was unimaginable.

By the edge of the cliff, old Xuan’s murky eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Zhou Yuan being tempered by fire and water. “When are you going to start circulating the little Mythic Saint Body cultivation method to absorb the fire and water Qi to temper your body?”

His voice was transmitted into Zhou Yuan’s ears. The latter tightly gritted his teeth, his mind clearing a little as his hands came together to begin circulating the unique cultivation method of the little Mythic Saint Body.

It was as if the irritable water and fire Qi was being drawn by something. The Qi began flowing on the surface of his skin as it slowly seeped into his body.

Zhou Yuan could feel the water and fire Qi begin to rise within his body, most of their power poured into his skin.

He was not the least bit surprised by this. There were three stages to the little Mythic Saint Body, jade skin, silver bone and golden blood. Jade skin was the first step of slowly transforming the body starting from the outside.

However, it was no easy matter to master the jade skin, and one needed to experience an enormous amount of pain in the process. Just imagining it already made Zhou Yuan shiver uncontrollably.

But since he had already begun, there was naturally no way he would back down. He immediately guarded his mind as he gritted his teeth, tenaciously enduring the pain from the fire and water tempering, while the veins under his skin wiggled continuously.

ARHHH!

After about half an incense stick of time, Zhou Yuan finally reached his limit. His figure quickly dashed into the air, before miserably crashing onto the edge of the cliff.

He felt that if he were to continue, half of his body would be charred to cinders, while the half would be frozen solid.

Zhou Yuan was crumpled on the ground, drenched in sweat as his body trembled unceasingly.

“Half an incense stick of time on your first try. That’s not bad.” Old Xuan eyed the miserable looking Zhou Yuan with a wide grin.

“By this point, an ordinary person will have no choice but to call it a day, but as someone who has the Taiyi Green Wood Mark that enriches you with vigorous vital energy, you only require some rest for your body to slowly recover and continue training.”

The corners of Zhou Yuan’s mouth could not help but twitch.

However, he did not say anything in the end, merely gritting his teeth as he nodded. Next, he seated himself on the ground and closed his eyes.

Faint dark green runes began to appear on the surface of his body as a cooling aura spread within him, swiftly recovering the damage and pain.

Strong vital energy rose, as Zhou Yuan’s skin began to return to normal.

After a short span of a few dozen minutes, Zhou Yuan opened his eyes again. There was a rejuvenated look within them, all of the tiredness and pain from before now completely eliminated.

“The Taiyi Green Wood Mark is truly amazing!” Even Zhou Yuan could not help but become a little overwhelmed when he felt the changes in his body. With the astonishing recovery abilities of the mark, he could basically practice external cultivation techniques without restraint. There was no need to worry about injuring the body due to excessive training.

Such effectiveness was several times better than ordinary individuals!

No wonder old Xuan had advised him to select the little Mythic Saint Body.

Now that his body had recovered, Zhou Yuan stood up again. He grinned at the silently watching Yaoyao, before casting his gaze towards the stone stage.

Swish!

Although there was still a little residual pain, there was no longer any hesitation in Zhou Yuan’s eyes. His body leaped forward and landed on the stage, before he seated himself.

Rumble!

The mouths of the two stone dragons rumbled open again, torrents of fire and water flooding out.

……

By the edge of the cliff, old Xuan gave an almost undetectable nod as he gazed upon the twisted face of the bitterly persisting Zhou Yuan.

The willpower of this young man was rather surprising.

Yaoyao was elegantly seated on a run down stone pavilion on the cliff. Her bright eyes looked towards old Xuan’s hunched figure as she asked, “Does elder want to come over and have a seat?”

Old Xuan turned around, looked towards Yaoyao and chuckled. He walked over with his broom, sat down in the stone pavilion, and sighed, “I’ve lived for so many years, and have seen many geniuses in the Cangxuan Sect. But there’s never been someone like you who gives me this heart palpitating feeling.”

“Even in our Cangxuan Sect, the appearance of someone like yourself makes me feel as if a phoenix is perching on a small withered tree.”

Yaoyao retrieved a wine pot and cup as a faint smile rose on her lips. “Elder is quite the comedian. The Cangxuan Sect was once the number sect in Cangxuan Heaven, how can you call it a withered tree?”

Old Xuan sighed again. “I’m not joking. I may have lived for a long time, but I can’t fake this feeling.”

Yaoyao’s eyes turned towards Zhou Yuan as she suddenly asked, “I’ve heard that you’ve never bothered about any matter in the sect, so why have you now chosen to help Zhou Yuan?”

Back in the Saint Remains Domain, Yaoyao and Zhou Yuan had met a spirit fragment of patriarch Cang Xuan, and he had told them of his suspicions that his death may have had something to do with the Cangxuan Sect. Hence, Yaoyao maintained a certain vigilance against anyone who had been alive back then, even this super low-key and nearly unnoticeable old Xuan.

As such, Yaoyao naturally intended to probe old Xuan about the abnormal care he had shown Zhou Yuan.

Old Xuan lifted his wrinkled eyelids, and was silent for a long time, before he slowly said, “I’ve been waiting for many years.”

“What are you waiting for?” Asked Yaoyao.

“Waiting for someone who can break the status quo…” Old Xuan lifted his head and looked at the sealed main peak. “The Cangxuan Sect has been too quiet, like a deep, dead pool. Some ripples are needed to startle the fish.”

“There are many matters to which I too wish for an answer.”

Crystal clear wine flowed from the pot in Yaoyao’s hand, pouring into the cup as she softly said, “Regardless of what you are planning, I only hope that you will not harm Zhou Yuan. Otherwise, these pointers you have given will not be enough.”

She pushed the filled cup towards old Xuan as she spoke.

Old Xuan gave Yaoyao a deep look. He could detect the warning in her words. Normally speaking, he would merely shake his head and laugh at such a warning from a disciple.

However, this impossibly beautiful girl before him made it rather hard for him to laugh.

In the end, he took the cup with a bitter smile. “Little lass, it is really not easy to get a drink from you.”

Yaoyao faintly nodded as she smiled and said, “There are indeed not many who may drink a cup from me.”

Her words were extremely arrogant, but old Xuan chose to believe them. Due to certain reasons, his senses were unparalleled in the Cangxuan Sect, and even sect master Qing Yang the rest could not compare.

Perhaps, even sect master Qing Yang and the rest would be unable to sense that heart palpitating aura hidden so deep within this girl that even she herself was likely unaware of it. However, old Xuan could just barely detect it.

The girl before his eyes was terrifyingly mysterious.

He truly did not know whether it was a blessing or a disaster for her to appear in their Cangxuan Sect.

While his mind churned with various thoughts, old Xuan lifted the cup and downed its contents.

Yaoyao also lifted the cup to her red lips. Just as she was about to drink, a piercing shriek suddenly sounded, causing her hand to shake. Wine spilled from the cup, wetting a corner of her skirt.

Yaoyao’s eyebrows raised slightly as she lifted her beautiful face. A sliver of anger surfaced in her clear eyes as she gazed upon the weeping and howling Zhou Yuan atop the stone stage.

Old Xuan finally laughed when he saw this expression. Compared to the icy indifference from before that emanated from the depths of her soul, the girl felt genuinely alive at this moment.

Like a real person.

He turned his head to look at Zhou Yuan’s figure as he clicked his tongue in amazement.

Perhaps it was indeed true in this world that everything has a weakness.