Chapter 1482 — Late Xuan Rank

"What? There are disciples of an ancient sect cultivating here?" Feng Nitian was taken aback as well. He had not known before that the man inside belonged to an ancient sect; but now that he did, he would naturally intrude no further. His true purpose in coming out this time had been to win over a few scions of other ancient sects and ancient families, to forge a favorable bond, and so gain capital for his own future bid for the position of family head!

So when Feng Nitian heard that someone from an ancient sect was cultivating here, he said at once, "Then I must apologize for the disturbance! When this brother has finished his cultivation, please convey my words to him: Feng Nitian of the ancient Feng family will come in person to offer his apologies!"

"No problem, Brother Nitian!" Zhuang Niaopao nodded and agreed at once. The man said he would come in person to apologize, but that was mere courtesy; polite words or earnest ones, Zhuang Niaopao could still tell apart.

"What is going on here? Why cultivate in a place like this?" Feng Nitian found it rather strange. An ancient sect ought not to lack places for cultivation, so why would someone suddenly come and cultivate before the door of an inn in the dead of night?

Zhuang Niaopao dared not conceal anything, and recounted everything that had happened before, from beginning to end.

And Wei Zhao's name was naturally misheard by Zhao Qitan as Ling Yi. The two names were so alike to begin with that he simply assumed Zhuang Niaopao had not pronounced his words clearly.

"What? Ling Yi has been crippled?" Zhao Qitan was stunned, and inwardly cursed his luck. All his earlier effort courting the man had been wasted. Had he known the fellow had an enemy from an ancient sect, why would he have spent that thought at all?

Yu Shan, however, was greatly excited to hear the news. This time that dear elder brother of his would be delighted: the ally he had just recruited had been crippled by someone else. Haha, he would be overjoyed, wouldn't he? Yu Bing, this time, what will you use to compare yourself with me? I have Feng Nitian of the ancient Feng family behind me, and what do you have? Your only ally has become a cripple. This time, just wait to be eliminated!

Five years from now, when I return having mastered my arts, the future young head of the Yu family will be me. Before me, what are you?

"So that is how it is!" Feng Nitian nodded. Outwardly he betrayed nothing, but inwardly he was utterly appalled. He had thought his own mental cultivation method defiant enough of heaven; yet this man before him defied heaven even more, for he could actually absorb another's true qi. That was simply too terrifying.

Of course, in the eyes of Zhao Qitan and the others, Zhang Naipao's ability was formidable as well; but in their eyes Feng Nitian's skill was equally formidable. Both came from that ancient level, and they could not court both at once. Now that they had established good relations with Feng Nitian, they could no longer go fawning on Zhang Naipao.

"Then I shall not disturb Brother Naipao's cultivation. Nitian takes his leave." Having said this with courtesy, Feng Nitian departed with Zhao Qitan, Yu Shan, and the rest, heading toward the inn...

At five in the morning, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth above the inn suddenly turned dense and heavy!

Any cultivator of experience would know this was the herald of an impending breakthrough. From afar it could not be sensed, but at close range it could be perceived with perfect clarity.

"A breakthrough is coming! Everyone stay on your guard!" Zhuang Niaopao shouted to the others who were standing watch for Zhang Naipao.

"Yes!" they answered hurriedly, bracing themselves for what was to come.

And inside the inn, in Feng Nitian's room, Zhao Qitan and Yu Shan were conversing with him. Feng Nitian abruptly stopped speaking, rose, and strode quickly to the window. "The man down below is about to break through?"

Only after Feng Nitian spoke did Zhao Qitan and Yu Shan sense the spiritual qi in the vicinity growing dense. They had not noticed it before. As scions of a Hidden family, they were still a notch below Feng Nitian of an ancient family, and their senses were not as keen as his.

"Boom--" Hardly had Feng Nitian's words fallen when, on the plaza below the inn, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth gathered violently together, then burst apart and swiftly dispersed...

"The late stage of the Xuan Rank! He actually broke through to the late Xuan Rank. What a domineering mental cultivation mantra!" Feng Nitian sighed.

"True, but Brother Nitian, you are no lesser yourself!" Yu Shan said quickly.

"Heh. Late Xuan Rank merely puts him on par with me. Nothing much." Feng Nitian waved a hand. "Let us continue our earlier topic. What else would you like to know about the ancient families?"

Feng Nitian had been answering Zhao Qitan's and Yu Shan's questions all along, enlightening them on the lore of the ancient sects and ancient families. Of course, what he told them was nothing secret; such matters were common knowledge among those of the ancient level, yet scarcely any scion of a Hidden family knew of them. So Feng Nitian did not mind showing off a little before them, to raise his own standing.

But just after Zhang Naipao's breakthrough, the innkeeper narrowed his eyes. He glanced outside the inn, then lifted his head and looked up toward the upper floor. A flicker of surprise crossed his gaze, and in a voice barely audible he muttered to himself, "Someone upstairs has broken through as well? Could it be that one... It seems this trial is truly brimming with talent!"

That said, the innkeeper's eyes regained their former calm, and he said nothing more.

"Whoosh--" Wei Zhao exhaled a breath of turbid air, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "At last, a breakthrough... Zhang Naipao, I truly must thank you. You leveled up as well, true enough, but without you I would never have found the opening for this breakthrough of mine!"

For some time now, Wei Zhao had shown faint signs of breaking through to the late Xuan Rank; all that was lacking was the right opening. Seizing the chance that came today, Wei Zhao accomplished the breakthrough in one stroke. This counted as an unexpected gain for him.

Wei Zhao stretched lazily, his whole body suffused with an indescribable ease. A natural upgrade was indeed far more comfortable than forcing a breakthrough with compressed energy. At least his clothes had not been blasted to shreds, and the process had not been so agonizing.

"Chirp chirp--" Tianlei Pig looked at Wei Zhao with something like envy. The little creature simply could not understand: a moment ago Wei Zhao had seemed stripped of every scrap of strength, so how was it that in the next breath he had grown stronger than before? What in the world was going on?

"Heh... little thing, you want to level up too?" Having broken through to the late Xuan Rank, Wei Zhao was in exceptionally high spirits, and his manner toward Tianlei Pig warmed of its own accord.

"Chirp chirp--" Tianlei Pig nodded hastily.

"Good!" Wei Zhao agreed readily. "Riding the momentum of this breakthrough, we press on in one breath and turn you into a high-ranked Xuan pig!"

"Chirp chirp--" Hearing Wei Zhao's words, Tianlei Pig at once pranced and danced on the spot in excitement.

"But the task of finding the Fire Spirit Sacred Fruit falls on you. When the time comes, you had better put your back into it!" Wei Zhao reminded him.

For the fastest updates and popup-free reading, please [visit].