Zhao Qinghan's eyes sparkled brightly, almost glowing with envy. After Wang Xuan shed a layer of skin, his new complexion was smooth as jade, flawless, exuding a vigorous aura of rebirth. Without hesitation, Zhao Qinghan reached out to examine him, pinching Wang Xuan's face and pulling at it.
Wang Xuan turned to her, puzzled by the goddess Zhao's sudden touch. She was drenched, her hair still dripping, giving her a fresh, ethereal beauty, although the light in her eyes was a bit overly radiant. This didn't seem like playful teasing; Zhao Qinghan was typically cool and aloof.
"What body technique are you practicing?" she asked, quickly retracting her hand, her composure shaken, eyes gleaming with eagerness to learn.
Wang Xuan, with a mysterious air, leaned in as if sharing a grand secret, and whispered, "It's the Taoist dual cultivation technique!"
He grinned, his face shining.
Zhao Qinghan stared blankly for a moment, then punched him, rolling her eyes. "Why are you asking that?"
Wang Xuan didn't stop; he continued to stretch and practice the Golden Body Technique, relishing in his newfound strength. He felt he could now crush a monster of master level with ease.
Zhao Qinghan remarked, "Your skin has become so delicate after shedding, better than any beauty treatment. I think this body technique is worth studying!"
Wang Xuan was at a loss for words. This girl looked so serious that one might think it was a life-or-death matter, when in reality, she was only focused on beauty!
She had previously mentioned that practicing the Old Technique was to maintain her figure, quickly refining her energy and succeeding in inner cultivation, easily surpassing Qin Cheng.
"You're mistaken if you think practicing body techniques is just for a nice figure and beauty," he said.
Zhao Qinghan nodded earnestly, "It's important! It motivates me to keep going. If I master the Old Technique to a profound level, I can prolong my life and maintain my youth longer."
"Don't you want to become extraordinary?" Wang Xuan asked.
"Of course, but the two goals aren't contradictory. I'm moving forward, and both are getting closer," she replied seriously.
Wang Xuan had nothing else to say. Zhao Qinghan had clear goals: to be beautiful and extraordinary at the same time, her resolve strengthened by the first goal… very determined. If she succeeded, she'd probably boast for years that her pursuit of beauty was why she started her cultivation journey.
Wang Xuan didn't hide anything, telling her it was the Golden Body Technique.
Immediately, Zhao Qinghan's expression changed; looking at him with an unusual gaze, she asked, "Practicing to the point where blades can't cut you, bullets can't pierce you, and you become as hard as iron? I'm not practicing that!"
At first, Wang Xuan didn't grasp her meaning. Then, glancing at her damp, curvy figure, he finally realized she feared becoming a hard iron block! Forget it; he didn't bother explaining, knowing that most people wouldn't adapt to the Golden Body Technique, as it was too energy-intensive and time-consuming to master.
"I'll carefully select some body techniques when I get back, to determine the future direction," Zhao Qinghan said, realizing that while she practiced the Old Technique, she was also learning the New Technique. Now she found her classmate incredibly formidable, having mastered the Old Technique to a mysterious level, making her eager to learn it.
"You should eat the spirit-nourishing lotus quickly; two flowers are about right, or the effects will diminish," Wang Xuan advised her. He finished the half flower he hadn't consumed; otherwise, it would be a waste. Without the root, if not immediately brought back to the ship for processing, the spiritual substance would dissipate over time.
For him, that half petal had only a slight effect, far less pronounced than before.
Wang Xuan had reached a critical point, transitioning the Golden Body Technique to the seventh layer, his strength soaring to the pinnacle of the master level. He had only just established himself in this realm, and now he was significantly strengthening, moving past the mid-master stage to the peak—truly astonishing.
Moreover, he estimated that he might soon break into the grand master realm!
He could only marvel at the Secret Realm's rich mythical essence; this journey was well worth it. Undoubtedly, the spirit-nourishing lotus was a rare herb prepared by the extraordinary creature for its offspring, with exceptional effects.
Wang Xuan felt that with his current strength, he wouldn't be afraid even if he encountered a true grand master!
He was in a special state, with all his physical attributes extraordinarily enhanced, surpassing even grand masters in some aspects. By his current physique, he looked like a grand master!
However, after becoming a grand master, some unusual changes would occur, characteristics that quickly manifested, which he hadn't yet experienced.
Signs included the ability to unleash energy beams from his mouth, decapitating foes, or summoning flames to strike dazzling true fire, inflicting devastating damage, potentially reducing enemies to ashes. Some could even resonate their organs, unleashing thunder and lightning to annihilate opponents.
Old Chen had showcased the Thunder Technique, its power formidable, shattering various secret methods in the New Technique realm.
Wang Xuan could also achieve organ resonance, but only produced faint lightning sounds and soft light, unable to project a lethal beam.
So, he believed he wasn't yet a grand master.
But he wasn't disheartened; this showed how solid his foundation was!
He was still in an accumulation phase. Once he could exhibit traits unique to grand masters, the results would be even more astonishing.
Plus, his current strength could withstand a grand master!
He looked forward to what changes awaited him when he finally stepped into that realm.
"As for that big dragon, never mind. I probably won't want to bother you when I reach the grand master level. It's best we don't cross paths in the near future."
Clearly, he had plans regarding that extraordinary creature.
Wang Xuan glanced at Zhao Qinghan, who was consuming the spirit-nourishing lotus, eyes closed, silently sitting in place with a glowing forehead. He realized she practiced an unusual mental method; the lotus would likely be highly beneficial for her.
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Moving to the side, he struck the cliff with his palm to test his strength, then turned and ran. The cliff crumbled as the jagged edges collapsed with a thunderous roar. For an ordinary master-level creature, he could likely smash it into pulp with just a hit!
Not long after, Wang Xuan returned to find Zhao Qinghan behaving oddly. She glanced at him a few times, her face changing, then quickly looked away. Initially, he didn't understand what was going on. Then he noticed a wisp of light mist flickering on her forehead, and he suddenly realized something.
That mist resembled a mental domain, but it was evident she hadn't formed one yet, and she was clearly not at the same level he had been earlier. Zhao Qinghan had exceptional spiritual power; in the New Star, she had even hypnotized him with her mind. When using her spiritual power, her eyes would turn purple due to her connection with the native Zhao family.
"Could it be that before forming her mental domain, she possesses some corresponding abilities?" Wang Xuan speculated.
Indeed, whenever Zhao Qinghan looked at him again, her expression was unnatural, until she finally retracted the mist from her forehead and her eyes returned to normal.
Wang Xuan was speechless; was the goddess Zhao spying on him out of curiosity? After that, she seemed to regain her composure, no longer tapping into that surge of mental energy.
Wang Xuan decided not to confront her about it; everyone had a curiosity when they first gained powerful perception abilities. They set off again, hoping to reunite with their companions.
"There's something unusual; there are stone houses in this area!" Wang Xuan exclaimed as he spotted a cluster of structures made from stone, clearly dwellings.
He looked more closely; it resembled a small village, but it was eerily silent, devoid of any sound.
"Are there natives in the Secret Realm similar to humans?" Wang Xuan asked.
Zhao Qinghan shook her head, her expression grave. She indicated that no exploration teams had ever discovered such structures. It felt strange; how could they find a cluster of buildings here?
The silence was unsettling, almost suffocating.
In the end, they didn't approach the buildings and turned to leave. There was something off about the place; in such a dangerous new world, excessive curiosity could be deadly.
"Back then, the big dragon was chasing us. We panicked and likely ran the wrong way," Zhao Qinghan assessed. Since no previous explorations had found these houses, it meant this direction had been unvisited, and they needed to find their way back.
The Secret Realm was vast and filled with various wonders. As they walked, Wang Xuan had only managed to gather one spirit-nourishing lotus, but it was already quite an achievement.
If he could get closer to the Destiny Sap, Earth Immortal Herb, and others, he would undoubtedly become extraordinary, and his power would skyrocket. By then, confronting the big dragon for a "chat" would be no issue.
Reality was harsh; they did discover a few places with extraordinary items, but there were also signs of powerful beings nearby. Wang Xuan sensed this with his fully developed mental domain; rushing in without understanding could lead to disaster.
Zhao Qinghan was certain they were still in the outer area of the Secret Realm and hadn't crossed any boundaries.
"There's a battle; it's intense! That forest is constantly exploding—there are at least grand master-level monsters fighting!" Wang Xuan focused on the front, where thunderous sounds echoed and light burst forth, causing cliff walls to collapse and trees to fall in droves.
"Flying horses?"
"Is that really a myth come to life, a herd of heavenly steeds?"
Both were astonished as a group of horses soared from the mountains.
A herd of pure white horses, each without a single blemish, adorned with large snowy wings, flew gracefully through the mist-covered mountains.
On the ground, some horses shimmered with golden light, their fur glistening like golden satin, racing through the forest at incredible speed, even leaping over cliffs in pursuit of the flying steeds above.
Once the herd had passed, Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan approached, finding the forest trampled and many trees shattered beyond recognition.
"There's an injured horse!"
"Is that a heavenly steed?"
They hurried over.
In the clearing lay a white horse, as beautiful as jade, yet bleeding from its head, staining the ground. It lay there lowing, its eyes filled with sadness as it gazed longingly in the direction the flying horses had departed, reluctant to look away.
Clearly, this horse had battled against the flying horses or the golden ones on the ground, having caused devastation in this forest.
"This horse is impressive! Even without wings, it doesn't seem fully grown yet," Zhao Qinghan said in astonishment. Many in New Star were fond of horse racing and had bred many extraordinary breeds; her uncle had raised a few exorbitantly priced exotic horses.
Clearly, her uncle's expensive horses paled in comparison to the one before them.
Wang Xuan was taken aback; he also noticed that while the injured white horse was not small, it did seem younger than the group that had just left.
Yet the battlefield bore the marks of a grand master-level clash!
He couldn't help but doubt reality—were all these horses grand master-level monsters?
It was easy to imagine that the stronger individuals among them were indeed extraordinary beings!
"Are we still in the outer area? This doesn't feel right; we've encountered a group of grand master-level flying steeds, possibly even extraordinary lead horses!" Wang Xuan sighed.
He then approached the injured horse, which seemed to be dazed and unable to rise due to its head injury.
As he got closer, the horse opened its eyes wide and began to struggle.
"Don't be afraid; I mean you no harm. Come with me; I have a spirit herb you can eat," Wang Xuan crouched down, trying to soothe the white horse.
Zhao Qinghan was equally eager; if a grand master-level spirit horse could be tamed and brought back to New Star, it would likely drive some gamblers wild.
Having a grand master-level mount in the Secret Realm would also make things much easier.
Bang!
The horse, still lying down, kicked at Wang Xuan with a hoof.
Just as Zhao Qinghan expected him to patiently calm the horse down to tame this spirited creature, he suddenly slapped it with a hand.
Bang bang bang...
The ensuing scene was far from graceful; it was anything but beautiful.
Wang Xuan communicated with the spirited horse through the aesthetics of violence, ultimately forcing the creature to lower its head in temporary submission. Clearly, the horse had a strong will to survive; after realizing it couldn't overpower Wang Xuan, it ceased its resistance.
Half a day later, Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan successfully mounted this magnificent steed, traversing the mountains in search of familiar faces. The grand master-level spirit horse had astonishing stamina, easily leaping over peaks and crossing various terrains, moving quickly while expending little effort.
Of course, Wang Xuan remained vigilant and kept educating it, as it had attempted to escape several times and even attacked him, but each time, he suppressed it. Holding onto the horse's mane, he felt glued to its back, delivering strikes whenever it acted up.
He was quite satisfied; not only did he possess grand master-level power, but even his mount could rival the Moonlight Bodhisattva.
Zhao Qinghan sat behind him, gripping the sides of his clothing. However, when the horse jumped over the uneven terrain of the Secret Realm, the jolting forced her to wrap her arms around Wang Xuan's waist for stability.
In the afternoon, they found their way back to the original location, but the others were gone, leaving behind bloodstains and signs of a struggle.
Zhao Qinghan sensed they were nearing familiar faces. She gently hugged Wang Xuan's waist and whispered in his ear, "I'll help you keep your secret."
In the evening, just before sunset, they spotted some acquaintances.
Through the dense forest, Wang Xuan saw Zhong Cheng and Zhou Kun, both bloodied, surrounded by only a handful of people.
Simultaneously, he spotted the group of flying horses again, astonishingly majestic, their broad white wings soaring across the sky. A group of golden horses leaped over the cliffs below in pursuit.
"Is that... the heavenly steeds?!" Zhong Cheng exclaimed in shock.
"Can these horses be tamed? It would be amazing to breed some in New Star," Zhou Kun marveled, envisioning how unbeatable they would be in horse racing.
An experienced member of the surviving exploration team poured cold water on their enthusiasm: "Don't even think about it. There was once a grand master who tried to tame one, only to get crushed by a hoof. It was a gruesome death."
"Sounds a bit like Old Wang," Zhong Cheng remarked.
Wang Xuan wanted to smack him for that comment!
Zhou Kun nodded, saying, "I've heard about that fierce horse with the explosive kick from Old Earth."
The horse Wang Xuan rode remained silent, appearing sorrowful as it gazed at the departing herd, slowly stepping out of the forest.
"Little Wang, Zhao Jie!" Zhong Cheng exclaimed, astonished that the two who had been captured by monsters were actually alive!
Zhou Kun was equally shocked, saying, "Heavenly steeds? Little Wang, you're incredible; sell me one!"
Suddenly, a few horses from the distant group turned back, gazing in their direction and letting out a long cry.
Could they be planning to annihilate them? Wang Xuan felt his scalp tingle; he quickly covered his mouth, fearing that saying something would make it come true again!