The Invincible Supreme Medical God

Chapter 729 - 426: The Colorful Shield_2

However, as she looked at this young man, she found that the burn marks had slowly faded and disappeared, leaving his fair skin as perfect as it had been before. Gritting her teeth, Cou Ling couldn’t help but mutter, "This must be because he’s mixed-blood. He’s truly a natural-born monster."

When she gazed into those fathomless, profound eyes, her spine shivered. As she finally realized the danger posed by the young man in front of her, fear filled her heart. Not only was he adept at controlling his energy, enough to withstand four bolts of heavenly lightning, but he also managed to recover from unconsciousness far more quickly than she had imagined.

Sensing the fear and conflict within herself, the woman no longer exuded an air of arrogance around her; instead, she humbly sat by the fire and began cooking food she had caught in the nearby forest.

"I’ve heard of you before," she suddenly said, her skilled hands expertly butchering the prey. "Everyone supporting Zhan Weisheng knows you, because the Ma family decided to back you over the merchants."

"When I heard even Gao Yan and his black lion had decided to support you, I was extremely surprised. Your faction suddenly emerged, and in an instant, everyone was watching you with both wariness and admiration."

"In the days following the banquet, many rumors spread among the people of Muchuan City. These rumors claimed that although you look different, this appearance is likely not due to mixed blood."

Pausing for a moment, Cou Ling looked at the calm Yan Xiaobao, sighed, and then continued, "I’ve lived in Muchuan City for a long time—far longer than you might imagine—but I’ve never heard of someone like you, let alone someone who isn’t mixed-blood."

"I have to admit I did look down on you, but now you’ve surprised me time and time again. So, I’m genuinely curious about you," she continued, her eyes filled with curiosity and her entire being focused on Yan Xiaobao.

After her final words, Cou Ling stopped talking, leaving Yan Xiaobao to ponder his response. In the end, he shook his head despondently. "I don’t know what I am," he said sadly. "Both of my parents are human, but I can’t deny that I’m also part beast. It’s really complicated." He shrugged and continued.

"If you don’t want to tell me, you can just say so," Ke Ling said, pouting. "You have no reason to lie."

Hearing the blacksmith’s words, Yan Xiaobao could only respond with a smile. He was being truthful, but the matter was far from simple. Even he couldn’t determine whether he was beast or human. Was he half-beast, a human with a beast inside, or had he become a beast the moment he formed the beast core? There were many questions but no answers. Even the young man himself was frustrated about it.

"I suppose she’ll believe me eventually," Yan Xiaobao said as he accepted the cooked meat, having already passed it along. He looked up and saw vast arrays of stars, his lips curling into a gentle smile as he pondered what the laws were doing now that they’d found a new world. The first law he encountered was the one controlled by a little boy in the starry sky. With a soft crackling sound, Yan Xiaobao shifted his body from its comfortable position leaning on the rock and sat cross-legged. Though injured, he couldn’t afford to waste a night without cultivating, so as he adjusted himself into the proper position, he closed his eyes, and the essence of Heaven and Earth began flowing around him, drawn toward Hui Yu to be absorbed completely. Seeing the severely wounded young man manage to move into a posture for cultivation, Cou Ling was both shocked and surprised. She had never imagined he would wake so soon, let alone force his ruined body to obey his will.

Most people wouldn’t think much of it, and even Fang Wei wouldn’t be entirely surprised, since he knew the young man they had brought was extraordinary. But neither he nor anyone else had experienced the true terror of heavenly lightning. Only Cou Ling had once endured it and knew just how destructive it could be. To see someone withstand four bolts of such lightning and still spend the night cultivating—it made the blacksmith cough involuntarily in shock.

Although Yan Xiaobao could feel her gaze, he said nothing; instead, he focused entirely on absorbing the essence of Heaven and Earth. As the essence entered his body and refined itself, a faint blue cloud gradually surrounded the young man. Once this phenomenon occurred, the lingering essence twisting and churning in the air was forcefully pulled toward Yan Xiaobao. All the energy was drawn to him, leaving no trace for the other two experts.

At least Cou Ling and Fang Wei had no need to cultivate, so neither of them minded that the essence was being absorbed so completely by Yan Xiaobao. If anything, they were surprised by the fact that it was even possible. Frowning slightly, Cou Ling approached the young man cautiously, staring at him as she contemplated her next move.

Curiosity seemed to get the better of her, as she tentatively reached out to touch the blue cloud surrounding him. To her surprise, it didn’t attack her as she anticipated; instead, a surge of energy appeared in her hand, absorbing the surrounding essence at a speed she had never experienced before.

"How peculiar," she murmured softly, watching her arm in disbelief after withdrawing it from the blue cloud. Once it left the blue cloud, the suction effect vanished, but her body was already overflowing with the essence of Heaven and Earth.

Knowing what she must do, the woman sat down and began refining the incredible amount of essence she had absorbed, hoping she might be able to raise her level by a few star ranks. She had ceased cultivating upon reaching Master Level, aiming instead to gain Metal Affinity. Although she was not particularly strong in combat, she excelled at merging with her elemental powers, which was why she could elevate her rank from nothing to several stars, but the pure Heaven and Earth essence currently overwhelmed her body.

As he watched Cou Ling, Fang Wei was astonished. "Did she experience sudden enlightenment?" he wondered as he stared at the woman cultivating. Shaking his head, he concluded that something must have happened when she touched the blue cloud. Though he too was curious, his fear prevailed. This was why he dared not approach or touch the cloud. Instead, his face grew solemn as he set out to kill the campfire and began inscribing various markings in the surrounding area. He infused them with Qi to activate them.

These inscriptions had been designed to mask the signs of humanity. If someone passed through their little encampment, no one would notice they were there. One inscription shielded their voices, another created an illusion to make the area appear empty, and the last one would alert Fang Wei if anyone approached within fifty meters of the camp. These markings were clearly meant to protect their small group.

Though Fang Wei used various inscriptions, the night passed peacefully, with no signs of anyone approaching the camp. Humans were rare in such desolate landscapes. While these inscriptions could be seen as a safety net, one could also argue they were entirely unnecessary, as no one willingly ventured into this forsaken place—unless they wished to attempt the Nine Heavens’ blood-forging techniques, which only one blacksmith in the entire Kingdom had ever used.

The night passed quietly. Yan Xiaobao and Cou Ling spent the night cultivating. As Yan Xiaobao continued to absorb the essence of Heaven and Earth, Cou Ling struggled with her own predicament: refining the essence she’d absorbed merely by touching the blue cloud. Watching the man constantly drawing energy to himself, she shook her head and muttered, "Monster."

Although she had stopped cultivating to improve her own strength long ago, Cou Ling never imagined she would lag so far behind Yan Xiaobao in absorbing and refining essence. As she looked at the young man, she finally understood how he had managed to survive four bolts of heavenly lightning.

The sun slowly rose above the horizon, and the stars faded from the sky. Cou Ling opened her eyes and glanced at Yan Xiaobao. The moment her gaze fell upon the handsome young man, her mouth hung agape and her eyes widened in shock.

The previous night, when he sat down to cultivate, his burn marks had been plain to see, but by morning, his skin was as flawless as it had been before the Nine Heavens blood-forging began. She stared at his entire body in astonishment, searching for even the slightest trace of the severe injuries he’d sustained the day before.

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