Thunder Leopard

After sensing the intense killing intent radiating from the human before it, the Thunder Leopard froze. The bloodlust in its eyes quickly faded, and its gaze grew much clearer.

As the aura around Liu Erlong grew stronger, a hint of fear began to show in the Thunder Leopard's eyes. Acting on its animal instincts, it tentatively backed away a few steps, then abruptly turned and tried to flee.

Seeing this, Liu Erlong's face curved into a cold, beautiful smile.

A purple Soul Ring lit up beneath her feet. Behind her, a massive Fire Dragon Tail appeared and slammed against the ground.

Boom!

A powerful shockwave surged toward the direction the Thunder Leopard was fleeing, spreading rapidly under Liu Erlong's control.

Before the Thunder Leopard could take a single leap, the shockwave swept into it from behind, knocking it unconscious.

Liu Erlong's form changed once more, becoming a massive Fire Dragon Claw. It grabbed the Thunder Leopard ahead of her like a house cat and tossed it down in front of the group.

Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun were all wearing looks of adoration. Yu Xiaogang and Flender, meanwhile, were relieved that things hadn't turned too bloody. After all, the "Slaughtering Corner" of the Golden Iron Triangle was terrifying when she got serious.

"Go ahead, Zhuqing. This is your third Soul Ring," Yu Xiaogang said.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded and likewise pulled out a dagger, stabbing it into the Thunder Leopard's eye socket.

A purple Soul Ring floated out of the Thunder Leopard's body. Zhu Zhuqing closed her eyes and sat cross-legged, circulating her Soul Power as she drew the ring toward herself.

The Soul Ring drifted down slowly like a falling leaf, then settled around Zhu Zhuqing.

Seeing that everything was proceeding normally, Yu Xiaogang gave Flender a look, then headed toward the cave ahead.

Flender understood and followed Yu Xiaogang into the cave.

The cave was broad but not very deep. After entering, Yu Xiaogang looked around and spotted a huge boulder not far ahead, nearly two meters tall.

Its outer shell was a glossy black, but where parts of the stone had chipped away, a deep blue, jade-like surface was visible.

Yu Xiaogang stepped forward and touched it. He felt faint electrical currents seep out from the deep blue, jade-like interior. They raced through his hand and into his body, where the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul in his left hand absorbed them completely.

Pleased, Yu Xiaogang nodded. Flender, who had come up behind him, saw the boulder and reached out to touch it as well.

Strands of electricity instantly clung to his palm, bringing a slight tingling sensation.

Flender circulated the Soul Power within his body and easily dispelled the lightning from his hand. Then he laughed. "This thing packs quite a punch, Xiao Gang. Hurry up and tell me what it is."

Yu Xiaogang withdrew his left hand and looked at the black boulder before him. "This is called a Lightning Absorption Stone. It's a companion to the Thunder Leopard."

"Thunder Leopards are born with the power of lightning in their blood. Because that power is so volatile, their bones, muscles, and fur are constantly shifting out of place. They need to correct this by rubbing against things."

"So once a Thunder Leopard reaches ten years of cultivation, it chooses a boulder. As it rubs against the stone, it also channels excess lightning from its body into it. Over time, the stone's internal structure changes, giving it the deep blue, jade-like appearance it has now."

"Lightning Absorption Stones can store large amounts of electricity. They're essential core materials for building a Lightning Attribute Mimicry Training Ground."

Flender's eyes immediately lit up. He had always regretted that the academy lacked a Lightning Attribute Mimicry Training Ground, since this had affected the quality of its student recruitment.

Though Lightning Attribute Martial Soul users were rare, they were the strongest attackers among Soul Masters of the same rank. Now that they had the materials, all they needed to do was build the training ground after returning, and the academy would become more competitive within the Heaven Dou Empire.

Flender couldn't help grinning. He placed a hand on the Lightning Absorption Stone and circulated his Soul Power, storing the stone in his Soul Tool.

Since the Thunder Leopard's attribute was a good match for Zhu Zhuqing's Nether Civet Martial Soul, she finished absorbing her Soul Ring that afternoon.

After learning that Zhu Zhuqing's third Soul Skill was called Nether Slash, Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction and silently celebrated the successful completion of their mission.

With daylight still on their side, the Shrek Group hurried toward the exit and made it out of Sunset Forest before sunset.

After returning to the academy, Yu Xiaogang immediately processed the materials they had collected and began building a new Mimicry Training Ground.

A month later, the Mimicry Training Ground was finally complete. The Moonlight Wood Heart had been cut into small pieces and embedded in the cushions.

These cushions helped Soul Masters better condense their Soul Power while cultivating, making them very popular with the students.

The planned Lightning Attribute Mimicry Training Ground had been built as a tower.

A massive Lightning Rod stood in the center of the tower, connected below to the Lightning Absorption Stone, which stored the power of lightning.

Eight cultivation rooms had been built in a ring around it. Each room contained a half-meter-high black cushion made from Lightning Strike Wood, with Moonlight Wood Hearts embedded in it as well.

At that moment, Yu Xiaogang was cultivating in one of the rooms.

He sat cross-legged on the black cushion with his eyes closed and his left hand open. The Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul flew out from his palm.

He entered a meditative state and began circulating his Soul Power according to the fourth level of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

A force of attraction rose within him, continuously drawing in Soul Power from the outside. Stimulated by it, the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul began circling around Yu Xiaogang.

Bolts of lightning poured from the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul and plunged into the Lightning Strike Wood Cushion below.

The cushion acted like a relay station. As soon as it received the lightning released by the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, it quickly passed it along to the iron wires connected underneath.

The current traveled along the iron wires to the Lightning Absorption Stone in the center of the tower.

The lightning stored inside the stone was stirred into action and began flowing back through the wires into the cultivation room.

When Yu Xiaogang felt the lightning coming from the cushion beneath him, the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul circling him clearly grew excited and began absorbing the lightning below.

Yu Xiaogang benefited as well. The Soul Power circulating within him moved noticeably faster, and the Moonlight Wood Heart's enhancement also made the process of refining his Soul Power much smoother.

Two hours later, Yu Xiaogang opened his eyes. He could feel that he had gained much more Soul Power than he usually did after cultivating, but he showed little joy. Instead, he looked resigned.

Although he had gained more Soul Power than usual, the total amount was still far too small.

"If you choose your reference point well, then you can win every moment. That's the art of winning!"

Yu Xiaogang chuckled and shook his head. He had no use for Winning Studies.

It had been nearly two years since he broke through to level thirty, and in all that time his Soul Power Level had only increased by one.

The aging of his body had become his greatest obstacle.

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and calmed the impatience in his heart.

"Just a little longer. My precious disciple will be coming down the mountain to save me soon."