Defeated Fighting Spirit

Swallowing the medicinal pill he had been holding in his mouth, Xiao Li forcefully withstood the physical strain of the first step. Although his complexion looked somewhat poor, it was nothing serious.

Seven-Star Great Dou Shi!

"Gang Leader Xu, let us fight again!"

Xiao Li let out a hearty laugh and stepped forward. The Thunder Scale Spear in his hand erupted with blinding lightning, the thunderous roar far surpassing his previous display.

"Mystic Thunder Shock Flash!"

Electric light flickered in Xiao Li's eyes. He had acquired too many Dou Techniques and cultivation methods recently, causing him to neglect this High-Xuan tier technique given to him by Hu Gan. Today's battle, however, had provided him with even more inspiration.

Mystic Thunder Shock Flash was like an upgraded version of Lightning Flash Strike—faster, stronger, and sharper.

Dou Qi fused with the power of lightning, containing the most rigid and fierce thunderous might of heaven and earth.

The fish-like spirit on the Thunder Scale Spear also had white light glowing in its eyes. Its body elongated as if trying to change form, eventually stalling midway. It transformed from a carp-like spear spirit into an eel-like shape, becoming even more ferocious. The lightning it spat from its mouth seemed to compress the very air itself.

"Let's decide the winner in one move!"

Xu Lianghai dared not be careless. Although Xiao Li looked disheveled, his strength had multiplied several times over, enough to shock even him.

"Young friend, forgive me. Crushing Stone Blade!"

Blade light erupted from his body. A brilliant, earthy-yellow light blade met Xiao Li's Thunder Scale Spear. Crushing Stone Blade and Mystic Thunder Shock Flash collided once more, the momentum far exceeding their previous clash.

"Boom!"

Lightning and stone fragments scattered everywhere. The surrounding onlookers were swept up by the shockwave and stumbled backward, while the betrothal gifts brought by Xu Lianghai were overturned across the ground.

As the aftermath dissipated, Lin Yi could not help but stand up, yet the scene before him made him gasp.

Xu Lianghai had lost. His clothes were shredded to ribbons by the lightning, leaving him with only rags, and he could only stand by leaning on his heavy blade.

In contrast, although Xiao Li was in a similarly poor state with a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, he stood upright and dignified in the arena, clutching his Thunder Scale Spear.

Lin Qi's mind went blank, and he muttered, "Won... he won!"

Lin Qi suddenly turned his head to look at Xu Xinyue. "Yue'er!"

Xu Xinyue beamed, wanting to respond, but after glancing at the smiling Patriarch Lin Yi and her own injured father, she felt she should remain reserved.

Xiao Li returned the Thunder Scale Spear to his Storage Ring, the wounds inflicted by Xu Lianghai still bleeding.

"Patriarch Lin, I have fulfilled my duty."

Lin Yi nodded repeatedly and hurried forward to support Xiao Li. "Many thanks, young friend. You have preserved the honor of my Lin Family. Thank you."

By the end, there were even tears in Lin Yi's clouded eyes; heaven knew how much pressure he had been under these past few days.

Lin Yi took a Storage Ring from his robes and whispered, "Young friend Xiao, inside are the corpses of five Tier 3 Magical Beasts, along with most of the Tier 1 and 2 beast corpses from my Lin Family. Great kindness cannot be repaid with words; if you ever need anything in the future, my Lin Family will certainly do our utmost to assist."

Xiao Li took the Storage Ring and nodded. "Thank you."

Xiao Li took the ring, found a new set of clothes, and quietly left the Lin Family. The two families would handle the aftermath themselves; he would not waste any more time here.

"Wait a moment, Brother Xiao."

Lin Qi pulled Xu Xinyue along to stop Xiao Li.

Xiao Li turned his head. "Is there anything else?"

Lin Qi and Xu Xinyue exchanged a glance and spoke in unison: "Thank you for your help, Brother Xiao."

Xiao Li, who felt like he had just been fed a mouthful of dog food despite receiving their thanks, gave a helpless, bitter smile. In his heart, he missed a certain little girl even more.

"Happy wedding."

Xiao Li cupped his hands and smiled, saying no more. They would likely never meet again after this parting; life was full of passersby, and one had to learn how to say goodbye as they grew.

...Half a month later, an unnamed mountain range in the Black-Corner Region.

"Hurry up, hurry up, kid! The smell is intoxicating this old man!" Elder Qian drooled, staring at the Magical Beast roasting on Xiao Li's rack.

Elder Bai swallowed his saliva secretly. "No wonder you wanted the beast corpses, kid. So you had this trick up your sleeve."

Xiao Li smiled nonchalantly. Roasting and eating them was, of course, to distract these two old men; he intended to save the other beast corpses to use after a year.

Xiao Li dared not reveal a cultivation method as strange as the Siphon Technique. The Two Elders Qian and Bai were currently stuck at the peak of Dou Zong; once they learned of the existence of this technique, there was no telling what they might do.

After a satisfying meal of roasted meat, Elder Qian rubbed his hands together with a mischievous glint in his eyes and spread his arms wide. "Kid, you've endured the lightning strikes for half a month now. It's about to succeed. Come, lightning!"

In an instant, dark clouds gathered in the sky. Xiao Li sighed in resignation, walked to a mountaintop, and sat down cross-legged.

Seeing this, Elder Qian chuckled. His movements were simple and direct, immediately drawing down two bolts of heavenly lightning at once.

Xiao Li held his breath and focused, dispersing all his defenses to prepare to withstand the heavenly lightning with his physical body. His battle with Xu Lianghai had already demonstrated the power of the Thunder Fusion Body; even the Mystic Thunder Body, of which he had only touched the surface, could withstand a strike from a Dou Ling and suffer only minor injuries.

The pitch-black sky cracked open with countless fissures, lightning weaving through them like roaring giant dragons rolling in the clouds. The deafening thunder made Xiao Li's heart tighten.

The lightning, like ferocious electric eels, instantly tore through the air. The sharp sonic booms made the earth tremble, and the massive energy released in that instant seemed as if it would shatter the ground.

Purple lightning snakes slithered over Xiao Li's body. Several thick, python-like purple bolts plummeted from the horizon, instantly illuminating the oppressive, pitch-black sky. Their majestic momentum represented the harshest punishment of this world.

Amidst the purple light rendering the sky, the cyan-black mysterious light on Xiao Li's body became increasingly striking, like a speck of white in an ink wash painting, exceptionally clear.

The mysterious light was seamless, covering Xiao Li's entire body. His skin took on a dark, cyan hue, like a large piece of unpolished jade, exceptionally hard.

...The thunderclouds gradually dispersed. Xiao Li slowly opened his eyes, a flash of blue-purple light flickering within them.

Six-star Great Dou Shi, Mystic Thunder Body, complete!

Elder Qian clicked his tongue in wonder. "You brat, your cultivation is like a cheat code; it's incredibly fast. You jumped from two stars to six in just a month."

Xiao Li withdrew his aura and chuckled. He had previously been held back by the grade of his cultivation technique. Reaching the Great Dou Shi level with a Yellow-tier high-grade technique had cost him far more blood and sweat than using a Di-tier technique ever would.

Now that he possessed the Di-tier Thunder Fusion Body and had consumed the Two-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, combined with his fearlessness toward the pain of lightning tempering, a short-term burst in strength was inevitable. Once his cultivation reached higher levels, it would naturally slow down.

"Many thanks to you both for guarding me. This junior is deeply grateful," Xiao Li said, bowing.

If not for Elder Qian constantly helping him gather lightning, he would have spent the better part of his time just searching for a suitable cultivation spot. Through these past two weeks of lightning tempering and absorbing the pure energy within the bolts, he had saved at least two months of arduous training.

Hearing this, the smile on Elder Qian's face became more genuine. "That is also because you worked hard enough, but from here on out, the two of us will be arranging some trials for you."

"Hm? Where to?"

"Black Seal City!"