"The secret to opening the cauldron?" Zhang Hong froze at his words, then watched Li Xiaoya's movements with wide eyes.
Smack! Li Xiaoya laid his hand on the lid's handle. Black light flashed over his arm, greatly increasing its strength, but the lid did not budge.
"Looks like I'm not strong enough." As Li Xiaoya spoke, black light flashed over his body again. Veins bulged along his arm as he twisted to the left, but the lid still did not move.
"Uh, Junior Brother Li, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" Zhang Hong asked doubtfully as she watched him.
"That's impossible. I clearly saw it... oh, right!" Li Xiaoya frowned and muttered at her words. Then his brow suddenly relaxed in realization, and he twisted his arm to the right.
Grind, grind, grind! Li Xiaoya gritted his teeth until they creaked. Red radiance suddenly flashed over his other hand, and he grabbed the handle with it as well, twisting hard to the right with both hands.
"Junior Brother Li, you..."
Creeeeak! Before Zhang Hong could finish, a metallic screech suddenly came from the cauldron lid, cutting her off. She hurriedly looked at the lid in Li Xiaoya's grasp.
Creeeeak! A layer of red light protected Li Xiaoya's hands. Veins bulged across them, and all his muscles swelled into lumps, a truly fearsome sight. As he strained to turn the lid to the right, it slowly shifted in that direction with an ear-piercing scrape of metal.
"Ah! It really can be opened!" Zhang Hong exclaimed in delight. Judging by the cauldron's unusual construction and its material, there had to be something extraordinary inside!
Pop! Black light suddenly flashed over Li Xiaoya's entire body, and his shoes burst apart with a sharp crack. Ever since he had begun cultivating the