"There are many cultivators who have reached Quasi Leaving Aperture realm, but out of fear for the Power of Lightning, they dare not to summon their Leaving Aperture Ordeal down. Pavilion Master Gou is one such person. Going by this logic, it should be impossible for the Leaving Aperture Ordeal to fall on its own accord. It's likely that someone has interfered with Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit, thus giving rise to the current situation!" Zhang Xuan analyzed with a tight knit between his brows.
"There's no way to forcefully stop a lightning ordeal once it has started. Any attempt to interfere with the Leaving Aperture Ordeal will only make it grow stronger, thus putting the cultivator facing it in greater peril…" Ji shi remarked as he shook his head helplessly.
As a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert, he had read many books regarding the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, so he knew quite a bit about it as well.
This was the trial that the world put those who attempted to vie power from it through, and those who dared to cheat in the trial would have to face a greater lashback from the heavens.
"Indeed, this is really a dilemma." Zhang Xuan nodded grimly.
What was truly fearsome about the lightning ordeal was that no one would be able to interfere with it started, or else it would only grow stronger and stronger before eventually reaching an uncontrollable level. Take his Saint Ascension Ordeal for example, despite seeing how much danger he was in, Luo Ruoxin still held herself back from interfering, knowing that any attempt to do so would only put him in greater danger.
Otherwise, Zhang Xuan would at least have dozens of methods to eradicate the lightning ordeal.
"If we don't do anything soon, Hall Master Xing really will lose his life!" Division Head Liao urged anxiously.
"I know!" Zhang Xuan replied impatiently as he muttered 'flaws' in his mind, and a book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.
He swiftly flipped it open to take a look.
A moment later, he turned to Wu shi and said, "You are the only one who can save Hall Master Xing now."
"Me?" Wu shi was taken aback.
"Is there anyone who has any Spirit Reinforcing Pill here?" Paying no heed to Wu shi's bewilderment, Zhang Xuan turned to the crowd and asked.
"I have one here!" Division Head Liao rushed up and passed a jade bottle into Zhang Xuan's hand.
Zhang Xuan immediately took out the pill from the bottle before placing it into Wu shi's hands, "Swallow it."
Wu shi looked at the pill in his hand hesitantly.
The Spirit Reinforcing Piill was a grade-7 pill that harnessed an immense amount of spiritual energy. Even as a Half-Leaving Aperture realm cultivator, if he were to consume it recklessly, there was good chance that he would be unable to control the massive accumulation of energy within his body and explode on the spot.
"I don't have any time to explain. Just believe me and do it!" Zhang Xuan's face darkened further upon seeing Wu shi's hesitation.
"Yes!" Knowing that the young man before him wielded capabilities exceeding that of ordinary humans, Wu shi dared not to utter any nonsense. He quickly placed the pill into his mouth and swallowed it.
A moment later, he felt a furious surge of energy rampaging angrily within his body, threatening to burst his meridians apart.
"There are a few flaws in your cultivation technique. Once you correct them, you will be able to achieve a breakthrough on the spot…" Zhang Xuan's voice began sounding melodiously in the air.
Before Wu shi could even process what was going on, he realized that the zhenqi in his body had already begun to move in accordance with the words spoken by the young man before him.
"This is... Impartation of Heaven's Will? Is Zhang shi intending to resolve my flaws and have me achieve a breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm on the spot?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.
Instructing him to swallow the Spirit Reinforcing Pill and resolving the flaws concerning his Primordial Spirit... No matter how slow he was, he would have to be a fool to still not understand what was going on.
Within moments, the zhenqi in his body had already fused together with the spiritual energy in the Spirit Reinforcing Pill, swiftly accumulating more and more.
Boom!
In less than three minutes, he broke through the bottleneck of his body, and Primordial Spirit which shared the same appearance as him emerged from his glabella.
"Go over!" Zhang Xuan instructed as he gave Wu shi's Primordial Spirit a push on the back.
Before Wu shi could even process what had just happened, his Primordial Spirit was already fast on its way toward the Hall Master Xing's lightning ordeal.
"This…" Watching as the fearsome streak of lightning swiftly enlarged before his eyes, Wu shi nearly fainted on the spot.
He had only achieved a breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm, and he hadn't even had time to reinforce his cultivation when he was suddenly forcefully pushed toward the lightning ordeal... Could it be that Zhang shi thought that it would be a pity for Hall Master Xing to depart alone, so he wanted to send him down as a companion for Hall Master Xing to walk the final journey with him?
"Quick, push Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit back into his body!" Seeing that Wu shi was still dazing off in midair, Zhang Xuan bellowed anxiously.
"Push his Primordial Spirit back?" Wu shi was stunned for a moment before realizing that even though he had stepped into the area of the lightning ordeal, he wasn't affected by the Power of Lightning.
Heaving a sigh of relief, he hurriedly grabbed forward to push Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit down.
Huala!
Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit flew straight back into his body.
Hu!
Nourished by his body, Hall Master XIng's Primordial Spirit finally stabilized from its previous injured condition. As powerful as the lightning ordeal was, it wasn't sufficient to faze Hall Master Xing's incredibly resilient body in the short run.
"This... What's going on? Isn't interfering with the Lightning Ordeal of another a huge taboo? How could they still be fine?"
Taking the scene into sight, the crowd was utterly dumbstruck by what they were seeing.
Under normal circumstances, the Leaving Aperture Ordeal would have surely intensified as soon as one stepped into the perimeter of the lightning ordeal. So, how could nothing happen when Wu shi's Primordial Spirit headed over to save Hall Master Xing?
"Who says that they are fine? Speak of the devil, here it comes…" Zhang Xuan shook his head grimly.
Hurriedly turning their gazes over, the crowd saw the swiftly dissipating ominous clouds in the air suddenly gathering together once more.
"Wu shi has barely reached Quasi Leaving Aperture realm, and as one who has to face a lightning ordeal himself, the lightning ordeal of others is unable to faze him. It's through making use of this loophole that he was able to save Hall Master Xing successfully. However, this maneuver on his part brought him to the lightning ordeal's notice, so his Leaving Aperture Ordeal would be falling very soon as well." Zhang Xuan explained.
"He has to face a Leaving Aperture Ordeal too?"
The crowd nearly fainted on the spot.
What is the point of this then?!
To put another in danger in the midst of saving one, aren't we returning back to the square one in the end?
"Wu shi, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and return to your body!" Oblivious to the shock of those around him, Zhang Xuan bellowed.
"Yes!"
Realizing that he had been noticed by the lightning ordeal as well, Wu shi's body trembled in fear. He quickly turned around and retreated back into his body.
"Zhang shi, what should I do next?" Wu shi asked Zhang Xuan with his face pale in fright.
"These lightning clouds have gathered together in a rush after abruptly sensing your aura, so it wouldn't be too strong. Furthermore, most of the Power of Lightning has already been absorbed by Hall Master Xing, so as long as you don't face the lightning ordeal with your Primordial Spirit straight, you should be able to withstand it." Zhang Xuan said.
Even though Wu shi had only just made a breakthrough, considering how his body had just been nourished by the Spirit Reinforcing Pill, and the flaws in his Primordial Spirit had just been resolved, he should still be able to withstand the weakened lightning ordeal.
"Most of the Power of Lightning has been absorbed by Hall Master Xing? That's good…" Hearing that, Wu shi heaved a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, his relief didn't last for too long.
A moment later, a flash of lightning descended on Wu shi.
Huala!
Every single strand of hair on Wu shi's head immediately leaped up from the static lightning, as if alarmed by the might of the lightning. The astounding might of the lightning bolt nearly caused his Primordial Spirit to dissipate on the spot.
"... You call this 'wouldn't be too strong'? Why do I feel like it has gotten much stronger than before?" Wu shi roared in frenzy.
You told me that most of the Power of Lightning has already been absorbed by Hall Master Xing! How could the lightning bolt still be so powerful then?
In the midst of his frenzy, Wu shi heard the voice of a certain young man sounding sheepish not too far away, "Oh. My mistake. Calculation error... It seems like your involvement in Hall Master Xing's Leaving Aperture Ordeal has caused your own Leaving Aperture Ordeal to intensify instead. However, there's still no need for you to panic. Un, no need to panic at all. I have complete trust in your strength. You can do it! Fighting!"
"..." Wu shi.
To think that the young man before him would be such an unreliable person! Damn it!
How can you make me take such risk before confirming the matter? This is too much!
While Wu shi was filled with grudges against Zhang Xuan, the Power of Lightning swiftly accumulated in his body, leaving him with no spare attention to think about anything else anymore. He quickly concentrated his mind into dealing with the Power of Lightning coursing through his body.
Huala!
But despite his efforts, the might of the lightning coursing through his body was simply too destructive. In just a moment, his Primordial Spirit had already been ravaged to the point of near dissipation.
At the same time, countless charred marks appeared throughout his body, and blood wouldn't stop flowing down the edges of his lips. It felt as if he would cave in at any moment and die.
"It's over…" Wu shi's face turned livid with despair.
He had just achieved a breakthrough, and he hadn't even reinforced his cultivation yet. There was no way he could face a powered up Leaving Aperture Ordeal in his current state.
Tzzzzzzzz!
Just when he thought that it was the end, he suddenly felt a surge of zhenqi hidden in the depths of his body suddenly surging forth, repairing his injuries at a visible rate.
This surge of zhenqi seemed to carry the authority of the heavens, and it was incredibly pure as well. It could even repair the damages on his Primordial Spirit with ease!
"This... Did Zhang shi leave this surge of zhenqi within my body?" Wu shi widened his eyes in astonishment.
He had verified with his own eyes Zhang Xuan's identity as a Celestial Master Teacher. Considering the mystical effects of the zhenqi, there was little doubt that it was the latter who left it in his body.
This would explain why the young man would instruct him to save Hall Master Xing without any hesitation. It seemed like he had prepared a hand in case something awry were to occur!
Hu!
In the blink of an eye, his Primordial Spirit and physical body had already recovered back to its peak. However, the Power of Lightning coursing through his body was far from dying down yet.
Injury, recovery, injury, recovery...
It was just a short ten minutes, but Wu shi felt as if he had been to and fro the gates of hell several times within this short span of time.
Nevertheless, he had finally successfully cleared the Leaving Aperture Ordeal!
Opening his eyes once more, he saw that Hall Master Xing's lightning ordeal had also passed, and the ominous clouds had scattered, revealing a clear night sky once more.
Even though Hall Master Xing had started the Leaving Aperture realm on a shaky note, he was ultimately still the head of the Combat Master Hall, possessing capabilities far surpassing ordinary cultivators. While he had nearly died on several occasion, he managed to successfully withstand it with gritted teeth.
"Principal Zhang, thank you." Wu shi quickly walked up to Zhang Xuan and clasped his fist.
If not for the zhenqi the young man had left in his body, he would have indubitably succumbed to the lightning ordeal and lost his life.
While the process was extraordinarily excruciating, he still managed to leap two cultivation stages within a very short period of time, jumping from Half-Leaving Aperture realm to Leaving Aperture realm primary stage. In such a sense, the pain that he had been put through was worthwhile.
At this moment, however, he suddenly heard Zhang shi's telepathic voice sounding by his ears, "Don't speak anymore and feign a state of severe injury!"
Wu shi had no idea why Zhang Xuan would abruptly make such an instruction, but he knew that the latter would have his own reason for doing so. Thus, his body suddenly wobbled weakly before collapsing powerlessly to the ground, as if he had been sapped of all of his strength.
"Wu shi!" Alarmed, Zhang Jiuxiao rushed over.
With Zhang Jiuxiao's support, Wu shi was barely able to get back onto his feet. Just as Wu shi was about to ask what Zhang Xuan was up to, the latter suddenly shouted loudly into the surroundings.
"It seems you have already known that we would come. Since that's the case, why don't you show yourself straight? I know that you want to kill me, and you know that I want to kill you as well. There's no point wasting time playing hide-and-seek, don't you think so?"
"Hide-and-seek? What's that? More importantly, who is Principal talking to?" Wu shi was taken aback.
Wu shi wasn't the only one who was surprised by Zhang Xuan's abrupt actions. The remaining members of the group were perplexed as well.
They had swiftly scouted the island and scanned the area with their Spiritual Perception earlier and confirmed that there was no one in the area other than them. If there was truly someone in the area, there was no way that person could have managed to bypass the detection of their Spiritual Perception.
While the uncomprehending crowd was just about to ask about the matter, an eerie voice suddenly echoed in the air, "Hehehehe, as expected of Zhang shi. Formidable indeed, noticing my presence right after I played a small trick…"
Following which, another island slowly surfaced from the depths of the marsh.
"T-that... That is the Ghost Cavern!" Zhang Jiuxiao exclaimed with clenched fists.