Chapter 23: In the Blink of an Eye, Five Years Passed
After putting away the Shapeshifting Pill, Zu Zong took out the Nine Yang Divine Art manual. The manual looked ancient. Its cover bore the four large characters Nine Yang Divine Art, stained faintly with blood. Clearly, it was the fresh blood from inside the white ape's abdomen.
Zu Zong smiled slightly. He finally had a cultivation technique to call his own. Opening the first page, he exclaimed, "Hmm, I can read it. I understand every character! As expected of a divine art!"
Introduction:
[Upon mastering the Nine Yang Divine Art, one undergoes a transformation of muscles and bones. A purple aura will emerge, and soul power will regenerate rapidly—endless and inexhaustible. Even ordinary punches and kicks will carry immense power.
Its defense is unmatched, automatically shielding the body and reflecting attacks, forming an indestructible body. Speed is greatly enhanced. It also serves as a supreme healing art, immune to all disease and poison. When pure Yang energy is unleashed, it can burn enemies to ash and counters all Yin-type powers.
The Nine Yang Divine Art is a complete martial arts system. Once mastered, all martial arts become usable. The manual also includes Bone-Shrinking Technique, Tortoise Breath Technique, and Wall-Walking Technique.]
"I already know how to absorb soul power. Whether it's water, trees, or walls—I can move like flat ground. That Wall-Walking Technique is useless to me. But Bone-Shrinking and Tortoise Breath could be lifesavers."
He flipped to the second page and frowned slightly. "Still understandable." Then he turned to the third page. His smile froze.
Half an hour later, Zu Zong tossed the manual to the ground. "Damn it. I know every character, but together they make no sense! How do those transmigrators instantly master their manuals?!"
[Ding, my foolish host! The Nine Yang Divine Art is a top-tier method in a low-level world. Spend 5,000 Hatred Points to learn it instantly.]
"Damn system! Are you possessed by Uchiha Itachi? And stop talking in that disgusting tone—I'm not Sasuke!"
[Ding, congratulations. 5,000 Hatred Points spent. Nine Yang Divine Art fully analyzed.]
The manual on the ground turned into a white speck of light. It shot into Zu Zong's forehead like a grain of rice. His head felt like it was about to explode as memories flooded in.
But the pain disappeared quickly. In just a cup of tea's time, Zu Zong had memorized the entire method.
Five years later.
The Heaven Dou Empire's Royal Academy stood atop a great mountain outside the capital. It was noon. The sky was cloudless, the sun blazing, and the air still. Even the mountain's lush forest and the lake below looked lazy and dull.
At the mountain's base, two young people arrived—a boy and a girl, both teenagers. The boy wore luxurious clothes. He looked about twelve or thirteen and stood over 1.7 meters tall. He was dressed in black, with a flame-shaped fan on the back of his outfit.
His long blue-silver hair reached past his shoulders. His skin was fair, and his face was very handsome. But he looked unhappy. Every time the girl approached, he seemed annoyed. Even so, his aura attracted the attention of many other girls registering nearby.
The girl wasn't ordinary either. Her black hair was braided into a long scorpion braid that reached past her calves. She was slightly shorter and wore a tight pink short-sleeved tunic. Though her chest wasn't full, her tiny waist was delicate enough to stir envy.
She had wanted to wear lighter clothes due to the heat. But the boy strongly objected. His reason: "A girl just gained a bit of flesh and wants to dress like that? Trying to tempt people into crime?"
Since then, she never dared wear anything revealing. Her reason? She was afraid her "boyfriend" would get jealous. (Self-declared boyfriend, of course.)
Her long legs were wrapped in white trousers, showing a perfect golden ratio. Though she looked young and had a babyish face, her round little butt already had shape. She had arched brows, big watery eyes, and a pink, slightly round face. She wasn't just pretty—she was adorably cute.
But standing next to the boy, her shine was still overshadowed. She leaned part of her body on his shoulder. One hand wiped sweat from her damp forehead. She sighed.
"So tired... How much further? We've been on the road for days now. Why are you even coming to this snobby noble academy? I heard it's full of pampered brats—flashy but useless. Always flaunting family background. Be careful or someone will make things hard for you."
The boy gave her a sideways glance. "I never told you to follow me, rabbit. Didn't that so-called Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang invite you to Shrek Academy a bunch of times? Also—stop using me as an air conditioner!"
The girl rolled her eyes right back at the boy. "He wanted to take you as a disciple, didn't he? But you ignored him. So heartless. He was doing it all for you."
"You're the apple of my Grandpa Tom's eye, you know! That makes you my older brother too."
"Anyway, the entrance exam isn't until the day after tomorrow. I don't care—you have to keep me company and take me around Heaven Dou City for two days to make up for the emotional trauma I've suffered."
"Also, I'm not a rabbit anymore! And you're the one who's warm in winter and cool in summer—never afraid of heat or cold. I really envy your body constitution."
"Xiao Zong, let's go out this afternoon."
The boy and girl were none other than Zu Zong and Xiao Wu, here to enroll in the advanced spirit master section of the Heaven Dou Empire's Royal Academy.
As for how Xiao Wu ended up calling Old Tom "Grandpa," it all started during their first break from Nuoding Academy.
Zu Zong, of course, returned to Di Hun Village. After all, Old Tom had raised him alone.
The old man was getting on in years, and apart from Zu Zong, he had no family. Zu Zong was his only tie to the world.
What Zu Zong didn't expect was that Xiao Wu shamelessly tagged along.
As soon as she entered Di Hun Village, it was like she transformed—going from tomboy to graceful young lady.
Old Tom was overjoyed to see Zu Zong return after just a year away, and bringing home a "little girlfriend," no less.
He warmly welcomed Xiao Wu, who was quick to read the situation and acted like she belonged there.
She called him "Grandpa Tom" with ease, making the old man beam with joy.
When he heard she was an orphan, he and the two of them reached an unspoken understanding.
Old Tom accepted Xiao Wu as his granddaughter.
Standing to the side, Zu Zong couldn't help twitching at the corners of his mouth, dark lines forming on his face.
He thought, "Grandpa Tom... this rabbit is tens of thousands of years older than your grandfather!"
Before the two of them left, Old Tom gave Xiao Wu a few gifts—and shot Zu Zong a look.
It was like he was saying, "The old man gave her something. If you don't, you little brat, I'll beat you with my cane."
That was the time Xiao Wu managed to swindle the Shapeshifting Pill from Zu Zong.
After taking it, her rabbit ears disappeared completely. She shed the lingering influence of being a juvenile transformed spirit beast and became fully human.
Her talent surged, second only to Zu Zong himself, who had twin spirits and cultivated the Nine Yang Divine Art.
As for her hundred-thousand-year cultivation, once lost, it was gone. She'd have to train and earn it back from scratch.
It was because of this transformation that Xiao Wu had the confidence to follow Zu Zong to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy—an institution guarded by a Spirit Douluo.
(End Of Chapter)
Want More Chapters? Get Early Access Now!
Join my Patreon and unlock 20 chapters instantly—plus, you'll gain access to 60+ chapters weekly across 8 fics! Your support helps me continue creating and keeps the stories coming.
📖 Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44 ☕ Support via Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44