Chapter 146: The Super Genius II

In an instant, the confidence that had just swelled within them was shattered into pieces. They all stared at Li Yan in shock, their foolish expressions so comical that the little goddess herself was startled.

Lambo was the first to cry out. “Boss, that’s completely unfair! We fought tooth and nail and finally managed to make a little progress, but Cousin Li Yan only spent some time alone with you, and her cultivation shot up to this level! This, this… could it be?”

His pupils suddenly widened. He pointed at Le Kai and Li Yan in horror, as though he had thought of something utterly unbelievable.

It seemed that only such a possibility could cause someone’s cultivation to soar so dramatically. But the difference between Boss and Cousin’s realms was so enormous. Hadn’t Boss said that dual cultivation required both parties to be at roughly the same level?

Le Kai’s vision darkened. How could he fail to understand the shameless thought running through that boy’s mind?

Only Li Yan looked at Lambo in confusion. “Cousin Lambo, what are you trying to say?”

Lambo stammered, his face flushing with embarrassment, but he did not dare voice his suspicions. Quite apart from the effect it might have on Li Yan, getting past Le Kai would be more than enough trouble for him.

Lambo had clearly overthought the matter, however, because in the next moment Li Yan looked excitedly at Le Kai and said, “Le Kai, your medicine is wonderful! After I took it, I followed your instructions and meditated. I never expected to fall asleep, but when I woke up, I had broken through.”

As she spoke, Li Yan herself grew embarrassed. Falling asleep while cultivating was rather humiliating, after all.

Medicine?

At those words, everyone’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads. They had never heard of any medicine capable of helping someone break through a bottleneck directly, but where Le Kai was concerned, every miracle was within the bounds of possibility.

Could it be that Boss had already refined a medicine capable of breaking through bottlenecks? What an extraordinary pill that must be!

Having already experienced the benefits of medicinal pills firsthand, everyone’s gazes burned with the fervor of lovers in the throes of passion.

Even Le Kai, whose skin was thick enough to withstand anything, felt his face grow hot. He put on a stern expression and said, “There is indeed such a medicine, but the supply is limited and it’s exceptionally precious. Don’t even think about getting any.”

Lambo sidled over with a grin. “Boss, don’t forget me when you have good things! You know that Sister Mei and I just broke through, so our realms haven’t stabilized yet. Couldn’t you give us a few bottles for Sister Mei to try?”

Le Kai exploded. “Get lost! Myriad Spirit Pills are impossible to buy even if you have the money, and you want several bottles? Dream on! If your realms aren’t stable yet, that’s easy enough to fix. Keep training.”

Le Kai shut down the boy’s unreasonable demand at once. What a joke. If they could not even break through the first bottleneck on the path of cultivation, then continuing to train with such poor aptitude would only make them useless. Why waste precious pills on them?

Besides, his purpose was to cultivate capable people, not to act as a nursemaid and tend to children as they grew. Strength earned through hardship was far more meaningful.

Without giving them a chance to speak, Le Kai once again assumed the imposing bearing of a great general and shouted, “All of you, get back to your places. We’re beginning the theoretical lessons!”

Everyone wore a miserable expression. The Boss’s demonic training was simply inhuman. He would not even let them rest!

Lambo protested pitifully, “Boss, didn’t you say cultivation can’t be rushed? Working us day and night like this is a little too cruel, isn’t it? We haven’t even eaten yet!”

Le Kai gave a cold laugh. “When I arrived, I saw you gnawing on emergency rations, and you seemed to be enjoying them. One meal should keep you going for ten hours without a problem. Now get to your places and begin studying the theory. Whoever finishes last will receive double punishment.”

The moment Le Kai finished speaking, everyone hurried to their stools. With Xianxian’s assistance, they began connecting to the mental network.

Le Kai turned around. His stern expression instantly transformed into one of adorable handsomeness. Taking Li Yan by the hand, he said, “Yaner really is a genius! You broke through after nothing more than a nap. Unlike that bunch of idiots, who have been stuck at their bottlenecks for years without making any progress. Come on, let’s go inside and make something delicious to reward you.”

The others, who had only just connected their minds, nearly spat blood. Why was the difference in treatment so enormous?

Inside the stone house, Le Kai carefully examined Li Yan from head to toe. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with her, he secretly grumbled to himself.

Was this girl’s aptitude truly that monstrous? Or were his pills simply that miraculous?

After successfully reaching the Initiate Martial Artist realm, Li Yan was vastly different from before, both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, she had no interest in fighting or killing. What fascinated her instead were the vast numbers of books Le Kai had provided. Whenever she had free time, she would begin studying them.

As for food, one of Le Kai’s pills could keep her from feeling hungry for an entire day. She had consequently lost much interest in the mere pleasures of the palate.

The knowledge stored within Le Kai’s mind astonished even Li Yan, a genius with perfect recall. It was difficult to imagine that one person could remember so many things.

Le Kai did not deliberately explain his supernatural ability to Li Yan. Most of that knowledge was merely stored within his mind, and he had not yet had time to study it himself. The Way of Alchemy was vast, with books on every conceivable subject. Fully mastering it was impossible without a century or more.

What Le Kai did was simply seek out the knowledge he needed whenever the proper moment came and use it to fill in the gaps.

Li Yan once again began studying The True Explanation of Alchemy, while Le Kai sat upon the Flame Stone, cultivating as he reviewed his combat experience.

Three days later.

Ling Kong returned.

No one knew what he had gone through during those three days. Yet when he appeared before them again, he seemed like an entirely different person, with a brightness that immediately caught the eye.

“Not bad. Initiate Martial Artist realm, three thousand anks of strength. Congratulations, Ling Kong.”

With a single indifferent glance, Le Kai saw through Ling Kong’s level. He had not expected this short member of the team to finally break through after spending three days alone among the beast hordes.

His entire body was covered in wounds. It was easy to imagine how harshly he had pushed himself during those three days.

But that process was no longer important. It was a path every man had to walk in order to grow. Without struggle, how could one understand the value of success?

“Boss, I finally did it. It’s only the beginning, but I believe that from now on I’ll be able to overcome myself and continue breaking through.”

Ling Kong looked at Le Kai. Although he was covered in wounds and could not hide his exhaustion, his eyes remained bright, his voice remained strong, and his fighting spirit burned fiercely.

Le Kai nodded without saying anything more. He merely patted Ling Kong lightly on the shoulder.

Le Kai was several inches shorter than Ling Kong, and the sight of him patting the other man’s shoulder like an elder should have been comical. Yet no one found it amusing. A glimmer of moisture even appeared at the corners of Ling Kong’s eyes.

The feeling of receiving such recognition was something no one else could understand.

He knew that from this moment on, he had truly become part of this group—a genuine brother to Boss.

Le Kai’s gaze shifted to the bespectacled, thin, bamboo-like giant who was still in the Heart-and-Mind Unity realm. A frightening smile slowly appeared at the corners of his mouth.

All three of them felt a chill run down their backs, as though their entire bodies had been frozen by some mysterious force. They could barely move.

“Choose one of you to spend a few days living among the beast hordes.”

After casually tossing out that despair-inducing sentence, Le Kai strolled away.

The three men stared at one another. After struggling in agony for a long while, they finally erupted.

Damn it, if they were going to die, then so be it! Even that little monkey Ling Kong had broken through. If they still could not do the same, could they even call themselves men?

They decided to settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors. Whoever won would be the first to go.

While Le Kai and his brothers worked like sponges, desperately absorbing every bit of knowledge available to them, Xi Tianfeng and his butler were as distraught as mourners at a funeral and as restless as men sitting on a bed of needles. Not a moment passed in peace, and their anxiety had caused a great deal more white hair to appear.

“My lord, there is still no news of Xi Shan. In my opinion, I fear that he may already have…” the butler said. Even as he spoke, a profound sense of helplessness welled up inside him. Everything before his eyes seemed gray, devoid of the slightest hope.

Xi Tianfeng stared blankly out the window. He seemed to have aged several decades in an instant. His thin back radiated such desolate hopelessness that the old butler could not help feeling a pang of sorrow.

Once, their lord had been so dashing and domineering. Now Le Kai had reduced him to something barely resembling a man. What a calamity.

“Even Xi Shan… is dead?” Xi Tianfeng’s voice trembled. “I suppose it’s only to be expected. Even an expert of Sang Qing’s level was dismembered. Xi Shan’s death is hardly surprising. Forget it. What is meant to come will come. We can only leave everything to fate. If Heaven wants us dead, then let us die.”

“My lord, there is no need to be so despondent. Although we are currently in a passive position, matters have not yet reached the point of no return. Whoever killed Sang Qing and the experts of our Xi family, at least for now, has shown no sign of openly coming after us. Perhaps he only killed our people because we disturbed him.”

The butler offered words of comfort, though he did not believe them himself. Whatever the truth might be, the Xi family was in an absolutely passive position. More importantly, all the experts they could send out had already been wiped out. If their enemy came to their door, their situation would be dire.

“Contact the family elders’ council immediately. We need reinforcements. Whatever this mysterious expert’s purpose may be, we’ll be in danger once he comes looking for us.”

What Xi Tianfeng cared about most was preserving his own life.

The butler frowned. “My lord, that may not be wise. It will make you lose face before the elders, which would be extremely detrimental to your future competition for the position of clan head.”

“Damn it, I can barely keep my life now. Who the hell cares what those old fossils think? What if this mysterious expert is currently busy with his own affairs and has no time to spare? Once he finishes, with his cruel methods and temperament, do you think he’ll let us off?”

Xi Tianfeng was beginning to lose control. He swung his fist viciously and cursed, “Damn lowly wasteland savage! Once Bao’er emerges from seclusion, I’ll make you pay!”

The butler suddenly slapped his forehead as though he had realized something. “My lord is wise! Young Master Bao sent word through the servants this morning that he would emerge from seclusion after a little longer. I hear that he encountered a great opportunity during this retreat and that his strength has risen dramatically. Even against Hua Wu, he should have the power to fight!”

“You’re telling the truth? Bao’er is really confident?” Xi Tianfeng immediately sprang to his feet, and it seemed as though color had returned to the entire world.