As Chu Feng regained his composure, his judgment sharpened.
Based on his analysis, he concluded that this “war” was likely initiated by the lightning beasts.
Ever since the Divine Tree Seed entered his dantian, the nine lightning beasts had been circling it.
At first, Chu Feng hadn’t paid much attention, but now, reflecting on it, he realized the lightning beasts had likely been observing the Divine Tree Seed.
Ultimately, they had started this conflict, and their motive wasn’t simply to assert dominance.
They wanted to devour the Divine Tree Seed.
The lightning beasts sought to seize its power.
Since the nine lightning beasts were Chu Feng’s bloodline power, if they succeeded in claiming the Divine Tree Seed’s power, it would only be beneficial for Chu Feng, not harmful.
Realizing this astonishing truth, Chu Feng felt much more at ease.
“So, after all this, my bloodline power saw that I couldn’t refine the Divine Tree Seed, so it’s helping me refine it?”
“Hm, from this perspective, my bloodline power is pretty impressive.”
Chu Feng comforted himself, though it wasn’t entirely self-consolation—this was, after all, what was happening.
The only uncertainty was how long it would take the lightning beasts to refine the Divine Tree Seed.
Chu Feng certainly didn’t want his cultivation and bloodline power to remain suppressed indefinitely.
While cultivation was still possible in this state, Chu Feng knew that attempting a breakthrough would be extremely difficult.
After all, his breakthroughs relied on his bloodline power, and with it currently engaged in a “fight,” how could he break through?
Thus, Chu Feng hoped this uncontrollable conflict would end quickly.
“We did it! We did it!”
Suddenly, joyful cries rang out—it was Zhang Shirui.
“I did it too! I succeeded!”
Following her, Zhang Boyi’s excited voice echoed.
Looking over, Chu Feng saw that both Zhang Shirui and Zhang Boyi were now emitting the same ghostly glow, indicating they had successfully merged with the lake’s power.
“This aura…”
“They broke through?”
All of a sudden, Chu Feng noticed a change in Zhang Shirui and Zhang Boyi’s auras.
Originally, both had been at the Ninth Rank Martial Immortal, but now… they were First Rank Exalted.
Chu Feng wasn’t too surprised. Before entering the lake, Wang Qiang had already said that merging with the lake’s power while comprehending it could lead to a breakthrough.
If Chu Feng could achieve two consecutive breakthroughs, it was no surprise that Zhang Shirui and Zhang Boyi, both cultivation prodigies, could break through one rank.
“Not bad, huh? You both broke through,” Zhang Yanfeng’s voice rang out.
“Big brother, big brother, you must’ve broken through too, right? Are you Second Rank Exalted now?”
“Don’t hide it! You definitely broke through. Come on, show us—what rank did you reach?”
Zhang Shirui and Zhang Boyi rushed to Zhang Yanfeng’s side, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“Heh, don’t be shocked,” Zhang Yanfeng said with a smug grin, then released his aura.
Third Rank Exalted!!!
Zhang Yanfeng’s cultivation was now Third Rank Exalted.
Like Chu Feng, he had achieved two consecutive breakthroughs.
“Damn, big brother, that’s insane! Two breakthroughs in a row?” Zhang Boyi’s jaw dropped in shock.
Zhang Shirui’s eyes were equally wide with astonishment.
Seeing his younger siblings’ reactions, the smugness on Zhang Yanfeng’s face grew even more pronounced. Clearly, this was exactly the response he’d wanted.
“Ugh, this hurts my pride. One breakthrough would’ve been fine, but two? Doesn’t that just widen the gap between us even more?” Zhang Shirui said, her excitement turning to frustration.
“Exactly! How are we supposed to catch up now?” Zhang Boyi added, pursing his lips.
“You can’t blame me for that. We all sat on the Void Throne before.”
“Though the heaven-and-earth energy and martial insights there weren’t as potent as here, they were still extraordinary. Otherwise, our Clan Leader wouldn’t have broken through to the Martial Supreme realm.”
“Back then, I had already grasped the opportunity for a breakthrough but didn’t act on it.”
“So, technically, I broke through one rank in the Void Throne and another here in the lake, making two ranks total.”
“But by that logic, if I could find the chance for a breakthrough in the Void Throne, there’s no way you two didn’t sense it.”
“Ask yourselves—did you really focus on comprehending and cultivating?” At this point, Zhang Yanfeng’s expression shifted dramatically.
Initially, he had intended to console his siblings, patiently explaining. But as he spoke, he realized the issue wasn’t with him—it was with them. His face grew stern.
“Uh… well…”
Zhang Shirui and Zhang Boyi averted their gazes, awkward smiles spreading across their faces.
Their reactions were an admission that they hadn’t cultivated diligently.
“Did you two lose your minds? To waste such a rare cultivation opportunity?” Zhang Yanfeng roared, his eyes blazing with genuine anger, not pretense.
“Big brother, it’s not that we didn’t try. There was just so much going on that we got distracted.”
“Yeah, what sis said! Back in the Divine Hall, things kept happening. Who could focus on cultivating?”
Zhang Shirui and Zhang Boyi tried to defend themselves.
“Who are you kidding? I was on the Void Throne too. Don’t I know what it was like?”
“If you had cultivated with focus, you could’ve entered a meditative state. In that state, no matter how noisy the outside world was, it wouldn’t have affected you because you wouldn’t have heard it.”
“It all comes down to you not putting in the effort.”
“Think about it—how many people wanted those golden fruits? How many wanted to sit on the Void Throne?”
“They didn’t get the chance, but you did. Yet you squandered such a rare opportunity. Do you think you’ve done justice to the Clan Leader’s nurturing? To yourselves?”
Zhang Yanfeng’s voice grew harsher, his anger intensifying. He looked ready to physically discipline them.
It was clear he was genuinely furious, and it wasn’t hard to understand why.
As Zhang Yanfeng said, martial cultivators rely on opportunities, but such opportunities are rare. When they arise, they must be seized. Missing them… was truly a pity.
