“Why didn’t you strip? Jumping into such sacred lake water fully clothed is practically blaspheming it,” Chu Feng shouted from behind.
“You won’t take responsibility, so I’m not letting you see,” Long Xiaoxiao replied.
“If you won’t strip, then I will.”
As he spoke, Chu Feng made a show of removing his clothes.
“Nooo!”
Long Xiaoxiao was so startled she whipped her head around and refused to look at him.
Chu Feng fussed about on the bank for a while before splashing loudly into the water.
“Ahh, as expected, it really is more comfortable to cultivate naked in such a holy lake.”
“Cultivating bare in here will definitely let me break through quickly.”
Chu Feng said loudly, clearly intending for Long Xiaoxiao to hear.
“Little Benefactor, I never thought you were that kind of person. Stay far away from me, don’t come near me!”
Long Xiaoxiao yelled back. Though she sounded as if she were refusing him, there was not a trace of real anger in her voice.
Yet Chu Feng gave no reply, as though he hadn’t heard her at all.
“Little Benefactor?”
“Little Benefactor?”
Long Xiaoxiao called several times, but received no answer.
Once she stopped speaking, the lake grew quiet.
Long Xiaoxiao guessed Chu Feng had already begun cultivating.
“I’ll just sneak one tiny peek. He won’t know.”
“Anyway, sooner or later he’ll be mine. What’s wrong with stealing a little look?”
At that thought, she broke into a sweet smile, her mischievous expression utterly endearing.
Even so, she steeled herself for a moment before daring to turn her head. Both eyes remained shut, leaving only a thin slit through which she cautiously peered.
Just as she expected, Chu Feng was seated cross-legged at the bottom of the lake, eyes closed, already deep in cultivation.
There was just one thing she hadn’t anticipated: Chu Feng had not removed his clothes at all. He was cultivating fully dressed.
“Liar.”
Long Xiaoxiao muttered in disappointment, feeling rather aggrieved.
But her disappointment didn’t last long. As she gazed at Chu Feng, a radiant smile gradually blossomed across her face.
“Mum, you were right.”
“So this is how happy it feels to like someone.”
“But I’m much happier than you were. The one I like is my Little Benefactor. He’s nothing like Father, so fickle and heartless.”
“Cultivating together with Little Benefactor is just wonderful.”
Long Xiaoxiao murmured to herself.
With that, she twisted gracefully and swam down like a little fish. Reaching the lake bed, she settled cross-legged, formed hand seals, closed her eyes, and began cultivating.
As for Chu Feng, he had long since used his profound technique to draw the lake’s power into his body.
Only when the energy truly entered him could he confirm its nature.
This lake water was even more complex than he had imagined.
It wasn’t merely steeped in various rare treasures and cultivation resources.
It also contained an aura from the ancient era, very likely something left behind from that time.
And the power within the lake was far from simple.
It did not contain overwhelming strength that would automatically grant a breakthrough just by soaking in it.
Its effects were mysterious, but primarily served to assist and guide.
It guided martial cultivators to use their accumulated foundation to achieve a breakthrough.
In short, hidden within this lake was a single chance for advancement. Those who could grasp it would break through.
Yet this chance could only help a cultivator advance by one rank.
No matter how talented, a person could only break through once in this lake.
Rumble.
Suddenly, thunder rolled across the heavens.
Ferocious lightning tore through the void.
A destructive aura instantly blanketed the entire desert.
The long-absent heavenly tribulation had descended once more.
Chu Feng was fully prepared to greet it.
Rumble.
Thunder boomed and heavenly lightning crashed down.
Its might seemed capable of annihilating the world.
Yet every bolt targeted Chu Feng alone.
Boom.
Thunder shook the earth, the desert trembled, and lightning struck Chu Feng directly.
But Chu Feng let the lightning rain upon him without the slightest pain. On the contrary, he was exhilarated, laughing wildly.
“Yes, this familiar feeling. Come on, hit me harder!”
Chu Feng roared, beside himself with excitement.
To him, this terrifying divine lightning was like an old friend he hadn’t seen in ages. Their reunion filled him with joy.
Under such excitement, the pain inflicted by the lightning seemed negligible.
At last, the divine lightning ceased its assault on Chu Feng. The dark clouds filling the sky began to disperse.
And Chu Feng’s cultivation had advanced from fourth-grade Sovereign to fifth-grade Sovereign.
This breakthrough had been smoother than he expected.
Yet it was also within reason.
After succeeding, Chu Feng looked towards Long Xiaoxiao and found the girl still deep in cultivation.
She was completely focused, undisturbed by the heavenly tribulation he had triggered.
To cultivate with such concentration, without the slightest guard up, showed how safe she felt at that moment, certain no danger would come.
Most importantly, a smile lingered on her lips even while cultivating.
“Why is this girl smiling while cultivating?”
“Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was having a sweet dream.”
Watching her, Chu Feng shook his head and sighed. “As expected, a woman is still a woman. Beneath that strong exterior, she’s really just a little girl who needs looking after.”
When he first met Long Xiaoxiao, she had indeed been quirky and playful.
But back then she had given him the impression of someone extremely shrewd and calculating.
Now, however, in front of him she had no schemes at all. She was completely transparent, showing him the truest parts of her heart.
Chu Feng naturally understood what had caused this change.
This girl had genuinely fallen for him.
Yet he wasn’t sure whether that was good or bad for her.
Though he had a favourable impression of Long Xiaoxiao, he did not feel the same heart-racing thrill he once felt for Su Rou, Su Mei, or Zi Ling.
In other words, the current Chu Feng was no longer that impulsive youth.
Back then he had loved boldly, hated fiercely, fought without hesitation, and lived without regret.
Now he knew how to control his emotions, how to consider the bigger picture, and when to bend or stand firm.
But there were drawbacks to this maturity. He suppressed too many feelings and restrained too many emotions. He no longer lived as freely as before.
Sometimes Chu Feng even envied his younger, more carefree self.
Yet there was no avoiding it. Growth was inevitable, especially for a man.
A mature man could not chase endless freedom. He needed responsibility and duty.
He might not take the safety of the entire world upon his shoulders, but at the very least he had to protect those close to him.
Looking at Long Xiaoxiao cultivating with that sweet smile, the corners of Chu Feng’s mouth lifted into a gentle smile of his own.
No one knew what he was thinking at that moment.
Swish.
Suddenly the water churned, and Chu Feng rose out of the lake.
Though the lake’s power was strong, it offered only one chance. Since he had already seized it, there would be no second opportunity.
Even if he cultivated here for another hundred years, he would never again comprehend such a chance.
Still, gaining one full rank was already more than enough for him.
Only he knew how difficult it now was for him to advance even a single rank.
Chu Feng had no idea how long Long Xiaoxiao would need.
But he knew they could only leave once she succeeded.
So after emerging, he did not go far. He simply walked onto the sandy shore beside the lake.
And he did not idle. Instead he opened the cosmos sack Yu Hong had given him.
“As expected of a top genius of the Yu Heavenly Clan.”
“The treasures on this guy really are plentiful.”
“Is this fellow a spirit master too?”
Chu Feng marvelled at the contents, then grinned from ear to ear.
The treasures inside far surpassed what one might find in an ordinary ruin.
Half-completed Sovereign armaments Dorsey forbidden martial skills, miraculous pills, every kind of material imaginable, even high-quality materials for formation techniques.
Above all, the forbidden martial skills particularly delighted Chu Feng.
An ordinary person who acquired such priceless treasures would probably feel more worry than joy.
After all, these belonged to the Yu Heavenly Clan, the strongest heavenly clan within the Sacred Light Heavenly River.
Taking their treasures was not merely courting death; it was inviting the annihilation of one’s entire sect.
But Chu Feng was unconcerned.
From the moment he offended Yu Hong, he knew enmity had been forged.
Since he was already going to offend them, he might as well do it thoroughly.
Chu Feng feared no revenge.
He knew full well that although the Yu Heavenly Clan was currently too strong for him to handle, one day he would trample them beneath his feet.
If anyone was going to regret making an enemy of him, it would be them, not Chu Feng.
Besides, although he had already cultivated several forbidden martial skills, the ones he currently possessed were growing outdated and could no longer keep up with his cultivation level.
Against geniuses of equal battle power, his old forbidden skills would struggle to hold their own.
Fortunately, this cosmos sack contained several higher-ranked forbidden martial skills.
Since he had nothing else to do, Chu Feng simply began cultivating them.
True, he possessed the heaven-defying Heavenly Lightning Ninefold Slash.
But unleashing that technique caused severe backlash to himself as well.
Unless absolutely necessary, Chu Feng would never use it.
Therefore, he absolutely needed to master stronger forbidden martial skills.
