Chapter 0058 The Secret of the Golden Light

"Who are you, boy?"
Feng Zhuyue was beginning to panic. He had realized after just a brief exchange that he was no match for the other man and sensed how terrifying his opponent truly was.

"Why should I tell you?" Zhang Xiaofan sneered. "All you need to know is this: if you want to kill me, then I can kill you too—don’t you think so?"

"You can’t kill me. I’m from the Beast Taming Sect. If you kill me, my sect will never let you go." Feng Zhuyue could feel the murderous intent in Zhang Xiaofan’s faint smile. He had no doubt that this man was utterly determined to kill him.

"Are you an idiot?" Zhang Xiaofan snorted. "If I don’t kill you, you’ll definitely take your revenge. So wouldn’t it be better for me just to finish you off now?"

As he spoke, he stomped on Feng Zhuyue’s chest, and with that immense force Feng Zhuyue coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Feng Zhuyue’s face was ashen. He had stepped up for his fellow disciple, only to run into someone this formidable. Now he was about to lose his own life.

He didn’t want to die. Gritting his teeth, he quickly reached into his waistband, pulled out a pill, and swallowed it.

In an instant, an explosive surge of power burst forth, even forcing Zhang Xiaofan back.

Feng Zhuyue scrambled to his feet, not daring to tangle with Zhang Xiaofan any longer. The pill’s effect would only last five minutes—he couldn’t guarantee he could resolve the fight in that time, and if he failed, he’d be doomed once the effect wore off.

He turned and ran at breakneck speed. Zhang Xiaofan, concerned for the safety of Lin Siyu and her sister in the car, did not give chase.

"Damn, I’ve really stirred up trouble now," Zhang Xiaofan muttered inwardly. Offending a hidden sect was no trivial matter, and now he’d even let the guy escape. What a miscalculation—had he known, he would have killed him on the spot.

He walked over to the Humvee, opened the door, and took the driver’s seat.

Lin Siyu immediately asked, "Xiaofan, who was that?"

"Someone from a hidden sect," Zhang Xiaofan explained. "The giant python we killed belonged to them. Now they’ve come looking for trouble."

"A hidden sect… are they very powerful?" Lin Siyu’s face was filled with worry.

"Generally speaking, hidden sects are indeed strong. But disciples who come out into the mundane world shouldn’t be that formidable. I should be able to handle it," replied Zhang Xiaofan.

"Don’t worry too much. What must come will come—there’s no avoiding it. They’re not assassins, and given your identities, they won’t harm you."

He started the car and drove back to the villa.

After dinner, Zhang Xiaofan went straight to his room to cultivate. The Beast Taming Sect had already put pressure on him, and he told himself he needed to devote more time to his training.

The bustling city was alluring, but without sufficient strength, how could he hope to carve his own path?

Since killing the Poison Hand Medicine King, things had quieted down over the past couple of days, and he hadn’t detected any further threats. Still, he didn’t let his guard down. Now that the Poison Hand Medicine King was dead, that mysterious organization would surely send even more formidable people after him.

His life as a bodyguard seemed comfortable, but only he understood the hidden dangers lurking beneath the surface.

So, cultivation remained his top priority.

He began to circulate his energy, completing round after round of cycles. Before long, golden radiance once again appeared within his body. Zhang Xiaofan could clearly sense that with this golden energy, his cultivation speed had at least doubled.

The last time, the golden energy had greedily absorbed the spiritual power of the seven-colored snow lotus petal, which had left Zhang Xiaofan rather frustrated. But now, with his cultivation speed enhanced, he felt somewhat comforted.

He’d already informed the sisters beforehand, so Lin Siyu and Lin Sixue didn’t disturb him.

Time passed quickly as he cultivated, and before he knew it, several hours had slipped by.

He didn’t know how long he had been training when he suddenly realized—with a jolt of shock—that all the spiritual energy he’d gathered had been devoured by the golden energy bandit…

Zhang Xiaofan truly felt an urge to kill! If this kept happening, what was the point of cultivating at all?

Just as fury rose in his heart, a sudden buzzing filled his mind. Then, to his immense shock, a surge of golden light flashed within, and a tiny golden dragon gradually took shape.

Zhang Xiaofan stared, dumbfounded. Though he was no stranger to strange phenomena, this was entirely beyond his comprehension.

True Dragon’s Fate? Could this golden dragon be related to the True Dragon’s Fate that Old Qingyun had mentioned?

From time immemorial, there had been legends of a True Dragon’s country, and the dragon was the ancient totem of China. In geomancy, there were tales of dragon veins and dragon lairs. Ancient emperors styled themselves as Sons of the True Dragon.

The dragon was myth, legend, and the symbol of immense power.

Zhang Xiaofan truly couldn’t fathom why a golden dragon had appeared in his mind.

But what came next astonished him even more—a stream of information flowed from the tiny golden dragon.

It was a cultivation technique, called the "Nine Heavens True Dragon Art." According to its description, reaching its highest level would allow one to shatter the bonds of space and ascend to immortality.

Immortality—a word as legendary as the dragon itself in China’s long history.

All martial cultivators ultimately pursued that same goal.

Old Qingyun had once said he’d seen, deep within the Kunlun Mountains, a mysterious figure flying through the air, like an immortal.

So immortals might very well exist.

The Nine Heavens True Dragon Art had nine levels. With his current strength, Zhang Xiaofan could only practice the first. It was thanks to a petal of the seven-colored snow lotus and his hard work over the past days that he had finally condensed the golden dragon and unlocked the first level of the technique.

To progress further, he would need not only to advance his own strength, but also to amass vast amounts of spiritual energy.

At the same time, Zhang Xiaofan learned of even higher realms within martial cultivation.

Shedding the Mortal, Awakening Spirit, Breaking the Void, Forgetting Emotion, Ascending the Origin, Golden Core, Spirit Infant, Nirvana, Grand Completion.

Nine great realms, like nine layers of the heavens. At present, he was but a novice at the Awakening Spirit stage—he felt so insignificant.

There were still many martial cultivators in the world, but without superior techniques, even the oldest monsters could barely reach the Forgetting Emotion stage.

Thus, the Nine Heavens True Dragon Art was truly priceless! Undoubtedly, it had opened a bright new path for Zhang Xiaofan.

He was overjoyed. This was far superior to the incomplete technique from Old Qingyun—it was worlds apart.

Excited, he immediately attempted to circulate the new technique. Though it was obscure and difficult, it was nothing Zhang Xiaofan couldn’t handle. He was well-versed in human acupoints and meridians, and the Nine Heavens True Dragon Art was largely connected to the body.

After an hour’s trial and error, he finally got the hang of it.

As he began, he felt his body surge with power, like a never-ending torrent. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was drawn in and rapidly refined.

The speed was ten times faster than before!

What an extraordinary technique!

Zhang Xiaofan spent the entire night immersed in cultivation, and, almost without realizing it, he was already close to breaking through to the mid-stage of Awakening Spirit.

By dawn, the cultivation speed had slowed considerably—a phenomenon he understood well. Spiritual energy in a given area was limited; with his relentless consumption, it was only natural for things to slow down.

Moreover, a full night’s cultivation would take him time to digest; martial cultivators needed to consolidate their progress as they trained.

He stood up from bed, feeling refreshed. After a night’s cultivation, even his temperament had subtly changed, imbuing him with an unspoken aura—he seemed even more handsome, like a true dragon among men.

"Zhang Xiaofan… open the door!"

It was at that moment that Lin Sixue’s voice rang out. After her embarrassing experience last time, Zhang Xiaofan had taken to locking his door at night.

She knocked insistently at the door.

"Are you trying to kill me? It’s barely morning," Zhang Xiaofan grumbled as he opened the door.

"Come, take a look at my sister—her stomach hurts badly." Lin Sixue’s voice was anxious.

Zhang Xiaofan immediately rushed into the adjacent room, Lin Siyu’s boudoir.

He found Lin Siyu lying on the bed, clutching her stomach, rolling around in pain, her face beaded with sweat.

"Brother Fan, please, come quickly," Lin Sixue pleaded, tugging at his arm with the utmost respect—she viewed his medical skills as nothing short of miraculous.

"It’s nothing serious. She’s just having menstrual cramps," Zhang Xiaofan said softly. He’d noticed a few days ago that Lin Siyu’s period was approaching, but hadn’t expected her to suffer from such severe pain.

"It’s alright—a massage will relieve it."

He could have used acupuncture, but with her writhing in pain, it was impossible.

Lin Siyu had changed into a white nightgown for bed, low-cut, and—much to Zhang Xiaofan’s bemusement—she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Was she trying to tempt him into crime?

Her snowy legs, her curves—her skin so soft and pink—Lin Siyu was truly a first-class beauty.

Zhang Xiaofan felt a powerful urge to just have her right then and there!

But seeing her pain, he forced himself to focus. Menstrual cramps could be agonizing.

He didn’t dare lift her nightgown; with nothing underneath, he couldn’t guarantee he could control himself, and Lin Siyu would likely come after him with a vengeance.

Through the silky fabric, he pressed his palm to her lower abdomen—it felt smooth and warm, a surprisingly pleasant sensation.

"Relax. I’m treating you," he said, seeing both her tense face and slightly angry eyes. "A doctor must be above suspicion. Don’t get the wrong idea."

As he spoke, Zhang Xiaofan began to channel his spiritual energy. After a night of cultivation, he was much improved, and even working through the fabric was no real challenge.

With his special techniques, the pain quickly subsided. But then another problem arose—his massage had stopped the pain, but a crimson stain began to seep out, dyeing the blanket red…

"You… get out…" Lin Siyu’s face turned scarlet; she couldn’t even look at him, utterly mortified. Still, his technique was truly miraculous—warm and soothing, and the pain had vanished in moments.

"Ah… Zhang Xiaofan, what did you do to my sister—why is she bleeding?" Lin Sixue exclaimed, whether in genuine surprise or not was unclear. All that was certain was that Lin Siyu had buried her head under the pillow, mortified beyond measure.