Chapter 248 - Breaking the Second Seal

Wu Zhangkong opened the case containing the thousand-year Azure-veined Vine and took it out.

Like its name suggested, the vine was azure in color and only about as long as one’s forearm. It sparkled like a crystal, and a dim glow emanated from its stalk as liquid circulated within. A sweet, refreshing fragrance capable of clearing a person’s mind lingered on it.

Wu Zhangkong pointed a finger at the vine and released a gentle stream of soul power that encapsulated it and carried it over the water. When he made a pinching gesture, an invisible force wrung the vine and broke it in half, letting its juices drip into the bathtub.

The vine’s juices quickly mixed with the water, imbuing the water and the steam that rose from it with an azure color. A heavy aroma hung in the air.

With the last of the vine’s juices extracted, only its husk was left. Wu Zhangkong’s eyes flashed as his finger swiftly moved, creating blades of Mysterious Heaven Method soul power. They stabbed the vine countless times, instantly turning it into a fine powder as if it had suddenly exploded. The powder floated down into the water without a single particle wasted.

Tang Wulin’s eyes shimmered at the astonishing sight. Throughout the entire process, Wu Zhangkong hadn’t used his martial soul. He accomplished this feat purely through his control over the Mysterious Heaven Method!

Now that’s power!

The Land Dragon Tendon came after the Azure-veined Vine.

Of the four spirit items, the tendon was the least remarkable. All of its two meters of length was tan, and it was several times thicker than the vine.

“This thousand-year Land Dragon Tendon originally should’ve been five meters long, but it shrunk to this size after being processed. You would normally need to boil it for three days and three nights to soften it before being able to use it. Since you want to make a broth of it, there’s only one unique method to do so.”

Wu Zhangkong moved his left foot one step to the left and bent his legs, maintaining half-squat position. With a wave of his right hand, the tendon floated up just like the vine did. Then he brought his hands in front of him, palms facing each other, and a gust of wind came into existence between them.

Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon!

Tang Wulin instantly recognized this Tang Sect art.

He’s using Controlling Crane with his left hand and Capturing Dragon with his right.

Eyes narrowed, Wu Zhangkong’s hands began to move in circular, rhythmic motions. The fluctuations of his internal soul power grew stronger and stronger while the tendon began to rapidly spin.

As the tendon’s revolutions grew faster and faster, a whirring sound could be heard. Aside from the slight oscillating movements of his hands, Wu Zhangkong’s upper body was completely still. His soul power fluctuations, however, increased in strength as he fought to suppress the draft. Although Tang Wulin could sense the immense power gushing from Wu Zhangkong, it didn’t affect him at all.

Teacher Wu’s control over his soul power is amazing!

The tendon’s tan coloring gradually turned red. Howling wind accompanied its high speed rotations.

The pressure from Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon; the high-speed revolutions; and the air friction all merged together to tenderize the tendon.

The tendon slowly began curling inward, eventually resembling a scarlet dumpling

Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon can be used like this? It was Tang Wulin’s first time seeing it used in such a magical way.

A quarter of an hour later, red liquid began dripping from the tendon. Each time a drop of the liquid hit the water, puffs of steam rose into the air. Tang Wulin could feel the temperature of the water rising.

The scarlet tendon juice mixed with the water, making it murkier.

Another quarter of an hour later, the entire tendon had been converted into juice and mixed with the water of the bathtub, making it dark green. It truly looked bizarre. A queer smell had replaced the pleasant fragrance. A hint of the vine’s freshness was still there, but it was overpowered by a fishy odor. The two smells fought back and forth, the dominant smell changing from one moment to the next.

Wu Zhangkong stood up and retrieved the thousand-year Sea Dragon Marrow. The marrow was easier to turn into juice; all he had to do was use his soul power to squeeze it like he did with the vine. In fact, he didn’t even need to crush it with his finger swords. When the marrow mixed with the water, nothing really changed other than the steam taking on a pink hue. No matter how one looked at it, the water now seemed terrifying.

“Go in.” Wu Zhangkong nodded at Tang Wulin in encouragement.

It was Wu Zhangkong’s first time seeing someone absorb spirit items like this, so he was curious to see how it turned out.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath and forced any thoughts equating this bath with three years of hard-earned money out of his mind. He picked up the Dragonscale Fruit and took a bite of it.

The Dragonscale Fruit didn’t taste wonderful like its sparkling blue skin suggested. Its juices were extremely sour, and he nearly choked.

It’s three million! It’s worth over three million! Tang Wulin shouted its price in his heart over and over, forcing himself to eat it bite by bite. In the end, he even ate its skin.

With the Dragonscale Fruit now in his stomach, heat spread throughout his body. Tang Wulin didn’t forget what he was supposed to be doing and quickly shed his clothes, dipping his toe into the tub’s water.

Hot!

Perhaps due to the thousand-year Land Dragon Tendon, the water was much hotter than he anticipated—so much so that he nearly cried out.

Steeling himself, Tang Wulin managed to put both of his legs into the scalding water. He was on the verge of tears, but he couldn’t bear letting his money go to waste.

“Clear your mind and calm your breathing,” Wu Zhangkong said.

Tang Wulin’s mind trembled as he hastily released a long breath and circulated his soul power.

The Dragonscale Fruit quickly took effect; warmth spread from his belly as he used the Mysterious Heaven Method.

Tang Wulin thought that the heat within his body would help him adapt to the scalding water, but it was the opposite. Instead of adapting, he grew more sensitive to the heat, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.

At that moment, Old Tang’s solemn voice resounded in Tang Wulin’s mind. “Soak your entire body in it. Leave only your head exposed.”

With no choice but to bite the bullet, Tang Wulin plunged the rest of his body into the water, emerging himself in the scalding heat. It took all his willpower to keep himself from jumping out.

Endure it! Endure it!

Eyes tightly shut, Tang Wulin willed himself to continue soaking in the water and endure the pain of being boiled alive.

From Wu Zhangkong’s perspective, Tang Wulin’s body had instantly become scarlet the moment he entered the water. It was as if he were a cooked shrimp. Tang Wulin’s body began to twitch.

Wu Zhangkong’s brows furrowed. Will he really be fine? This is the first time I’ve heard of a recipe like this. Just where did Wulin get it from?

Wu Zhangkong raised his hand, preparing to aid Tang Wulin by cooling him down with his martial soul.

At that moment, however, a golden mark appeared faintly on Tang Wulin’s forehead, shocking Wu Zhangkong. Even with his excellent eyesight, he could just barely make it out.

The golden mark appeared to be consist of three golden lines, but Wu Zhangkong couldn’t identify it.