Chapter 590 - 590: Zhao Yuan Is a Demon

Shan Han truly couldn't wrap her head around it. She couldn't help but ask, "Are you guys okay? Why are you thanking the enemy? He nearly killed us!"

Ying Ji and the other two exchanged a look and burst out laughing in unison.

Now, it wasn't just Shan Han. Elder Shan and Yue Tianchi couldn't take it anymore either. They spoke in one voice, "Stop laughing and tell us. What in the world is going on?"

"It's like this," Ying Ji said, stifling her laughter. "We're thanking Yanbei Village because if he hadn't used the Divine Strike Secret Technique, there's no way Zhao Yuan could have annihilated him and the other three enemies with such devastating ease!"

"Why couldn't Alchemist Zhao have killed them if Yanbei Village hadn't used the Divine Strike Secret Technique?" Shan Han asked, growing even more confused.

Yue Tianchi, however, recalled something Zhao Yuan had said earlier. He asked in astonishment, "Wait, you're not trying to say... that Alchemist Zhao really learned the Divine Strike Secret Technique on the fly?"

Ying Ji, Hao Li, and Cheng Haoyu all nodded, replying in unison, "That's pretty much exactly it."

"Impossible!" Elder Shan was the first to voice his disbelief. "The Divine Strike Secret Technique is incredibly complex. It's not something you can learn in a moment's notice!"

Yue Tianchi agreed. "What Alchemist Zhao said earlier must have been a bluff to get under the enemy's skin. You can't take it seriously!"

Cheng Haoyu, who had become Zhao Yuan's number one fan, couldn't stand hearing anyone question him. He immediately shot back, "You don't understand Zhao Yuan. He's not like us. He's an absolute monster. Things we can't do, he can definitely pull off! I have no doubt about that!"

Hao Li pulled no punches, immediately calling him out. "Stop trying to sound so tough. When you first met Little Brother Zhao, you doubted him plenty! You only became a believer after his monstrous abilities repeatedly proved you wrong!"

Cheng Haoyu flushed with embarrassment and grumbled, "Hey, that's all in the past. Why'd you have to bring it up?"

The two immediately started to bicker.

Ying Ji took over the conversation. "Zhao Yuan has a very unique and powerful talent—his aptitude for comprehension is unbelievably high! Any Cultivation Technique or Secret Technique, once he's seen it, he can not only learn it in a very short amount of time but also make incredibly precise improvements to it!"

"That's impossible, isn't it?" Elder Shan and the other two gasped, finding it hard to believe.

Hao Li stopped his bickering with Cheng Haoyu to back Ying Ji up. "It's true. We've seen it with our own eyes and experienced it firsthand."

"That's right," Cheng Haoyu added. "You haven't known Brother Zhao for long. When you do, you'll see he's a monster beyond your wildest imagination! I've even wondered more than once if he's the secret love child of Heaven itself, or maybe a relative of some Great God or Grand Immortal. Otherwise, how could his aptitude for comprehension be so ridiculously off the charts!"

Seeing how earnestly Ying Ji and the others spoke, it was clear they weren't lying. Elder Shan and the other two were starting to believe them, more or less, but they still found it incredible.

After they exchanged stunned glances, Elder Shan said, "If he really did learn it on the fly, doesn't that mean he mastered the Divine Strike Secret Technique in just three minutes? And on top of that, improved it to be even stronger than Yanbei Village's version! Is that even possible? Even if his aptitude for comprehension is truly high, it can't be at such an inhuman level, can it?"

Ying Ji replied, "Elder Shan, you don't need to doubt it. Zhao Yuan's aptitude for comprehension really is that high! Otherwise, why wouldn't he have used the Divine Strike Secret Technique at the start of the fight? Why did he wait until after Yanbei Village used it, and only then ask us to hold them off for three minutes? It's clear he didn't know the technique before. He only began to study it after seeing Yanbei Village perform it, and he used those three minutes to learn and improve upon it!"

Elder Shan and the others were utterly dumbfounded by this revelation. After a long silence, he let out a soft sigh. "If that's truly the case, then this Alchemist Zhao... he really is a monster!"

Ying Ji, Hao Li, and Cheng Haoyu nodded in unison. "Exactly," they said. "That guy Zhao Yuan is an absolute monster!"

After this exchange, the whole group burst into laughter.

Zeng Rui had already returned to the Ghost Residence after confirming Zhao Yuan's injuries weren't life-threatening. So, if Ying Ji wanted to know about his condition, she had to ask Elder Shan. "By the way, Elder Shan, how long will Zhao Yuan be unconscious?"

Fortunately, as a Great Alchemist, Elder Shan also had a solid understanding of medical theory. In fact, his identity in the secular world was that of a doctor.

However, he had been retired for many years. He no longer treated patients and hadn't kept up with the goings-on in the medical community. That was why he didn't recognize Zhao Yuan, the rising star who had recently been making waves in the medical world.

Hearing Ying Ji's question, Elder Shan glanced at Zhao Yuan and replied, "Best case scenario, he'll wake up in a day or two. Worst case, it could be five or six days. Possibly even longer."

"That long?" Ying Ji, Hao Li, and Cheng Haoyu frowned in unison.

Yue Tianchi said, "Don't worry. You can all rest here at my mountain estate for the next few days. I will see to it that you are well taken care of."

Just as Ying Ji and the other two were about to respond, they suddenly heard a groan. Zhao Yuan's eyes fluttered open.

"Oww, that hurts like hell!"

The voice was faint, but it was unmistakably Zhao Yuan.

"He's awake?"

"I heard him speak! He really is awake!"

"Damn, he really is a monster! Forget his high aptitude, his body's recovery rate is this insane too? How long has it even been? And he's already woken up from being unconscious!"

Zhao Yuan's awakening left everyone stunned for a moment before they erupted into cries of disbelief.

"What are you all yelling about? You're being too loud," Zhao Yuan grumbled.

"You're really awake?" Hao Li asked, his mouth hanging open.

Zhao Yuan rolled his eyes. "No, I'm sleepwalking."

Everyone knew he was joking.

Hao Li turned to Elder Shan. "Elder Shan, didn't you just say he would be out for at least a day or two?"

Elder Shan gave a wry, helpless smile. "I misjudged," he sighed. "I forgot he's a monster. You can't measure him by ordinary standards!"

His words prompted everyone to nod in agreement, leaving only Zhao Yuan completely baffled.

After resting for over an hour, everyone had regained some of their strength. They struggled into sitting positions and began to circulate their Cultivation Techniques to speed up the absorption of the medicine's power.

Elder Huang and Yue Tianchi, being Cultivators at the Qi Listening Realm, were not only absorbing the power of the medicine but also drawing in the surrounding Qi.

Sensing the flow of Qi, Ying Ji, Hao Li, Cheng Haoyu, and Shan Han were all filled with envy.

They were only in the Late Stage of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. They could faintly perceive Qi, but they couldn't absorb it, much less convert it into their own energy.

But soon, their envy turned into shock. Even Elder Huang and Yue Tianchi stopped circulating their Cultivation Techniques. Everyone stared at Zhao Yuan with looks of utter astonishment.

P.S. Quick announcement: mass release tomorrow! I promise you'll have more than enough to enjoy!