Chapter 206 - 111: Begging to be Elder Lu’s Disciple! An Initiation Gift of Immortal Flesh

Chapter 206: Chapter 111: Begging to be Elder Lu’s Disciple! An Initiation Gift of Immortal Flesh

’How long has it been? How long has it been since I fought without holding anything back? How long since I’ve felt this pressure, this feeling of being pushed to my absolute limit?’

Just as Zhou Lie was lost in these feelings, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Have you ever seen a mountain?"

He looked toward the source of the voice, and in an instant, his pupils shrank.

Lu Yun had already raised his right fist. Wisps of an earthy-yellow energy coiled around his knuckles, moving like coiling serpents or roiling clouds.

’That isn’t ordinary Qi!’ This was the first thought that surfaced in Zhou Lie’s mind.

Qi was formless, invisible to the naked eye.

The next second, as the answer dawned on him, his pupils shrank to pinpricks.

Tangible energy!

’This... This is the legendary True Qi of Divine Will!’

Zhou Lie had read about it in the secret tomes passed down through his family. The Qi that circulated within the body of a Grandmaster of Huajin was formless and invisible to the naked eye.

A Grandmaster of Divine Intent, however, could fuse their Martial Dao Will with their Qi, refining it into the tangible, substantial "True Qi of Divine Will."

It was a power that transcended the mundane, a qualitative leap that put it entirely beyond comparison with a Grandmaster of Huajin.

’At last... I’ve finally seen it! This is the power I’ve yearned for, even in my dreams!’

As Zhou Lie’s eyes remained locked on those wisps of earthy-yellow energy, a strange ripple suddenly stirred in the depths of his consciousness.

In a daze, the world before him began to twist and distort.

An endless, immeasurably tall mountain materialized in his mind without warning.

It was as majestic as a pillar holding up the heavens, its peak vanishing into the clouds, its end unseen. Every inch of its stone radiated an ancient, eternal, and heavy presence.

Zhou Lie knew it was a hallucination. He was too close to the True Qi of Divine Will, and his own will was being affected by Elder Lu’s Martial Dao Will.

’Just getting close is enough to affect an expert like me, a master at Late-stage Huajin...’

’What would happen if I were hit by it directly?’

Before Zhou Lie had time to think it through, Lu Yun’s fist had already descended.

Aside from the excruciating pain racking his physical body, the depths of his mind felt as if they had been brutally struck by a sledgehammer.

His consciousness nearly shattered in that instant, his thoughts ground to dust.

And then the world changed. This was no longer the hazy vision from before; this was real.

The endless mountain was plummeting toward him. It blotted out the entire sky, obscuring the sun, the clouds, and all sources of light.

And Zhou Lie was nothing more than an insignificant black speck, an ant at the foot of the mountain facing utter annihilation.

He was unable to move, unable to scream, able only to watch as the mountain grew closer, and closer, and closer, until it completely engulfed him.

’Is this the power of the True Qi of Divine Will? Is this the Realm I’ve pursued for half my life?’

As blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, Zhou Lie’s eyes shone with a startling brilliance.

"So this is the mountain? I believe I have seen it now, Elder Lu!"

The moment the words left his lips, his vision went black, and his consciousness sank completely into darkness.

In that instant, Lu Yun’s True Qi of Divine Will surged through his body, washing over his own Qi like a flood and purifying the reserves he had accumulated over many years of painstaking cultivation.

Just a few seconds later, Zhou Lie opened his eyes once more. The Qi inside his body began to circulate wildly.

Deep down, some instinct was driving Zhou Lie—no, it was guiding him.

Following the guidance of that power and borrowing the lingering might of Lu Yun’s True Qi of Divine Will, Zhou Lie launched a final charge against the ethereal bottleneck that had plagued him for so many years.

It felt as if something inside him had shattered. The next second, Zhou Lie’s entire presence began to skyrocket!

Although his entire body was in agony, every bone groaning and every muscle trembling, the power welling up from the depths of his being was undeniably real.

As his Qi circulated, it was more condensed, more immense, and more responsive to his will than ever before.

Peak of Huajin Grandmaster. He had finally broken through to this Realm. The bottleneck that had held him back for over a decade was shattered in a single day.

Zhou Lie raised his head to look at the man before him, whose expression was still perfectly calm.

Then, his legs gave way. With a THUD, he fell to his knees and slammed his forehead hard against the stone ground.

"Zhou Lie thanks Elder Lu for helping me achieve this breakthrough!"

After a moment, Zhou Lie spoke again. "My advancement in my Cultivation Realm today is entirely thanks to Elder Lu’s assistance."

"A kindness this profound is worthy of me calling you ’Master.’ I implore you, Elder Lu, please accept me as your disciple!"

Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Lu Yun’s eyes. ’A disciple? This Zhou Lie certainly knows how to seize an opportunity.’

He opened his mouth, about to refuse, but before he could speak, Zhou Lie cut in again. "Elder Lu, even being a Registered Disciple would be enough!"

"I, Zhou Lie, swear to the heavens that from this day forward, I will devote all my efforts to finding Immortal Flesh for you, Honored Master!"

He paused as if suddenly remembering something, then added, "Also, I brought some Immortal Flesh with me this time. My first disciple is holding it. Please consider it a gift for accepting me as your student, Elder Lu!"

After speaking, Zhou Lie was secretly pleased with himself.

Fortunately, before coming to Yun Port City, he had entrusted the iron box containing the Immortal Flesh to his eldest disciple, telling him to guard it well.

No one but Zhou Lie himself knew about the Immortal Flesh inside, and the iron box was securely locked.

Upon hearing those two words, "Immortal Flesh," the refusal on the tip of Lu Yun’s tongue suddenly caught in his throat.

’Wait. Immortal Flesh? As a discipleship gift?’

The next second, his gaze fell upon Zhou Lie’s earnest face.

During their earlier casual conversation, Lu Yun had already learned about Zhou Lie’s background.

He hailed from a Martial Arts Family in the neighboring Shun’an Province and was a Late-stage Grandmaster of Huajin—no, after his ’guidance,’ he was now at the Peak of Huajin Grandmaster.

Furthermore, Zhou Lie’s brother-in-law was a provincial Military Governor, commanding a significant military force.

Such influence was not to be underestimated, even within the entire Daxia New Country.

’For someone with his influence to search for Immortal Flesh... wouldn’t that be child’s play?’

Lu Yun’s throat bobbed. He swore to himself that it definitely wasn’t because of the Immortal Flesh.

It was just that Lu Yun felt... this Zhou Lie... hmm, he seemed quite sincere. And his talent was much better than his own had been.

"Hmm..."

Kneeling on the ground, Zhou Lie’s eyes lit up the instant he heard Lu Yun’s contemplative "Hmm..."

’HAHAHA! I, Zhou Lie, am a true genius!’

He might look like a mountain of muscle, someone who wasn’t particularly bright.

But in truth, Zhou Lie was more cunning than anyone! He had planned it all out before even coming to Yun Port City.

If Lu Yun truly was the Daxia New Country’s first Grandmaster of Divine Intent, then he would rack his brains and pay any price to be accepted under his tutelage.

And now, it seemed he was already halfway there!

Zhou Lie remained kneeling, the smile on his face threatening to break out, but he quickly reined it in, composing his expression into one of respectful sincerity.