Chapter 74

Ye Qiao was at a relatively safe distance from Ming Xuan. She began to channel her energy on the spot while casually glancing at the thunderclouds in the sky.

She suddenly wondered what would happen if she gave them the middle finger.

As she was thinking this, a sudden bolt of lightning struck down without warning, causing Ming Xuan in the center to turn pale.

“How many strikes in total?”

Xie Chuxue, holding two junior disciples, enthusiastically replied, “I don’t know.”

Ye Qiao: “…” Then what useless nonsense are you talking about?

“The higher the talent, the more lightning strikes,” Xie Chuxue shrugged. “Your senior brother was chased by lightning for a whole day and night back then.”

“Hopefully, Ming Xuan will be alright,” Xie Chuxue said, clasping his hands in a prayer-like gesture, looking like he was part of some hope project.

His faith seemed so strong that the other three started imitating him, praying for Ming Xuan as well.

Sometimes, high talent isn’t necessarily a good thing, like now, with Ming Xuan nearly charred from the strikes.

Ye Qiao had thrown all the Vajra Talismans she could and had been channeling energy for a whole hour. Her initial Foundation Establishment stage had almost broken through, yet Ming Xuan’s ordeal was still ongoing.

Xie Chuxue rubbed his chin, observing her talisman drawing speed, noting that this little junior disciple was not only fast but also impressively accurate. It was rare to see someone succeed at such a high rate under the pressure of a lightning tribulation.

But wasn’t it said that dual cultivation of swords and talismans meant one could only excel at one? He pondered.

So this junior disciple must be pretty poor at swordsmanship, right?

Thus, Xie Chuxue happily decided in his mind that Ye Qiao would be their talisman specialist from now on.

Ye Qiao’s hands were sore from drawing talismans. She shook her arms, realizing it still wasn’t over. Unable to contain her anger any longer, she raised her middle finger to the thunderclouds.

Was this lightning never going to end?

“……”

Xie Chuxue’s first reaction was to grab the two dazed junior disciples and sprint a hundred meters away from Ye Qiao.

The next second, a massive bolt of lightning struck towards Ye Qiao.

Ye Qiao was just venting her frustration; no one had told her the lightning tribulation could understand human gestures.

Caught off guard, she stood there, numb.

Luckily, it was just one bolt. After striking Ye Qiao, the lightning returned to targeting Ming Xuan. Xie Chuxue ran back and poked Ye Qiao.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Ye Qiao slowly exhaled a puff of black smoke, “just feels like my pockets are sparking.”

Xie Chuxue clicked his tongue, “Such a good girl, why do you have such a sharp tongue?”

Ye Qiao actually felt fine; in fact, being struck had left her feeling quite refreshed. She almost couldn’t resist raising her middle finger again for another round of lightning.

Ming Xuan’s tribulation lasted until the afternoon, almost putting the group to sleep from waiting.

Such a commotion attracted attention from other sects as well.

“Ming Xuan’s thunderclouds?”

“That kid’s talent is extraordinary indeed.”

“After all, he’s a direct descendant of the Ming family. This year, apart from Ye Qiao, the Changming Sect’s disciples will all be at the Golden Core stage.”

Talisman cultivators were already troublesome, and now with an additional Golden Core disciple, the top spot in the third secret realm contest was now anyone’s guess.

The four of them sat cross-legged, waiting. Xie Chuxue was already lying on the ground, about to fall asleep, when Ye Qiao’s startled shout abruptly woke him up.

“Little Martial Uncle, my spiritual root has grown.”

“?” Xue Yu was equally surprised, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Hey.”

Can spiritual roots even grow?

“What?” Xie Chuxue sat up abruptly as if he had been revived from a deathly illness. His light brown eyes became much clearer.

Ye Qiao’s spiritual root had always been small and thin, a fact she was well aware of. You could feel it even without channeling spiritual energy. Given that they saw each other every day, she knew very well whether her spiritual root had grown or not.

So, the sudden growth was a rare and extraordinary event for Ye Qiao.

Can spiritual roots even grow? Xie Chuxue held the same question in his heart.