CHAPTER 606: CHAPTER 371: THE GENIUS BEFORE US

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Yan Xiaobao knew he couldn’t hastily go through these encounters and once again sighed inwardly, though he wore a smile outwardly. He narrated to the saints, one by one, the experiences he had that morning. Repeating them over and over, Yan Xiaobao slowly walked toward the back door, which led to his sanctuary. When he finally reached his room, he grasped the handle with trembling hands and rushed inside. At last, he could breathe a sigh of relief; there was no need to explain what had happened yet again.

The reason these experts were so curious was straightforward. The day before, they had the ability to overhear events before the meeting—the conversation between the commander and the talent before them; however, this time, they couldn’t follow along. Despite being experts themselves, hiding together in such numbers would undoubtedly draw attention, and if noticed, it would be seen as rude. But now that Yan Xiaobao had appeared, simply asking him what had transpired would be the easiest way. Yan Xiaobao exhaled deeply, closed the door to his room behind him, and slowly walked toward the restroom. Speaking with so many experts was mentally exhausting, yet he was sure no one had noticed his discomfort. Reflecting on the meeting with the military, Yan Xiaobao felt positively energized. He also trusted that the Emperor would manage these groups as he had handled those before. The only difference was when the Emperor looked at him with suspicion, the military felt admiration toward the Emperor.

Yan Xiaobao was excited to finally begin collaborating with the military. He could now grasp the military’s true significance. Although it was a relatively small army, seeing the four hundred thousand experts standing before him made Yan Xiaobao intoxicated with excitement. To command such a vast number of individuals, Yan Xiaobao had to admit he felt adrenaline coursing through his veins. Yet he also understood the kings and emperors from the military weren’t listening to him out of respect, but because he had nearly a thousand Emperors backing his decisions. Frustrated by this fact, Yan Xiaobao resolved to prove that he was more than just a weak young man. He sat cross-legged on the stone floor facing the window, so as the moon rose high in the sky, its light would bathe him while he trained upon the hard surface.

Yan Xiaobao entered his Lower Dantian and advanced toward the blue cloud, which now rolled out of the Dantian Cave where it had previously rested peacefully. Moments later, the blue cloud had fully left the cave, enveloping his entire body in a massive mist. The density of the essence from heaven and earth grew heavy. A smile appeared on Yan Xiaobao’s face as he permitted the cloud to enter his body, flowing through his meridians and slowly being refined into Qi. The Yin Yang Energy filtered out the remaining impurities, passed through the meridians, and entered the Upper Dantian, where the energies gradually fused, forming Wu Wei.

The refinement of Wu Wei lagged far behind the other energies in Yan Xiaobao’s body. Qi and spiritual energy surged continuously, both flooding into his body, yet no matter how much he refined them, Wu Wei remained an energy that couldn’t be hurried—it would only allow a limited amount to be created at any given time.

Yan Xiaobao was acutely aware of this and never displayed impatience as he sat there. His body remained perfectly still, and as the moon rose higher in the sky, his smile widened. The higher it climbed, the more Yin Energy he was able to harvest from the essence of heaven and earth.

His Upper Dantian grew saturated with Yang Energy, but as the moon reached its zenith in the sky, Yin Energy began to overflow. The two energies merged during the creation of martial power, generating golden energy that surged into the Upper Dantian.

As the sun climbed over the horizon, its rays spilling through the window, a radiant smile spread across Yan Xiaobao’s face. The young man felt his entire body brimming with energy. Slowly standing, he sensed the teeming forces within himself, but suddenly the world began to spin around him. A dizzy spell struck, and Yan Xiaobao collapsed to the floor. As he tried to understand what had occurred, the world turned black.

Yan Xiaobao remained sprawled on the ground for hours, while the blue cloud began to churn outward once again. By the time morning transitioned into noon, Wan Qiao started to wonder about the young man’s whereabouts, noticing the door to his room was already ajar when she knocked. She immediately stepped inside, a terrible premonition creeping into her heart. Her eyes showed growing concern.

As soon as she entered the room, she felt an oppressive atmosphere. The density of the heaven and earth essence was so great that she had never experienced anything like it before. The deeper she ventured into his room, the more she noticed the blue cloud enveloping the young man. As Wan Qiao stepped into the cloud, nausea and weakness overtook her. The mist locked onto her, siphoning energy from her body until her legs felt feeble. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she watched the blue cloud transfer the absorbed energy directly to Yan Xiaobao, delivering it to his forehead and permeating the skull of his unconscious body sprawled on the floor. Clenching his teeth in pain, his face contorted, but his eyes remained tightly shut, his body unresponsive.

"Come to me," Wan Qiao said, staggering backward. She struggled to withdraw from the blue fog that continued to drain her absorbed energy, only managing to escape after exerting all her strength. As she stumbled back, her face turned pale, and her eyes widened in shock.

"This must be what he meant by monkhood," Wan Qiao muttered to herself, staring at the young man who remained unconscious on the floor. The blue cloud seemed to act as a barrier, preventing anyone from approaching.