Right at that moment, the lightning struck with tremendous force!

Everyone in the imperial capital thought that Grand Secretary Fang was doomed!

Even Emperor Wu looked sorry.

At that critical moment!

The Taiyi formation was completed!

Boom!

Thud!

The lightning struck the protective shield created from the formation’s inscriptions.

Boom!

There was a blinding golden light, and the entire imperial capital rumbled!

The energy created by the impact was enough to shake heaven and earth!

It felt as if the sky was going to crack open!

Many were thrown off their feet, and fell to the floor.

“Oh my god… Grand Secretary Fang isn’t going to survive this.”

“What a pity… Our empire would have another supreme master if he makes it, but now…”

“Isn’t Grand Secretary Fang the acting principal of Imperial College? Who will take the position once he’s gone?”

“Zuo Ming, the head of the Zuo clan, I think. He almost got that position the other day.”

–

The Zuo family.

Hahaha!

Zuo Ming guffawed inwardly as he watched Fang Manor get struck repeatedly by lightning.

There was nothing for him to worry about anymore!

Grand Secretary Fang was dead before Zuo Ming had even made another move!

The Zuo clan had always been lucky.

When numerous people in the imperial capital were ready to mourn or celebrate —

All of a sudden!

“Hey, look!”

Many people were still looking at Fang Manor from their roofs, and their eyes widened in disbelief!

The manor that they thought was going to collapse —

The manor that had been bent out of shape —

It…

It bounced back with a strength that no one imagined it had!

The lightning kept exploding and sparks filled the air!

But!

Fang Manor managed to block everything out!

And it was still standing!

That was it!

Many people in the imperial capital watched this in amazement.

How could this be?

That wasn’t possible!

However disbelieving they were, this was happening, and it was a fact!

They were all witnesses!

“Holy crap! Fang Manor hasn’t collapsed?!”

“I saw it go down, but it righted itself!”

“Isn’t the manor made from brick? Can it bend like a spring?”

Many people were asking similar questions.

In the imperial palace.

Emperor Wu’s eyes lit up!

“Hahahaha —” He couldn’t help but laugh wholeheartedly. “Grand Secretary Fang made it! My empire has one more great master now! Send him my reward!

“Wait. I’ll deliver it myself! I’m going to congratulate the new protector of my empire!” Emperor Wu was in a great mood.

Next to him, Empress Dugu was in a foul mood.

Last time she checked, Grand Secretary Fang wasn’t on her side.

If she remembered correctly, that old man had stood up for Feng Wu on multiple occasions.

Empress Dugu clenched her fists. This wouldn’t do. She had to think of a way to win Grand Secretary Fang’s favor.

At that thought, she quickly went back to her room, wrote a letter, and had it delivered right away.

The Zuo family —

It was Zuo Ming whose mood underwent the most radical changes during this breakthrough tonight.

Right now, his face was livid and twisted. He was furious!

Thud!

He smashed a table with his fists, turning the marble top into rubble.

The last thing he expected was for Grand Secretary Fang to make it out of this alive!

Fine, fine! We’ll see about that! Zuo Ming threw another table into the air!

Fang Manor.

When the last cycle exploded over Fang Manor, Little Phoenix, who had kept silent until then, alerted Feng Wu. “Collect the lightning energy now. Don’t let it go to waste! That’s the essence of all the lightning!”

Feng Wu’s eyes lit up. That was right!

Absorbing the energy emanated by the lightning could significantly improve the power of the Taiyi formation!

At that thought, Feng Wu picked up a pen and began to run around in the formation, adding inscriptions to the spiritual stones she had put down.

If Grand Secretary Fang had had his breakthrough a few days earlier, Feng Wu wouldn’t have been able to use this collection method. Thanks to her beautiful master’s teaching in the past few days, however, Feng Wu had made great progress in her inscriptions.

After some quick maneuvering, Feng Wu was able to collect half of the energy released by the lightning.

To everyone else, the electric currents had simply faded and dissipated in the air.

The truth, however, was that they were now stored in the inscriptions, and would shoot out when the formation was activated, protecting all of Fang Manor.

Feng Wu was thrilled when she saw that the Taiyi formation was working properly and protecting the house.

Little Phoenix’s reminder was a timely one. After collecting the lightning energy, she could always tell everyone that it was left over from Grand Secretary Fang’s breakthrough the next time she used the formation.

It would also be the perfect explanation for the shield, and she wouldn’t have to make up an excuse for the Taiyi formation.

Just then —

Grand Secretary Fang opened his eyes.

Something flickered in them.

His clothes were in tatters and half of his beard was gone, but he was full of vigor.

Grand Secretary Fang looked out the open window and spotted Feng Wu right away.

“Xiao Wu!”

The next moment, Grand Secretary Fang was by Feng Wu’s side, and he stared at Feng Wu in disbelief.

The look in his eyes was a mix of delight, excitement, curiosity, and astonishment.

“Xiao Wu!” Holding Feng Wu by her slim shoulders, Grand Secretary Fang said in agitation, “Who gave you that ‘Free and Easy Wandering’ manual? Who? Tell me!”

Feng Wu tilted her head. “Just some random guy passing through.”

Grand Secretary Fang looked worked up. “Was he dressed all in white and had an ethereal feel to him?”

Feng Wu said, “Well, I suppose so.”

Grand Secretary Fang was shaking all over. Considering his age, Feng Wu was worried that he might pass out at any moment.

She said in a hurry, “Grandpa Fang, slow down. You’re a little too excited.”

Ignoring Feng Wu’s words, Grand Secretary Fang stared at Feng Wu. “Was he an immortal-like young man?”

Feng Wu said, “Well, you could say that.”

Grand Secretary Fang asked, “Was that man all powerful and looked invincible?!”

Feng Wu said, “I don’t know about that…”

Grand Secretary Fang went on. “He could destroy everything with a wave of his hand, couldn’t he?”

Feng Wu stammered, “How am I supposed to know that…”

Grand Secretary Fang cried out, “Was he called Mu Jiuzhou?!”

Feng Wu’s heart skipped a beat!

Mu Jiuzhou?

Well, her beautiful master’s name was indeed Mu Jiuzhou, and he used to rule the continent, but how could Grand Secretary Fang guess that right away?

Feng Wu said, “I don’t know…”

Grand Secretary Fang flushed with excitement, and even his beard trembled. “Where is he? Where is he now?”

Feng Wu said, “I don’t know…”

Grand Secretary Fang glared at Feng Wu. “So what do you know?!”

However, the effect of his bellow was unexpected…

Grand Secretary Fang still hadn’t adapted to his new cultivation level, and didn’t have perfect control over his own power yet. Feng Wu was blown into the air by his growl.

“Shit!”

Realizing what he had done, Grand Secretary Fang rushed over and caught Feng Wu before she hit the ground.

He would feel so guilty if Feng Wu was hurt in the fall.

Feng Wu was equally shaken!

That was so impressive of Grand Secretary Fang! He opened his mouth, and the next thing she knew, she was in the air.

Although… the old man was surprisingly excited.

After a lifetime in the political world, there was little that the old man hadn’t seen. Feng Wu had thought that nothing could shake him any longer, and that he would be able to keep his composure in any situation.

However, the old man was acting like a teenager — a fanboy, to be more precise… She wouldn’t believe it if she wasn’t seeing it for herself.

Grand Secretary Fang put Feng Wu down in a fluster, but he didn’t seem any calmer.

“Xiao Wu, think carefully. How did you meet that elder?”

Elder? Feng Wu inwardly rolled her eyes. Her beautiful master was still a young man! He was anything but old!

Feng Wu hesitated a little when she saw how excited Grand Secretary Fang was. However, her beautiful master had instructed that she was the only one who could know of his existence, and that she wasn’t to tell another soul.

Thus, Feng Wu fought back her urge to tell the old man the truth. “I saved that man’s life and he gave me that ‘Free and Easy Wandering’ piece. But it’s for someone with pure Yang energy only, and as a girl, I’m anything but that. So, I thought I would give it to you.”

Grand Secretary Fang asked, “Where’s that person now? Can you find him?”

Feng Wu tilted her head. “He’ll show up again, I think… And he’ll probably come to me when he does.”

Grand Secretary Fang eyed Feng Wu suspiciously.

If that person really was Mu Jiuzhou, why would he come to this girl again?

However, Grand Secretary Fang remained hopeful.

Feng Wu didn’t want him to keep asking questions about her beautiful master, so she tried to change the subject. “Is the method effective?”

She had asked the right question.

“Is it effective?” Grand Secretary Fang stared at her in amazement. “It’s so effective that I was able to break through to the next cultivation level in a matter of days, even when I have one foot in the grave. I’ve been at a bottleneck for years.”

Feng Wu said, “So, it’s really effective, then.”

Grand Secretary Fang said in a solemn tone, “Of course! This manual is priceless! We’ll be in a lot of trouble if others find out about it. And if our enemy hears of it, we may face a great war!”

That made Feng Wu jump!

“Is it that impressive?!” Feng Wu recalled that her beautiful master had just recited a random paragraph. She hadn’t expected this!

“Of course it’s that impressive!” Grand Secretary Fang stared at Feng Wu solemnly. “This method is unprecedented! Nothing can compare with it!”

Feng Wu said, “Then we must keep it a secret. No one can know.”

Grand Secretary Fang still had lingering doubts. “Are you sure you’ll see that master again?”

Feng Wu said, “Not any time soon, I’m afraid. But I will when I find the second broken star piece.”

An idea struck Feng Wu all of a sudden.

Those broken star pieces were giving her a headache. However, it would be so much easier if she could get Grand Secretary Fang to help her out.

Grand Secretary Fang promptly agreed to ask around for information on the broken star pieces.

“By the way, what cultivation level are you at now?” Feng Wu asked curiously. “The lightning tribulation this time was unheard of. If it wasn’t for the Taiyi formation, both of us would have been killed.”

Grand Secretary Fang gave it some thought. “Not counting those old reclusive buggers, I’m sure I’m now one of the top five cultivators in the Junwu Empire.”

“Only top five?”

Grand Secretary Fang threw her a dirty look. “What do you mean by ‘only’? Kiddo, there are more capable people out there than you can imagine. Before this breakthrough, I was only in the top twenty!”

Feng Wu’s eyes lit up. “That’s such a huge improvement!”

Grand Secretary Fang said proudly, “Of course it is! I’m more or less on the same level as Northern Feng General now.”

Northern Feng General, aka Feng Xun’s father, was stationed in the frontier region, and was known for his extraordinary capabilities!

“Who else is in the top five apart from the both of you?” Feng Wu asked.

Grand Secretary Fang was about to answer, when he heard footsteps outside.

He raised an eyebrow. “His Majesty is here.”

Feng Wu didn’t want to be spotted here by Emperor Wu, for she would have a lot of explaining to do. So, she pointed at the dry well. “I’m going home now. Talk to you later.”

After that, Feng Wu jumped into the well as swiftly as a cat and disappeared from sight.

Grand Secretary Fang looked touched as he watched Feng Wu leave.

He hadn’t expected to make such a sincere young friend at his age.

The girl could have left Fang Manor through that dry well earlier, for the lightning tribulation had nothing to do with her. She could have left freely.

However, she had chosen to stay during that critical moment.

She had also given him the Free and Easy Wandering manual.

Not to mention that she had set up the Taiyi formation, which saved his life.

Moreover, that mysterious master had some secret connection to Feng Wu… If he really was Master Mu Jiuzhou… Grand Secretary Fang didn’t know what to think.

If Master Mu was really alive… If that person really was him… Was that to say that he and Master Mu could be connected through Xiao Wu?

Grand Secretary Fang was overwhelmed with excitement.

It was Master Mu!

At that moment, Emperor Wu entered the room in a hurry.

Next door, Fallen Star Yard.

The beautiful lady was ghastly pale and unconscious.

Granny Zhao was telling Qiuling off. “How could you say those scary things to the lady? What were you thinking?!”

Qiuling looked frustrated and kept silent.

Qiuling had expected that the beautiful lady would rise up and switch into that warrior mode when she heard that her daughter was being bullied…

However, the lady only passed out when she heard the news.

Chaoge jumped onto the wall and saw the commotion in Grand Secretary Fang’s courtyard. However, Feng Wu was nowhere to be seen, which flustered her.

Just as she was about to jump off the wall —

Feng Wu walked out of Lady Xuanji’s room.

“Xiao Wu!”

Everyone cried out in surprise when they saw Feng Wu.

Her hair was unkempt from all the electric shocks, her face was black, and her clothes were in tatters. She looked like a beggar.

But at least, she was still alive —

Both Chaoge and Qiuling, who were going to give Feng Wu teary hugs, cracked up when they saw the state Feng Wu was in.

Feng Wu rolled her eyes at Qiuling. “Stop laughing already! Boil some water. I need to take a bath.”

Once Feng Wu had cleaned herself up, Qiuling helped treat her wounds.

Seeing all the cuts on Feng Wu’s body, Qiuling burst into tears again.

Why was it always Miss Wu? She kept getting hurt, and it never seemed to end!

Hearing the sobs, Feng Wu turned around to find Qiuling weeping.

“Why are you crying?” Feng Wu rolled her eyes at her maid.

“Miss, can you try not to get hurt?” Qiuling said between broken sobs. “You’ve got amazing skin, and it’s being ruined by all these cuts. I don’t know what to do…”

Qiuling was still feeling distraught, when she sensed spiritual essence rushing into Feng Wu.

Rumble —

There was the sound of chanting in the air.

To cultivators, that had to be the most amazing sound in the world.

As a junior cultivator herself, Qiuling recognized that sound. She covered her mouth and stared at Feng Wu in amazement.

Meanwhile, her mistress had already entered a state of meditation.

It was midnight when Feng Wu woke up again.

Qiuling had stayed with her the entire time, in case Feng Wu needed her help.

Looking down, Feng Wu saw the scab remains that were scattered over the floor.

She was happy to see the way she looked in the mirror.

The skin on her face and her body was fair, smooth, and as translucent as white jade. The cuts were nowhere to be seen.

Feng Wu beamed at Qiuling. “See? Problem solved.”

Feng Wu had enjoyed some personal gain from Grand Secretary Fang’s breakthrough as well. She was a Level 6 Spiritual Grandmaster now.

She wondered what level Zuo Qingluan was at now. A Level 6 Spiritual Elder?

At that thought, the smile on Feng Wu’s face grew cold.

She had been making progress at the fastest pace possible; it was now time for her to slow it down to a steady pace. She needed a solid foundation, or her future cultivation might be compromised.

She would kill Zuo Qingluan eventually, but that woman was just one of the obstacles she needed to overcome on her journey toward becoming the top cultivator of this world. She wouldn’t let Zuo Qingluan affect her cultivation progress.

Feng Wu was still lost in her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door.

Throwing a robe over her shoulders, Feng Wu opened the door.

“Sister —”

Feng Xiaoqi looked up at her with the eyes of an innocent boy.

So many things had happened recently, and her beautiful master’s unexpected appearance had only added to everything. As a result, Feng Wu had neglected the other members of her family.

Feng Wu rubbed the little guy’s head. “Xiaoqi, what’s wrong?”

“Sister, I want to get stronger, too!” Feng Xiaoqi said eagerly. “You were just next door, but there was nothing I could do to get in and help you. I felt so useless! Sister, I want to get stronger! I want to protect you!”

An idea struck Feng Wu.

She was so busy with her own cultivation and searching for the broken star pieces that she had no time to teach Xiaoqi herself.

But Grand Secretary Fang had the time.

Didn’t he say that he was among the top five cultivators of the empire now, and was as capable as Northern Feng General? That made him almost unmatched!

One couldn’t find a better teacher!

And she took action right away!

Taking Feng Xiaoqi’s hand, Feng Wu said, “Come, I’m going to find you a new teacher.”

Qiuling and Granny Zhao cried out in unison. “Miss, it’s the middle of the night…”

That was the best thing about living next door. Help was only a wall away.

And she wouldn’t need to worry about Xiaoqi getting kidnapped or lured away on his way to his classes.

The more she thought about it, the more excited Feng Wu was. Tossing a “we’ll be back soon” over her shoulder, she then jumped over the wall.

Fang Manor.

Grand Secretary Fang spent the entire afternoon talking to Emperor Wu.

He was a loyal subject, and the emperor had gone out of his way to show his appreciation for the old man’s talent. As a result, the conversation lasted well into the night.

Emperor Wu left in a great mood and Grand Secretary Fang was just as happy.

After seeing the emperor off, Grand Secretary Fang turned around to find Feng Wu and Feng Xiaoqi in his yard.

“I see you have really sharp ears.” Grand Secretary Fang beckoned Feng Wu over.

Little Feng Wu had become his favorite person on earth.

He had always known that the girl was a great talent worth teaching. Now that he was under the impression that she might have met Master Mu himself, Grand Secretary Fang couldn’t control his excitement.

Feng Wu chuckled. “You didn’t tell His Majesty about ‘Free and Easy Wandering,’ did you?”