Chapter 69: Thunder Law Spiritual Elegance, Spell Breakthrough

After acquiring three treasures from the cave, Zhao Xing immediately retreated. Since the combined aura of the three treasures was too strong and couldn't be easily assimilated, he chose to go to the Altar Plaza.

The Altar Plaza, an outer area of the divine temple, prohibits fighting at certain times. Entering during these periods guarantees absolute safety. Otherwise, the officials would have to compete with each other while also facing dangers from the mountain, making their task excessively difficult.

After Zhao Xing entered the plaza, although there were still watchful eyes, no one dared or was able to make a move. His straw figures also began to arrive, one after another.

"Only thirty-four straw figures remain."

"However, the Mighty Vajra figures still account for half of them."

Exploring the mountain cat's den resulted in the greatest losses. Some of the figures had reached the end of their spell duration, or were damaged, so Zhao Xing did not renew them.

"Originally, I had thirty-nine, but lost five more, including three Mighty Vajra figures, when entering the temple grounds." Zhao Xing's gaze turned cold as he looked in several directions.

Standing on a large tree was an archer, holding a silver bow, with arrows beside him gleaming magnificently. His clothes were extraordinary, capable of changing with the environment, easily overlooked if one wasn't careful. It was this person who had caused him to lose three Mighty Vajra figures.

"I remember you," Zhao Xing said, looking at the archer.

"Oh? Then wait for me to find you," the archer scoffed in response, then disappeared into the jungle. Although he was somewhat surprised not to have fully pierced the Mighty Vajra figures, this person was merely an agricultural official and posed no threat to him.

In another direction stood a middle-aged scholar, adorned with a headpiece and holding a feather fan. When Zhao Xing looked his way, the scholar, far from being annoyed, offered a slight smile and a cupped-hand salute, as if he hadn't been the one burning the straw figures moments before.

"This is a Rite cultivator," Zhao Xing thought to himself. In the Zhou Dynasty's system of rites and music, 'music' referred to cultivators like Lu Qian. The 'rites' themselves also possessed immense power; these practitioners could be called 'Literary cultivators.' Civil officials commanded the magic of rites. Earlier, when that person told him to relinquish his spiritual essence, an urge to obey his words arose within Zhao Xing. Fortunately, he used his gloomy wind to shake the opponent's soul, preventing the latter half of the flames from burning him.

From several other directions, individuals had also made moves, but Zhao Xing was quick and timed his actions precisely. Some attacks missed him, while others came too late to be effective.

"My friend, I am..." Someone, seeing Zhao Xing's youth, wanted to approach him, hoping to gain some advantage.

"Get lost!" Zhao Xing interrupted impolitely. He commanded his straw figures to form a defensive perimeter in front of him, preventing those with ill intentions from approaching. Simultaneously, he created a wind wall to block out auditory interference. The discussions about him were quite loud at the moment.

"Who is that person? His straw figures look different from what I've seen; they seem incredibly powerful.""He actually blocked Gu Feng's three Meteor Arrows? Do straw figures really have such high defense?""I recognize him. That's Zhao Xing from Gucheng, an official from the Agricultural Bureau.""From Gucheng, I've heard of Li Chengfeng, known as a true gentleman. He seems to have had an extraordinary encounter, securing the thirteenth incense stick last night.""My friend, if you know him, could you introduce me? I'd like to make his acquaintance.""Acquaintance? Brother, you're clearly interested in the spiritual essence he possesses, aren't you?""I advise you not to go near him. This one is not to be trifled with. When he roared just now, my scalp tingled as if I'd been doused with a bucket of ice water.""I felt it too. It was as if the wind around me chilled me to the bone. No matter how I circulated my vital energy, I'm still shivering.""Tsk, tsk, tsk, there are more and more masters these days. Even an agricultural official can be such a formidable character—three spiritual essences and so many wondrous straw figures!""It seems tonight's competition for the first incense stick will be even livelier than the first day's.""What a shame I couldn't witness it. Does anyone know what happened last night?""I know a bit. Last night, Yang Junxiong, with his bamboo horse, swept away all rivals of his cultivation level and entered the temple to claim the first incense stick. Du Jiaojiao, the successor of the Nanyang Du Family Spear, arrived a step late and only secured the second.""Both are agricultural officials; I wonder how this person compares to Cao Qiushui, the descendant of True Monarch?""Surely he can't compare, can he?"

Zhao Xing manifested wind around his body to block out the external noise, then took out the treasures he had obtained from the mountain cat's den: a purple stone, a yellow sheet of paper, and a blue lotus pod.

"All three are mid-grade spiritual essences."

"It seems what the mountain cat truly valued was the high-grade spiritual essence, the Golden Cup of Fortune," Zhao Xing mused. He felt no regret. Being able to obtain three spiritual essences at once and escape unscathed was already exceptionally rare. When one's fortune peaks, as long as greed is avoided, the benefits can be retained. If one becomes greedy, they might gain nothing and even fail to escape safely; Zhao Xing had witnessed too many such examples.

"If I make further progress on the third day, I will try to seize the Golden Cup of Fortune. If not, I won't force it; I'll just descend the mountain."

Dismissing distracting thoughts, Zhao Xing focused on the task at hand. He dared not touch the purple stone directly, instead using wind to support it. Even his Mighty Vajra figures had been scorched by electricity, so picking it up with his bare hands would likely cripple him. It was described as scorched by electricity rather than heat precisely because this purple stone was a lightning-element spiritual essence. In the Five Elements, wind counters lightning, so holding it with a gentle breeze would prevent harm.

"What potent lightning energy!" Zhao Xing brought the stone closer for a detailed look. It was semi-transparent, and beneath a thin layer of stone, rampant lightning surged. This was entirely a stone condensed from lightning itself!

"I wonder how that silly cat managed to carry it into the den. No wonder I always felt the mountain cat moved with lightning speed; it wasn't an illusion. It likely gained significant benefits from this stone."

Without a doubt, this Thunderstone was a lightning-element spiritual essence, containing pure lightning power that could aid in comprehending lightning-based spells!

"Buzz~" Zhao Xing slowly brought his other hand closer. A wisp of vital energy emerged from his fingertip and gently probed into the stone. A slight tingling sensation spread from his fingertip. Immediately, Zhao Xing's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the Thunderstone, his eyes fully immersed in the world within the stone.

"Boom! Crack!"

The world within the stone was entirely a realm of lightning. Zhao Xing felt as though he was in a lightning pool, observing the flickering bolts. The world of lightning was reflected in Zhao Xing's pupils. He began to comprehend it instinctively, and his proficiency in lightning spells surged dramatically.

You comprehended the mid-grade spiritual essence 'Thunderstone,' increasing your lightning spell proficiency by 1000 points!

Almost immediately, his 'Thunder Strike' ability broke through to the eighth rotation, and 'Lightning Guidance' also advanced to the second rotation.