Chapter 133: Chapter 130: A Blessing in Disguise: Breakthrough to Level 5 of Foundation Establishment

A blood-red, twisted tentacle, indescribably shaped like a hemp rope, a strip of kelp, and a large intestine, immediately shot out.

It drilled out from within and plunged straight into Xiao Chen’s heart.

Ding Sanlei was completely mad. He ignored his still-bleeding wounds and grinned. "Become a sacrifice! HAHAHAHA!"

He didn’t notice the strange look on Xiao Chen’s face.

Not only did he not feel the slightest discomfort...

...on the contrary, he even felt a little... good.

’Is this bizarrely-shaped tentacle actually providing me with Spiritual Power?’

Of course, that was impossible. The Blood Plague Demon was merely spreading its Blood Plague, attempting to infect Xiao Chen and assimilate him into a parasitized husk.

To that end, a ceaseless stream of the Blood Plague was transmitted into him, polluting his blood.

However, the Blood Plague was considered a type of negative status effect.

With the help of the Divine Protection Veil, Xiao Chen easily immunized himself against the invading Blood Plague.

Not only that, but the purified Blood Plague instead transformed into a continuous stream of Spiritual Power.

The massive influx of Spiritual Power even began to fuel the growth of his Cultivation.

"Junior Brother Xiao!"

Seeing Xiao Chen close his eyes, Elder Liu, who was watching from the side, was frantic with rage and wanted to intervene to save him.

However, the domineering Tier Three pressure emanating from the tentacle was a stark reminder that if he dared to approach, he would only be throwing his life away for nothing.

Ding Sanlei even decided to twist the knife. "Liu Zhishui, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and kill him!"

He reminded him with a sinister smile, "Your junior brother is about to be parasitized by the Blood Plague!"

He watched Elder Liu’s expression with great anticipation, hoping to see him struggle in agony.

"Shh. Don’t be so loud. This is a critical moment."

But Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes and shot Ding Sanlei a glare.

Then he looked at Elder Liu. "Don’t worry, Liu. I’m fine."

With that, he closed his eyes again and circulated the Spirit-Nurturing Technique to digest the endless stream of Spiritual Power.

The two men present were both dumbfounded. ’What is happening now?’

Then, they could only watch as the aura around Xiao Chen grew more and more condensed.

Then it suddenly surged, and he broke through to the fifth level of Foundation Establishment on the spot.

"A breakthrough in the middle of a battle!"

Elder Liu was completely numb. ’What did I just see?’

"Impossible! What in the world is going on? What did you do? How are you not dead?!"

Ding Sanlei let out three desperate shouts, but unfortunately, there was no one who could give him an answer.

He was already injured from the explosion and had consumed his Essence Blood to forcibly break open the Secret Realm.

"BLEGHH!"

Already a candle flickering in the wind, Ding Sanlei, carrying his three questions with him, vomited blood and died on the spot.

As he breathed his last, the opening to the Secret Realm rapidly shrank, and the Blood Plague Demon’s tentacle WHOOSHED back inside.

"Hey, where’d it go?"

Xiao Chen opened his eyes. ’Where’s my free Spiritual Power?’

’It’s gone already?’

He glanced at Ding Sanlei. "Tsk. Couldn’t you have held on a little longer?"

"Junior Brother Xiao, are... are you all right?"

Elder Liu, standing to the side, had complicated feelings.

He had personally watched Xiao Chen get attacked by the Blood Plague Demon’s tentacle and had thought he was finished.

He never expected that not only would Xiao Chen avoid being assimilated, but he would also turn a disaster into a blessing, using the Blood Plague to break through in his Cultivation. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Such a thing was absolutely unprecedented, and it was unlikely anyone would ever repeat it.

"I’m fine. Perfectly fine."

Xiao Chen patted his chest, showing that he was okay.

Seeing Elder Liu hesitate, he took the initiative to explain, "It’s quite a coincidence, but I happened to have previously cultivated one of the Secret Techniques that can resist plagues."

"And it just so happens this Blood Plague doesn’t seem very powerful. It just turned into Spiritual Power instead."

Now that the Secret Realm was closed, whether the Blood Plague was actually powerful or not was, of course, up to him to say.

Neither Elder Liu nor anyone else could just open the Secret Realm to verify his claims.

Xiao Chen added, "It was just a series of lucky coincidences. I just so happened to encounter things I’m good at."

Hearing this, Elder Liu thought for a moment and suddenly realized something was off.

’If it was all just coincidence, isn’t this a bit too coincidental?’

From the initial clash of Sword Techniques, to the avatar versus the Cloud Mist, to the destruction of the Array, and finally, to resisting the Blood Plague...

Xiao Chen always had a way to solve every problem Ding Sanlei threw at him.

’Is he really just lucky?’

’Could it be possible...’

’...that Xiao Chen is actually proficient in many types of Magic, and he simply chose the most appropriate ones for the situation to counter every move?’

’So no matter how many tricks Ding Sanlei had up his sleeve, it was all useless?’

Elder Liu was immediately frightened by his own speculation.

’No, that’s impossible.’

He first rejected the thought himself.

’How long has it been since Xiao Chen achieved Foundation Establishment? He hasn’t even had enough time to cultivate, so how could he master so many types of Magic?’

However, the thought became more and more deeply rooted.

’If one were to analyze it conventionally, Xiao Chen should still be at the first level of Foundation Establishment, consolidating his Cultivation back at the sect.’

Elder Liu’s mind was more active than ever before.

It was common knowledge that geniuses defied convention, and demon-level talents defied logic entirely.

’For a monster like Xiao Chen, who could break through from the first level of Foundation Establishment to the fifth in just half a year, what’s so strange about knowing a few kinds of Magic?’

’It’s perfectly reasonable.’

Elder Liu suddenly felt like he had an epiphany!

As long as he cast aside his old-fashioned perspective and viewed Xiao Chen as a Demon Level genius, then none of it was a problem.

This was clearly a prodigy the Li Huo Sect wouldn’t see in a hundred years—no, a thousand years!

The more Elder Liu thought about it, the more certain he became.

At the same time, his gaze toward Xiao Chen grew increasingly fervent.

Look at what he had discovered!

A hidden demon-level talent, a True Dragon lying low in the abyss, waiting for a storm to rise.

This person was his fellow sect member and even had to address him as a senior.

This was a heaven-sent opportunity for him and for the Plain Liu Family!

Elder Liu suddenly felt a pang of jealousy toward Elder Chen.

’That wily old fox, holding onto his position as an Outer Sect Elder just to spot promising new talent early and recruit them into the Chen Family.’

Fortunately, he hadn’t heard of Xiao Chen being particularly close to any other families.

’If I find a way to invest in and win over Xiao Chen now, it should still be early enough.’

Even if he couldn’t beat the Chen Family to it, he should still have a head start on the other three families.

Thinking of the other three families, Elder Liu suddenly remembered the Jiang Family.

’Tsk, tsk, tsk. In just a few years, the Jiang Family is going to be in for some serious misfortune.’

’When I get back, I absolutely have to instruct my family to stay far away from the Jiang Family from now on.’

’If we have any existing collaborations, they need to be terminated immediately to sever ties and prevent future trouble.’

Xiao Chen looked at Elder Liu, who was standing there in a daze, his expression constantly shifting as he was lost in thought.

A little confused, he asked, "Liu, are you all right?"

Elder Liu snapped back to his senses and quickly waved his hands. "I’m fine! Perfectly fine."

He took a deep breath to compose himself.

’At a time like this, I have to remember not to be too hasty. You have to eat a meal one bite at a time, and build a relationship bit by bit.’

"Junior Brother Xiao, Junior Brother Liu, are you two all right?"

A concerned shout suddenly came from behind them.

Xiao Chen turned to see Huang Haoran and Mei Yong rushing over.