155 Riding the Wind through the Void

Looking at the pile of egg-sized gravel shattered beneath his feet, Xiao Yao felt somewhat dissatisfied. While he possessed the experience of applying the true qi within his body, he still lacked practical application. With the exact same amount of true qi, had this palm strike been delivered by Pan Wu, the heap of stones on the ground would have been reduced to the size of mustard seeds.

He still had a long way to go in controlling his true qi. Despite having the theoretical knowledge, achieving the level of effortless and meticulous manipulation required time and continuous practice.

The martial prowess displayed by a practitioner at the Xiantian realm was already astonishing, but for Xiao Yao, this was merely the tip of the iceberg of his true capabilities.

Having reached the Xiantian realm, what Xiao Yao valued most was not martial might, but Daoist magic.

He had mastered numerous formidable martial arts techniques and divine skills, any of which could be considered peerless masterpieces. Yet compared to the Daoist arts he now commanded, these martial secrets paled into insignificance.

Having advanced to the Xiantian realm, he was now capable of initially employing some simple Daoist spells.

The primary Daoist art Pan Wu had cultivated was the Dutian Thunder Technique, supplemented by the Yin-Yang Five Elements Shangqing True Canon. Both of these traditions were direct, secret transmissions from ancient Qi practitioners, possessing immense profundity and mystery.

Given his current realm, he was only capable of casting the simplest of spells.

The Dutian Thunder Technique embodied the majestic and terrifying majesty of heaven capable of destroying all creation; it was the most offensive and destructive of all Daoist arts. Because this art was so vast and profound, he could currently perform only its most basic application: the Palm Thunder.

Thanks to Pan Wu's memories and experience, despite this being his first time casting such a powerful Daoist spell, he only needed a moment of concentration to succeed on his very first attempt.

With his right hand extended forward, a blinding flash of light erupted across his palm, followed by a deafening roar. A bolt of lightning, roughly the thickness of a chopstick, directly struck a willow tree standing not far ahead.

Although the lightning bolt appeared unassuming, its destructive power was terrifying.

The entire bark of the bowl-thick willow tree was scorched into charcoal by the electricity, and seven or eight fine cracks split across its trunk.

The destructive power of this Palm Thunder seemed even more terrifying than natural lightning!

Seeing the might of his Palm Thunder, even Xiao Yao himself was startled.

"As expected of a direct transmission from ancient Qi practitioners, even the most ordinary Palm Thunder already possesses a trace of the world-destroying characteristics inherent to true thunder magic." Though he had anticipated it, witnessing it with his own eyes still filled him with profound shock.

Although the cultivation of Daoist arts was extremely arduous, once mastered, their power was equally immense. Xiao Yao was exceedingly pleased with this.

If the Dutian Thunder Technique represented destruction and devastation, then the Yin-Yang Five Elements Shangqing True Canon encompassed all creation.

This Daoist art integrated various branches of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements spells, making it exceptionally vast and complex. For now, he could only cast a few of the simpler Yin-Yang and Five Elements incantations.

Among the minor spells within the Shangqing True Canon, Xiao Yao pondered for a moment before flicking his wrist. A beam of green light descended upon a small willow sapling before him.

The willow sapling began to thrive and grow at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within the span of five minutes, the chopstick-thick, foot-long sapling transformed into a small tree over a meter tall, as thick as a child's arm.

What he had cast was the Wood-element spell known as the Spring of Ten Thousand Woods. The miraculous nature of Daoist magic left Xiao Yao deeply amazed.

After experimenting with several other minor spells, nearly half of the true qi in Xiao Yao's Dantian had been consumed.

As a direct successor of the ancient Qi practitioners, Xiao Yao commanded a multitude of minor Daoist arts, though he saw no need to test every single one.

He turned his head to look around and found no human presence, but just to be safe, he cast an invisibility spell upon himself.

Once the invisibility spell took effect, Xiao Yao's physical body became entirely imperceptible to the naked eye. Confirming that the concealment was functioning properly, his body rose into the air like a giant bird, soaring straight up into the high heavens.

Thus, Xiao Yao ascended smoothly on the wind, flying at an incredible speed toward the summit of the mountain.

The spell he was currently employing was a wind-element Daoist technique known as Riding the Wind in the Void.

This art could be utilized immediately upon reaching the Xiantian realm. As long as one's internal true qi was sufficient, one could continuously fly through the skies without ever needing to touch the ground.

Though this was merely the most basic flight spell and its speed was not exceptionally fast, Xiao Yao was already more than satisfied.

Every person's dreams differed, but everyone surely had once harbored a fantasy of flight. To soar freely through the skies like a bird and experience that unconstrained, carefree sensation—he was already deeply content.

Once he advanced to the Second Heaven realm, he would gain the ability to conjure cloud-chariots and fly upon magical treasures. When that time came, the dream of "wandering the Northern Sea at dawn and the苍梧 mountains by dusk" would no longer be far away.

Only when his true qi was nearly exhausted did Xiao Yao finally satisfy his craving for flight. He returned to his car and drove back home.

Upon returning home, still riding the wave of excitement brought by witnessing the miraculous nature of Daoist arts, Xiao Yao remained in high spirits.

Meanwhile, Yin Xiaoya was enduring a strict interrogation from her parents. Under her mother's piercing gaze, she dared not conceal the slightest detail, recounting from beginning to end the entire process of how she and Xiao Yao had met and interacted.

Upon hearing his eldest daughter's confession, Yin Qinglun's face turned ashen. "You just met him the day before yesterday, and yesterday you went to a hotel room together? Have you no shame left at all?"

Yin Qinglun had even harsher words he wished to utter, but after all, she was the precious daughter he had cherished for over twenty years; he truly could not bear to scold her too harshly, and thus forcibly suppressed his raging anger as he reprimanded her.

"Though our family lacks money, your mother and I could pay off our accumulated debts within three to five years through hard work. Life would steadily improve; there was no need for you to trade away your entire life for money! Do you have any idea how heartbroken I am right now?"

Yin Qinglun felt utterly useless. If only he had not gone bankrupt back then, how could his daughter have been driven to such a pass?

His greatest wish was simply for his two daughters to grow up safely and peacefully, and eventually find ideal husbands to live happy lives.

Now, his eldest daughter had suddenly informed him that she had gone to a hotel with a wealthy man she had known for merely two days. He felt as though the sky had collapsed; even back when he went bankrupt, he had never felt such agonizing heartache.

"Dad, I really didn't do it for the money. Even though he is very wealthy, I would still be willing even if he had nothing," Yin Xiaoya said earnestly.

"You'd be willing even without money? Doing something like that after knowing someone for just two days—anyone can tell he's a slick manipulator. Not a single person like that is trustworthy!" Yin Qinglun directly pronounced his verdict.

"Dad, you've misunderstood. He isn't the kind of person who uses flowery words. It's just that I like him far too much, and I don't regret it at all. He is the most adored idol in my heart. Even if we were to break up tomorrow, whatever I've gained will remain, and what stays in my heart will still be happiness." Yin Xiaoya's tone was resolute.