Boom!
With a thunderous roar, a figure plummeted from the sky, crashing directly into a pool. A massive tremor then rippled outwards in all directions.
At this moment, a man and a woman stopped in their tracks as they sensed the disturbance.
"Senior Sister, what was that? Such a huge tremor, could it be a mighty being from the Demon or Beast races?" the man asked the woman before him, his face filled with unease.
The woman frowned slightly, then shook her head. "If it were a great power from the Demon or Beast races, the sect would have sensed it by now. Moreover, such powerful beings wouldn't cause such a large tremor within our Xuan Yuan Sect's territory. Let's go and see."
As the woman finished speaking, she shot off in the direction of the tremor's origin. Seeing this, the man glanced around and quickly followed.
"Senior Sister, what is happening? Where has the water from the Flowing Spirit Pool gone!" Moments later, the man and woman arrived above a deep pit. The man was stunned by the change he saw below.
"Let's not worry about that for now. Look, down there, isn't that a person?" the woman said, pointing to the bottom of the Flowing Spirit Pool.
"Huh? Senior Sister, there really is a person. They seem to be unconscious," the man said, his eyes widening in surprise as he focused his gaze. He then moved instantly, descending to the bottom of the pool and lifting the person up.
The woman immediately leaned down to examine him.
"This person's internal injuries are extremely severe. With my power, I cannot fully comprehend them. Furthermore, their attire seems somewhat different from ours," the woman remarked, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes after her examination.
Such grave injuries, and yet they were still alive.
The attire of the man before them also piqued the woman's curiosity.
"Senior Sister, lately there have been large stones falling from the heavens frequently. Perhaps this person was struck by one of those stones, which is why they ended up here. I wonder which of our human factions' disciples this is, to be so unlucky. From the looks of it, recovery seems unlikely," the man beside the woman said, looking at the man on the ground with pity.
"Let's take him back to Master to see. Being alive in such a state is enough to prove that his life is not fated to end," the woman nodded, then glanced at the man beside her before swiftly shooting off towards the east.
The man smiled wryly, shook his head, cast a glance at the figure on the ground, and then followed the woman, carrying the person.
Mountains surrounded them, shrouded in mist.
Amongst the peaks, on the central highest peak, the three large characters of Xuan Yuan Sect were prominently displayed.
"Qing Zhu, you and Qing Lin go down. This person is my responsibility," an elder said in the Xuan Yuan Hall. He was vigorous, with snow-white hair and eyebrows that showed no signs of age.
After speaking, the elder's gaze shifted to the man being supported by Qing Lin.
"Master, will this person be alright?" the woman asked, cupping her fist in a salute.
The Xuan Yuan Elder smiled and slowly replied, "Since this person is one of our human race and met with misfortune within our Xuan Yuan Sect's territory, I naturally must try to save them. As for the specifics, we will decide once this person awakens."
Qing Zhu nodded. Upon discovering the person, they bore no insignia of any faction. At this point, only the Master's intervention might reveal the person's origin.
With this thought, Qing Zhu bowed to the Xuan Yuan Elder and then walked out of the hall.
"Such injuries do not seem to be caused by human hands," as Qing Zhu and Qing Lin departed, the Xuan Yuan Elder glanced at the man lying with closed eyes on the seat supported by Qing Lin. He frowned slightly, then waved his sleeve, instantly enveloping the man and making him disappear.
"Master, how are his injuries?"
The next day, when Li Qing Zhu was summoned to the secret chamber by the Xuan Yuan Elder, she looked at the man on the bed and asked.
The Xuan Yuan Elder shook his head and sighed. "I cannot say for sure about this person's current condition. Although my divine sense can perceive severe internal trauma, it is strange. Whenever I inject my spiritual energy into his body, it is repelled by a sharp sword intent."
"Furthermore, it even generates a counter-shock force towards me."
"And this counter-shock force seems to contain lightning power. I didn't notice it the first time and was almost repulsed. However, I can sense that a trace of your aura exists within him."
"My aura? Could it be that it was the spiritual energy I used to temporarily stabilize him when I found him?" Li Qing Zhu exclaimed in surprise.
At this moment, Li Qing Zhu was also confused by the Xuan Yuan Elder's words. Her Master, with his power, was unable to heal this person.
The Xuan Yuan Elder nodded. "This person may hold some secrets. At the very least, my power cannot help him. However, your spiritual energy can enter his body. This is why I summoned you."
Li Qing Zhu looked at the Xuan Yuan Elder. "Master, are you saying that we should use my spiritual energy to treat him? But with his injuries, my spiritual energy might not be enough to heal him."
The Xuan Yuan Elder nodded. "This is the only method for now. I will transmit my spiritual energy to you, and you only need to follow my steps. You should know that before you arrived, I had your Uncle Master examine him. The result was the same as mine; our spiritual energy could not enter his body."
"Master, I understand." Li Qing Zhu's eyes widened in surprise again, but she quickly shifted her gaze to the man on the bed, and her spiritual energy surged into the man's body.
With a flash of light, Li Qing Zhu's spiritual energy instantly entered the man's body. After a moment of sensing, Li Qing Zhu detected the terrifying sword intent and lightning power that her Master had spoken of within the man.
However, it was strange that this sword intent and lightning power did not resist Li Qing Zhu's spiritual energy at all.
"It works! Qing Zhu, first inject your spiritual energy into his meridians to stabilize them!" Seeing Li Qing Zhu's spiritual energy smoothly entering the man's body, the Xuan Yuan Elder nodded in astonishment and then commanded with a thought.
"Now, inject your spiritual energy into his Dantian."
"Alright. Next, slowly condense the lightning power within his body and try to draw it out. Be careful, this lightning power is extremely potent; do not rush."
"Master, my spiritual energy is insufficient." A quarter of an hour later, Li Qing Zhu's forehead was covered in beads of sweat, and her face had turned pale.
Clearly, such an exertion was a great challenge for Li Qing Zhu.
The Xuan Yuan Elder heard this, and with a surge of his spiritual energy, it quickly flowed into Li Qing Zhu's body. In an instant, Li Qing Zhu's complexion recovered.
As her spiritual energy was replenished, Li Qing Zhu focused her attention back on the man's body, carefully guiding the lightning power. However, as Li Qing Zhu prepared to draw out the condensed lightning power, which was now the size of a fist, she frowned.
"Qing Zhu, what is it?" The Xuan Yuan Elder immediately sensed Li Qing Zhu's change.
"Master, I'm afraid we cannot draw out this lightning power. I can feel that if this lightning power is pulled out, it will instantly explode. And now, there are already signs of it," Li Qing Zhu replied with a wry smile.
The Xuan Yuan Elder's eyes widened in shock. He looked at the man and pondered for a moment. "In that case, let's seal this lightning power within his body for now. However, if this lightning power is not resolved, it will likely have a greater impact on him in the future."
"Master, for now, I believe we should focus on saving his life," Li Qing Zhu said.
The Xuan Yuan Elder nodded slowly and then signaled Li Qing Zhu to continue.
"Master, what faction do you think this person belongs to? He has no token or weapon on him, so it might be difficult to find out. Moreover, the lightning power within him, I can sense it possesses extremely terrifying destructive power."
"He has such terrifying lightning power within him, and yet he is still alive. How was he injured? Could it be that he was struck by lightning?" After sealing the lightning power within the man and completely healing his injuries, Li Qing Zhu wiped the sweat from her brow and looked at the Xuan Yuan Elder.
The Xuan Yuan Elder smiled wryly and shook his head. "We cultivators have a deep reverence for lightning. To contend with the heavens, the heavenly lightning is the most direct punishment. Furthermore, this person's body seems different; its strength is even beyond my comprehension."
"How is that possible?!" Li Qing Zhu looked at the man on the bed in shock.
Li Qing Zhu knew that her Master was the Sect Master of Xuan Yuan Sect, one of the five great powers among humans, possessing the cultivation of the peak of the Harmonious Realm.
On this continent of canyons, he was one of the strongest. For her Master to say that his physical body was not as strong as this person's, did that not mean that this person before them was even more powerful than her Master?
The Xuan Yuan Elder pondered, his brow furrowed, and shook his head with some confusion. "Perhaps I am overthinking it. On our continent, only the Demon Lord of the Demon race and the King of the Beast race possess such strong physiques. If this person's body were truly that formidable, I would surely have heard of it. Perhaps it is due to the lightning power."
Only then did Li Qing Zhu nod and look at the man on the bed again, a hint of bewilderment in her eyes. "Master, his injuries have all been healed, why is there still no sign of him waking up?"
"This... If it were other injuries, I might be able to offer an explanation. But injuries caused by lightning, I have never heard of. Since his injuries have healed, he should awaken soon." The Xuan Yuan Elder shook his head.
As the Xuan Yuan Elder finished speaking, a voice abruptly sounded.
"Where am I..."