700: Strange Gemstone

Strange Gemstone

Ming Yue could feel the sheer power coming off of the glowing gemstone. It had a bluish hue to the aura along with traces of pure white. She took a moment to breathe and ready herself before taking in some of that energy. 

It started to trickle in and the becoming a gentle flow. 

"What is this power?" 

She was in awe of it, dense and rich, filling her being with warmth. But that pleasant sensation didn't last long. 

"Urgh."

Her grip around Tengri's Heart tightened as her body seized up, shaking uncontrollably. With such trembling, the gemstone fell out of her hands but Xing Pangde caught it before it fell down.

Ming Yue didn't realize what had happened. 

Her breathing quickened as she dropped to the floor, forcing herself into a meditative stance. She closed her eyes, trying to endure the pain. 

"This... what is this... power?!"

As the energy of Tengri's Heart filled her body, it suddenly went on a rampage inside her, thrashing her meridians and internal organs. It felt as if lightning had struck her from the inside or a powerful tornado was shredding her organs.

Either way, it was pure agony for her. 

It was like nothing she'd experienced before, such raw power coursing through her. 

"Gah, it's worse than a Heavenly Tribulation, at least I was prepared for that! Damn it, I should've been more careful."

At this time, she contemplated her choices, wondering if the pain was worth it.

However, she didn't have the luxury to think in peace while her body was being torn apart.

Standing beside her, the old man knelt down with a concerned look, moving to help her. 

"Let me take in that energy, it's far too dangerous for you!"

He walked behind her, sitting down cross-legged. 

"No! It's fine! I... can do this!"

Her voice was strained but she stopped him from helping her. 

Xing Pangde stopped for a moment, deciding whether to let her or ignore her words. He moved his hands toward her, fully prepared to take in that dangerous power. 

Part of him knew that letting her go through with this was extremely risky. To lose such a rising talent would be a shame as well. However, he understood her desire to go through with this alone. What warrior wouldn't want to take on a challenge by themselves?

And so he stopped, pulling away and standing back up. 

"Alright then, but if I deem it too dangerous, I will step in."

Even though he said this, he wasn't even sure she heard him. But the old man kept his word, standing aside and watching her closely. 

In the meantime, Ming Yue was solely focused on dealing with this energy. 

If she wanted to overcome it, she had to make it hers. Pulling out power from her core, Ming Yue let it flood her body, filling the damaged meridians and nerves. Like a wave, it washed over the rampaging power, drowning it with its sheer volume. 

But just once wasn't enough to subdue it, no, Ming Yue constantly pulled more and more energy from within. Constant waves of energy circled through her body and each time, the rampaging power weakened. Each cycle drew in more energy, returning to her core. 

The initial pain was the worst but she endured. 

And by the end of it, it was gone and instead, the pain was replaced by a refreshing feeling. She opened her eyes with a look of surprise, inspecting her body before looking at Xing Pangde. 

Seeing her eyes open, the old man quickly approached her, kneeling down to check her condition. 

"How is it? How do you feel?" he asked. 

Looking inwardly, the young cultivator was in awe. 

"I... I feel fine, much better actually", she answered. 

She looked up at him before looking past the old man. 

"Tengri's Heart... Where is it?"

"What?" 

The old man was taken aback but he turned around and grabbed it for her to see. 

"It's here, I didn't take it anywhere but you're not seriously injured? No residual pain? Nothing?" he questioned. 

She shook her head. 

"I feel... much better now. It was quite difficult in the beginning but..."

Raising a hand, she snapped a finger, forming both a Wind Needle and an equally small bolt of lightning. She looked at it before letting the energy go. 

"It's definitely improved my affinity for the Wind and Lightning Dao", she muttered. 

Seeing her like this, he just laughed out loud, putting his hand over his eyes. 

"Ahahahaha! To think I was worried for nothing. You're truly a one-of-a-kind person!" he remarked, "Despite all of that pain, you recovered just like that."

Xing Pangde couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. 

"Of the few who tried, none of them had been able to rebound as quickly as you could. In fact, they were all bedridden for at least a day. Ahahaha! Truly, the stories about your feats aren't exaggerated", he told her. 

There was a grin on his face before looking at her. 

"So then, would you like this?" he asked.

Ming Yue stared at the glowing stone and nodded. Chuckling, the old man tossed it over for her to catch. 

"It's yours then. this thing has been here collecting dust all this time. Finally, there's someone who can use it. But I feel as though just that isn't enough as a reward."

He turned around, glancing at her over his shoulder. 

"Come on then, we still have quite a bit of the Treasury to go through."

Ming Yue leaned forward and stood up slowly, her body still felt a bit weak but as long as she didn't push herself, she'd be fine. 

The young woman followed Xing Pangde, exploring the furthest depths of the treasury. Despite going through all of it, there was nothing else that she wanted. 

Rather, she asked questions about Tengri's Heart, trying to learn more about it. But the answers were limited as the old man knew just about as much as her. 

Once they were finished, the pair walked back up and left the place. 

"It is a shame that nothing else caught your eyes but at least that gemstone did."

He spun around and picked up the key, closing the doors and locking them. And then the key was gently put back. 

"Alright, let's go see my son-in-law."

Waiting by the forge were Xiao Yin and Hei Yue, watching them patiently to which Ming Yue greeted them warmly.  2

After that, they went to see Xing Long who was surprised by the results but nevertheless accepted it. 

"Well since, this matter is done the next thing we have to focus on is sending my daughter off for her Ten-Year trial. Part of that is, well... dueling my wife."

Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the other side of the manor. It was enough to make him pause for a second, close his eyes, and take a deep breath. 

"She is quite excited about it so I hope that you prepare well."

There was another loud bang that followed his words. 

Ming Yue put out a pleasant smile and lowered her head. 

"Don't worry, I will be sure not to disappoint her in this duel."

The tired king smiled back. 

"Hearing that gives me some relief. Ever since you've accepted the duel, she's gone back to her old self. It certainly won't be an easy duel. In any case, I won't take more of your time. There's still a few more days before the spar so I'll let you to it."

She nodded once more before leaving with her two beasts. 

Now there was just the king, Xing Long, and Xing Pangde, his father-in-law, alone in the office. 

"How do you think the duel is going to end?" the old man asked. 

Xing Long sighed as he went back to reading some documents. 

"I don't know. It could go in either one of their favor. That is of course if they stick with the same rules. If not, I'm not sure." 

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