Chapter 135: Going to Watch Beauties Bathe
Chapter 135: Going to Watch Beauties Bathe
Everyone reached an agreement and followed the young flood dragon toward his residence.
The flood dragon instantly transformed into a colossal body nearly three thousand zhang long and called out to Li Hao:
“Master, climb aboard. I’ll take you to my dwelling.”
“Alright!”
Hearing the flood dragon call to him, Li Hao answered casually. He brought Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, Qing’er, Zhen Ba, Kui Hu, Li Zhan, Qin Zhen, Ling Guanghan, and Xiao Jiu—nine people in all—to the flood dragon’s head, which was dozens of zhang wide.
“Hold on tight!”
The flood dragon gave them a warning, then instantly spread a protective barrier over everyone on his head before plunging headfirst into the vast ocean below. The group saw the flood dragon carrying them through the water, weaving around one strange mountain peak after another.
As the flood dragon traveled through the sea, Li Hao asked curiously:
“Why did you bring down such a torrential rain overnight and flood the entire Realm Within the Realm to a depth of hundreds of thousands of zhang?”
The flood dragon continued forward as he explained:
“Young Master may not know this, but I had a purpose in doing so.”
“What purpose?”
Hearing Li Hao’s question, the flood dragon explained:
“Young Master, there is no need to hurry. Let me explain it slowly.
“Every night, I summon thunder in order to temper the spiritual souls of the contestants within the Realm Within the Realm. The thunder carries an effect that shakes and refines the soul.
“The storms serve two purposes. First, they eliminate the young contestants who fail to meet the requirements. Second, they temper the contestants’ bodies. When the storm winds strike them, they seep into the cultivators’ flesh.
“As for last night’s torrential rain, it was intended to compress and purify the power of the Heavenly Laws within your bodies. Some of the young contestants would hide inside caves, so I had no choice but to submerge every mountain peak overnight. Once the flood covered all the peaks, everyone had to flee their caves and was exposed to the rain.
“As time passed, their strength was gradually sealed by the power I had infused into the rain, and they all fell into the floodwaters below to soak there.
“How long they can endure the water depends entirely on their own fortune. Those who cannot withstand it will be eliminated. Only after surviving this trial will they have a chance to enter the next one.
“This torrential rain will continue to flood the Realm Within the Realm for three months. Only when the second trial begins, three months from now, will the floodwaters disappear.
“So today, when I sensed Young Master drawing upon my water power to break through his realm, I became curious. I deliberately appeared before you because I wanted to investigate. I never imagined that I would find a master instead. When I think about it, everything truly happened by an incredible coincidence.”
Only after hearing the flood dragon’s explanation did everyone realize how frightening and powerful he truly was. Although he knew nothing about the outside human world, his strength had won the respect of every person present. Of them all, only Xiao Jiu remained completely calm.
At the same time, they understood the painstaking effort behind the flood dragon’s actions. Whether he had done it willingly or whether it was required by the rules of the Realm Within the Realm, he had nevertheless contributed greatly.
Hearing the flood dragon repeatedly call him “Master,” Li Hao said:
“Don’t keep calling me Master. Just call me Young Master, like Brother Xiao Jiu does.”
Hearing this, the flood dragon finally understood why Xiao Jiu called Li Hao “Young Master” instead of “Master.” He obediently replied:
“Yes, Young Master.”
Li Hao had two reasons for making this request. First, he did not want to attract too much attention. Second, he did not want to appear overly high-profile. If several divine beasts called him “Master” every day, he would inevitably draw attention and invite many unnecessary troubles. This was also one of the ways Li Hao kept a low profile.
“Young Master” sounded far less domineering, and it could more easily divert people’s attention.
“Will you still bring down rain in the future?”
Lu Yao asked curiously. Her question was also what everyone else wanted to know.
The flood dragon answered:
“Only once a month. And later, the rain will become weaker and weaker.”
“Why?”
The flood dragon patiently explained their confusion:
“Setting all this up consumes an enormous amount of power. After every selection tournament, it takes eight hundred to one thousand years for the power within the Realm Within the Realm to recover to its peak. Thus, every time the power is used, there is less remaining. That is why it grows weaker and weaker.”
Hearing this, everyone immediately understood many things.
Lin Xueyou continued:
“If that is the case, then the Twelve Palaces of the Lu Jiashan Star Region must hold their century-spaced selection tournaments in rotation because of this. Otherwise, they could simply hold the tournament in their own Realm Within the Realm every hundred years. By taking turns, one full cycle lasts twelve hundred years—which is precisely long enough for the power of the Realm Within the Realm to recover to its peak.”
“Yes, yes! Sister Xueyou must be right!”
Everyone felt that Lin Xueyou’s analysis made perfect sense.
After discussing it for a while, Li Hao asked:
“Do you know what the trial in the next stage will be?”
The flood dragon’s answer disappointed everyone. He said:
“I don’t know either. Once my task is complete, I will be sealed by the power of the Realm Within the Realm and fall into slumber. I will not slowly awaken until the power here has recovered to its peak.”
“So that’s how it is! We should be safe at your residence for the next few months, right?”
The flood dragon replied:
“To be honest, you would be safe anywhere. However, if you want to temper your souls, bodies, and cultivation, you should come out and soak in the water more often.”
“That’s right! We’ll come out and soak in the seawater later.”
Although they did not know what the next trial would be, they would at least be safe for the next few months.
However, when Lu Yao imagined so many men and women soaking together, she felt uncomfortable and said:
“Brother Li Hao, I don’t want to soak in there with them.”
Hearing her, Li Hao said:
“Little Yao, don’t worry. Once we arrange our residence, I’ll have him open up a separate small space for the three of you girls.”
Hearing this, Lu Yao asked excitedly:
“Really?”
Li Hao answered:
“Really.”
“Wow! That’s wonderful!”
Hearing their conversation, the flood dragon added:
“Young Master’s suggestion is perfectly acceptable. There is a place like that at my residence as well. I’ll leave it for the three young ladies.”
The three girls’ eyes lit up when they heard this, and they were all delighted. In her excitement, Lu Yao wanted to embrace Li Hao, but halfway through the motion, she remembered that many friends were nearby. She changed her target to Lin Xueyou instead. Lin Xueyou received Lu Yao’s enthusiastic hug and could not help smiling.
Seeing the girls’ blissful smiles, bright as white flowers in full bloom, and the slight upward curve of their lips filled with joy, everyone was captivated. They were like blossoms unfolding before their eyes. Their most radiant moments were when they smiled. Their smiles seemed to possess a unique magic that drew in the eyes and souls of everyone around them, leaving the young men unable to forget them.
The girls’ laughter drifted half into the sea and half into the wind. Its lingering echoes floated endlessly across the vast ocean. After a burst of laughter as clear as silver bells, Qin Zhen said:
“They all have their own private spaces. Don’t we get one too?”
“Er…”
The flood dragon was rendered speechless by Qin Zhen’s request.
Hearing the difficulty in the flood dragon’s voice, Kui Hu quickly interrupted:
“You want a special private space too? Keep dreaming. Even the Young Master doesn’t receive treatment that noble. We’re going out to watch the beauties bathe.”
“Exactly! We’re going out to watch the beauties bathe…”
With Kui Hu cutting him off and the two of them making a commotion, everyone burst into amused laughter without saying a word, and the flood dragon’s awkwardness was resolved as well.
Kui Hu’s words made Lin Xueyou and Lu Yao roll their eyes, while Qing’er secretly laughed to herself.
Zhen Ba glanced at Qing’er and said:
“If you want to watch beauties, you lot can take the Young Master and Brother Ling to watch them. I’m not going.”
Hearing this, Ling Guanghan added:
“You all go ahead. I’m not going either!”
Qin Zhen looked at Li Hao with a mischievous grin and asked:
“What about you, Young Master? Are you going or not?”
“Ouch! My backside!”
“You’re not allowed to take Brother Li Hao with you. If you want to go, go by yourselves.”
“Hahahaha!”
The moment Qin Zhen finished speaking, Lu Yao kicked him in the rear. His exchange with Li Hao was instantly cut short, and his miserable, embarrassed expression sent everyone into fits of laughter.
The more Qing’er looked at Lu Yao and Li Hao, the more well-matched they seemed. She felt a little unwilling and dejected inside. She knew that she was not worthy of such a handsome and outstanding young man. Being welcomed and accepted by them was already enough to satisfy her.
Xiao Jiu suddenly said something that left everyone speechless:
“If you want to temper your bodies, purify your strength, and cultivate your souls, what could possibly compare with the Young Master’s special ability? All the Young Master needs to do is move his hand, and his power is countless times stronger than that of this little flood dragon.”
“No way!”
Several breaths passed after Xiao Jiu finished speaking before everyone slowly recovered. Qin Zhen asked in disbelief:
“Xiao Jiu, are you serious?”
Xiao Jiu rolled his eyes at him and said:
“You have all experienced the Young Master’s purifying power. You have also witnessed his Reincarnation Breath-Sealing Soul Refinement Art. I’m the only one who knows how powerful his body-tempering ability is. To be honest, if the Young Master released all of that special power, I dare say that even a Heaven-and-Earth Realm expert would have his body blasted apart in an instant.”
The others were horrified. They felt that Xiao Jiu might be exaggerating.
Qin Zhen said incredulously:
“No way! If it’s truly that terrifying, wouldn’t the Young Master already be invincible under heaven?”
Xiao Jiu answered:
“You’re mistaken. How could becoming invincible be so easy? What I mean is that even a Heaven-and-Earth Realm expert would have his body blasted apart if all of the Young Master’s special power invaded his body. That is not an exaggeration. But think about it—would you casually allow someone else’s power to invade your body? As long as the Young Master’s power cannot break through the other party’s defenses and his special power cannot be injected into that person’s body, it cannot harm them.”
“That’s true. It really is like that. Still, the Young Master truly is different from us. Everything about him is strange!”
After hearing Xiao Jiu’s analysis, everyone realized that their earlier thoughts had been far too simplistic.
Hearing their discussion, Lin Xueyou reminded them:
“Li Hao is indeed rather special. If you want him to encounter fewer troubles, you must never speak carelessly about this outside. If people with ulterior motives hear this news, they may act against Li Hao. It is even possible that everyone connected to him would be dragged into the trouble.”
“Exactly! Sister Xueyou is right. Everyone must keep this absolutely secret.”