Chapter 0907: The Exceptional Li Jingtao

Li Jingtao's sudden approach startled Li Hongli.

The degree of shock that had just hit her far surpassed what she felt when Li Luo had strode past her. Li Luo might have been in the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages for merely half a year, but the miracles he had created had forced everyone to accept that he was indeed talented, whether they liked it or not.

Unlike him, Li Jingtao had always been a quiet and unimpressive individual. If not for his impressive performance with his Duke Art during the Dragonbreath Pool Battle, he might have simply faded into complete obscurity.

There was no other way to describe his reputation. He barely registered on anyone's radar.

Li Jingtao was warm and gentle, never seeking conflict with others. As a result, he never showed any ambition and thus no one paid any attention to him.

Since this was the case, she inevitably felt that Li Jingtao catching up to her was a massive outrage.

Just what was he relying on?

Li Hongli's beautiful round eyes glared deathly at him.

Li Jingtao was similarly taken aback by her sudden reaction, so he moved off to the side before continuing his ascent.

He was on the verge of overtaking her, and her expression had turned a steely green as a result. All the resonant power within her then exploded outwards and she forcefully increased her speed, creating a gap between them.

Her actions might have given her a quick burst of speed, but this disrupted her momentum and cadence. With the gray-flame dragon burning away, her resonant power was consumed rapidly. Once she ran out of resonant power, it would be extremely difficult to continue climbing any further.

If she had maintained a rational mind, she would not have done so. However, her competitive spirit had been ignited by Li Jingtao and all reason had been thrown away.

At the same time, Deng Fengxian, Li Senyan, and Li Kun were also a little shocked, and they shook their heads. She was simply too emotional, and now her journey up the Dragon's Ascent would come to a premature end.

Still, Li Jingtao's sudden appearance had raised alarm bells. His disgusting defensive abilities had caused others to start paying attention to him, and his climbing speed further showed that he was not merely average after all.

It could only be said that Li Jingtao's foundation did not pale in comparison to theirs.

More importantly, the Dragon's Infernal Baptism did not seem to have much of an effect on him. There was only one possible reason: his body was similar to Li Luo's, practically free of impurities.

Still, no one had ever heard of him reaching the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier.

……

At the same time, a surprised cry was heard from the platform where the Lineage Chiefs and the elders were sitting.

The five Lineage Chiefs were now inspecting Li Jingtao's body with their peerless vision, which seemed to be able to penetrate everything.

The light in Li Jingzhe's eyes flashed briefly and his expression shifted.

"Ah, Li Jingtao has a truly peculiar body." The one that had spoken was the Dragon's Bone Lineage’s Lineage Chief, Li Xuanwu.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

He possessed a body like a giant's, being the strongest physical cultivator amongst the five Lineage Chiefs. Indescribable amounts of blood energy emanated from his very being, so intense that it seemed to have transformed into its own world around his body. It was a mystical sight.

Li Xuanwu, the one with the strongest body in the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages.

He was focused on Li Jingtao, and a bloodlight flashed through his eyes. When he spoke, it was like thunder booming in the skies. "His body has been refined and seems to be incredibly tenacious. His flesh and blood have attained a purity that far surpasses any of the other Banner Leaders. He seems to have practiced some sort of body-tempering Duke Art, and it’s not a low-grade one. However, his body seems a little strange. It might be resilient, but the amount of energy it's able to produce doesn't seem to be great either. How should I put it? He seems like an invincible... sandbag?"

At this point, Li Xuanwu's gaze turned a little strange. Just what sort of oddling was this Li Jingtao kid? He had cultivated his body to such an extreme, demonstrating immense talent. The advantage of cultivating a strong body lay in its majestic strength. One punch could shatter the skies and rend the earth. It was tyrannical and unyielding. His body was strong indeed... but only in terms of being extremely resilient.

With how impervious Li Jingtao’s body was, Li Xuanwu felt that even if countless Banner Leaders ganged up upon him, they would only end up exhausted with nothing to show for it!

"Lineage Chief Jingzhe, this brat is suitable for body tempering. Why don't you send him over to the Dragon's Bone Lineage for cultivation? The Dragon's Fang Lineage focuses on offense, which doesn't seem to fit him." Li Xuanwu smiled.

Li Jingzhe peered at Li Jingtao and emotionlessly replied, "With his mischievous and mild-tempered personality... I don't think he would be a good fit for the Dragon's Bone Lineage either."

The Dragon's Bone Lineage's cultivation was arduous and bitter. Li Jingzhe knew Li Jingtao's personality all too well. If he were thrown there, he would simply feign death at the earliest sign and throw the Dragon's Fang Lineage's reputation into the mud...

"Actually... Li Luo would be the best choice. Since he managed to reach the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier, it means that his foundation for cultivating a strong body is incomparably firm! If you agree, the Dragon's Bone Lineage would happily take him in." Li Xuanwu’s grin grew wider.

Li Jingzhe smiled as well and replied noncommittally, "The Dragon's Bone Lineage might indeed be the best at body cultivation, but that doesn't mean that he belongs there. That kid is extraordinary in all regards, and his strong physical body is but one of his strengths. I have a feeling that he will become even more outstanding than his unreliable father."

This casual statement caught the four other Lineage Chiefs off guard. Everyone was well aware that Li Taixuan was Li Jingzhe's most prized son. Li Taixuan was the only young person who had shown such exceptional potential in the recent generations of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Furthermore, when he was at the peak of his prominence, there were countless rumors that the future Dragon's Fang Lineage might attain the celebrated status of having two Kings within a single lineage! If such a thing actually happened, the Dragon's Fang Lineage would undoubtedly lead the five lineages in terms of both absolute strength and reputation.

Alas, it was a pity... that Li Taixuan was struck with misfortune, being forced into the outer divine continent. Even till today, there was no news from him.

It had prevented the rise of the Dragon's Fang Lineage, even before it began.

Li Taixuan was exceptionally impressive, and yet Li Jingzhe actually thought even more highly of his grandson?

The Dragon's Blood Lineage’s Lineage Chief Li Tianji smiled slightly. "The fact that Lineage Chief Jingzhe hopes for his grandson to grow into an exceptional individual is expected. However, he is still only at the Fiend Body Tier. As for any results, we will have to see what happens. At the very least, Li Taixuan was able to weather through the Nine Dragons Infernal Baptism. We still have yet to see if Li Luo will be able to do so."

"Keep watching, then." Li Jingzhe smirked.

Li Tianji nodded. "Then we'll keep watching."

……

While the five Lineage Chiefs sparred verbally, the Dragon's Ascent continued. The twenty Banner Leaders roused their resonant power one after another, doing their best to resist the pain brought about by the grilling of the gray-flame dragons as they forced their way upwards.

Li Luo was similarly just a few feet behind Lu Qingmei. He could be considered to be part of the first and fastest climbing group.

At this point, the trio had reached the twenty-thousand foot mark.

The number of flame dragons around them had increased to three.

Vigorous dragon flames roasted their bodies while dragonfear pressed down upon them. At this point in time, regardless of whether it was Li Luo, Li Qingfeng, or Lu Qingmei, everyone was sweating buckets. Their steps felt incomparably heavy and an expression full of suffering was evident on all their faces.

Despite this, they maintained the same pace as they continued to climb.

An hour passed like this.

Li Luo's group had now surpassed the twenty-six thousand foot mark.

There were now six dragons around each of them.

They could now feel a tremendous pressure pushing down upon them. Each and every step brought about an immense bout of agony.

Bang!

It was at this point that Li Qingfeng exploded forth with frightening amounts of resonant power. Amidst the majestic surge of resonant power, everyone could clearly see a single pearl of energy manifesting behind him.

Everyone felt like they had been struck by a bolt of lightning.

This was... a Heavenly Pearl.

Although they had long prepared themselves mentally for this sight, the numerous Banner Leaders felt complicated emotions well up within them.

This was undeniable proof that he had broken through.

They were clear that Li Qingfeng was planning to take advantage of his strength to rush to the peak in a single go.