C705 Hee Wanli's Intention

As Woo Zhengyang marveled at the Sovereign's presence, Hee Wanli, the Sovereign known as Idle Cloud, turned his gaze toward him. Suddenly, Wanli's previously clouded eyes brightened. In an instant, Zhengyang felt as if he had been struck by lightning, stumbling slightly.

"Are you okay?" Bing Yue reacted quickly, grabbing Zhengyang's arm as he swayed, preventing him from collapsing to the ground.

"I'm fine," Zhengyang replied calmly, though his eyes had turned cold. Just moments ago, Hee Wanli had launched a soul attack on him.

Zhengyang had only encountered true soul attacks twice before—once from Moh Lunhui and now from Hee Wanli. When he first experienced Lunhui's soul attack, he was struck by its overwhelming force. But this time, Zhengyang truly understood that the power of a soul attack far exceeded his imagination.

Compared to Wanli's, Lunhui's soul attack seemed hundreds of times weaker. Of course, this was likely related to their levels of mastery. Soul attacks can only be performed by those with immense soul energy, and even though Moh Lunhui was the reincarnated Emperor of Rebirth, his training time had been short, making it impossible to compare to Hee Wanli, who had likely honed his skills for centuries.

Woo Zhengyang insisted he was fine, but when a Sovereign skilled in soul techniques suddenly launches a soul attack, it's hard to believe everything is okay. If not for Woo Zhengyang's unusually strong soul energy, he might have already passed out. Even so, his soul energy struggled to withstand the assault. If Bing Yue hadn't supported him in time, he would have embarrassingly collapsed to the ground. That would have been a huge loss of face for both Woo Zhengyang and the Profound Heaven Sect, especially with so many guests inside and countless spectators outside watching the event unfold through a sky projection. Woo Zhengyang was the center of attention for many.

The visitor was clearly not friendly; an enemy, not an ally. Woo Zhengyang had already pegged Hee Wanli as a threat. He composed himself and approached.

"Zhengyang, you're here!"

"Young Master, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale? Have you been pushing yourself too hard in training?"

Nie Fengyu and Uncle Fu were busy chatting with Hee Wanli and had their backs to Woo Zhengyang, so they didn't notice his arrival until they saw Hee Wanli looking past them. However, they didn't realize that Hee Wanli's glance was anything but ordinary.

"I'm fine!" Woo Zhengyang waved it off and directly addressed Hee Wanli, "You must be the esteemed Elder of the Golden Scale Sect, Sovereign Hee Wanli!"

"That's right, it's me. You must be Woo Zhengyang! Truly, you're a young hero. Impressive, impressive. With talent like yours, the Profound Heaven Sect is sure to rise to new heights, maybe even become a leading force someday!" Hee Wanli laughed heartily, showering Woo Zhengyang with praise.

If it weren't for the recent soul attack, Woo Zhengyang might not have noticed anything unusual. He wasn't typically a suspicious person, but now Hee Wanli's words seemed off to him.

Before Woo Zhengyang could respond, Nie Fengyu spoke up, "Oh, no, no, Sovereign, you're too kind. He's just been lucky to make a few good friends. Honestly, he's only just reached the Shape Gathering Stage. He's still quite green, very green..."

Though Nie Fengyu was smiling, his expression was a bit strained. He wasn't new to the scene and immediately sensed something was amiss in Hee Wanli's words. Praising Woo Zhengyang so highly seemed less like a compliment and more like probing the ambitions of Woo Zhengyang and the Profound Heaven Sect. Worried that Woo Zhengyang's pride might lead to trouble, Nie Fengyu quickly interjected.

"Shape Gathering Stage? As far as I know, he's only seventeen, right? A seventeen-year-old at the Shape Gathering Stage, and you call that green? Plus, I've heard he's been practicing the Body Tempering Technique. That's quite remarkable," Hee Wanli remarked, giving Woo Zhengyang a meaningful look.

"Sovereign, I heard you were looking for me as soon as you arrived. I'm flattered, but I'm curious about your purpose."

Nie Fengyu explained for a while, and Woo Zhengyang couldn't help but acknowledge the gesture. However, he had already pegged this Sovereign as more of a foe than a friend and wasn't interested in playing games. He decided to get straight to the point.

"It's nothing much. I just heard about the famous Woo Zhengyang and wanted to see what kind of young talent you are. Besides, I heard you've been practicing body tempering techniques. I happen to have a manual on that, which I don't need, so I thought I'd give it to you," Hee Wanli said, producing an ancient-looking book with a dusty yellow cover and handing it to Woo Zhengyang.

Woo Zhengyang was taken aback, and so was Nie Fengyu.

Was Hee Wanli really giving a body tempering manual to Woo Zhengyang?

Nie Fengyu began to wonder if he had been overthinking things. Maybe Hee Wanli wasn't trying to test anything after all. Considering Hee Wanli's status as a Sovereign and the elder of the Golden Scale Sect, perhaps he genuinely didn't need to test them. At least, the current scale of the Profound Heaven Sect shouldn't have attracted their attention. Maybe they simply appreciated talent.

Woo Zhengyang was also confused, but given the recent unexpected soul attack, he remained skeptical of Hee Wanli's intentions.

"What's the matter? You don't want the body tempering manual? Or are you upset about my little test earlier?" Hee Wanli asked, noticing Woo Zhengyang's hesitation.

"Testing?" Nie Fengyu murmured, puzzled.

"Haha, when Zhengyang came over just now, I didn't recognize him and used a soul technique to test him a bit. It's been a while since I last used it, and I didn't control it well. I'm really embarrassed," Hee Wanli explained apologetically.

Hearing this, Nie Fengyu and Bing Yue suddenly understood why Woo Zhengyang seemed off. Although they each had their thoughts, they decided not to comment further.

After Hee Wanli finished speaking, he turned to Woo Zhengyang and said, "Kid, don't take it to heart. I was just doing my due diligence. Someone mentioned you might be possessed, so I couldn't resist checking. Maybe I was a bit heavy-handed. Consider this technique as compensation!"

With Hee Wanli's words, even Woo Zhengyang started to doubt if he was overthinking things. After all, Hee Wanli's explanation seemed reasonable enough. Yet, for some reason, Woo Zhengyang felt there was more to it than Hee Wanli let on. Traveling all the way to attend the Profound Heaven Sect's advancement ceremony was a significant clue.

However, given that a Sovereign took the time to explain himself, Woo Zhengyang couldn't say much more. He thanked Hee Wanli and accepted the ancient book.

As he held the book, Woo Zhengyang glanced at its title. What he saw left him utterly stunned!

​