Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown

As she watched, Vivian was also floored. The Chaotic Sword Strike was a martial skill at the medium stage of Imperial Level, as well as one of the Xiao Clan's secret skills—one that simply couldn't be resisted by ordinary people. Although Vivian wasn't strong enough to bring its power into full effect, it was still impossible for anyone to withstand it if they didn't have extremely powerful strength.

In spite of what she was faced with, she didn't give up, not even for a second. She stood up suddenly and approached Zachary at once. Her soft sword twisted itself around his body like a snake. Surprisingly, his body exploded with a loud boom.

"Is this all fake?" Vivian was utterly stunned for the moment and didn't know what else to say. When she turned around, she saw an old man with wrinkled face standing in front of her. His small, glittering eyes stared at her, which sent a shudder throughout her body from head to toe.

"Are you finally satisfied?" asked Zachary, who had utilized the Thousand-Face Mask to change his face.

"No. I won't ever give up!" Vivian replied with a clenched jaw. As she had managed to display the martial energy, it clogged inside her body and flew madly all over her body instead. Despite this, she still managed to gather her energy again and gave everything she had in launching the second attack.

As she performed her attack, Zachary immediately activated the Energy Perception Technique in order to perceive Vivian's energy circulation. He noticed that the energy circulation inside her body was an absolute mess and more so, that the streams of energy couldn't gather as one, as if they were rejecting one another. On top of it all, the martial energy in her body was seriously blocked. No wonder she couldn't use it normally!

Because she'd pushed herself too hard since the beginning, before she had the chance to fully unleash her strike, the taste of blood rose from her chest and she suddenly spat a mouthful of blood. She stopped in her tracks.

"That's enough, just stop it. Otherwise, my efforts will be in vain if you die," Zachary said, waving his hand and halting his own attack.

Vivian glared at Zachary in front of her with fierce eyes, not willing to accept such a result. But she knew she couldn't launch another attack, or she truly risked losing her life.

"Listen, if you really want me to help you, you can start by telling me all the symptoms that you've experienced since you discovered something was wrong with your body. With that information, I can find specific ways to solve your problem!" Zachary explained, almost like a doctor would to his patient.

After hesitating for a brief moment, she finally decided to compromise. Ultimately, if she couldn't recover, eve

ed to its original. In this way, her situation will temporarily be alleviated. After she reaches the premium stage of Imperial Level, this situation will be easily solvable. However, if we proceed with this solution, her talent will equally be lost, which will greatly affect her future cultivation. Simply reaching the premium stage of Imperial Level with her original martial speed can become extremely difficult," Tania explained, glancing at Zachary as she did so.

"I just don't think she'll be willing to let me do this," Zachary replied, knowing full well that Vivian was a proud girl. If she no longer had her talent, she probably wouldn't accept it. What was more, if she cultivated at the original martial speed, it would take her an incredibly long time to reach the premium stage of Imperial Level—a sacrifice she probably wasn't willing to take.

"Well, in that case, we only have one option, and that's to disable her meridians. Once her meridians have been disabled, we can help her rebuild them. Of course, there are risks in doing that, too. Anyway, you're the one who will do the job. Ultimately, it's up to you!"

"I'd much prefer letting Vivian decide for herself," Zachary said after thinking to himself for a while. In order to be on the safe side, he thought lowering the martial speed was a more workable solution.

Tania listened but didn't make any comment. After a moment of silence, she ordered, "Clean up the snow in front of the bamboo house before you leave." Without waiting for a reply, she handed the broom to Zachary and returned to the bamboo house.

"Shouldn't such a task always be done by disciples? Apparently, Tania is already regarding me as her disciple." Zachary took the broom and was stunned silent for a moment, but as the revelation came to him, he immediately beamed with joy.