"Lord Pig is fine! Thank the heavens!"
"Phew, I nearly fainted!"
A collective sigh of relief swept across the gathered disciples. Hearing Lord Pig's enraged, albeit smoky, declaration confirmed that the full force of the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Technique had merely resulted in an outrageously bad hair day, not a fatality.
"How… how is that possible?"
Cangsong's pupils contracted with terror. He stared at Lord Pig, who was bristling with burnt, black frizz but otherwise unharmed. The Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Technique was his ultimate attack, his trump card, his legacy.
Yet, the beast had shrugged it off like a static shock. He had nothing left in his arsenal to match this level of sheer physical imperviousness. How can I fight against this? It's not a beast; it's an armored deity!
"You want to stare, Xiao Songzi?" Zhu Hao's voice crackled faintly with residual electricity. He was, in fact, absolutely fine. He hadn't dodged the attack because he genuinely wanted to quantify the power of this realm's most lauded spell. Turns out, the defense provided by a slightly enhanced, high-density pig-bear is significantly better than a sword channeling an entire thunderstorm. Good to know.
Swish!
Lord Pig's figure became a streak of golden light, powered by the now-frazzled Wind-Thunder Sky Wings. He closed the distance in an instant, abandoning the philosophical experiment and returning to his preferred method: brute force. He launched a clean, simple punch.
BOOM!
Cangsong desperately brought his long sword up to block. The impact delivered by Lord Pig's tiny, furious fist was devastating—an unstoppable, crushing force that traveled through the sword, through his arms, and into his core. Cangsong cried out, his body instantly blown away like a leaf in a hurricane.
"A Dragnet!"
As Cangsong sailed through the air, Lord Pig opened his mouth wide and spat out a huge, shimmering golden net. It unrolled instantly, a fine mesh of spiritual silk and divine energy, and enveloped Cangsong like a fisherman's catch.
Cangsong struggled, his spiritual energy surging against the netting, but the more he fought, the tighter the net constricted, binding him into a humiliated, magical meatball.
A hush fell over the thousands of spectators before the shock broke into confused amazement.
"What is that? A spiderweb?"
"Lord Pig can spit a net? Is this some kind of rare, ancient spider technique?"
"My Lord Pig is simply too awesome! He's a fusion of a pig-bear and an enormous golden spider!"
The crowd was stunned and entirely delighted by the unexpected turn of events. Lord Pig paused, planting his feet firmly in the air.
"The Kung Fu Pig is indeed Lord Pig!" he announced, adopting the voice of a slightly self-aggrandizing martial arts master.
Lord Pig then delivered a sharp, athletic kick, sending the netted, struggling Cangsong hurtling back toward the peak. Before Cangsong could travel more than twenty feet, Lord Pig used the Wind-Thunder Sky Wings to flash behind the ball of netting, kicking him back in the opposite direction.
Experience +1000. Congratulations! Supernatural Power: Divine Sword Controlling Lightning Secret has been automatically comprehended.
Ah, marvelous! Lord Pig thought internally, not missing a beat in his aerial demolition derby. I didn't even have to ask for it. It appears getting hit by the attack and then beating the caster is a fast-track to acquisition. I shall note this for future reference.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
Golden light flickered furiously across the sky as the netted Cangsong was brutally kicked back and forth like a shuttlecock in a violent spiritual game of badminton.
"Hiss! A moment of silence for Master Cangsong's dignity!"
"Wow, Lord Pig is simply a master striker!"
"I want to play heavenly football, too!"
The Longshou Peak disciples watched their master's profound humiliation, their faces white with despair. Their pride was utterly annihilated; their peak's head was now a cosmic soccer ball.
"Lord Pig, enough! Please show mercy!"
Just as Lord Pig was lining up a particularly vicious bicycle kick, the venerable figure of Daoxuan appeared, slowly floating out from the clouds—a man who had just abruptly concluded his emergency "seclusion."
"Xiao Xuanzi, what exactly do you think you're doing?" Zhu Hao demanded, momentarily pausing his game of pinball.
Daoxuan's heart tightened. The battle had been far more one-sided than he predicted. Lord Pig's power was truly incalculable; the sight of the space around his tiny fists rippling slightly confirmed that this beast was approaching legendary status.
"Lord Pig," Daoxuan pleaded, adopting his most sincere and humble tone. "Junior Brother Cangsong has clearly realized the egregious error of his ways. I beg you, be merciful and forgive him this trespass!"
"Forgive him? You think Lord Pig is simply going to forgive an act of vandalism? Look at my luxurious, handsome golden coat!" Zhu Hao narrowed his eyes and pointed a tiny, singed paw at his current, frizzled state. "He ruined it! He must compensate me for the damage!"
"What compensation does Lord Pig require?" Daoxuan asked, relieved. Demands for treasure were easily met; demands for death were an existential problem.
"The more spiritual medicine the better, and the higher the quality the better!" Zhu Hao stated plainly. Time to loot the sect's treasury. When else will I have this perfect justification?
"Lord Pig, I offer you this—a Thousand-Year-Old Life-Restoring Elixir from my personal reserves. What do you say?" Daoxuan cautiously produced a single, glowing, incredibly rare herb.
"Show it to Lord Pig!"
Zhu Hao took the elixir without hesitation and swallowed it whole.
Energy +5,000
Only five thousand energy for a thousand-year-old herb? That's equivalent to five hundred common spiritual medicines. Highly inefficient, but the rarity adds a certain prestige.
"Now, you must add ten thousand common spiritual herbs to that offering," Zhu Hao stated with a definitive curl of his lip, knowing full well that Daoxuan was ready to agree to almost anything.
"Very well. It shall be delivered to Lord Pig's side immediately," Daoxuan instantly agreed. The sum was enormous, but for the safety of his peak's Head of Punishment and the good favor of an Armored Deity Pig, it was negligible.
"Hmph!" Zhu Hao nodded in satisfaction. He looked down at his dark, singed pelt with a frown.
Now that I have the resources, it's time to fix this disaster.
"Upgrade!"
The next moment, under the shocked and wide-eyed gaze of every single person present, a torrential, luminous green current—a river of pure Life Essence so rich it seemed to steam—poured down from the sky, enveloping Lord Pig.
A mighty, resonant spiritual force instantly surged from his body. The burnt, black hairs began to crackle and fall away, replaced by new golden hairs that grew at an impossible speed. The new fur glistened, soft and smooth, shining with an otherworldly light, and possessing a resilience that hinted at true Immortal Armor.
It can be truly said that now, by simply plucking a single strand of fur, Lord Pig could furnish a disciple with a powerful protective magic weapon.
"Hmm? Protect Lord Pig!" Daoxuan's eyes widened, a look of profound surprise and excitement crossing his face. He instantly sent spiritual messages to the surrounding Peak Masters.
Immediately, streams of light—the leaders of Dazhu Peak, Xiaozhu Peak, Fenghui Peak, and others—formed a protective perimeter, their faces awe-struck as they stood guard over the ascending creature.
"Mmm, so comfortable!"
Zhu Hao involuntarily let out a deep, contented groan. His internal structure was undergoing a rapid, complete transformation. His flesh, his blood, and his bones were saturated with divine essence. His blood rushed through his veins with the sound of a great river thundering toward the sea. His bones glowed faintly, filled with a primal, immortal charm.
Click!
He instinctively clenched a tiny fist, and the space around it actually rippled and distorted, on the verge of cracking open.
"Is he… about to become an Immortal?"
Daoxuan and the other Peak Masters were utterly terrified. Not even the mighty Qingye Patriarch of the Taiqing Realm could cause space to ripple with a simple gesture. This power belonged only to the Immortals of legend.
"This strength… it has reached the absolute peak of this realm. If I were to truly unleash my power now, breaking through space would be trivial," Zhu Hao thought, opening his new, rejuvenated eyes. He felt a power thousands of times greater than before—a transformation that transcended mere spiritual energy, forging his very essence.
"Congratulations, Lord Pig, on this glorious breakthrough! Attaining Immortality is now a certainty!" Daoxuan, completely beside himself with a mixture of reverence and strategic self-interest, rushed forward to offer his congratulations. The awe in his eyes was replaced by a kind of fanatic, absolute certainty.
Lord Pig had definitively surpassed all of Qingyun's ancestors. He was the undisputed number one… pig.
"Congratulations, Lord Pig, on your magnificent breakthrough! Your journey to Immortality is upon us!" Tian Buyi, Shuiyue, Shang Zhengliang, and the others swiftly followed suit, their previous reservations about the "spirit beast" dissolving entirely. With Lord Pig on their side, Qingyun was destined to rise to unchallenged dominance.
"Hmph. You are welcome," Zhu Hao replied, utterly pleased. He hopped into Shuiyue's welcoming arms and stretched out languidly. "Lord Pig is going to nap now. Ensure Lord Pig's spiritual medicine is delivered promptly."
"Do not worry, Lord Pig. I shall personally deliver it without delay!" Daoxuan promised, his voice filled with newfound respect.
Zhu Hao closed his eyes, ignoring the groveling elders, and turned his attention inward to the Light of the Pig God. With his coffers overflowing and his experience maxed out, it was time for a shopping spree.
He issued commands: "Upgrade all obtained Supernatural Powers and fully master the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Secret!"
"Consuming 100 energy and 100 experience points to upgrade Phantom Clone to Clone Technique!"
"Consuming 100 energy and 100 experience points to upgrade Purple Demon Eye to Nine Nether Demon Eye!"
"Consuming 100 energy and 100 experience points to upgrade Soul Locking Chain to Dragon Binding Rope!"
"Consuming 100 energy and 100 experience points to upgrade Sea Heart Heavy Water to Sky Heart Weak Water!"
"Consuming 200 energy and 200 experience points to fuse the Gale Bow and Ink Soul Spear to upgrade to Sky Shocking Bow and Cloud Piercing Arrow!"
"Consuming 100 energy and 100 experience points to perfectly obtain and integrate the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Secret!"
Light of the Pig God
Name: Zhu Hao
Race: Pig Bear
Level: Level 5 (Energy 0/100,000, Experience 0/100,000)
Energy: 401,000
Experience:12,000
World: None (Note: You can travel through the world by consuming energy and experience)
Skilll: Taiyin Zhengong Level 1 (Energy 0/1000, Experience 0/1000)
Magical Powers: Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Secret, Big and Small Ruyi, Wind and Thunder Sky Wings, Indestructible Golden Body, Sun Swallowing, Heavenly Net, Death Scythe, Invulnerability to All Poisons, Qilin Kick, Five Elements Escape, Clone Technique, Nine Nether Demon Eyes, Dragon Binding Rope, Weak Water of the Heart of Heaven, Sky-shaking Bow, Cloud-piercing Arrow
Backpack: Three Heads, Stab, Heal, Stab (Energy 0/1, Experience 0/1)...
Now that I've successfully incorporated the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Secret, I am officially a Magician Pig! Zhu Hao thought with immense satisfaction. I don't need to fight in close combat anymore.
He gleefully thought, I can find the actual Great Sword of the sect, and if anyone dares to disobey me, I shall strike them with divine lightning from a distance! It's time to trade the boxing gloves for a wand!
The glorious vision of himself floating above the ground, casually directing lightning bolts, made his new golden fur shimmer with anticipation.