C7 The Socalled Magical Power

Whoosh!

A sharp arrow soared into the distance.

Suddenly, a young man wielding a powerful bow sprinted after the arrow, keeping pace with it. With a swift leap, he landed ahead of the arrow, which struck his chest with a thud. The impact only pierced his clothes and left a red mark on his skin, causing no real harm.

This young man was Lee Yi. Over the past few days, he had dedicated most of his time to mastering the Wind Magical Power and strengthening his physique. The bow in his hands, made of black iron, was not a magical weapon, yet its force was immense. It could easily penetrate three feet of solid wood. Without magical protection or a magical weapon, an ordinary person would stand no chance against it.

Shooting the arrow, chasing it, and catching it all flowed seamlessly, like clouds drifting across the sky. Throughout this exercise, Lee Yi didn't tap into any magical power. He was simultaneously honing his Wind Magical Power and fortifying his body, achieving two goals with a single effort.

Lee Yi drew three arrows from his quiver and stretched the black iron bow.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. The arrows flew in three different directions. Lee Yi unleashed the Wind Magical Power, and in a flash, he was back to where he started, as if he hadn't moved at all, now holding three additional arrows.

He exhaled deeply. His mastery of the Wind Magical Power had grown significantly more refined over these days, and his speed had greatly increased. Small Completion was now within close reach.

In his downtime, Lee Yi delved into some books, expanding his knowledge of magical powers.

Magical powers bore resemblance to human spells, yet significant differences existed. The first was that magical powers were a natural talent for certain beings, determined by their innate bloodline, whereas spells were developed through learned cultivation.

The second distinction lay in their classification. Spells were categorized into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. In contrast, magical powers were divided into four paths: Holy, Devil, Heavenly, and Origin, with each path growing progressively more potent.

The hallmark of Holy Magical Powers is that they endow the physical body with an exceptionally potent ability. Take Lee Yi's Wind Magical Power, for instance; it's a Holy Magical Power that enhances speed. Other abilities, such as strength, defense, and regeneration, also have corresponding magical powers.

Devil Magical Powers are characterized by their malevolent and enigmatic nature, encompassing a vast array of effects that are difficult to succinctly describe.

Heavenly Dao Magical Powers, on the other hand, allow the body to merge with the elements of nature. The body transcends its physical form, capable of transforming into wind, fire, lightning, and thunder at will, bordering on indestructibility. Such powers were exclusive to ancient divine beasts. The Phoenix, for example, could be reborn from flames, a Heavenly Dao Magical Power that ensured its flame and life never ceased.

The Origin Magical Power is shrouded in even greater mystery. Sparse records exist, and those that do are vague. Demonic beasts possessing Origin Magical Powers have surpassed even the ancient divine beasts, and knowledge about them is exceedingly rare.

The debate over whether magical powers or spells are superior is a perennial one in the cultivation world, with no consensus reached. In ancient times, magical powers were predominant, but in the present day, each has its own merits, making it difficult to determine a clear victor.

With the Outer Sect Competition looming, Lee Yi aspires to defeat Lee Tiancheng and other formidable Outer Sect contenders to earn his place in the Inner Sect. To achieve this, he must not only advance his Wind Magical Power to higher levels but also elevate his own realm.

In the Hall of Contributions, a deacon disciple's eyes widened in astonishment. "Is this the pelt of a Fire Cloud Fox?" he asked, gazing at the vibrant, fiery-hued fur laid out on the table.

"Excellent work!" On the other side stood six disciples, two of whom bore scars on their faces. The leader was a strapping young man exuding a powerful aura unlike the others, a smug look on his face. "It took quite an effort for us brothers to injure that Fire Cloud Fox and get even this small piece of fur, but unfortunately, it still managed to escape!"

The deacon disciple looked on with admiration and nodded. "The Fire Cloud Fox is incredibly swift and sly. Managing to get the better of it is no small feat. If it were a common demon beast, a whole pelt wouldn't be as valuable as this small piece!"

The group immediately showed signs of excitement.

After a thorough examination, the deacon disciple announced, "The academy has a high demand for materials from rare demon beasts lately. This small piece of Fire Cloud Fox fur is valued at three hundred Virtue Points."

"Three hundred points?" Upon hearing this, the disciples were ecstatic. They were aware of the fur's value, but three hundred Virtue Points was more than they had anticipated.

This meant they could each receive fifty Virtue Points—a significant gain. Typically, even a year's hard work wouldn't yield them as much.

Amid their jubilation, a young man entered.

It was Lee Yi.

He had already turned in the Wind Wolf's tail to the Treasure Refining Pavilion, earning a reward of one thousand Virtue Points. Now, he intended to sell the remaining Wind Wolf materials to the Hall of Virtue and exchange them for items that could quickly enhance his strength.

The group gave him a cursory glance.

"What brings you here?" the burly young man asked, eyeing him.

"The same as you," replied Lee Yi.

The group exchanged knowing looks, their smiles taking on a peculiar edge.

"You have demonic beast materials too?" the burly young man asked scornfully. "They must be from the lowest-tier beasts. You could bring ten or even eight boxes, and they'd still be worth next to nothing!"

The others roared with laughter.

Lee Yi remained silent, pulling an item from his storage bag and handing it to the deacon disciple.

The deacon disciple, busy storing the Fire Cloud Fox fur in a box, looked up with a hint of skepticism and asked, "What's this?"

"This is..." Lee Yi began to explain.

Suddenly, the deacon disciple's eyes widened in astonishment. He carelessly set aside the Fire Cloud Fox fur and took the item from Lee Yi's hand with shaking hands, uttering in a quivering voice, "This... Could it be..."

"What is it?" The burly teenager's face soured as he watched the Fire Cloud Fox fur being discarded like trash.

"Wind Wolf Fangs?" the deacon disciple shouted in amazement, "It's actually Wind Wolf Fangs!"

"What?" The burly teenager and his companions were stunned. "How could that be?"

Wind Wolves were demonic beasts possessing Divine Powers. The Fire Cloud Fox, though known for its incredible speed, lacked innate magical powers. Its famed velocity was laughably slow compared to that of a Wind Wolf, rendering it insignificant. Consequently, materials from the Wind Wolf were far more valuable than those from the Fire Cloud Fox.

Cradling the sharp Wind Wolf Fangs, the deacon disciple said with excitement, "Even though these are from a Wind Wolf cub and the teeth are not fully developed, they're still extremely rare. These fangs can be exchanged for five hundred merit points!"

Those who had hoped to mock Lee Yi were suddenly unable to find their laughter.

"That many?" Lee Yi was inwardly astonished. He was aware of the Wind Wolf materials' value but had assumed that a few fangs might fetch one or two hundred merit points at best. The actual worth far exceeded his expectations.

"And this?" Lee Yi promptly produced another item.

"Wind Wolf Fur?" The deacon disciple was even more astonished.

The burly teenager and his peers nearly had their eyes bulging out of their sockets.

The value of the fur was incomparable to that of the fangs, particularly the Wind Wolf Fur, which was an exceptional material for crafting superior magical tools, with an almost incalculable worth.

"Complete Wind Wolf Fur!" The deacon disciple still found it hard to believe. After composing himself, he declared gravely, "This can be exchanged for two thousand merit points!"

"Hold on!" The burly teenager could no longer contain himself. "Where did you steal these from? With your level of cultivation, how could you possibly defeat a Wind Wolf? Even a cub is beyond your capabilities!"

"What concern is that of yours?" Lee Yi replied with a frown.

The burly teenager sneered, "Those who stoop to petty theft deserve to be punished. I'm going to confiscate all these stolen goods and hand them over to the Law Enforcement Hall. If you cooperate, I might just let you off the hook. But if you don't, I'll have to teach you a lesson!"

It was clear that the burly teenager had suspected that Lee Yi's possessions were ill-gotten and planned to use the Law Enforcement Hall's authority to double-cross him.

The deacon disciple adopted a detached demeanor, believing that Lee Yi stood no chance against the Wind Wolf and not wanting to cross the burly youth, whose strength he found quite intimidating.

"What color might that be?" Lee Yi inquired.

"Oh, you're really asking for trouble!" The burly teenager scoffed and advanced a step closer to Lee Yi.

It was then that Lee Yi noticed something unusual about the youth's footwear. They bore intricate symbols, and under the surge of magical power, they emitted a subtle white glow.

"Cloud Chasing Boots!" The deacon disciple, well-versed in such matters, recognized them instantly and couldn't help but cry out, "So that's how you managed to injure the Fire Cloud Fox. You have such a treasure on your feet!"

"Cloud Chasing Boots?" Lee Yi thought to himself. These boots were a renowned magical artifact known for their incredible speed. He had longed for a pair of his own, dreaming of the day he could afford them. But with his meager means, it remained nothing more than a wishful thought.

With the agility of the boots, the burly youth lunged at Lee Yi as swiftly as a cloud.