Chapter 495: Special Training with Zi

Hao Ren's arms were sore, so he put down the feather duster and took a long breath.

The Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll was used to tune the body by absorbing nature essence. By the same principle, it could also release nature essence and condense sword energies.

Sword array formation was an effective way of organizing sword energies that amplified their power, but Hao Ren's only effective combat techniques against enemies in close-range were the fundamental boxing techniques and using his hundun lightning on his hands.

When fighting against a master like Zhao Kuo, there was no chance for him to use his sword array formation at all.

Zhao Kuo was very proficient in using tri-point double-edge swords. If he wanted, he could get someone to forge a tri-point double-edge sword for him that was as powerful as dharma treasures.

Then, he would be able to pressure Hao Ren and defeat him easily.

Human cultivators favored bombarding each other with dharma treasures, so Hao Ren's Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll was sufficient for dealing with them. As for dragon cultivators, they were inclined to engage in close-range combat. For example, before Hao Ren could release a sword array formation, Su Han could already place her long sword on Hao Ren's technique even though her sword technique wasn't the best.

Hao Ren sat on his bedside and slowly restored his nature essence with the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll. The dragon core was like a reservoir; with more openings, its capacity grew bigger.

It was difficult to expand the reservoir, but it only needed time to fill it up again. Also, the process of continually draining and filling it up again would put pressure on the reservoir, making it grow in size and potentially get another opening in the dragon core.

Hao Ren used to create openings on his dragon core using brute force. Even though it could increase the volume of the reservoir quickly, the reservoir may end up cracking and collapsing one day.

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! The birds sang outside the window, waking up Hao Ren who was immersed in cultivation.

It was another sunny morning.

Hao Ren sorted his clothes and put them in his small luggage before walking outside of the room.

Downstairs, Xie Yujia was making breakfast with her mom.

"Hao Ren!" Seeing Hao Ren coming down the stairs, Xie Yujia waved enthusiastically.

In shorts, a cartoon t-shirt, and slippers, Xie Yujia looked casual and cute.

Cheng Qian saw Hao Ren and smiled as well.

Xie Wanjun was practicing boxing outside. In front of the garage hung a huge sandbag, and Xie Wanjun would practice for two hours to maintain his strength every morning.

A moment later, he came in full of sweat, and he nodded at Hao Ren. "Want to try?"

"No thanks." Hao Ren rejected with a smile.

"Look at your physique. You can jump, but you lack strength." Xie Wanjun slapped Hao Ren's shoulder with his strong arm and said.

"Hey..." Xie Yujia rolled her eyes.

She clearly knew Hao Ren's capabilities. Xie Wanjun thought he himself was strong, but he couldn't take on Hao Ren even if there were 100 of him. Therefore, Xie Yujia tried to stop Xie Wanjun from embarrassing himself.

"Haha! Just kidding! Just kidding!" Xie Wanjun thought Xie Yujia didn't want him to tease Hao Ren, so he wiped his face with a towel and shut his mouth in a hurry.

After they had breakfast, Xie Wanjun drove Hao Ren and Hao Zhonghua to the John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The best of friends must part. Hao Zhonghua's career was in China, and Xie Ming's was in the U.S. Their gathering could only be brief.

"Yesterday when I called Zhao Jiayi, he said that the finals would be pushed back to mid-August because of issues with the venue. If I have time, I'll go over to see him play," Xie Wanjun looked at Hao Ren and said.

"Okay." Hao Ren nodded, expecting Xie Wanjun to return to China again.

"If you play basketball, you would be a superstar," Xie Wanjun said.

"Haha..." Hao Ren laughed but didn't speak; his ambition wasn't in basketball. Zhao Kuo and Su Han both pursued after the Heavenly Dragon Realm, and Hao Ren was silently aiming toward the same goal.

Zhao Hongyu appeared with Zhao Yanzi at the airport, and they were seen off by Zhao Kuan's family. When Zhao Yanzi saw Hao Ren, she immediately ran over. However, she suddenly came to a halt and ran back to her mom's side.

Xie Yujia saw Zhao Yanzi's family and peeked at Hao Ren. After all, she was reluctant to see Hao Ren leave.

"Mr. Hao." Zhao Hongyu gently waved her hand and walked over.

Zhao Yanzi followed her mom tightly. It seemed like she was unwilling to see Hao Ren, but she had to come over.

"The plane tickets are booked, and there is only one hour before boarding." Zhao Hongyu handed the plane tickets to Hao Zhonghua. Booking plane tickets through Mingri Group was effortless.

"Take care." Xie Yujia looked at Hao Ren. The thousands of words on her mind could only be condensed into two.

"Eh." Hao Ren nodded, peacefully looking at Xie Yujia.

"Humph..." Zhao Yanzi put her hands on her waist and snorted.

She was Hao Ren's fiancée. "How is it Xie Yujia's turn to care for Hao Ren?" she thought.

But then again, she didn't seem to care about Hao Ren this way...

Hao Zhonghua waved goodbye to Xie Ming, and Hao Ren took one last look at Xie Yujia. Zhao Yanzi couldn't hold it anymore, so she reached over and dragged Hao Ren over to the security check.

Standing beside Xie Yujia, Cheng Qian looked at Zhao Yanzi and said to Xie Ming jokingly, "That little girl's relationship with Ren is not bad."

"Eh, Zhonghua got me another big contract. It's going to be busy." Xie Ming looked at his daughter and then at Hao Ren at the security check. Then, he looked down and chuckled.

Xie Ming thought about his business, and then his daughter. However, Cheng Qian from was thinking about her daughter's happiness from the beginning to end.

This time seeing Hao Ren after many years, she was extremely satisfied with this boy, such that she wanted her daughter to marry him tomorrow.

She thought to herself, "My dumb daughter is in the same class as Hao Ren, but she still hasn't gotten him. She isn't like me at all when I was chasing after her dad."

After about a dozen hours of airtime, the plane landed in East Ocean City.

East Ocean City was not as busy as New York, but Hao Ren felt exceptionally comfortable when he returned to the land that spoke Chinese since he wasn't that great at English.

"Mr. Hao, in the following month, I'm going on a vacation to an island with Zi. Ren is coming with us as well. I talked to Yue Yang about this already," Zhao Hongyu said to Hao Zhonghua as they walked out of the airport.

"Yue Yang mentioned it to me," Hao Zhonghua responded.

He initially intended to let Hao Ren stay at Xie Ming's place and experience the American life, but he also had no issue with Hao Ren going on vacation with Zhao Yanzi's family. With Hao Ren away, Grandma taking a summer vacation at the countryside, and Zhen Congming staying at the Mayor's home, he could finally work on his science research project day and night, and Yue Yang could work with 100% focus as well.

If Hao Ren knew that his parents wanted to work on scientific research projects and were more than happy to leave him to Zhao Yanzi's family, he would puke up blood.

"Ren, follow your auntie, Hongyu, and behave!" Hao Zhonghua said before jumping on a taxi and going to the Ocean Research Institute.

Zhao Hongyu turned to look at the stunned Hao Ren and smiled gently. "Ren, let's go!"

Boom! Boom... Suddenly, rain poured from the sky.

The crowd outside the airport went into hiding, and the rain turned the streets white while quickly decreasing visibility.

Zhao Hongyu raised her hand, and the River-Mountain Qian-Kun Painting was laid out beneath the three. A red energy sphere was created, and they soared toward the ocean in the rain.

After a few moments, they flew out of the rain zone, crossed the coast, and went deeper into areas of the ocean.

Soon, a large island appeared in Hao Ren's vision.

At the center of the island stood a palace, and a red energy sphere surrounded the island with waves crashing against it.

Zhao Hongyu drove the River-Mountain Qian-Kun Painting straight into the island.

"Your humble servant meets you, Dragon Queen!" Premier Xia performed a full-body bow.

"Get up." Zhao Hongyu put away the painting and asked, "Are Elder Lu and others here yet?"

"Dragon Queen, everyone including Elder Lu, Elder Sun, and Elder Xingyue have already arrived on Purple Bamboo Island. They are now patrolling East Ocean with Dragon King."

"Good!" Zhao Hongyu waved her hand. "Premier, you may mind your business."

This Purple Bamboo Island was one of the secret islands of East Ocean Dragon Clan that had palaces on them, and it got this name since purple bamboos growing all over the island.

Different from Coral Island, Purple Bamboo Island was in the red energy shield and couldn't be discovered by mortals.

Every Summer, Zhao Guang would stay here for a month or two. He managed all affairs of the dragon clan on the island and supervised the training of the soldiers; this was called, Summer Patrol.

During Summer Patrol, Zhao Guang usually took with him Elder Lu, Elder Sun, Elder Xingyue, and Premier Xia.

"You're finally here! I've been waiting for a long time!" A loud voice suddenly sounded.

Zhao Kuo in a grey robe flew down from the palace on the mountain, and it took him just a moment to reach Hao Ren. The, he punched toward Hao Ren's chest.

Hao Ren sidestepped and used the fundamental boxing techniques to counter it.

After blocking Zhao Kuo's iron fist and leaving a dozen footsteps on the beach, Hao Ren immediately chopped at the back of Zhao Kuo's head.

"Not bad!" Zhao Kuo groaned and released a strong aura from his body, directly pushing Hao Ren away.

Five-elemental essences gathered on his fist and went straight toward Hao Ren's face.

"Third Uncle!" Zhao Yanzi shouted in a hurry.

She did ask Zhao Kuo to train Hao Ren in the cruelest way possible in private, but how could they fight when they just met?

"Would Third Uncle's fist deform Hao Ren's face?" she thought.

Hua! Hua!

Hao Ren took two steps back and was prepared to use one technique from the fundamental boxing techniques. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind.

A sword energy appeared on the tip of his finger, and he used the first variation of the first sword technique from the Mystic Water Sword Techniques.

Nature essence went through Hao Ren's acupoints in a unique pattern, and the sword energy drew a bright arc along Hao Ren's finger.

"What...?" Zhao Kuo was somewhat surprised, and that moment of hesitation made his fist wounded by Hao Ren's sword energy.

Blood instantly gushed out.

"Hao Ren! You dare to injure my third uncle!" Zhao Yanzi who was worried about Hao Ren suddenly took Zhao Kuo's side after seeing Zhao Kuo being injured.

Zhao Kuo retracted his fist and covered the injury with his nature essence. The bleeding immediately stopped.

He glared at Hao Ren and said, "No rest. Run 20 laps around the island, now!"

"Good! Good! Third Uncle should teach him a lesson like this!" Zhao Yanzi clapped happily.

She had been jealous of how intimate Hao Ren and Xie Yujia were at New York, and she couldn't wait for Zhao Kuo to put Hao Ren through a hell-level training.

"You too! Follow him!" Zhao Kuo stared at Zhao Yanzi and shouted.