Chapter Thirteen: The Outcome

What on earth is going on here? Luo Tian was a bit bewildered. Up until now, Li Yang had only used his physical strength; his vital energy remained quietly coiled in his dantian. Under the divine eye, nothing could conceal the movement of vital energy. Although Luo Tian was deeply puzzled, since Li Yang wasn’t using his vital energy, he naturally wouldn’t go all out either. With a head full of questions, he gently pushed his palm against Li Yang’s chest.

What are these two up to? Shen Lingfeng’s face was dark as he watched this bizarre scene unfold on the dueling platform, completely at a loss. For cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage, the moment they fully mobilized their vital energy, a glow would radiate from their bodies. Though it served no practical purpose, at least it showed they weren’t just fooling around. Yet now, Luo Tian and Li Yang—one launched a weak charge, the other delivered an earnest palm strike that was neither painful nor itchy. Even a fool could see this was nothing but a farce.

“Shen Jinliang, look at what you’ve done!” Even someone as composed as Shen Lingfeng, who prided himself on his steadiness, was now seething—not with excitement, but with anger.

“Brother Feng, maybe we shouldn’t jump to conclusions yet.” Shen Jinliang was flustered too. With Li Yang behaving like this, was this supposed to be a lesson?

The dozen or so outer sect disciples scattered below the stage were thoroughly bored. “Li Yang, if you’ve got extra contribution points, just give them to me! What’s the point of this?”

“Exactly! Isn’t this just messing around?”

Li Yang felt the soft, powerless palm strike on his chest, looked at Luo Tian, blinked a few times, let out an exaggerated “Ouch!” and then, with a dramatic push of his feet, launched himself into the air, falling heavily to the ground. He clutched his chest and rolled around, feigning agony.

Luo Tian was dumbfounded too—this acting was so over-the-top it was practically insulting the audience’s intelligence. Who from the Shen family had arranged for such a fool to amuse him? Unfortunately, his sense of humor was too refined for this sort of thing.

Uncle Wang, who had managed the dueling platform for over a decade, was also stunned. He had never witnessed such a spectacle before. Watching Li Yang writhing on the ground with a twisted, pain-filled face, he found himself automatically beginning the countdown. “Ten, nine—”

“Luo Tian wins!”

As soon as the result was announced, Li Yang sprang up in high spirits, his face full of hope. “Brother Luo, let’s begin right away!”

“Very well. What cultivation technique do you practice? Run it once for me to see.” Luo Tian didn’t hesitate. He rather liked this Li Yang—setting aside everything else, the young man seemed to possess an unyielding obsession with becoming stronger.

“Yes! Brother Luo, the cultivation method I chose is the Human-Grade Low-Tier Yuan Ascension Formula.”

Li Yang responded without delay, sat down cross-legged, and began circulating his cultivation technique.

A sharp smack rang out before Shen Jinliang could open his mouth, and a burning pain flared across his cheek—a clear palm print appeared. Shen Lingfeng’s face was livid. Even as he delivered the slap, it felt as though it landed on his own handsome features, leaving him simmering with frustration. To send someone to stir up trouble, only to have them enthusiastically call the opponent “Brother” and beg for guidance—how vexing! If possible, Shen Lingfeng would have preferred to deal with this himself.

Shaking his hand in disgust, Shen Lingfeng said coldly, “As soon as he breaks through to the second cycle of Qi Condensation, find an opportunity to teach him a lesson. Whether it’s on the dueling ground or in the Trial Forest, I want results!” With that, he turned and strode away without looking back.

Li Yang, that damn fool.

Shen Jinliang gritted his teeth, rubbed his newly acquired palm print, and slipped away while no one was paying attention.

“What’s going on here?”

“It seems Li Yang wants this new outer disciple to give him pointers on cultivation.”

“Hah! The kid must be desperate for a breakthrough. He’d be better off saving up contribution points and seeking instruction from the inner sect elders!”

The chatter from outside couldn’t affect Li Yang’s actions in the slightest; he paid them no heed, instead focusing earnestly on circulating his technique.

Luo Tian watched Li Yang intently, golden light flickering in his eyes. Everything so far was fine, except for some sluggishness here and here. Under the divine eye, the changes in Li Yang’s vital energy were laid bare before Luo Tian. In most of his meridians, the energy flowed smoothly, but in a couple of places, it was as if a rushing river had encountered a small mountain jutting from the riverbed—strikingly conspicuous.

After completing a full cycle, Li Yang slowly drew his vital energy back into his dantian. “Brother Luo, how was it?”

“The circulation of your vital energy is mostly fine, but there are two spots—here and here—where your meridians seem to have some issues,” Luo Tian replied, the golden light in his eyes fading. He pointed to Li Yang’s shoulder and abdomen, frowning slightly. “In these two places, your vital energy is somewhat stagnant and obstructed. Most likely, new impurities have formed in your meridians.”

“Brother Luo, you’re amazing!” Li Yang was dumbfounded. Brother Luo was just as he claimed—able to provide precise guidance. The state of his vital energy was described flawlessly. “But what should I do about it?”

“You can try using a large amount of vital energy to assault these two spots, attempting to break through them. Then, gather and compress your energy with all your might. That should give you a hope of reaching the second cycle.”

After a moment’s thought, Luo Tian offered his advice. To complete the nine cycles of Qi Condensation, one must cause their vital energy to change color nine times. The key lay in condensing and enriching the energy. This required gathering vital energy swiftly and in great quantities, like waves crashing and pressing upon each other, to achieve the necessary compression and breakthrough.

Simple in theory, difficult in practice. Everyone’s physical constitution differed, and there was no experience or shortcut to rely on. Moreover, even the most skilled cultivator couldn’t maintain the maximum intensity of energy assault at all times—not only was it exhausting, but the meridians couldn’t withstand such abuse.

In fact, every cultivator’s daily practice had a limit to the number of cycles, dictated by the toughness of their meridians.

“How ridiculous—he’s actually giving advice?”

“A newly initiated outer disciple at the Qi Condensation stage, acting so arrogant! Weak as he is, and already leading others astray?”

“No surprise there. Everyone knows Li Yang is a complete fool—he believes whatever he’s told. There are too many tricksters these days and not enough idiots, so they have to keep fooling the same one!”

The voices drifted up from below, but Luo Tian paid them no mind, gazing calmly at Li Yang. Uncle Wang, meanwhile, watched the two on stage with great interest, a smile playing on his lips.