Zhang Wei's body erupted with crimson energy so intense it distorted the air around him. His eyes had gone completely bloodshot, veins bulging across his face and neck. The entire arena could feel the unstable, violent Qi radiating from him.
"Crimson Berserker Art!" someone in the crowd shouted. "He's using the forbidden technique!"
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[TECHNIQUE: CRIMSON BERSERKER ART]
[EFFECT: TEMPORARILY BOOSTS POWER TO CORE FORMATION REALM]**
[COST: PERMANENT CULTIVATION DAMAGE, POSSIBLE DEATH]
[HE'S LITERALLY BURNING HIS LIFE FORCE TO KILL YOU]
[ACTIVATE. THE. TALISMAN. NOW!]
"He's insane!" I shouted, my hand flying to the jade pendant around my neck.
Zhang Wei launched himself at me, moving faster than anything I'd seen before. His palm, now glowing like molten metal, thrust toward my heart with killing intent.
I couldn't dodge. The system couldn't move me fast enough. This attack was beyond what a Qi Refining cultivator could survive.
The jade pendant flared to life.
A translucent barrier materialized around me just as Zhang Wei's palm connected. The impact sent shockwaves rippling across the arena. The sound was deafening, like a thunderclap concentrated in a single point.
CRACK!
The barrier shattered after absorbing the blow, fragments of jade light dissipating into the air. The force still sent me flying backward, slamming into the arena's boundary formation. Pain exploded through my back and chest.
**
[PROTECTION TALISMAN: DESTROYED]
[DAMAGE SUSTAINED: MODERATE]
[YOU'RE ALIVE, THOUGH!]
[BONUS: ZHANG WEI IS NOW COLLAPSING]
I coughed, struggling to breathe, and looked up to see Zhang Wei stumbling. The crimson glow was fading from his body, replaced by a sickly gray pallor. He tried to take another step toward me, but his legs gave out.
He collapsed face-first onto the stone platform.
The entire arena fell silent.
Then chaos erupted.
"Medical disciples! Now!" the supervising elder barked, and white-robed disciples rushed onto the platform.
I pushed myself up, my whole body aching. Several medical disciples surrounded Zhang Wei, checking his condition with increasingly grim expressions.
"His cultivation base is severely damaged," one of them announced. "He'll be lucky to keep Stage 3 after this."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Using a forbidden technique in a simple duel? Destroying your own cultivation over a bruised ego? Zhang Wei had just ended his own future as a cultivator.
[WELL, THAT ESCALATED.]
[ON THE BRIGHT SIDE: YOU WON!]
*
[ON THE DOWN SIDE: EVERYONE'S STARING AT YOU LIKE YOU'RE SOME KIND OF DARK HORSE PROTAGONIST]
The supervising elder approached me, his expression unreadable. "Lin Tian. You are declared the victor. However—" his eyes narrowed, "—you will report to Elder Hu immediately. He has questions."
Of course he does.
"Yes, Elder," I said, bowing despite the pain.
As I limped off the platform, I caught sight of Yun Xia in the crowd. Her face was pale with worry, but when our eyes met, she gave me a small, relieved smile.
The protection talisman had saved my life. I owed her more than I could repay.
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SURVIVED YOUR FIRST DEATH MATCH]
[REWARD: +500 REPUTATION POINTS, +1 GACHA TICKET, TITLE: "DARK HORSE"]
[ADDITIONAL REWARD: EVERYONE NOW KNOWS YOUR NAME]
[CONGRATULATIONS ON LOSING YOUR ANONYMITY!]
---
Elder Hu's quarters were located in the administrative section of the outer sect, a building that looked significantly nicer than the disciples' dormitories. I stood outside his door, trying to mentally prepare myself for the interrogation I was about to face.
[NERVOUS?]
'Obviously,' I thought.
[RELAX. I'VE PREPARED A COVER STORY.]
[JUST STICK TO IT AND DON'T IMPROVISE.]
'What's the story?'
[YOU FOUND AN ANCIENT CULTIVATION MANUAL IN THE SECT LIBRARY.]
[IT'S TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE, SINCE THE LIBRARY IS POORLY ORGANIZED.]
[THE MANUAL TAUGHT YOU A BREATHING TECHNIQUE THAT ACCELERATED YOUR CULTIVATION.]
[SIMPLE, BELIEVABLE, HARD TO DISPROVE.]
Before I could respond, the door slid open on its own. A voice from inside commanded, "Enter."
I stepped into a surprisingly austere room. No decorations, no personal touches, just a simple desk, shelves of scrolls, and Elder Hu sitting in meditation pose on a cushion. His eyes were closed, but I could feel his spiritual sense examining me.
"Stage 4," Elder Hu said without opening his eyes. "Three stages in two days. Explain."
I bowed. "Elder Hu, I discovered a cultivation manual in the outer sect library. It contained a breathing technique that resonated with my constitution. I've been cultivating with it constantly."
"What manual?"
"I... don't remember the exact title, Elder. It was an old scroll in the back section, covered in dust. I returned it after copying the technique."
[GOOD. VAGUE ENOUGH TO BE BELIEVABLE.]
Elder Hu finally opened his eyes, fixing me with an intense stare. "Show me this breathing technique."
Oh no.
[RELAX. I'LL GUIDE YOU THROUGH IT.]
[JUST BREATHE AND LET ME HANDLE THE QI CIRCULATION.]
I sat down and began to "demonstrate" the technique. In reality, the system was controlling my Qi flow, making it circulate in a pattern that looked legitimate but was actually just the automated cultivation routine slowed down and made visible.
After several minutes, Elder Hu raised a hand. "Enough."
I stopped, waiting.
"Interesting," he said slowly. "That technique is indeed unusual. Your Qi circulation follows a pattern I've never seen before." He paused. "But it's also incredibly inefficient for normal cultivators."
"Inefficient, Elder?"
"It requires an enormous amount of Qi to sustain. Most cultivators would exhaust themselves in minutes." His eyes narrowed. "Unless they had an abnormally large Qi reserve."
[UH OH.]
"I... seem to have been blessed with a larger than average reserve, Elder," I said carefully.
"Blessed," Elder Hu repeated. "Or cursed. Large Qi reserves without proper control can lead to cultivation deviation." He stood, moving to a shelf and retrieving a jade slip. "You will study this. It contains exercises for Qi control and stabilization. I expect you to master them within a month."
He tossed the jade slip to me. I caught it awkwardly.
*JADE SLIP ACQUIRED: BASIC QI CONTROL EXERCISES]
[ELDER HU IS... HELPING YOU?]
[PLOT TWIST!]
"Thank you, Elder Hu," I said, genuinely surprised.
"Don't thank me yet," he said coldly. "I'm not doing this out of kindness. The sect has invested resources in all disciples, even outer sect ones. I won't allow you to waste that investment by exploding due to poor Qi control." He sat back down. "Dismissed. And Lin Tian?"
"Yes, Elder?"
"Stay out of trouble. The next few days will be... turbulent for the sect."
Something in his tone made my blood run cold. "Turbulent, Elder?"
"You'll see soon enough. Now go."
I bowed and left quickly, my mind racing.
[DID HE JUST HINT AT THE INVASION?]
'It sounded like it,' I thought. 'Does he know something's coming?'
[PLOT THICKENS.]
[ALSO, YOU NEED REST. YOUR BODY TOOK SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE FROM THAT FINAL ATTACK.]
[RECOMMENDATION: SLEEP FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS WHILE I REPAIR THE DAMAGE.]
---
I made it back to my room, every step sending fresh waves of pain through my body. The adrenaline from the fight was wearing off, and now I was really feeling the injuries.
As soon as I closed the door, another knock came.
"You've got to be kidding me," I groaned.
[IT'S YUN XIA. AGAIN.]
[SHE'S BROUGHT FOOD AND MEDICINE.]
[ALSO, SHE'S WORRIED ABOUT YOU. AGAIN.]
[I'M SENSING A PATTERN HERE.]
I opened the door to find Yun Xia holding a wooden tray with a bowl of soup, some medicinal pills, and fresh bandages.
"You look terrible," she said immediately.
"Thanks," I replied dryly. "That's exactly what every guy wants to hear."
A slight blush colored her cheeks. "I meant, you're injured. Let me help."
Before I could protest, she pushed her way into my room, setting the tray on the small table. "Sit. Those injuries need treatment before they get worse."
[SHE'S BOSSY. I LIKE HER EVEN MORE NOW.]
'System, please stop commentating on my potential love life.'
[NEVER.]
I sat down, too tired to argue. Yun Xia knelt beside me, her expression focused as she examined the bruising on my arms and chest. Her hands moved with practiced efficiency, applying a cooling medicinal paste that immediately eased some of the pain.
"You were incredible out there," she said quietly. "Everyone's talking about it. Zhang Wei was two stages above you, and you still won."
"He defeated himself," I said. "That forbidden technique—"
"—wouldn't have mattered if you hadn't held your ground," she interrupted. "Most people would have panicked. You stayed calm." She handed me a pill. "This will help with internal injuries. Elder Sister Liu in the medical pavilion gave it to me when I said it was for you."
I took the pill, feeling warmth spread through my chest. "Thank you. For everything. The talisman, the medicine, checking on me..."
"We're fellow disciples," Yun Xia said simply. "We should look out for each other." She finished wrapping a bandage around my arm. "There. Try not to fight anyone else for at least a few days, okay?"
I laughed, then winced. "I'll do my best."
She smiled and stood to leave, then hesitated at the door. "Lin Tian? If you ever need help with anything... you can ask me. I mean it."
"I know," I said. "Thank you, Yun Xia."
After she left, I lay back on the bed, exhaustion finally overwhelming everything else.
[MEDICINE ADMINISTERED: REGENERATION PILL (LOW GRADE)]
[COMBINED WITH AUTO-HEALING, YOU'LL BE BACK TO 100% IN 8 HOURS]
[ALSO, I'M UPDATING MY HEROINE COMPATIBILITY CHART]
[YUN XIA IS NOW RANKED: S-TIER WAIFU MATERIAL]
"I hate you sometimes," I mumbled.
[YOU LOVE ME AND YOU KNOW IT.]
[NOW SLEEP. WE'VE GOT AN INVASION TO SURVIVE IN 5 DAYS.]
[AND HONESTLY? YOU NEED ALL THE REST YOU CAN GET.]
As I drifted off to sleep, my last thought was about Elder Hu's warning.
"Turbulent days ahead."
Somehow, I had a feeling turbulent was an understatement.
---
[AUTO-CULTIVATION: ACTIVE]
[AUTO-HEALING: ACTIVE]
[BODY REPAIR PROGRESS: 12%... 24%... 37%...]
[TIME UNTIL INVASION: 4 DAYS, 19 HOURS, 43 MINUTES]
[SLEEP WELL, BOSS. YOU EARNED IT.]
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SURVIVED CHAPTER 4]
[HONESTLY, I'M AS SURPRISED AS YOU ARE.]