Chapter 12: Revealing Skills

"Elder Tu, aren’t you going to do something about these unruly outer disciples?" The gray-haired elder stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

Tu Yongsheng’s mouth curled slightly. "Though Zhou Hua and the others are being a bit excessive, disciplining these registered disciples is a tradition in the outer sect—a lesson to make them remember. Otherwise, how would they ever understand the harshness of the cultivation world?"

The gray-haired elder let out a hearty laugh, his gaze drifting to the young man beneath the shade of a tree.

"Is that the boy you mentioned?"

Tu Yongsheng followed his gaze. "That’s him. The boy has all twelve meridians open and shows promising aptitude. Seven days have passed; he should be stepping into the third level of Qi Refinement."

"The third level of Qi Refinement? For a new registered disciple, that’s not bad. But today, he’ll still receive a lesson."

"He’s young. A setback will do him good."

…

While the two elders conversed, Zhou Hua and two other newly promoted outer disciples had already made short work of the other registered disciples, leaving them sprawled across the ground.

In the Qi Refinement realm, every advancement strengthens the body, increases power, speed, and more. Purely in terms of strength, each level adds about thirty jin. By the tenth level, a practitioner’s raw strength typically reaches four hundred jin.

Even without martial techniques, Zhou Hua and his companions could easily trounce a group of inexperienced registered disciples. Still, they exercised restraint—only disabling others temporarily, careful not to cause lasting harm.

"Oh? There’s still one left."

Zhou Hua’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the youth under the tree. He flexed his fists, the corners of his mouth lifting unconsciously.

"You there—will you punch yourself and fall, or should I do it for you?"

Despite the words, Zhou Hua gave him no chance to choose, launching his attack directly.

With a sudden burst of force from his legs, Zhou Hua shot forward like an arrow, appearing before the youth in the blink of an eye. His fist, carrying three hundred jin of force and an icy chill, was about to strike the youth’s abdomen.

Had that blow landed, the youth would have collapsed in agony.

But, to everyone’s astonishment, the young man calmly raised his right hand. An earthy yellow light surged from his palm, instantly condensing into a giant stone hand.

"Crack!"

A bone-snapping sound erupted from Zhou Hua’s fist, a cold wave of pain flooding his body.

Before Zhou Hua could even cry out, the youth suddenly lifted his leg and sent him flying with a powerful kick.

Under the force of several hundred jin, Zhou Hua felt as if his whole body had fallen apart, lying dazed and confused on the ground.

How could a dignified outer disciple at the tenth level of Qi Refinement be defeated by a newly admitted registered disciple?

Zhou Hua was stunned.

So were the others.

The entire hall of registered disciples fell into a silence so deep, a pin drop could be heard.

"Mastered Giant Rock Palm!"

"How can this be?"

On the distant rooftop, the two elders exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.

From the aura the youth had just released, he wasn’t at the third level of Qi Refinement at all, but the ninth!

"To reach the ninth level of Qi Refinement in just seven days… he must have consumed pills," Tu Yongsheng guessed, thinking that was the only explanation.

The gray-haired elder frowned slightly. "With all twelve meridians open, there’s no bottleneck in the Qi Refinement realm. If he had enough Qi Condensing Pills, breaking through to the ninth level in a short time isn’t unusual."

"But that’s not the point. Didn’t you notice? His Giant Rock Palm is fully mastered! And it’s only been seven days!" Tu Yongsheng’s breath quickened, his gaze burning with the light of discovery.

When he himself learned the Giant Rock Palm, it took him a day to reach initial proficiency, seven days to reach minor mastery, and a month to fully master it.

This youth had achieved full mastery in less than seven days.

To Tu Yongsheng, this spoke not only of relentless practice but, more importantly, astonishing comprehension. He’d always had high hopes for this youth, but still, he’d underestimated him.

The gray-haired elder’s eyes were equally ablaze, fixed on the young man. "Excellent. The one you recommended is remarkable. I’ll take him as my disciple!"

Tu Yongsheng was stunned.

He’d invited the gray-haired elder over to recommend the youth, but only with a cautious hope. He knew the elder had exceedingly high standards—so high, even those with spiritual-grade roots might not meet them.

But today, he’d actually spoken, offering to take the youth as a disciple!

This was far beyond Tu Yongsheng’s expectations.

Unaware of the elders’ conversation, the youth had already stepped out from beneath the tree, calmly facing the two remaining outer disciples. The aura of the ninth level of Qi Refinement radiated from him, making his robes flutter in the wind.

"Ninth level of Qi Refinement!"

"Are you truly a registered disciple from this year?"

The two outer disciples stared in disbelief.

Judging by his cultivation and mastery of the Giant Rock Palm, he could pass for an outer disciple himself.

"I am indeed a registered disciple. May I ask why the three of you attacked us? To my knowledge, I’ve never offended any of you."

The youth stood at the front of the hall, his gaze sweeping over the other registered disciples. Seeing that they were only temporarily disabled, he relaxed.

The two outer disciples exchanged glances but didn’t bother to explain. They reached a silent agreement in an instant.

"Let’s take him down together!"

"Vajra Fist!"

"Raging Wind Palm!"

Though they could see the youth’s strength, he was in the registered disciples’ hall—surely a sign of inferior spiritual roots. Even at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, could he possibly be a match for two tenth-level outer disciples?

As for Zhou Hua, who lay stunned on the floor, it was only a moment’s carelessness that had brought him down. In a fair fight, the outcome might have been different.

The two outer disciples were convinced that, working together, they would easily subdue the youth and restore the outer disciples’ lost honor.

"Two outer disciples ganging up on Senior Brother Qingxi—how shameless!"

The registered disciples cried out in anger and indignation.

Over the past few days, the youth had devoted himself to practicing martial arts, yet was always generous in sharing his knowledge with others. Unconsciously, he’d become the leader of this cohort of registered disciples.

Now, seeing two outer disciples teaming up to suppress him, they struggled to rise and help, only to find themselves too sore and weak to move.

Facing the combined assault of two tenth-level opponents, the youth’s gaze sharpened. Drawing on the data he’d gleaned from observing them earlier, he analyzed and determined the best response.

"Raging Wind Palm!"

He struck swiftly, a fierce gust surging from his palm to meet the incoming Raging Wind Palm of one opponent.

Boom!

The two blasts of wind collided, erupting in a violent shockwave that sent both men staggering back three steps.

The other outer disciple, launching his Vajra Fist, was caught in the blast, stumbling and revealing an opening.

"Perfect opportunity!"

The youth dug his heels into the ground, unleashing several hundred jin of force. His body shot forward like a loosed arrow, reaching his target in a flash.

Bang!

Caught off guard, the outer disciple was struck by a fierce punch, sent flying just as Zhou Hua had been, landing hard on the ground.

"Bravo!"

Cheers erupted from the registered disciples.

"His Raging Wind Palm is also mastered?"

"What talent!"

The two elders on the rooftop widened their eyes in astonishment.

The sole remaining outer disciple stared at the youth in disbelief, ignoring his fallen comrades.

"Two fully mastered martial techniques… are you really a registered disciple?"

He could have wept with frustration.

After a year in the sect, he’d finally reached the tenth level of Qi Refinement and learned ten martial techniques, but had only minimally mastered them.

The youth before him had entered the sect seven days ago and already mastered two—he could easily be mistaken for a seasoned outer disciple.