CHAPTER 48: SECT COMPETITION

Tian Lei was descending the winding path from Void Hall, the spatial mist curling lazily at his feet. The cold air was calm, the way it always was after a conversation with an old schemer like Haiyun.

He had barely taken a dozen steps when a shout broke the silence.

"You!"

Tian Lei’s eyes narrowed slightly.

An inner disciple stepped out from behind one of the pearlwood columns lining the path, his robe fluttering in the wind—clearly embroidered with the azure trim of Void Peak’s core. The man’s expression was caught somewhere between indignation and desperation.

He recognized the face. Barely. The man had been in the background when Meixue was guiding him earlier, looking rather sour at being ignored.

The disciple stepped closer with forced bravado, puffing out his chest. "You’re that new arrival, Tian Lei, right?"

Tian Lei didn’t stop walking. "And you are...?"

"Huang Jie," the man snapped. "Void Peak—third-tier inner disciple."

Tian Lei raised a brow. "Congratulations."

That only made Huang Jie bristle harder. "Don’t play dumb! I saw Meixue walking with you. Escorting you. Laughing with you. What exactly is your relationship with her?"

There it is, Tian Lei thought, almost sighing.

He turned fully now, his gaze calm and unreadable. "I met her today. She guided me to Grand Elder Haiyun. That’s it."

"You expect me to believe that?" Huang Jie’s jaw clenched. "She’s never even spared a glance for anyone outside her cultivation circle. But she spent nearly an hour with you. What did you say to her? Charm technique? Pills?"

Tian Lei’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly—not out of anger, but sheer disbelief.

"I didn’t use a charm technique," he said flatly. "I spoke to her like a person."

"Then why did she even bother with you!?" Huang Jie exploded.

"Maybe," Tian Lei said coolly, "because I never looked at her with lust."

Silence fell between them. Huang Jie’s face twisted between anger, confusion, and humiliation. The Void Qi around them began to ripple faintly, reacting to his unstable emotions.

Tian Lei sighed and turned away. "You’ve wasted enough of my time. Go back to whatever lecture you failed to understand."

He began walking again, but Huang Jie’s voice echoed after him, venomous now.

"You think this is over, Tian Lei!? Just wait. One day, you’ll learn that Fairy like Meixue don’t belong with nobodies like you!"

Tian Lei paused only once more—just long enough to glance over his shoulder.

"...You’re right," he said, voice cold as void frost. "She doesn’t belong with anyone who sees her as a prize."

"Bastard!" Huang Jie spat, his shout echoing into the fading mist. "If not for the sect’s damn rules about not fighting outside fo the arena, I’d have crushed you where you stood!"

But there was no reply. Just silence. Cold, uncaring, like the Void Peak itself had already dismissed him.

Huang Jie stood there alone, chest heaving—his pride far more bruised than his body.

"You think just because Grand Elder Haiyun backs you, you’re untouchable? Hah!" he muttered, Qi flaring.

"I’m no mere Mortal-stage cultivator like you... I am a Spirit Grandmaster!"

"Hah, I can’t challenge you at your level, Tian Lie... but others can." Huang Jie smirked as he turned sharply, readjusting his robes. With a cold flick of his sleeve, he barked at his lackeys, "Make things difficult for Tian Lie. Challenge him. Defeat him in the arena."

Tian Lie, meanwhile, continued on his way back to his immortal cave, the encounter with Huang Jie still echoing in his mind.

"I need to grow stronger—fast. Who knows what kind of idiotic tricks they’ll try next..." he muttered, stepping into the cave. As the entrance sealed behind him, he sat cross-legged and calmed his breath.

"My Qi circulation speed has increased by at least 30%... good." He nodded, feeling the improvement brought on by fusing with the Dragon Soul.

Days passed. Then weeks. Tian Lie didn’t stop—not until he finally reached the First Level of the Qi Core Creation Stage.

Now, within his dantian, a bluish-golden pill floated steadily. The golden hue came from his own cultivated Qi, while the shimmering blue strands radiated from the fused Ice Dragon Soul.

He focused his breath and steadied his mind. His Qi condensed into the core, solidifying the foundation of the Qi Core Creation stage.

"Finally... now I’ve reached the First Stage of Qi Core Condensation," Tian Lie nodded, rising to his feet and stretching his body.

"Damm... how much time has passed?" he muttered as he stepped out of his immortal cave.

Outside, he spotted a young working disciple in plain grey robes waiting respectfully. Like most sects, the lowest-ranked members of the sect were these working disciples—those with very low cultivation talent. In exchange for handling chores, they were allowed to cultivate within the sect’s grounds, where formations helped increase Qi density.

"Greetings, Senior Disciple," the boy said with a bow. "The Sect Master told me to inform you—she wishes to see you once you’ve stabilized your cultivation."

Tian Lei gave a small nod, offered a soft word of thanks, also an spirit Stone that brought smile to working disciple and began walking toward his master’s residence.

His master’s immortal cave resembled a tranquil garden—lush with jade-green bamboo, flowing streams, and fragrant blossoms dancing in the wind.

Arriving at the entrance, he bowed deeply.

"Master, did you call for me?" he asked respectfully.

Mu Renxue, standing beneath a blossoming peach tree, turned toward him and smiled faintly.

"Good. You’ve already reached the Qi Core Condensation Stage in just a month... impressive, Tian Lei."

Tian Lei simply nodded, a small smile playing on his lips as he followed his master to the gazebo. They sat as she gracefully poured tea into delicate jade cups. The aroma of spirit herbs lingered in the steam.

"I called you here to remind you," Mu Renxue said, her gaze steady, "that in one month, the Sect’s Annual Competition will begin."

Tian Lei listened intently as she continued.

"Every year, our sect holds a tournament where disciples of the same cultivation realm face off. For the Mortal Cultivation Stage, the rewards are usually just Spirit Stones."

She took a slow sip of her tea before explaining, "Last year, the prize pool for your level included 1,000 Spirit Stones. Don’t underestimate that—outer sects only receive about 100 spirit stones a month. Winning this tournament gives you the equivalent of ten months’ worth of resources in one go."