Chapter 106: As You Exit the Stage, I Make My Entrance

“How do you feel?” Guyun asked, looking at Qin Haoxuan with a hint of disbelief. “This pill is quite good, but I’ve recently discovered it has some side effects. For instance, have you experienced any dizziness after taking it?”

“No,” Qin Haoxuan said, shaking his head honestly.

Guyun fell into a deep, troubled thought. Is my method truly wrong? But I followed the steps exactly. How is his mind still so clear? He looked at Qin Haoxuan’s robust physique.

Perhaps I should test him. A corpse soldier’s body is exceptionally tough. He’s been taking the Corrosion Pills for so long… besides eroding the intellect, they are also far better than ordinary pills at strengthening the body. I’ll test his physical resilience.

He put on a smile. “This Seat has been secretly nurturing you for some time. Today, I’d like to test your progress.”

Qin Haoxuan readily agreed. He didn’t know what trick Guyun was playing, but he had no choice but to play along.

“Now, follow my instructions and circulate your energy,” Guyun said. “I will then mimic the attack of a Spirit Sprout Realm cultivator to test your body’s resistance.”

He suppressed his power to the level of a First-Leaf cultivator and sent a bolt of spiritual energy toward Qin Haoxuan’s chest. He expected the boy, who hadn’t even grown a leaf, to be sent flying. An attack of this level could shatter a stone.

But the energy struck Qin Haoxuan and vanished like a stone dropped into the sea. It didn’t even stir the hem of his robe. “How did that feel? Did it hurt?”

“No,” Qin Haoxuan replied honestly. “I didn’t feel a thing.”

Slightly surprised, Guyun raised his power to the Second-Leaf Realm and struck again. “Did that hurt?”

“No.”

He continued to increase the power. Only when he reached the level of a Seventh-Leaf did Qin Haoxuan’s brow furrow slightly. “That hurt a little,” he admitted, “but not much.”

A Seventh-Leaf attack only hurts a little? Guyun wondered. Could it really be the pills? But then he remembered how the boy had beaten up a Third-Leaf disciple on his first day in the valley. His body had been this tough all along. I need to use more power. I need to find his limit. He gathered his energy again, this time striking with the force of a Tenth-Leaf cultivator.

The blow sent Qin Haoxuan flying into a corner of the room. But when Guyun looked, he saw that the attack had only left a single, light bruise on his chest. He looked again to be sure. Just one bruise.

An ordinary cultivator at the Seventh or Eighth-Leaf, even using their strongest defensive art, would have been shattered like an eggshell by such a blow. A normal steel shield would have been torn to pieces. Was this boy’s body harder than steel?

It seems my method is not wrong after all, he concluded. I just need to strengthen his body to a certain degree first, and then I will be able to control his mind. Satisfied, he instructed Qin Haoxuan to continue taking the pills and then left.

The next morning, after a sleepless night, Qin Haoxuan did not practice his Celestial River Dao Art. Instead, he leaped from his bed and went straight to the carriage station.

He had decided that avenging Little Gold was his own responsibility. Pu Hanzhong was two leaves weaker than Yan Dong and in poor health; he would certainly lose the duel.

After Guyun’s “test,” he now had a better understanding of his own strength. Even if he couldn’t win, he could at least wear Yan Dong down and give his senior brother a better chance.

He arrived at the gate of the Ancient Cloud Hall in his plain commoner’s clothes. The guards had changed, but their expressions of arrogant superiority were the same.

“This is the Ancient Cloud Hall. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted,” one of them said.

Qin Haoxuan just gave him a cold look and produced a letter of challenge he had prepared. “I’m not coming in. I’m issuing a challenge. Please bring him out.”

“A challenge… for Yan Dong?” The guard looked at him strangely, then muttered to his companion, “Senior Brother Yan has the worst luck. Yesterday a piece of trash from the Nature Hall, and today a fledgling who hasn’t even grown all his hair. He’s going to be a laughingstock.” He then turned back. “Reason for the challenge?”

“Revenge.”

The news that a newly sprouted disciple was challenging a Twelfth-Leaf expert quickly drew a crowd. They looked at Qin Haoxuan as if he were a suicidal madman. Soon, someone recognized him. “Isn’t that the Nature Hall’s master who’s dying?” another sneered. “Maybe the grief has driven them all insane.”

Just then, Yan Dong came out, his face dark. “Who’s challenging me?” he demanded, then pointed contemptuously at Qin Haoxuan. “You?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? Have you lost your mind?”

Seeing the man who had nearly killed Little Gold, and the disdain in his eyes, Qin Haoxuan’s anger boiled over. He held the letter high. “Are your dog eyes unable to read? I, Qin Haoxuan, challenge you, Yan Dong! Do you dare to accept?”

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” To be challenged by two rookies in two days made him look like an easy target. His reputation was on the line. As he reached for the letter, intending to tear it to shreds, Qin Haoxuan deliberately dropped it on the ground.

“In nine days, at the tournament,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

The news of his challenge sent another wave of shock through the Spirit Field Valley.

“Has he gone mad? How can someone who hasn’t even grown a leaf challenge a Twelfth-Leaf expert?”

“I heard the Nature Hall’s master is dying. They must have all been driven crazy by grief.”

When the news reached Li Jing, his follower was ecstatic, thinking Qin Haoxuan was finished. But Li Jing was more thoughtful. He knew Qin Haoxuan was not reckless. He remembered how all the assassins he had sent had come back broken.

His strength was at the Sixth-Leaf level two months ago, he mused. What is giving him the confidence to challenge a Twelfth-Leaf now? Does he have another powerful treasure?

Zhang Yang, less cunning, also thought Qin Haoxuan was doomed, but a nagging doubt remained. The boy had a history of creating miracles.

The most direct reaction came from Zhang Kuang. He heard the news, went straight to Qin Haoxuan’s room, and kicked the door in. He stared at him with his cold, hawk-like eyes. “Qin Haoxuan,” he said, his voice like ice, “your life is mine. You will keep it safe until we enter the Aqueous Manor. Wait for me to kill you.”

(End of Chapter)