Chapter 13: The Overlord’s Power Feeds the Golden Lotus

Comfort! Ever since eating the mutated spiritual herb from the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley, Qin Haoxuan’s body had been in a constant state of searing torment. But that last palm strike had brought him an indescribable sense of relief.

He didn’t know that the spiritual herb was impossible for him to digest and absorb. If the energy continued to accumulate, it would not only provide no benefit but would cause great harm. If the spiritual essence within the herb were to completely solidify, Qin Haoxuan would be left paralyzed, if not dead.

He was unaware that while recklessly consuming spiritual herbs could rapidly increase one’s cultivation, it came with enormous hidden dangers.

Yuan Shanhu was equally unaware. He had no idea that if he hadn’t beaten this person, the boy might have been dead or disabled in a few days. He certainly didn’t know that his malicious attack had turned into a massage for Qin Haoxuan, providing him with immense help.

The sight of Qin Haoxuan, unharmed and protected by a shroud of spiritual energy, made the onlookers suspect they were seeing things. The force of Yuan Shanhu’s last strike was enough to blast a pit in the ground. Some of the Immortal Seed Realm disciples who had been in the sect for several years knew they would have had trouble taking that hit. Yet Qin Haoxuan, who had only been cultivating for two days and was just a mortal who had barely shattered his seed, had taken it without a scratch. They couldn’t imagine how he was unharmed.

It wasn’t just them; Yuan Shanhu himself couldn’t understand it.

Zhang Kuang had told him that Qin Haoxuan had a good martial arts foundation and was physically strong. So, while he hadn’t intended to kill him, he had used 40% of his power in that strike, thinking it would be enough to keep him bedridden for a month or two. How could he be completely fine?

How is this possible? Zhang Kuang watched from a distance, his eyes filled with astonishment. I know this Qin Haoxuan! He’s stronger than me, but not this much stronger, right? Could it be that he never used his full strength when he beat me up in the past?

“So this is the Mountain-Toppling Palm?” Qin Haoxuan’s eyes were also filled with surprise. That yellow light came at me so fast, I couldn’t even see it clearly, let alone dodge it. I thought I’d be badly hurt, but it didn’t hurt at all!

How can this be? Qin Haoxuan was equally puzzled. The blow didn’t even sting; instead, the burning heat in his body greatly subsided. But after getting up, the heat returned. Am I some kind of masochist? This heat is so uncomfortable. Would I feel better if Yuan Shanhu hit me again?

Tempted by the prospect of soothing the intense heat in his body, Qin Haoxuan suddenly charged at Yuan Shanhu. Even if he couldn’t land a blow, getting hit by him would feel great. It was a win-win situation.

“What a kid!” A sharp glint flashed in Yuan Shanhu’s eyes. In front of so many people, he had failed to knock down a new disciple with one palm strike, and now the boy was charging at him. He felt he had lost a great deal of face, and his next attack was heavier.

Still, it was a public place, and killing someone would be disastrous. He only added another 10% of his power, increasing the force from 40% to 50%.

Yuan Shanhu had been in the sect for 25 years and was at the Third-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm. In the entire Taichu Sect, his progress was at the very bottom, but in a gathering of rejects like the Spirit Field Valley, he was considered average.

The yellow palm shadow struck again. This time, Qin Haoxuan found that he could faintly make out the trajectory of the attack. His body instinctively tried to dodge, but he was still too slow. With a muffled “thump,” he was sent flying again, even further than before. He flew nearly ten meters, and after landing, he slid for another two.

Pain? No pain! Bliss? Absolute bliss! Lying on the ground like a limp doll, Qin Haoxuan felt the heat inside him recede once more. More of the burning energy transformed into a cool stream, flowing into his bones and organs. But the refreshing feeling was fleeting, and moments later, the annoying heat returned.

Qin Haoxuan pushed himself up with his hands and leaped to his feet. I don’t understand why his attacks don’t hurt me! But while they don’t, I have to counterattack! I need to take these guys down before this strange feeling disappears. Otherwise, if it goes away, I’ll be the one who can’t get up.

What he didn’t know was that this was entirely the effect of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus he had swallowed. At his current level, he could absorb less than one percent of its medicinal power. After a small portion was lost, the excess energy had accumulated in his body. If not absorbed soon, it would dissipate completely.

Every time Yuan Shanhu struck him, it was like helping him absorb the energy, forcing the medicinal power stored in his body into his bone marrow. If it were an ordinary person, even with the same amount of medicinal power inside them, they would have been crippled by such a beating long ago.

But by a stroke of fate, after consuming the lotus, Qin Haoxuan was using the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, a technique taught to him by the Undying Witch Demon. This art contained the methods of Body Tempering Cultivation, a path almost entirely lost to the current cultivation world. The first step for a Body Tempering Cultivator was to build an incredibly robust physique by absorbing spiritual energy and then having a stronger expert strike their body, driving the absorbed energy into their bones and organs.

However, this method of training was extremely brutal and dangerous. A single misstep could result in the cultivator being beaten to death or severely injured.

Furthermore, spiritual herbs were rare. Ancient Body Tempering Cultivators could never have been as extravagant as Qin Haoxuan, consuming a spiritual lotus as if it were a meal, and thus could not accumulate large amounts of spiritual energy in their bodies for others to help them absorb.

Casting all other thoughts aside, Qin Haoxuan rolled his neck and, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, broke into a sprint, charging straight at Yuan Shanhu.

“Is this kid a monster?” In the moment Yuan Shanhu was stunned, Qin Haoxuan had already closed the distance to within ten steps. Not good!

Yuan Shanhu had no time to be amazed. Fearing that Qin Haoxuan would get close—even being touched by him would be a disgrace—he immediately unleashed his Mountain-Toppling Palm with 60% of his power.

I can almost see the yellow light clearly now! The thought flashed through Qin Haoxuan’s mind, but his body couldn’t keep up. He was hit again and sent flying. The heat in his body subsided once more as more spiritual energy turned into a sweet nectar, entering his bones and organs, strengthening his body.

Thud! Qin Haoxuan hit the ground hard. He replayed the last few exchanges in his mind. Each time he was knocked down and got back up, he could see the trajectory of the yellow light more clearly. Perhaps after a few more times, he could actually dodge the attack.

“Again!”

Qin Haoxuan stood up once more, and facing the monster-like gazes of the onlookers and Yuan Shanhu, he charged again. This time he got to within eight steps before being knocked back.

Each time he stood up, Yuan Shanhu increased the force of his blow, until he was using 80% of his power, a strike strong enough to shatter stone. Yet, he still couldn’t knock Qin Haoxuan down. The boy was still full of vigor. Apart from being covered in dust, he didn’t have a single scratch on him.

The onlookers had become numb to Qin Haoxuan’s incredible resilience. When they saw him stand up again, no one gasped. It seemed perfectly normal. It would have been strange if he hadn’t gotten up.

This time, Qin Haoxuan closed the distance to just three steps from Yuan Shanhu. The more he fought, the more panicked Yuan Shanhu became. He had fought over a hundred battles in his life, even against stronger opponents, but he had never felt so helpless. A trace of regret crept into his heart. He shouldn’t have provoked this iron plate. If he couldn’t defeat him, not only would he lose all face, but his future prospects would be ruined.

In his desperation, he pushed his power from 80% to 90% and switched from the Mountain-Toppling Palm to a slightly more advanced spiritual technique.

A domineering aura suddenly rose from Yuan Shanhu. His whole body seemed to transform into a giant iron fist, radiating a sharp, menacing killing intent.

“The Overlord Fist! He’s using the Overlord Fist!”

“Heavens, is Yuan Shanhu trying to kill him? Using such a brutal technique on a new disciple… if he dies, isn’t he afraid of the Discipline Hall?”

“The Overlord Fist is incredibly powerful. With Yuan Shanhu’s strength, he could shatter an iron plate… This… someone’s going to die…”

Hearing the crowd’s cries, Xu Yu panicked. Her voice laced with anguish, she screamed, “Senior Brother Qin, Senior Brother Qin, get back! Yuan Shanhu, if you hurt him, I will never forgive you!”

As she screamed, she struggled, looking as if she was about to rush forward to block the punch for him. The female disciples holding her back turned pale and held on for dear life.

It was no joke. The Overlord Fist was so powerful that even another Third-Leaf Spirit Sprout disciple couldn’t be certain of taking it. Although Xu Yu was an Unsurpassed Purple Seed, her cultivation was still shallow. Rushing in would only result in another casualty.

If she was harmed in any way, they were sure the Sect Master would not spare them.

At this point, Yuan Shanhu was also in a bind. He saw the expectant look on Zhang Kuang’s face, a look that said he wanted Qin Haoxuan dead.

He had already offended Xu Yu. Even if he stopped now, she wouldn’t likely spare him once her cultivation matured. He had no choice but to continue to curry favor with Zhang Kuang. Besides, once the Overlord Fist was initiated, it couldn’t be stopped. Forcibly retracting it would cause a backlash of spiritual energy that could shatter his meridians, leaving him crippled or even dead.

Feeling the killing intent radiating from Yuan Shanhu, Qin Haoxuan couldn’t stop his charge and crashed into the phantom of the fist.

BOOM!

A loud explosion of spiritual energy sent dust flying everywhere. A crater, a meter wide and half a foot deep, appeared where Qin Haoxuan had been standing. He lay in the pit, his condition unknown.

At some point, the lonely and arrogant bearded man had reappeared in the crowd. He had witnessed the entire shocking duel. He greatly admired Qin Haoxuan’s freakish resilience and determined attitude but hadn’t expected Yuan Shanhu to dare to strike a killing blow. No matter how tough Qin Haoxuan was, after taking the Overlord Fist with 90% of a Third-Leaf Spirit Sprout’s power, he was surely dead.

A flash of killing intent appeared in the bearded man’s eyes as he stared at Yuan Shanhu. But when his gaze fell on the smiling Zhang Kuang, he shook his head, sighed softly, and was about to leave.

The other onlookers were also preparing to leave. A death had occurred, and the Discipline Squad would arrive soon. It was best to leave quickly to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Just then, a long groan came from Qin Haoxuan, whom everyone had presumed dead.

That’s right, it was a groan of comfort. The previous blows had left some of the agitating heat in his body, but that last punch had been perfectly timed and powerful, as if his entire body had been thoroughly beaten. The feeling of relief was like soaking in a hot bath after being exhausted to the point of collapse, followed by a full-body massage. Yes, it was as comfortable as a massage.

Qin Haoxuan savored the complete refreshment, but it didn’t last long. A moment later, the annoying heat returned…

“Damn it!” Qin Haoxuan cursed under his breath and nimbly jumped out of the pit. He looked like a beggar, covered in dirt, but it didn’t stop his image from soaring in the minds of others, higher and higher, to an infinite height…

“By the Immortal Ancestors, what kind of monster is this kid? Not even the Overlord Fist could kill him…”

“More than a monster, he’s a demon! Look at him, he’s only in the initial stage of the Immortal Seed Realm, just shattered his seed, yet he can go head-to-head with a Third-Leaf Spirit Sprout…”

“Is the sect’s Clear Appraisal Immortal Eye broken? He… he’s just an uncolored weak seed, you believe that?”

“No way! If he’s just an uncolored weak seed, then what does that make me? A piece of trash?” a menial disciple who had entered the sect over a decade ago with the same aptitude shouted, immediately winning a chorus of agreement.

Even these old-timers knew they couldn’t have taken that punch from Yuan Shanhu without being injured. Yet, Qin Haoxuan was completely unharmed. There wasn’t even a bruise on his bare torso.

Was this even human? He was a demon!