Chapter 20: A New Challenger Takes the Stage

If the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art hadn’t been a long-lost secret art of Body Tempering Cultivation, he would have exploded the moment he swallowed the One-Leaf Golden Lotus! A Spirit Sprout Realm expert had died from eating a Vermilion Fruit far inferior to the lotus, let alone a mere mortal like himself.

And if Yuan Shanhu and the other old-timers hadn’t beaten him, inadvertently helping him absorb a small part of the violent spiritual energy, that, combined with the geothermal heat of the Lava Cellar, would have also caused him to burst from the sheer power.

After finishing a book on spiritual herbs, Qin Haoxuan sighed heavily. The One-Leaf Golden Lotus was so precious that it could be used to refine pills for the sect’s Grand Ancestors. It was a treasure even they would struggle to find. If anyone knew he had just swallowed it whole, it would be enough to make the dead rise from their graves in anger.

After reading for a while, Qin Haoxuan felt the searing heat in his body intensify again, so he resumed his meditation. In the harsh environment of the Lava Cellar, lack of sleep was extremely detrimental. The group of drowsy old-timers saw Qin Haoxuan, after reading for half the day, enter a state of cultivation with the vigor of a dragon. They were all dumbfounded. So this is how formidable a Xiantian Martial Artist is!

He spent two days in the Lava Cellar. During this time, Qin Haoxuan did nothing but cultivate and read the notes Xu Yu brought him every afternoon. He slept for no more than two or three hours each day.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sleep, but the medicinal power in his body was intensely hot. The moment he stopped cultivating, the ambient heat of the cellar was not enough to counteract it, and he would soon be awakened by the searing sensation. If not for the nourishing properties of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus supporting his body, an ordinary person would have collapsed long ago under such high-intensity training.

Qin Haoxuan, tormented by the lotus’s power and forced to cultivate to offset the heat, didn’t know that in the eyes of the other prisoners, he was a freak—a cultivation maniac who didn’t even need to sleep. Although they hated him to the bone for stealing half their food at every meal, their gazes had shifted from initial fear to reverence, with a faint trace of respect.

Because people with strength and perseverance are respected everywhere.

That afternoon, just as Qin Haoxuan closed the notebook from Xu Yu and was about to enter meditation, the iron door creaked open with a loud clang. A burly man with explosive muscles was thrown into the Lava Cellar, escorted by a few disciples from the Discipline Squad.

The two escorts were the same ones who had brought Qin Haoxuan in. They gave him a suggestive look, and knowing what was about to happen, they quietly hid behind the door to watch the show.

The newcomer was a formidable sight. His muscles, brimming with explosive power, were eye-catching, and he exuded a ferocious, bandit-like aura that made even the most thuggish of the old-timers, Old Ye, seem like a pale comparison.

His menacing gaze swept over everyone, finally locking onto Qin Haoxuan, a glint of cold malice in his eyes.

After their last painful lesson, the old-timers no longer dared to offer a “welcoming party.” Looking at the newcomer, they could tell that despite his thuggish air, his aura was solid and powerful. He was a Fifth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm expert! They secretly congratulated themselves for not making a move. The consequences would have been far worse than offending Qin Haoxuan.

This man was Yuan Shanxiang, sent by Zhang Kuang to deal with Qin Haoxuan.

Without any attempt at concealment, he strode up to Qin Haoxuan. His blade-like gaze locked onto the meditating boy, and without a word, he formed a hand seal. Spiritual energy gathered at his fingertips, and after two breaths, it condensed into a fireball that he blasted directly at Qin Haoxuan.

“Crimson Cloud Eruption!”

His strange state since entering the room had put Qin Haoxuan on high alert. The Lava Cellar, though a confinement cell, felt like a lawless land. One had to be constantly vigilant, especially during cultivation. A sneak attack could cause a fatal qi deviation.

But at his current cultivation level, even if he was on guard, he had no way of dodging the attack of a Fifth-Leaf Spirit Sprout expert. He could only watch as the fireball, with its unstoppable momentum, slammed into his body.

Instantly, the smell of burnt cloth filled the air. The fireball sent Qin Haoxuan flying, crashing hard against the rock wall with enough force to chip off fragments of stone.

Pain? No! It was bliss!

Qin Haoxuan got up from the ground as if nothing had happened. The searing heat inside him had been reduced by more than half by the blow. It felt incredibly soothing, but it also made his blood boil with anger.

When he was first thrown in here, he had received an inexplicable beating, the so-called “welcoming party.” He had been here for two days, and now some random person shows up and attacks him without a single word. Was there an “old-timer’s meal” as well?

Yuan Shanxiang frowned slightly. A normal First or Second-Leaf cultivator would have been heavily injured by that blow, yet this boy seemed perfectly fine. It seemed the rumors about him were true. Just what kind of monster was he?

In the dim firelight, Qin Haoxuan saw that the attacker’s face bore a slight resemblance to Yuan Shanhu. He quickly put the pieces together.

Zhang Kuang, oh Zhang Kuang, it seems you want me dead and gone.

Such a powerful physique! Could he be a Xiantian Martial Artist? Yuan Shanxiang continuously formed hand seals, launching one Crimson Cloud Eruption after another at Qin Haoxuan.

Attack, attack! I can’t give this kid a moment to breathe! Yuan Shanxiang took a deep breath, the five spiritual leaves within him trembling as he unleashed a barrage of techniques.

Comfortable! Painful! Comfortable! Painful!

Qin Haoxuan dodged left and right, desperately trying to protect the small snake hidden in his robes. The Crimson Cloud Eruptions were like a volley of flaming arrows, impossible to completely evade.

In the blink of an eye, his already tattered outer robe was even more ragged.

I can’t just keep taking this! If this continues, they’ll discover the snake! It’s my greatest secret! Qin Haoxuan ducked his head, protecting his chest with his shoulder, while his eyes locked onto his opponent. A mixture of crisis and rage building inside him, he let out a furious roar. Even the old-timers watching from the side could feel the anger surging from him.

“A mere ant dares to have a temper! Have a taste of my Meteorite Fist!” Yuan Shanxiang sneered. As Qin Haoxuan roared, the muscles on his body bulged. He gathered his strength and threw a punch through the air. The fist was incredibly fast, creating a whistling sound as a phantom image of it shot out. The phantom grew in the air until it was the size of a millstone, crashing down directly onto Qin Haoxuan’s head.

Feeling the terrifying power of the Meteorite Fist, the onlooking old-timers grinned with delight. After two days of being oppressed by Qin Haoxuan, they were eager to see him splattered across the floor.

Unable to dodge, Qin Haoxuan could only take the blow head-on. The millstone-sized fist smashed into his forehead with a dull thud. His body flew backward, once again crashing into the rock wall. His head slammed into the hard rock, creating a small crater and sending stone fragments flying.

Qin Haoxuan lay on the ground like a limp doll, motionless for a long time, his condition unknown.

“Look at him, he’s not moving. You think he’s dead?”

“Hard to say. We hit him so much, and he wasn’t even scratched. But the one who hit him now is a Fifth-Leaf expert. I think he’s probably just knocked out.”

“I think so too. It would be a shame if he just died like that.”

“A shame? Think about how he treated you two days ago. You won’t think it’s a shame then!”

“Now that you mention it, my teeth are itching with hatred. This is so satisfying!”

The Meteorite Fist was an extremely fierce and domineering technique that was difficult to master, but its power was extraordinary. The blow to his head caused such intense pain that it knocked him unconscious for a moment.

“Pathetic!” A cold smile touched Yuan Shanxiang’s lips. The rumors about Qin Haoxuan had been rampant in the Spirit Field Valley for the past two days. He had even spent a fortune on a basic attack talisman just in case, but he had managed to take him down with just a few punches.

“Pain! It hurts so much! Bliss! The bliss is so intense my whole body is numb! I wish I could take a few more of those punches! But if I take too many, I’ll really die…”

Qin Haoxuan pushed himself up with his hands, muttering to himself as if in a daze. He swayed as he got back to his feet.

How is that possible? Yuan Shanxiang’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even a Fifth-Leaf cultivator would have their head turned to mush by my Meteorite Fist. A real rock would have been pulverized. How is it that this Qin Haoxuan only has a slight bruise on his forehead and seems otherwise unharmed?

“Whoa, the monster is actually hurt! Did you see? His forehead is swollen!”

“A Fifth-Leaf expert is truly on another level! He actually managed to injure him! If he can be injured, he can be killed!”

Fifth-Leaf… no wonder he’s so strong… Qin Haoxuan shook his head, thinking, Good thing I swallowed the golden lotus, or that last punch would have killed me.

“No wonder someone wanted me to come in here and take care of you,” Yuan Shanxiang’s gruff voice echoed in the small cellar. His focus sharpened. Anyone who could take his Meteorite Fist, even a mere mortal, had earned the right to be his opponent. “Kid, remember the name Yuan Shanxiang! The Yuan Shanhu you beat up the other day is my younger brother. I’m here today to avenge him, so you don’t die a confused ghost!”

With that, Yuan Shanxiang spread his arms. Pure spiritual energy poured out of his body, and after a few breaths, it condensed into tangible daggers. It took a full 20 breaths for all the daggers to form, hanging silently in the air, ready to strike.

For a Fifth-Leaf expert to take 20 breaths to prepare a technique, its power was bound to be extraordinary.

TN: A xiantian martial artist is someone whose physical body has been tempered to the extreme, strong enough to rival or even resist the attacks of early-stage cultivators.