“Bang!” The dainty little fist landed on the sandbag, ringing out with an ear-splitting thud.
That solid punch was absolutely the limit that the so-called Yi Yuan Realm could achieve!
But! Still!
I stared at the sandbag, dumbfounded.
The sandbag only had a tiny slit! Just a little fine sand spilled from where my fist struck.
What the hell kind of sand is inside this thing? What’s this bag made of?!
Xuanyang Shifu furrowed his brow, shook his head, and sighed softly:
“For just one night of cultivation, being able to break a bit of the bag is already impressive. Keep working hard, you have a real chance.”
I glanced at the other Yihe Peak disciples’ sandbags, then looked at the one before me.
Something’s off! Why do the others’ sandbags seem much softer than mine?
I rubbed my aching little hand, suddenly overcome by a sense of defeat like I’d never felt before.
Where did things go wrong…
.
Elsewhere, Xuan Yang returned to the Peak Lord’s hall, firmly shutting the doors behind him.
“Damn it, she already managed to punch a hole in the Five Elements Sandbag?” Xuan Yang panted heavily, his eyes bulging like bronze bells, completely dropping the dignified air of a Peak Lord.
That sigh in front of the girl just now had really meant—“How can there be such a difference between one living creature and another?!”
“I knew it, nothing with a fox tail is ever simple! I even went out of my way to swap in a Level Five Sandbag, but that little rascal nearly broke through it in one go, leaping four whole grades… damn it… damn it…”
His feelings were a mix of joy and sourness.
He was delighted that Yihe Peak finally had a fox of its own, but naturally, he felt envious of her talent.
So envious it twisted his gut in knots.
“First, the Houtu Holy Master overturned the world, led the Yao Race to reclaim their rights, resisted the Heaven Demons, and saved all the heroes of Shenzhou.”
“Then, the Houtu Holy Master brought that younger sister—only twelve—who entered the youth group of the Shenzhou Cup Sect Tournament and snatched first place with the ease of an adult in a kindergarten brawl, her strength unfathomable…”
“And now, at last, Yihe Peak has its own monstrous prodigy. Who knows what kind of legend will be written next?”
“To nearly dry out a Five Elements Sandbag with just Yi Yuan Realm power—no way even the Houtu Holy Master could’ve done that at the time, right? Ah, but that’s not quite right, the Houtu Holy Master trained in the sword, so they’re hard to compare. Tsk tsk tsk… I’d love to see those two face off!”
“Awoooo, this is too exciting!”
Xuan Yang’s blood surged, and with a ripping sound he tore open his shirt at the chest, thumping his chest like a wild gorilla in utter delight.
“So exciting! So exciting! Awoooo ahhh—”
“Dong dong dong—”
Just then, someone knocked on the hall doors.
Xuan Yang changed his clothes at lightning speed, straightened his face into a cold and rigid mask, and radiated Peak Lordly dignity.
With a wave of his hand, the doors swung open, and he asked in a cold voice:
“What business?”
“Immortal Sister Yun Luo seems to have something to discuss with you.”
“Very well, understood.” Xuan Yang nodded calmly and replied evenly.
.
Morning lessons ended.
In the end, I wasn’t able to smash that sandbag using Yi Yuan Realm strength.
Yi Yuan Realm is roughly equivalent to early-to-mid Qi Cultivation Stage, but that sandbag… I figure it’d take at least late Foundation Establishment Stage to burst it.
That’s not just a gap of a few times in strength, it’s dozens of times over.
There has to be some trick here.
So, after morning lessons, I asked to speak to Peak Master Guan Yang.
“Peak Master, there’s no way I can break this sandbag in three days.” I lowered my head in frustration.
Again, Xuan Yang furrowed his brow.
I didn’t hold back and got straight to the point: “Peak Master, be honest—my sandbag isn’t the same as the others’, is it?”
A flicker passed through Xuan Yang’s gaze—she really noticed that?
“It’s a little different,” Xuan Yang nodded, “But if it’s you, you ought to be able to do it.”
“Why?”
“Back when the Houtu Holy Master was your age, she stirred up all of Northern Julu Continent, and single-handedly challenged all the sword cultivators in the novice realm. You’re very much like her, so I believe… you ought to be able to do it.”
“Very much like her?”
“You share a similar talent.”
Huh???
What talent? How come I don’t know about it myself?
From the start I’ve been following the mortal route, never had any absurd things like heavenly spirit roots, supreme bones, divine bodies, or sacred bodies…
I don’t even know what my talent is, so how does he?
Or… could it be…
A surge of anticipation and excitement rose in me.
Could it be, I have some talent I haven’t even realized?
“What talent?” My mouth went dry from nerves as I asked excitedly.
“You are of the Fox Clan.”
“???”
That’s it?
That’s the reason?
What the hell kind of excuse is that!!!
Fox Clan? Sure, they’re clever and pretty, but when it comes to personal cultivation talent, it’s nothing special.
If anything, the Fox Clan is only famous for being suited as a cauldron.
But that only benefits others, it’s useless for your own cultivation speed.
So, Peak Master Guan Yang’s reasoning… I can’t make any sense of it.
This guy’s probably taking advantage of me being a newcomer to deliberately twist the truth and set a trap, right?
Hiss—
That must be it!
Suddenly, I saw through his entire scheme!
—Step one: Deliberately use a super tough sandbag to destroy my confidence.
Step two: While my confidence is shaken, recommend an evil cultivation technique—eight or nine out of ten it’s the cauldron type.
Step three: After I completely cultivate into a cauldron, he’ll drain me dry!
It has to be this!
Luckily I’m clever! I caught the sandbag trick right away!
Now he’ll have to make up a reason to cover it up, so he can justify swapping out my sandbag.
All that talk about Fox Clan talent… definitely made up on the spot! Just a lousy cover-up!
If I’m not wrong, his next move will be to start pressuring me and trying to get me to change techniques!
“In short, if you can’t break the sandbag in three days, I’m afraid you’ll have to…”
Guan Yang sighed and shook his head.
—Aha, I knew it!
See, see, here comes the pressure!
Good thing I’m ready for this!
“Shifu,” I gave a light cupped-fist salute, “last night while I was cultivating, I noticed this ‘Taiming Sect Foundational Heart Method’ feels… a little uncomfortable in some parts.”
“Hmm?” The corner of Xuan Yang’s eye twitched almost imperceptibly. “That’s unlikely, my ‘Taiming Sect Foundational Heart Method’ was personally improved by the Houtu Holy Master, it’s the best among all sect techniques… There shouldn’t be any sluggishness when circulating it.”
“No, Shifu,” I took out the manual, “look here, at this part about the Triple Burner Channel of Hand-Shaoyang and the Stomach Channel of Foot-Yangming. When my spiritual energy converges here, I feel a bit of discomfort and conflict…”
Xuan Yang frowned, closed his eyes, and carefully examined his own inner circulation.
“Hiss—”
After a while, his eyes snapped open wide and he sucked in a sharp breath.
There really was a slight conflict! It was barely detectable, but the technique did have a tiny flaw in handling that detail!
If that could be fixed, the foundational heart method would be even more perfect!
Finally, Xuan Yang couldn’t keep the tremor out of his voice:
“You… after just your first day cultivating… improved the sect’s technique?”
“Is that considered an improvement? I just felt those two places were a little uncomfortable…”
“Of course! This is a huge accomplishment!” Xuan Yang was so excited he almost swore.
Yet I showed no sign of happiness.
I simply bit my lip, feeling aggrieved, and nervously raised my head to ask timidly:
“So… does that mean you won’t expel me?”