Courage Medal

Boom!!!

Zhuge Xiang's words hit like a bombshell. Whether it was the senior disciples of Green Willow Peak or the other disciples drawn over by the commotion, all were deeply shaken. His declaration was indeed fierce and domineering.

Every batch of Asura Sect disciples, upon arrival, faces suppression from the senior batch. This is normal—like in a military camp, where new recruits are always bullied by veterans. It's practically an unspoken rule. But this batch had just arrived and already charged straight to Green Willow Peak to blunt the senior disciples' edge? That was a full-on, ferocious counterattack.

"Are this batch's newcomers all insane?" Though Zhuge Xiang's words exuded dominance, they were fresh arrivals—how could their cultivation compare to disciples who'd spent a year at Asura Headquarters? His words were shocking, but no one believed them. Bold talk meant nothing if it couldn't be backed up.

"Heh, this batch of newcomers is interesting. Especially that leader—half-body magical artifact, Qi Cultivation Realm fourth layer. That lineup is indeed rare among newcomers," said a few Body Tempering Realm disciples among the onlookers, their faces carrying playful, curious smiles as they settled in to watch the show.

"You newcomers want to die? The strongest among you is only Qi Cultivation Realm fourth layer!" The Green Willow Peak disciples roared in anger. For years, the Asura Sect's unspoken rule had held firm, yet today, their own batch was being challenged by newcomers. If word got out, their entire batch of thousands would never hold their heads up in the sect again.

The Qi Cultivation Realm seventh-layer disciple who had spoken earlier widened his eyes in shock, clearly not expecting Zhuge Xiang to say such a thing. But then his face darkened, and his seventh-layer aura surged, pressing down on Zhuge Xiang: "You're asking for death? Then I'll grant it!"

Qi Cultivation Realm seventh layer? That cultivation was indeed high—three whole layers above his own. But since Zhuge Xiang had come, he had his trump card. Earlier, two sixth-layer disciples had netted him 400 experience points and dropped a Qi Recovery Pill. But the real ace up his sleeve was a Courage Medal.

Under the Aurora Asura Tower, Zhuge Xiang had spent four or five days killing monsters on the outskirts. The drops were sparse: two Healing Pills, two Qi Recovery Pills, one Steel Secret Medicine, and one Courage Medal. The Courage Medal had dropped from a One-Star High-Grade Monster Beast.

The Steel Secret Medicine needed no explanation—it added 100 defense points directly. Zhuge Xiang had used one in his first duel with Li Bin, and now, over half a month later, another had dropped. He knew the value of Healing Pills and Qi Recovery Pills, but the real prize was the Courage Medal.

Courage Medal (Special Item): No level requirement. All attributes increased by 100%. Duration: 300 seconds. Disappears after use.

With a 300-second duration, a One-Star High-Grade Monster Beast could be killed quickly, but finding another within that window in the Endless Mountain Range was too rare. Most of the time would be wasted. So during his training there, Zhuge Xiang had never used it. Today, at Asura Headquarters, provoked by senior disciples, inspiration struck. One-Star High-Grade beasts were hard to encounter in multiples, but Qi Cultivation Realm sixth, seventh, even eighth or ninth-layer disciples? The Asura Sect had plenty. So Zhuge Xiang came to Green Willow Peak.

On one hand, he was bound to resist the senior disciples' suppression. On the other, Green Willow Peak let him use the Courage Medal perfectly without waste. So he came here—better to strike Green Willow Peak directly than wait for them to trickle over to Green Bamboo Peak.

Challenge their so-called geniuses. During the Courage Medal's 300-second window, reap more experience. After all, to raise his cultivation to Qi Cultivation Realm fifth layer, he needed a full 10,000 experience points.

Part of Zhuge Xiang's reason for coming was anger at the senior disciples' suppression, but the core was maximizing the Courage Medal's effect to harvest experience. He hadn't expected that coming to Green Willow Peak would bring Lu Yuling and the others trailing along, and even draw a crowd of other disciples, escalating into a confrontation between his batch of newcomers and the seniors.

Though things had developed beyond his expectations, Zhuge Xiang wasn't displeased. Since it had come to this, he would just have to defeat these senior disciples' geniuses one by one.

"Newcomers should know their place. Green Willow Peak isn't a place for you to run wild," said the seventh-layer disciple opposite, anger on his face. A Horse-Slaying Saber appeared in his hand, its blade flashing like a ribbon of light. In his fury, he struck to kill, aiming to swiftly defeat Zhuge Xiang, the ringleader, and cow the newcomers.

Courage Medal!!!

With a low shout, Zhuge Xiang activated the Courage Medal's effect. All attributes surged by 100%. With only 300 seconds, he wouldn't waste precious time. He flicked the Blood Refinement Saber, activated Explosive Steps, and turned into a shadow barely traceable by the naked eye, crossing paths with the disciple opposite.

With Bloodthirsty Technique boosting all attributes by 50%, Zhuge Xiang's Explosive Steps were already hard to track. Now, with a 100% boost, his speed under Explosive Steps was even more terrifying.

Attack, defense, attack speed, movement speed—all doubled. Combined with the half-body magical artifact's bonuses, especially the fierce Explosive Steps skill, Zhuge Xiang believed that below the Body Tempering Realm, no cultivator could match him.

With speed too fast to catch and attack power equivalent to a Qi Cultivation Realm seventh-layer cultivator, unless someone had the defensive ability of a Body Tempering Realm cultivator or above, no one under Explosive Steps could stop his blade.

Blood sprayed. The seventh-layer disciple only felt Zhuge Xiang flash past him, then a sharp pain in his chest. A massive gash was left across his torso, nearly splitting him in two.

"Who else!?" The seventh-layer disciple, killed in one blow, Zhuge Xiang pointed the Blood Refinement Saber at the senior disciples of Green Willow Peak and asked coldly.

"Impossible... Liu Tian was at Qi Cultivation Realm seventh layer, a former top eight in the Grand Tournament. He couldn't have fallen so easily!" The onlookers, who had expected to see the arrogant newcomer put in his place, were stunned by the opposite outcome. A seventh-layer cultivator, killed in one move? Was this really a newcomer?

"Is... is that really Zhuge Xiang?" Though they knew Zhuge Xiang was strong, even Hua Nongying and the others widened their eyes, unable to believe what they saw. A seventh-layer cultivator, killed in one blow? How had his strength grown so fast?

"Such speed. His attack power isn't enough to hurt me, but his speed is hard to dodge," said a few Body Tempering Realm disciples among the onlookers, their faces turning serious despite their earlier amusement.

Body Tempering Realm used Qi Energy to temper the body, strengthening not just physical power but also resilience. If one had trained a tough skill like the Golden Bell Shield, their physical defense alone could rival four-star or even five-star defensive magical artifacts. Zhuge Xiang's slash just now couldn't wound a Body Tempering Realm disciple, but the speed of Explosive Steps had startled them.

"An impressive newcomer. Let me play with you..." As Zhuge Xiang pointed the Blood Refinement Saber at the Green Willow Peak disciples, a voice like a ghost sounded behind him. Before he could react, a heavy blow struck his back, sending him stumbling forward a few steps. A metallic taste rose in his throat. On the Character Interface, 140 HP dropped by half.

The Flowing Cloud Cloak added a shield absorbing 20 damage, and his half-body equipment added about 50 defense. With the Courage Medal doubling everything, he still lost half his HP in one hit. Without the cloak's effect, he'd be nearly crippled and combat-ineffective.

The ghostly attack made Zhuge Xiang's face change. Without thinking, he tossed a Healing Pill into his mouth. Almost simultaneously, he swung the Blood Refinement Saber backhand, but it hit nothing. A half-illusory shadow flickered and vanished, elusive as a specter.

"Haha, it's Zhang Ying! His Ghost Step was already at Perfection Level. Is this the legendary advanced martial art, Ghostly Shadow Step? It has a certain concealment effect!" Seeing Zhuge Xiang hit and wounded, and the half-illusory shadow flashing behind him, the disciples who had been awed by his strength burst into laughter.

Ghost Step's advanced form, Ghostly Shadow Step. As Zhang Ying executed it, half-illusory shadows flickered across the field, truly like ghosts. Zhuge Xiang's face turned cold. Though it was still a one-on-one duel, he had nearly been ambushed. Rage burned in his heart.

"Ghostly Shadow Step? Some concealment effect? Try getting close to me again..." The Blood Refinement Saber slanted toward the ground, Zhuge Xiang's body completely relaxed, showing no sign of defense or alertness, waiting for the second attack. Once the enemy struck again, that would be his defeat.