Notice

It was a quarter past three in the morning, and the sky was still dark.

Zhao Yuanchong came out of the training room, steam rising from his sweat-soaked body. He grabbed the ladle from the bucket beneath the corridor and tipped a big mouthful of water down his throat. Cold water ran down his neck.

"Has the notice been posted?" He wiped his mouth, his voice hoarse.

Li Tui stood in the shadow of a pillar. "It has."

"Let's go."

Zhao Yuanchong tossed the ladle back into the bucket and strode out without even putting on his outer robe. Li Tui followed with a lantern, its dim yellow glow swaying over the stone path.

Two or three dozen people had gathered in front of the blue-brick wall outside the Martial Arts Arena.

When they saw Zhao Yuanchong approach, the crowd parted. He walked up to the wall and looked up.

The characters, written in vermilion, were glaringly red:

[Year-End Small Competition: Sparring on the arena. Let martial arts decide the victor; stop once the point is made.]

Below that were the rewards.

[First place: Seven days in the Yunling Pool, one Barrier-Breaking Pill, one mid-grade magical artifact]

[Second place: Five days in the Yunling Pool, three Ningyuan Pills]

[Third place: Three days in the Yunling Pool, one Ningyuan Pill]

Below that was the match roster.

Zhao Yuanchong's gaze swept across the first line, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold sneer. He glanced down at the rewards, his face expressionless, though his eyes narrowed slightly.

Just as he was about to read the match roster, an uproar erupted behind him.

"Seven days in the Yunling Pool... That's enough to break through the Tongmai bottleneck!"

"The Barrier-Breaking Pill is the real treasure! It can force open the barrier to a minor realm!"

"One mid-grade magical artifact of your choice... That's quite a haul..."

Zhao Yuanchong paid no attention to the discussion. He traced down the notice with his finger, found his own name, then Zhao Hao's, then Zhao Wen's. After that, he followed the winners' advancement paths in his mind.

When he reached the final three rounds, he stopped.

Someone behind him whispered, "That Zhao Hao is a vicious one..."

Zhao Yuanchong suddenly turned around and swept his gaze over the crowd. It was a collateral-line disciple. When he saw Zhao Yuanchong looking his way, he hurriedly shut his mouth.

"Go on," Zhao Yuanchong said, his voice low. "What about Zhao Hao?"

The man's face went pale, his lips trembling.

Zhao Yuanchong stared at him for two breaths, then sneered and turned away.

Only after leaving the crowd did he speak. "Any news from Zhao Wen's side?"

Li Tui hesitated. "This subordinate doesn't know."

Zhao Yuanchong didn't slow his pace. He only gave a quiet "Mm." After a few steps, he asked, "What about Zhao Hao? Has he seen the notice?"

"He should have."

"He's seen it..." Zhao Yuanchong repeated those three words, then suddenly laughed. The sound was brief. "Right now, he's probably thinking about how to make sure I can't get back up."

When he returned to the training room in the main courtyard, Zhao Mingsheng was already waiting inside.

He stood by the window with his hands behind his back. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and gave Zhao Yuanchong a once-over. "You look all right."

Zhao Yuanchong pulled off his soaked undershirt and tossed it aside, then grabbed a clean outer robe and put it on. "I saw it."

"What do you think?"

"I'll fight. That's all there is to it." Zhao Yuanchong answered crisply. "I'm taking first place."

Zhao Mingsheng stared at him for two breaths, then pulled a jade box from his robes and tossed it over. "Qi-Condensing Powder, one pill a day. Pulse-Protecting Pill, one every three days. Starting today, you'll devote all your time to opening your acupoints."

Zhao Yuanchong caught the box and opened it. Inside were two compartments, one holding something lustrously white, the other pale green.

"The Qi-Condensing Pill has a fierce force. Without the Pulse-Protecting Pill to guide it, your meridians will be damaged," Zhao Mingsheng said. "But this is the fastest way. Within ten days, you must open the two major acupoints, Qihai and Danzhong."

Zhao Yuanchong picked up a Qi-Condensing Powder pill and stared at it for a moment before swallowing it.

The instant the pill went down his throat, his entire body tensed.

"Sit cross-legged," Zhao Mingsheng said.

Zhao Yuanchong did as he was told, sitting with his palms and soles facing upward. Before long, his skin flushed an unnatural red, and veins bulged at his temples. His true qi rampaged through his body, like a wild horse breaking free of its reins.

"Guide the qi back to the sea," Zhao Mingsheng's voice rang in his ear. "Don't resist. Follow the force of the medicine."

Zhao Yuanchong clenched his teeth and did as instructed. His true qi surged toward his dantian like a flood, pounding wildly against the Qihai acupoint. Every impact brought a stretching pain, as if he were being torn apart.

Once, twice, three times...

On the eighth impact, a crack appeared in the acupoint's barrier.

"Break through!" Zhao Mingsheng barked.

Zhao Yuanchong gathered all his true qi and slammed it into the barrier!

Boom!

A muffled sound rang out deep in his consciousness. The Qihai acupoint opened, and surging true qi flooded into his dantian, filling it in an instant.

Zhao Yuanchong gave a muffled groan, a thread of blood escaping the corner of his mouth.

When he opened his eyes, the light in them was startlingly bright.

"You did it." Zhao Mingsheng nodded. "But don't celebrate too soon. Your Qihai has only just opened, and your foundation is unstable. For the next three days, you must use the Pulse-Protecting Pill to nourish it repeatedly."

He pulled another small booklet from his robes. "This contains the force-channeling methods for the final three forms of the Liuyun Technique. Now that your Qihai is open, your true qi reserves have doubled. You can practice them."

Zhao Yuanchong took the booklet, his fingertips trembling.

"About Zhao Wen," Zhao Mingsheng said, abruptly changing the subject. "The family head had someone deliver a Ranxue Pill to him."

Zhao Yuanchong's fingers tightened, crumpling the edge of the booklet.

"The Ranxue Pill..." His voice sank. "That's a tiger-and-wolf drug."

"That's why you have to knock him down before the medicine wears off," Zhao Mingsheng said evenly. "Otherwise, when the backlash hits and blood pours from his seven orifices, even if you win, it won't look good for you."

Zhao Yuanchong stared at the booklet in his hands and remained silent for a long time.

"Why?" he finally asked, his voice very soft. "Why does Father... have to push him so hard?"

Zhao Mingsheng was silent for a moment.

"The family head has his reasons," he said at last. "Your job is to win. Win every match and make it to the end."

With that, he turned and headed out. He stopped at the doorway and glanced back. "Don't disappoint your father."

The door closed.

Zhao Yuanchong remained where he was, staring at the booklet in his hands. Morning light slipped through the gap in the window and fell across his face, illuminating his pallid bewilderment.

Li Tui stood outside the door, waiting quietly.