The Contest for Immortal Qi

After watching the others scatter in different directions, Chen Fan furrowed his brow slightly.

From what they had said, he had roughly guessed what was going on...

"Is this your first time entering the Second Layer Heavenly Court?" a voice asked.

Only then did Chen Fan notice that the Yellow-Robed Woman hadn't left. She stood where she was, her bright eyes fixed on him.

"Yeah." Chen Fan nodded.

"Qi Refining Layer 4. I don't know why you have so much Immortal Qi, but since you're here, focus on staying alive. Don't throw away your Immortal Qi—or your life—carelessly." The Yellow-Robed Woman paused. Seeing that Chen Fan was listening intently, she continued:

"Do you see the Jade Token in your hand? Three thousand is the combined Immortal Qi of the six of us. Five hundred is your own. The requirement for this trial is to keep our total Immortal Qi above half its current amount for three days. In other words, it can't fall below 1,500, or we'll fail."

"If someone dies, their Immortal Qi is lost?"

"You could put it that way. In an hour, six cultivators who are Two-Star Heavenly Soldiers will be sent in as well. Their task is to seize more than half of our Immortal Qi. Otherwise, they'll fail. But anyone who earns the rank of Two-Star Heavenly Soldier is bound to be far stronger than us overall. If we clash with them head-on, we'll lose even faster." As she spoke, the Yellow-Robed Woman glanced at Chen Fan, as if to say that someone like him would only drag the team down, so they couldn't afford to face the enemy head-on.

Chen Fan nodded thoughtfully. The Yellow-Robed Woman assumed he understood, and continued, "During this hour, you'd better find somewhere secluded and lie low for three days. Do your best to stay alive..."

"So we can take their Immortal Qi too?" Chen Fan suddenly interrupted, looking up at her.

The question caught the Yellow-Robed Woman off guard. She couldn't see what purpose it served. Did this Qi Refining Layer 4 cultivator think he could steal from Two-Star Heavenly Soldiers?

"Yes, but there's no chance of success. They're far stronger than us." The Yellow-Robed Woman shook her head.

"Right. Three days!" Chen Fan nodded, a bright glint flashing in his eyes.

Seeing his expression, the Yellow-Robed Woman furrowed her brow. Did he even hear the second half of what I said? Does he really think he can take on the Two-Star Heavenly Soldiers?

Forget it. I've said all I can. If he insists on being reckless, that's his problem.

"I'm going to find somewhere secluded too. See you, Qi Refining Layer 4." The Yellow-Robed Woman shook her head and turned to leave in another direction. She hadn't even asked Chen Fan's name, addressing him only by his cultivation level.

After she was gone, Chen Fan extended his Divine Sense to check that the area was safe, then left the Heavenly Court. He told Chen Jingjing, who was about to go to bed, that he needed to cultivate in seclusion for three days. His plan to go to Heavy Sword Peak and retrieve the inheritance would have to wait.

Chen Jingjing naturally agreed. But when she learned Chen Fan was going to challenge the Second Layer Heavenly Court, her mouth fell open, and she was too shocked to speak...

By the time he returned to the Heavenly Court, the hour was nearly up. Chen Fan headed deeper into the forest.

As he walked, he thought things over. The Yellow-Robed Woman and the bald male cultivator were both at Qi Refining Seventh Layer, the strongest among the six. The other three were all at Qi Refining Layer 6.

So he guessed that the incoming Two-Star Heavenly Soldiers would be at Qi Refining Seventh or Eighth Layer. Ninth Layer seemed unlikely, since this was only the Second Layer Heavenly Court.

At his current cultivation level, he could just barely kill two opponents at Qi Refining Seventh Layer. If anyone at Qi Refining Eighth Layer showed up, he would have to break through here—or give up.

"But breaking through isn't impossible." Chen Fan murmured, then quickened his pace toward the depths of the forest.

In a wilderness like this, Monster Beasts were the best resource. He had just over half an hour left, enough to find and kill a Monster Beast at Qi Refining Seventh Layer and extract its Demon Core. Then, while the Two-Star Heavenly Soldiers were searching for people, he could refine the core and break through.

After walking for a while, Chen Fan finally spotted a White-Haired Lone Wolf drinking by a river.

"Qi Refining Seventh Layer!" A smile tugged at Chen Fan's lips. Wolves usually lived in packs, so this White-Haired Lone Wolf was likely on its own; otherwise, it wouldn't have reached such a high level.

A Lone Wolf at Qi Refining Seventh Layer was almost as strong as a wolf king.

Whoosh!

Chen Fan shot forward like a streak of shadow.

Just as he set off, a figure stood behind a large tree not far away. It was the Yellow-Robed Woman.

If she hadn't arrived later than Chen Fan, she would have wondered whether he had followed her, hoping for protection. But when she saw him suddenly surge forward at an unbelievable speed, her face changed slightly. Even she couldn't move that fast.

"W-what is he doing? With a powerful enemy about to arrive, he's provoking a Monster Beast? And a Lone Wolf at Qi Refining Seventh Layer, no less. He's practically asking to die!" When the Yellow-Robed Woman saw that Chen Fan's target was a White-Haired Lone Wolf, she was aghast.

"Go!" As Chen Fan raced forward like thunder, he flung a yellow Talisman at the White-Haired Lone Wolf.

The Talisman sizzled as it ignited in midair, turning into a giant net that swept toward the wolf.

"Awooo!" The White-Haired Lone Wolf was extremely alert and had already sensed the disturbance. It swung a claw forward, and two streaks of cold light ripped through the net, tearing it clean in half.

"Hum."

With a soft ring of his sword, Chen Fan arrived, his blade filled with True Qi. The giant net had been meant only to hold the White-Haired Lone Wolf back.

He flicked his wrist. His sword traced a half-circle, gathering Sword Qi that swept toward the wolf.

The White-Haired Lone Wolf moved swiftly and reacted at once. It leapt on its powerful legs and dodged to the side, evading the arc.

But it was still no match for Chen Fan's sword. The instant the first arc missed, another straight line of Sword Qi sliced through the air.

With a muffled hiss, the Sword Qi carved a gash into the wolf's flank, and a string of blood droplets sprayed out.

"Awoooo!"

Wounded by a mere cultivator, the White-Haired Lone Wolf let out an enraged howl. Its piercing cry rang across the surrounding area, calling for its fellow wolves.

Chen Fan knew he couldn't drag this out. Blazing Heaven Sword Qi surged through his blade, and he swung it at lightning speed. Streak after streak of Sword Qi cut off every escape route. Then his gaze sharpened, and he brought down one final slash at the Lone Wolf's head. How decisive! With its retreat sealed off, the White-Haired Lone Wolf exposed the slightest opening—a fleeting chance.

Chen Fan seized it. His swift sword flashed like a meteor, piercing the White-Haired Lone Wolf's body.

"Thud!"

The wolf's head spun through the air several times before dropping into the river. Its blood flowed out, staining the clear water red.

Chen Fan raised his sword and flicked the blue-glowing Demon Core out of the wolf's body. It slapped into his left palm, which closed around it. Then he glanced toward the Yellow-Robed Woman a few times, as if by chance, before heading in the opposite direction.

Whoosh!

At last, he used Formless Step. His figure blurred and vanished from the Yellow-Robed Woman's sight.

"W-what a powerful swordsman..." The Yellow-Robed Woman emerged from behind the tree, her face filled with shock. She murmured to herself, "Is he really at Qi Refining Layer 4?"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Chen Fan raced through the forest like a streak of shadow, heading deeper into the woods without leaving a trace. He needed enough time to refine the Demon Core.

Half an hour later, at the spot where Chen Fan and the others had first entered, a flash of white light appeared, and six figures emerged.

Their eyes gleamed coldly, and each wore a mocking smile.

"To think we got the hardest mission in the Second Layer Heavenly Court: the Battle of Immortal Qi. But for us, this is a rare opportunity." A male cultivator surveyed the area and laughed. He too was at Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

"Just as I thought. Activating the formation at the same time increases the chance of being assigned to the same mission. And we even got this kind of mission, where it's easiest to seize the most Immortal Qi." A Red-robed Woman laughed coldly.

"These people won't gather together. Still, to be safe, we'll split into pairs and focus on hidden spots in the forest and caves. Let's hunt down our prey one by one. Heh heh!" A White-robed Scholar holding a folding fan wore a sinister smile. He was the strongest among the six, at Qi Refining Eighth Layer.

The other five were all at Qi Refining Seventh Layer, and they followed the White-robed Scholar's lead. At his words, they split into two groups, pushed off hard, and shot away in different directions, leaving only the Red-robed Woman and the White-robed Scholar behind.

"Senior Brother Wang, which way should we go?" The Red-robed Woman looked at the White-robed Scholar, her eyes full of adoration.

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'The most dangerous place is the safest'?" The scholar answered with a question. His voice was rather loud, as if he were deliberately speaking for someone else to hear.

"Hm?" The Red-robed Woman's expression shifted slightly, as if she understood.

"There's no shortage of people who think they're clever. I happen to like them, though, because they save me a lot of trouble." The White-robed Scholar snapped open his fan and gave it a couple of languid waves before saying in a low voice, "Come out, fellow Daoist. I can spare your life."

But all that answered him was silence...

The White-robed Scholar smiled faintly. "No one? I suppose I was overthinking it. Let's go."

With that, he blurred and vanished from the spot.

The Red-robed Woman pursed her lips, a faint smile rising on her face as she vanished after the White-robed Scholar.

A moment later, a man in a nearby tree let out a long breath. He was one of the bald male cultivators from earlier. The White-robed Scholar's words had soaked his entire back with sweat, but thankfully, he had managed to stay hidden.

"That was close!" The man drew a deep breath, managing a faint smile.

"Was it only close?" A familiar, icy voice suddenly came from behind him.