Black Tortoise Unity

Elder Qi jabbed a finger toward him.

A surge of heat burrowed into Li Pingsheng's skin.

Even with the enhancement of Tiger Bone, his body remained unable to move.

This was the state of suppression by cultivation realm.

The fingertip was three inches from his chest.

At this moment, the Peace Talisman on Li Pingsheng's chest suddenly grew hot.

On it remained a tiny drop of blood left by Yunmei when she pricked her finger.

The force of the fingertip struck the blood spot with a "boom," followed by the emergence of a clear light.

The clear light held back Elder Qi's finger force.

After the surge of heat dissipated, Li Pingsheng felt a chill in his heart, and the power of that finger seemed to have weakened by more than half.

The flesh on Elder Qi's face stiffened.

He withdrew his finger.

Elder Qi kept staring at Li Pingsheng's chest, his breathing turning ragged.

This light, this aura—he had only ever seen it on the True Disciple of those great sects.

Born with a Spirit Aperture??

This was talent!

"Who is behind you?" Elder Qi asked, "Who gave you this Peace Talisman?"

As he spoke, he took a step forward, and the stone slabs on the ground were crushed into powder.

Such a genius of technique could not possibly be lingering in the Outer City, nor could he be involved with a mediocre disciple from a martial arts hall.

Unless there was someone unfathomable standing behind this kid.

Li Pingsheng said nothing, merely pressing his hand against his chest, where it was still warm.

People's hearts are unpredictable.

If it were known that Yunmei possessed a Spirit Aperture, she would be used by villains to refine medicine or treated as a tool by major powers.

He dared not gamble.

A metallic taste of blood rose in his throat, but he forced it back down.

Li Pingsheng looked up, his eyes filled with ferocity.

"I bought it at the Black Market; it has nothing to do with anyone else."

Elder Qi snorted, not believing him for a second.

He watched this Stele Forest every day and had long since heard every kind of nonsense.

"Since you are unwilling to tell the truth, I will simply force the person behind you to come out."

The old man stopped wasting words, and his entire aura shifted.

A wave of pressure bore down heavily on Li Pingsheng's shoulders.

Divine Sense suppression.

This was an attack directed straight at the soul.

Li Pingsheng's brain buzzed, and his vision blurred.

The stone steles nearby seemed to come alive, roaring at him.

Crack.

Li Pingsheng's legs sank downward, and the stone slabs beneath his feet shattered.

His knees trembled violently, his muscles on the verge of snapping.

The Tiger Bone talent spun desperately, but his physical strength could not withstand this mental pressure.

Blood began to leak from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

The blood ran down his face, dripping onto the stone slabs one by one.

Li Pingsheng bit down until he broke his teeth, spilling a mouthful of blood.

He did not retreat, keeping his spine held straight.

He understood that if he cowered, Elder Qi would surely track the trail back to Yunmei.

"Old man, are you really that impressive?"

The corner of Elder Qi's eye twitched.

He had never imagined that an unranked martial arts hall disciple could hold out for so long under thirty percent of his Divine Sense suppression.

This kid's bones were damn hard.

Just as Li Pingsheng was reaching his limit and his mind was fading, the two talents within his body, Spirit Aperture and Martial Wisdom, suddenly resonated with one another.

The lightning of Heavenly Thunder Guidance in his mind.

The thunderous radiance of Thunderclap Explosion.

The two unrelated rivers of martial arts blood energy and Mystic Gate spiritual essence saw their dams collapse at this very moment.

The lightning spiritual essence poured into his blood energy like a madman.

Inside Li Pingsheng's body, his meridians snapped inch by inch, only to slowly heal under the effect of the Blood Strengthening talent.

Every time they broke and grew back stronger, he became more powerful.

Patches of purple-red appeared on the surface of his skin.

"Get the hell out of my way!"

Li Pingsheng opened his eyes, a spark of electricity dancing within his pupils.

He was no longer afraid; he took a step forward, twisted his waist, and threw a punch!

This punch was different from Thunderclap Explosion.

A layer of purple-red lightning shimmered before his fist.

This was the result of combining martial arts strength with Mystic Gate sorcery.

As the punch flew out, the surrounding air was displaced, emitting a series of "bang-bang" sounds.

The mental pressure that had been weighing heavily on Li Pingsheng's head was torn open by this single strike.

The fist shattered several nearby steles in the Stele Forest.

Old Qi's expression had completely changed.

There was a look of astonishment in his eyes that had never been there before.

This kid had fused two systems together while in the middle of a fight?

A madman!!

Old Qi dared not be careless; he flipped his downward-pressing palm, and a cyan wall of energy manifested before him.

Thud!

The fist struck the energy wall.

A muffled sound caused the entire Stele Forest to tremble.

The purple-red lightning and the cyan energy wall collided, sparks flying incessantly.

The power of Li Pingsheng's punch was immense, forcing Old Qi to retreat half a step.

Half a step.

But that half-step caused Old Qi to overturn every previous perception he had of Li Pingsheng.

The lightning ceased.

Li Pingsheng's legs went weak, and he knelt on one knee, mouth wide open, gasping for air.

His right arm hung limply at his side, the meridians within having been pushed past their limit.

Yet he still held his head high, his eyes bloodshot, staring fixedly at Old Qi.

Old Qi stood there, looking at the scratch mark on the ground, remaining silent for a long while.

He slowly withdrew his stance, and his killing intent dissipated along with it.

Having seen many geniuses, some born with great strength and others with agile minds, this was the first time he had encountered a Li Pingsheng who could break through barriers at the brink of life and death, twisting two forces into one at such a young age.

This was not the work of a genius.

This was a monster.

"Little brat, heh, I suppose you win."

Old Qi let out a long sigh, walked up to Li Pingsheng, and pulled a small green bottle from his robes, tossing it to him.

"Take it, medicine for your injuries. Don't ruin your foundation."

Li Pingsheng caught the bottle but did not consume it, merely watching him.

Seeing this, Old Qi smiled bitterly and held up three fingers toward the sky.

"I, Qi, swear that what I have seen and heard today will never be told to a third person. If I speak of it, may my soul be scattered and may I never be reincarnated."

The Heart Demon Oath was the most venomous vow for a cultivator.

Only then did Li Pingsheng's taut nerves finally relax.

He uncorked the bottle and poured the medicine into his mouth.

After the pill hit his stomach, a surge of heat rushed through his entire body, and his depleted blood energy began to swell back up.

[Experienced the pressure of life and death, forcibly fused martial arts and sorcery, Potential Points +0.5]

[Current accumulated Potential Points: 2]

Seeing that number, Li Pingsheng felt even more confident.

Two potential points; he could upgrade a new specialty before the grand exam.

Old Qi looked at him, the fanaticism in his eyes yet to recede: "That punch just now, what did you call it again?"

Li Pingsheng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said: "I named it Thunderclap Explosion."

"Thunderclap Explosion?"

Old Qi muttered the name, then shook his head and said, "A Thunderclap Explosion doesn't have that kind of force. That punch you threw was laced with the essence of Black Tortoise Unity. It's a pity your foundation is too poor; your meridians couldn't withstand such a toll."

After a brief pause, he turned his head to gaze at the ancient well at the end of the Stele Forest.

"Alright, you took that move of mine, and I am a man of my word."

Li Pingsheng stood there, his body still aching, but he knew that what was about to be said was the main point.

Old Qi pointed at the ancient well and said: "The thing sealed beneath this well is not a dragon."