All Beings as Fuel

"Heh, those fools from the previous dynasty just loved to brag; they'd drag the dragon into anything."

This was an ancient method used to suppress the turbid energy of the earth's veins.

Li Pingsheng understood that this place wasn't meant for hiding treasures or teaching martial arts; it could only serve as a seal.

Old Qi walked slowly to the edge of the well with his hands behind his back, staring into the bottomless opening.

"Azure Cloud Martial Hall may look like a place that teaches boxing, but in reality, it's just an empty shell used to cover up the old era."

"The real job is just being a gatekeeper, heh, get it?"

He paused for a moment.

"Keeping watch over this fissure in the earth's vein that can never be fully closed, and suppressing the filthy things that crawl up from below."

"The Martial Hall provides the nourishment for this formation, keeping it running."

Li Pingsheng never said a word, listening quietly.

And so he realized that the broken stone tablets he had seen, the incomplete cultivation techniques, the forbidden area in the back mountain, and Old Qi sweeping the floors—all of these were related to this matter.

Azure Cloud Martial Hall sat atop the ruins of the old era, serving as a sturdy defensive fortification.

Li Pingsheng uttered two words: "Martial Hall Grand Exam..."

"Right, back to this Martial Hall Grand Exam."

Old Qi said, "Do you think the Martial Hall Grand Exam is about selecting disciples? That's just what we tell outsiders, haha..."

On the day of the Martial Hall Grand Exam, all the disciples of the Martial Hall gathered in the Martial Practice Field, their life force soaring to the heavens, their boxing intent capable of blowing the roof off.

The popularity, yang energy, and blood essence extracted by the great formation were used to maintain the operation of the external arrays, and every year, it washed away the filth accumulated over the past year.

Li Pingsheng's view of the Martial Hall Grand Exam changed.

This wasn't a celebratory festival; wasn't it just a ritual?

Using the life force of all the disciples to feed an invisible formation.

"Once the external power is drained, the inside naturally becomes empty."

Old Qi kicked a stone away from his feet and said:

"Every year, the Martial Hall Grand Exam is when this place is at its weakest."

"I have to watch the Martial Practice Field with the Hall Master and the others to hold the line and ensure the quality of the 'sacrifices,' which leaves a very short opening at the true eye of the formation here in the back mountain."

He turned his head to speak to Li Pingsheng.

"Now, do you understand why those sneaky bastards insist on making their move on the day of the Martial Hall Grand Exam?"

They weren't here to steal anything at all. Aside from some rocks and a pile of junk, there was nothing else in the well.

"They are here to wreck the place."

Old Qi said, "As long as they destroy the eye of the formation, the control of the external array will change hands."

"At that point, the spiritual energy of the earth's veins for the entire Azure Cloud Martial Hall, and perhaps even half of Qingyun County, would become theirs to command."

The big picture, the formation, the control, and so on.

Li Pingsheng had never thought about these things that had nothing to do with him.

The only thing on his mind was a single question!

Li Pingsheng interrupted Old Qi.

"Old Qi, let me ask you this: if the eye of the formation has a problem and the turbid energy leaks out, who dies first?"

Old Qi was stunned.

He had expected Li Pingsheng to be frightened or terrified after learning the truth, or perhaps to ask what kind of treasure was in the well.

He just hadn't expected this kid to be concerned about that.

Old Qi looked into Li Pingsheng's eyes, remaining silent for a long while before answering: "Based on my experience, the Inner City has high walls, formations reinforced by past Hall Masters, and the greatest concentration of experts and retainers in Qingyun County."

"The outer city has nothing."

Old Qi added another sentence.

"The terrain around the Wealthy District is the lowest, the underground water flow is extremely chaotic, and there are many old, abandoned wellheads from the previous dynasty that lead directly to the shallow layers of the earth's veins."

"Once the turbid energy of the earth's veins goes out of control, that area will be the first to be submerged. Neither man nor beast will leave a trace; not a blade of grass will grow!"

"What?"

His home in the Wealthy District would be the first to be wiped out??

Hearing those three words, Li Pingsheng thought of Yunmei, his grandfather, his mother, and Second Aunt.

The energy he had just suppressed within him surged up once more.

It was pure killing intent!

In the past, his killing intent had been aimed at enemies like the Zhao Family and the Black Water Gang.

Now, this killing intent had no specific target; wherever it turned, it threatened the lives of his family.

Old Qi had originally thought that reality would crush the young man, but instead, he discovered that a change had taken place within him.

When he saw Li Pingsheng and looked into those eyes, he suddenly felt that his previous judgment of Li Pingsheng might have been entirely wrong.

This was not just some kid with a talent for martial arts.

This was a man willing to do anything to protect his family.

Old Qi's perspective on Li Pingsheng shifted as well.

He no longer viewed Li Pingsheng as a junior, but as an equal.

"Come here, kid, catch."

Old Qi pulled a piece of scrap bronze from his robes and tossed it over.

As the bronze piece landed in his hand, he saw strange, indecipherable symbols carved into it.

"This is a signal emitted by the Well-Guarding Bronze Talisman. From this moment on, you are my temporarily appointed well-guarding assistant."

"These things aren't magical artifacts; they can't be used for fighting. However, if you sense abnormal activity at the three formation nodes in the Outer City on the day of the exam, it will heat up once it detects something unusual."

After Old Qi finished speaking, his gaze shifted to Li Pingsheng's right arm, which was still trembling.

"What do you call that punch of yours?"

"Thunderclap Explosion."

Li Pingsheng replied.

"Bullshit Thunderclap Explosion."

Old Qi said, "That's the path of Black Tortoise Unity, forcing spiritual energy and blood essence to twist together—it's a suicidal method. Your meridian foundation is too weak, and your body can't handle it. A few more times, and that arm will be ruined."

He continued, "You think 'breaking then establishing' is that easy? That's one-in-a-million luck; most are just fools who end up exploding to death."

Having said that, he tossed over a small, deep-blue porcelain bottle.

"This specially crafted Ice Marrow Fluid can temporarily seal the backlash affecting your right arm's meridians. It can only suppress it three times at most."

"Don't use that punch unless you're at death's door. Otherwise, even the gods won't be able to save you."

Li Pingsheng took the medicine bottle and placed it alongside the Well-Guarding Bronze Talisman.

The Peace Talisman sewn by Yunmei, hanging against his chest, still felt warm.

He began to contemplate his situation for the day of the grand exam.

The Zhao Family, the Black Water Gang, the mysterious mastermind... and the Dragon Locking Well.

All the clues pointed toward the grand exam in two days.

It had become a death trap.

"Thank you, Old Qi."

Li Pingsheng cupped his fists toward Old Qi before turning to leave.

He needed time to process everything he had learned tonight.

"Wait."

Old Qi's voice came from behind him.

Li Pingsheng stopped and turned back.

The old man sweeping the floor looked past him toward the Martial Practice Field and said:

"Since people from the outside can plant spies, it's not guaranteed that the martial arts hall is clean either."

"The grand exam in two days... who knows, in your first match, you might just face someone you never expected."