Reclaiming Memories (7)

Seven days flashed by in the blink of an eye, and the day of the appointed duel arrived.

On the day of the duel, the sky had only just begun to brighten when Shen Yuxi was already standing silently at the center of the platform. Mountain winds swept through the woods, lifting his high-tied black hair and whipping the hem of his robes with a loud flutter.

His lashes hung low, as though he was wholly unaware of the commotion around him. Only the whitened fingertips clenched tight gave away a trace of unusual tension.

The figures below the platform went from sparse to densely packed. In less than the time it took to burn an incense stick, the area was surrounded three layers deep inside and three layers deep outside. Discussion rolled over their ears like a rising tide—

"I heard a senior brother from the Pill Hall say a few days ago that Second Senior Brother only just entered the Foundation Establishment Early Stage?" A junior sister stood on tiptoe to look, her voice filled with worry.

The disciple beside her immediately chimed in, lowering his voice. "What? Shen Liangxian is at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. I heard he is only one step from the late stage. They're separated by two whole minor realms—how is he supposed to fight?"

"Come to think of it, Second Senior Brother's cultivation isn't high. Why did the Sect Master accept only him as a personal disciple?" a newly initiated disciple asked in confusion.

Shen Yuxi closed his eyes. The fingers concealed within his sleeves unconsciously rubbed the meridians at his wrist. The burning pain left by forcibly widening his channels with pills had yet to fade, as if a ball of fire lay hidden beneath his flesh,