First Test of Skill

"You... Hmph! You think Senior Sister Xiao Yue will believe you? With this many people, none of them had a problem—only you have a problem?" The menial disciple narrowed his eyes, his gaze growing increasingly hostile.

"Do you really think that when Senior Sister Xiao Yue starts asking questions, the others will still keep their mouths shut?" Su Shi'er grinned, sweeping his gaze over the other disciples before turning and walking straight out the door.

In the courtyard, the others also brightened, tempted by the idea. Losing several pills for no reason left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. They just didn't have Su Shi'er's nerve. But if Su Shi'er took the lead, they wouldn't mind adding a few words.

The menial disciple noticed the reactions of the others and felt a jolt of unease in his heart. Xiao Yue was upright and kind, and as the granddaughter of the peak master, she held an exalted position on Luofu Peak. If she found out about this, his days ahead would be rough.

"Alright, let's talk this out properly! Here, take this bottle of pills!" He shot Su Shi'er a hateful glare, then, after a moment's thought, decided it was better to smooth things over. If this blew up, it wouldn't do him any good. Making up his mind, he pulled out a bottle of pills and tossed it to Su Shi'er.

Su Shi'er frowned, opened the bottle to check, and saw only ten pills inside. He snorted coldly. "Only ten?"

"Kid, these are ten top-grade pills. They're worth more than thirty—hell, they're worth fifty lower-grade pills." The menial disciple said irritably, putting on a face of having taken a loss, though a sinister glint flickered in his eyes. Hmph, let you hold onto them for me for now. Once you leave this Pill Pavilion, I'll deal with you.

"If I remember correctly, the sect rules clearly state that each new disciple gets three bottles a year—that's thirty Foundation Cultivation Pills!" Su Shi'er snorted coldly, staring at the other man without budging. He didn't know what the guy was thinking, but his instincts told him that giving in so easily wasn't a good sign. Weighing the situation silently, he judged that the man's strength wasn't that great, and relaxed a little.

To him, with the mysterious Pill Furnace in hand, the quality of the pills didn't matter at all—quantity was the key.

"Kid, don't push it!" The menial disciple glared at Su Shi'er, then flipped the table in front of him over in a burst of rage. He just wanted to get rid of Su Shi'er for now and settle the score later. Unfortunately, he'd already quietly sold off the extra pills. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to use waste pills to make up the numbers.

"Push it? I'm just asking for what I'm owed! Since you won't give it, let Senior Sister Xiao Yue have a word with you!" Su Shi'er pursed his lips and said bluntly. With that, he pocketed the waste pills and the bottle of top-grade pills, then headed straight out.

But the menial disciple wasn't about to let him go. He glared at Su Shi'er, his furious gaze practically devouring him. "Kid, since you're asking for death, don't blame me for being rude! Today, I'll show you what a cultivator's strength really means."

The menial disciple spoke through gritted teeth, each word dripping with venom. At the same time, the faint true essence within him stirred, and his hands moved swiftly to form seals. In an instant, a fist-sized fireball materialized before him.

"Go!" The menial disciple grunted, and with a push of his true essence, the fireball shot forward, trailing a long tail, straight at Su Shi'er's back. This level of attack wasn't lethal, but it could still cause serious injury.

The menial disciple narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold smile. He was, after all, a Qi Refiner at the first level of the Qi Refining Stage. Dealing with a few disciples who'd been here less than half a year should be a walk in the park.

"Is this the Fire Control Technique from the books? Unbelievable! That little beggar is done for!"

"Serves him right! The martial brother gave him ten top-grade pills, and he still wasn't satisfied!"

"Good thing I didn't piss off that martial brother earlier, or I'd be screwed now!"

Watching the fireball streak through the air, everyone's faces changed drastically. They had only just learned basic reading and writing and hadn't even started formal cultivation yet. To them, the menial disciple's move was like something out of a fairy tale.

The next second, their gazes fell on Su Shi'er, sympathy flickering in their eyes, while inwardly they breathed sighs of relief.

Though Su Shi'er had his back to the man, he had been on guard all along. The moment he heard the commotion, his true essence surged. As he turned, seeing the fireball hurtling toward him, he decisively formed hand seals.

"Summon Wind! Go!" Su Shi'er called out calmly, and a fierce gale erupted. The wind howled, rushing straight at the menial disciple, meeting the fireball midair.

Boom! A dull thud rang out. The fireball, struck by the gale, exploded on the spot, scattering into sparks that the wind swept back toward the menial disciple.

"What?!" Everyone in the courtyard gasped, stunned by the sight. Especially Zhu Hanwei and the other two who had come with Su Shi'er—they were utterly dumbfounded. Half a year ago, they had all been on the same starting line. And now, Su Shi'er had become this strong?

"Impossible! You... you're actually a Qi Refiner?!"

The menial disciple's eyes bulged wide, his face a mask of shock.

Though he possessed first-stage Qi Refining Stage cultivation, he rarely practiced and was barely half-competent at controlling his techniques.

Before he could react, the scattered sparks scalded his face with blisters. Under the fierce gale, his entire body was blown backward, slamming heavily into a large pillar behind him.

"Hmph, weren't you the one who wanted me to see a cultivator's true strength? Is that all you've got?"

Su Shi'er snorted coldly, his hands continuing to form seals as a fist-sized fireball materialized in the air.

The fireball danced lightly, radiating scorching heat—far more condensed and solid than the one his opponent had just conjured.

"Senior Brother, Twelfth Senior Brother, spare me! I know I was wrong. The Foundation Cultivation Pills I owe you, I'll definitely make it up!" The menial disciple, seeing this, turned pale with terror. Before Su Shi'er could act, he dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly in desperate plea.

In the Cultivation World, the accomplished are teachers, and the strong are revered.

Titles and seniority among cultivators aren't purely determined by age or time of entry.

Those with greater strength, even if young, often hold no lesser status!

Take Su Shi'er, for instance—he was originally a newcomer, and by rights, the other had joined earlier. But now that Su Shi'er was stronger, and the other needed something from him, he naturally hurried to address him as "Senior Brother."

This information was briefly covered in the sect's rules, so Su Shi'er wasn't surprised.

"And the pills?" Su Shi'er had no real intention of killing him. He dispersed his technique and asked coldly.

"I really don't have the pills right now!" The menial disciple said with a mournful face. Seeing Su Shi'er about to activate another technique, he quickly shouted:

"Wait, Senior Brother, don't be hasty. I just don't have them temporarily. Give me ten days. In ten days, I'll personally deliver them to the Waste Pill Room. I swear, they'll all be high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills, and I'll add ten extra as compensation."

"You're being this generous?" Su Shi'er squinted, eyeing the man with suspicion.

The man's face had changed so quickly—he had a nagging feeling something was off.