Three hundred spirit crystals, three Core Condensing Pills, several stalks of Yin Soul Grass casually picked from White Bone Cave, plus over a hundred spirit crystals and miscellaneous items taken from the three assassin brothers.
"Feed."
Qin Yuan fed every resource into the system, one by one.
The spirit crystals turned into streams of light and sank into the panel. The Core Condensing Pills vanished, the Yin Soul Grass withered, and the miscellaneous items crumbled into ash...
[Feeding successful. Upgrade progress +30%] [Feeding successful. Upgrade progress +9%] [Feeding successful...]
At last, the panel stopped at:
[One Day Grants Twenty Years of Cultivation System] [Current Level: 2 (47/5000)] [Cultivation Storage: 0/60 years]
It had only increased by 47 points. The 5,000 points needed for the next upgrade were still a distant dream.
But Qin Yuan was not in a hurry—the qualitative change brought by the system upgrade was far greater than he had imagined.
Twenty years a day, and it could be accumulated for three days. That meant that if he wished, he could unleash sixty years of cultivation in a single burst when it was time to break through a bottleneck!
That was his true trump card.
He put away the remaining scattered materials, sat cross-legged, and began stabilizing his Foundation Establishment Realm, third layer cultivation.
Time slipped away in silence.
Over the next two days, Qin Yuan never left his residence.
Every day at midnight, twenty years of cultivation arrived right on schedule. He did not rush to break through to a higher realm. Instead, he used most of that cultivation to solidify his foundation, broaden his meridians, and temper his body.
Every layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm required a massive accumulation of spiritual power. For ordinary cultivators, going from the first layer of Foundation Establishment to the second took at least three years, and as many as ten.
From the second layer to the third, the time required doubled again.
But Qin Yuan had the system.
On the first day, he fully absorbed twenty years of cultivation. His realm steadily advanced from the peak of the second layer of Foundation Establishment into the fourth layer.
On the second day, another twenty years of cultivation poured into him. This time, he no longer held back, guiding the vast spiritual power to smash through the barriers!
The fourth layer of Foundation Establishment—broken through!
The fifth layer of Foundation Establishment—broken through!
The sixth layer of Foundation Establishment!
Only when he reached the peak of the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment did the torrent of cultivation gradually subside.
Three layers broken through in two days!
If word of this speed got out, it would be enough to shake the entire Qingzhou cultivation world.
One had to know that the fastest Foundation Establishment cultivation record in Xuan Yuan Sect's history was held by the current Sect Master—from the first layer to the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, it had taken him a full twelve years.
Qin Yuan had used only two days.
He opened his eyes and felt the surging power within him. The total spiritual power of the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment was already more than eight times that of the first layer. His sea of qi had expanded to a radius of one zhang, and liquid spiritual power rippled within it like a lake.
His Spiritual Sense had expanded to five hundred zhang, revealing even the finest details. He could even "see" the outer sect disciple in the neighboring room secretly practicing a flawed fist technique, every mistake and omission crystal clear.
"About time."
Qin Yuan rose and changed into a clean gray robe—still the attire of an outer sect disciple. He pushed open the door and headed for the martial arena of the Outer Sect Competition.
Today was the day to settle old scores.
The Xuan Yuan Sect Outer Sect Competition was held once every three years. It was the most important chance for outer sect disciples to leap from fish to dragon.
The martial arena stood on a vast platform halfway up the main peak, and it was now packed shoulder to shoulder with people.
Over a thousand outer sect disciples had gathered below the stage, some nervous, some excited, some uneasy.
On the elevated platform sat elders from the various peaks and Inner Sect elites. Liu Zhenshan of Third Peak, Elder Li of Seventh Peak, and others were all present.
The atmosphere was lively, yet it carried an undercurrent of oppression.
Because everyone knew that the Outer Sect Competition was nominally a contest among outer sect disciples, but in truth, the real main event was the stage where outer sect disciples challenged Inner Sect disciples—that was the moment that decided one's fate.
"Did you hear? This year, more than ten outer sect disciples at Level 10 Qi Condensation or above are planning to challenge the Inner Sect!"
"What's the point? The weakest Inner Sect disciples are all in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Challenging Foundation Establishment with Qi Condensation—isn't that courting death?"
"Not necessarily. Last year, an outer sect senior brother at Great Perfection of the Twelfth Layer forced an Inner Sect senior brother at the first layer of Foundation Establishment into a draw with an unfathomably exquisite sword technique. He was exceptionally admitted into the Inner Sect..."
"But that was only a draw! In a real fight, Foundation Establishment spiritual power flows without end. They could wear a Qi Refining Stage cultivator to death."
Amid the discussions, the competition officially began.
The first few rounds were contests between outer sect disciples. Only the top twenty would qualify to challenge Inner Sect disciples. The fights were fierce, but most of the elders in the stands showed little interest—to them, no matter how strong outer sect disciples were, they were still merely in the Qi Refining Stage, beneath notice.
Qin Yuan had not signed up for the earlier rounds.
He stood at the edge of the crowd like a reef, as though the roaring waves of noise around him had nothing to do with him. Only after the top twenty had been decided did the steward presiding over the competition announce loudly, "The challenge stage begins! Outer sect disciples may challenge any Inner Sect disciple. Life and death are of no concern!"
The arena fell silent.
The twenty outstanding outer sect disciples looked at one another, yet not a single one dared to speak first.
On the elevated platform, Liu Feng lounged lazily against the back of his chair, a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.
Several Inner Sect disciples from Third Peak sat beside him, chatting in low voices. Whenever their gazes swept over the outer sect disciples below, they were filled with lofty contempt.
"A bunch of trash." Liu Feng sneered. "They do not even have the courage to issue a challenge."
At that moment, a figure parted the crowd and walked into the arena.
Gray robe, plain and clean, with an ordinary iron sword hanging at his waist.
It was Qin Yuan.
The entire audience's gaze instantly converged on him.
"It's him! Qin Yuan, the one who beat Zhao Hu three days ago!"
"I heard he registered under Third Peak and entered the confrontation matches. He even won?"
"What does winning prove? Seventh Peak was careless! Today is a real fight to the death!"
Amid the discussions, Qin Yuan raised his head and looked toward Liu Feng on the elevated platform.
"Liu Feng, Inner Sect disciple of Third Peak." His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly across the entire arena. "Do you dare come down and fight?"
Dead silence.
Then an even greater uproar erupted!
"Has he gone mad?! He is directly challenging Liu Feng?!"
"Liu Feng is at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment! One of Third Peak's outstanding younger generation!"
"I heard Qin Yuan has a grudge against Liu Feng. I never thought he would truly dare challenge him during the competition..."
On the elevated platform, Liu Feng's smile froze. He slowly sat upright and stared at Qin Yuan in the arena, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes.
"You thing that does not know life from death." He cursed under his breath, rose to his feet, and leaped down from the platform, landing lightly three zhang in front of Qin Yuan.
"Qin Yuan." Liu Feng tilted his head, his smile cruel. "I was planning to come find you, but I did not expect you to deliver yourself to my door. Fine. Saves me the trouble."
He looked Qin Yuan up and down, then suddenly frowned—he could not see through Qin Yuan's cultivation at all!
But on second thought, Qin Yuan must have used some method to conceal his aura, or perhaps some evil art that burned away lifespan and made his aura fluctuate unpredictably.
"You think forcibly raising your cultivation with an evil art means you can fight me?" Liu Feng sneered. "Today, I will show you what true Foundation Establishment is!"
Qin Yuan looked at him calmly. "I said I would beat you to death. Those words still stand."
"HAHAHAHA!" Liu Feng burst into laughter as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. "Beat me to death? With you? Qin Yuan, let me tell you, the peak master has already taken notice of me. I am qualified to contend for Direct Disciple status, even True Disciple status! And you, an outer sect Labor Disciple, are not even fit to carry my shoes!"
He paused, and his voice suddenly turned sharp. "Today, I will cripple your cultivation, break all four of your limbs, and make you crawl out of Xuan Yuan Sect like a dog!"
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