Defeating Twenty-Seven

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When the stone door opened again, the other nine people practically fled out.

Only Qin Yuan walked out slowly, his expression calm.

In the open space outside the Heavenly Pool, the elders of each peak had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing their disciples emerge, the elders rushed forward, ready to inquire about their gains.

But when they saw the disciples' grief-stricken expressions, they were stunned.

"What's going on?" the elder of Third Peak frowned and asked his disciple, "How was your harvest?"

The disciple cried with a mournful face, "Elder... the essence of the Heavenly Pool... was all absorbed by Qin Yuan alone..."

"What?!"

Gasps of surprise rose and fell.

The elders of each peak had heard what happened, and their gazes towards Qin Yuan became extremely complex.

Shock, jealousy, disbelief... and a trace of fear.

Absorbing the Heavenly Pool dry in three days and breaking through to Nine Revolutions Golden Core... this was beyond their comprehension.

Elder Xu, however, laughed heartily and patted Qin Yuan's shoulder, "Good! Good! Good! My Fifth Peak is finally going to have a True Disciple!"

He said this loudly, making the faces of the other peak elders even more grim.

Returning to Fifth Peak, Elder Xu called Qin Yuan to a quiet room and took out a thick booklet.

"This is the roster of the thirty True Disciples within the sect," Elder Xu said. "Although their cultivation is not marked, from what I know, the top ten True Disciples are at least in the middle stage of Golden Core. The first and second ones have even touched the threshold of Nascent Soul. The rest are mostly at the peak of the early Golden Core stage."

Qin Yuan opened the booklet.

There were thirty names, each with their affiliated peak and a brief introduction.

His gaze fell on the entry for Seventh Peak.

[Twenty-seventh place: Zhao Wuji, True Disciple of Seventh Peak, peak of early Golden Core, fond of pleasure, skilled in fire-element techniques.]

"Him," Qin Yuan closed the booklet.

Elder Xu nodded, "Zhao Wuji has good talent, but his temperament is restless and he indulges in pleasure. He is recognized as the weakest among the thirty True Disciples. You just broke through to Golden Core, so choosing him to practice against is just right."

"However," he paused, "a True Disciple challenge must be conducted publicly on the 'Dao Discussion Platform', and many disciples and elders will be watching. If you win, you will be the new True Disciple, and Zhao Wuji will be demoted to an Inner Disciple. This concerns the dignity of Seventh Peak, and they might interfere."

"It doesn't matter," Qin Yuan said lightly.

He got up and walked out.

"Going now?"

"Going now."

On Sect Master Peak, in a luxurious cave dwelling.

Zhao Wuji lay reclining on a jade couch, with beautiful female cultivators on either side massaging his shoulders and legs. Two maids knelt before the couch, one holding a fruit plate, the other a wine pot.

The cave dwelling was decorated with extreme luxury, the floor covered with beast hides, the walls inlaid with luminous crystals, and the air filled with a faint fragrance.

"Senior Brother Zhao, I heard that Qin Yuan broke through to Golden Core," a female cultivator said softly. "Will he come to challenge you?"

Zhao Wuji let out a scoff, opened his mouth to receive a grape handed by a maid, "A mere brat who just broke through dares to challenge me? I've spent five years consolidating my early Golden Core, my spiritual energy is abundant, and my techniques are proficient. What can he use to fight me?"

"But..." another female cultivator hesitated, "I heard he absorbed all the essence from the Heavenly Pool and condensed a Nine Revolutions Golden Core..."

"Nine Revolutions Golden Core?" Zhao Wuji sat up, a flicker of jealousy in his eyes, but it quickly turned into disdain. "So what? No matter how high the quality of the Golden Core, it needs time to be converted into combat power. Wasn't I also full of spirit when I first broke through to Golden Core? What happened? I was taught a lesson by an old True Disciple so badly I couldn't find my way."

He lay down again, lazily saying, "Don't worry, as long as that kid isn't stupid, he won't come looking for me. Even if he does... Hmph, I'll just let him know what the strength of an old True Disciple is."

Just as he finished speaking, a report came from outside the cave dwelling:

"Senior Brother Zhao! Qin Yuan of Fifth Peak has issued a True Disciple challenge to you on the Dao Discussion Platform!"

Zhao Wuji was stunned, then laughed in anger: "Good, good, good! There really are those who aren't afraid of death!"

He pushed away the female cultivator beside him, stood up, and straightened his robes, "Let's go! To the Dao Discussion Platform! Today I will teach that kid what respect and order are!"

The Dao Discussion Platform was located halfway up Sect Master Peak, a bluestone platform a hundred zhang square. The platform surface was carved with complex array patterns, and there were spectator seats around it. Hundreds of disciples had already gathered.

True Disciple challenges were a major event in Xuan Yuan Sect.

Especially when the challenger was the recently sensational Qin Yuan.

"I heard Senior Brother Qin absorbed all the essence from the Heavenly Pool and condensed a Nine Revolutions Golden Core!"

"Nine Revolutions Golden Core! Our Xuan Yuan Sect hasn't seen one in a hundred years, right?"

"But he just broke through, and Senior Brother Zhao Wuji is an old True Disciple..."

"That's why it's exciting!"

Amidst the discussions, Qin Yuan slowly walked onto the Dao Discussion Platform.

He wore a simple gray robe, as plain as ever, but the pressure of the Golden Core stage emanating from him made all the watching disciples' hearts tighten.

A moment later, Zhao Wuji also arrived.

He wore a brocade robe and a jade belt, followed by seven or eight attendants, putting on quite a show. After stepping onto the platform, he glanced sideways at Qin Yuan and sneered, "Junior Brother Qin, you have quite the courage to challenge me right after breaking through to the Golden Core stage."

Qin Yuan didn't reply, merely looking at the Enforcement Elder presiding over the challenge.

The elder nodded and announced loudly, "True Disciple challenge, no restrictions on life or death, ending only when one party concedes or loses the ability to fight. Now, begin!"

As the words fell, Zhao Wuji made the first move!

He formed seals with his hands, and the fire spiritual energy around him surged wildly, transforming into three fire snakes that roared and lunged at Qin Yuan! Where the fire snakes passed, the air distorted, and the temperature soared. It was clearly the Yellow-tier high-grade technique, the Three Snakes Burning Heaven Art!

"Senior Brother Zhao is using a killing move right from the start!" a disciple exclaimed in shock.

"He wants to finish this quickly!"

Facing the three ferocious fire snakes, Qin Yuan didn't even move his feet.

He simply raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and gently pointed at the void.

"Disperse."

As the word left his lips, the three fire snakes froze abruptly in mid-air, then... shattered inch by inch! They turned into a sky full of embers and vanished without a trace.

Zhao Wuji's pupils constricted.

How could this be?!

Although his Three Snakes Burning Heaven Art was only Yellow-tier high-grade, with his late Golden Core early stage spiritual energy, its power was enough to threaten a mid-Golden Core stage cultivator! How could it be broken by Qin Yuan with a casual flick of his finger?!

"I don't believe it!" he roared, forming seals with his hands again. This time, the fire spiritual energy transformed into a thirty-foot-tall flame giant lion, which roared to the heavens and charged at Qin Yuan!

Black-tier low-grade spell, the Burning Heaven Lion's Wrath!

This was Zhao Wuji's ultimate trump card, a move he had used to defeat three challengers before!

The flame giant lion's might was astonishing, casting the entire Dao Discussion Platform in a crimson glow. The observing disciples retreated one after another, fearing they would be affected by the aftermath.

Qin Yuan finally moved.

He took one step forward.

Just one step.

Then, he clenched his right fist and threw a straight punch.

There was no brilliance, no special phenomena, just a simple punch.

But the moment this punch was thrown, the formation of the entire Dao Discussion Platform trembled violently! Where the fist wind passed, space seemed to tear open, emitting a piercing shriek!

The flame giant lion collided with the fist.

"Boom--!!!"

A deafening explosion!

The flame giant lion couldn't even last a breath before being blown apart by this punch! The berserk fist energy continued its momentum unabated, smashing fiercely into Zhao Wuji's chest!

"Pfft--!!!"

Zhao Wuji vomited a mouthful of blood, his chest caved in, and he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the protective formation at the edge of the Dao Discussion Platform before sliding to the ground, his fate unknown.

One punch.

From start to finish, Zhao Wuji had only used two moves, and Qin Yuan had only thrown one punch.

The entire place fell silent.

All the observing disciples stared blankly at the gray-robed figure on the platform, forgetting to breathe.

The Enforcement Elder was also stunned for a long time before announcing with difficulty, "Challenge ended... Qin Yuan wins."

He looked at the stone tablet recording the True Disciple rankings – the name "Zhao Wuji," ranked twenty-seventh, slowly dimmed and disappeared. Immediately after, a new name appeared:

[Twenty-seventh: Qin Yuan, Fifth Peak True Disciple, Golden Core early stage.]

At this moment, throughout the entire Xuan Yuan Sect, everyone who had been following this challenge felt a colossal wave surge in their hearts.

The True Disciple sequence, a ranking that had remained unchanged for thirty years, was today shattered by a young man who had joined the sect less than half a month ago, with a single punch.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.