Wind rose along the mountain path, sweeping up the dust on the ground.
Zhao Hu stood thirty zhang before Qin Yuan's small hut, arms folded across his chest like an iron-gray wall.
When he saw the three of them returning, his thick brows immediately knotted. The girl in the goose-yellow dress was at Level 10 Qi Condensation, while the white-clad woman's aura was restrained as an abyss—at least Foundation Establishment.
But then he recalled the contempt in his cousin Liu Feng's voice when he sent a message yesterday: "A piece of trash that crawled out of a mine is worthy of making me act personally? Cousin, go knock him around a little. Let him know that people of Seventh Peak are not someone he can latch onto."
Zhao Hu's heart settled. Right, he was doing this for his cousin—what was there to fear? He could use this chance to establish his prestige in the Outer Sect and let those fence-sitters see that only by following Seventh Peak would there be meat to eat.
"Qin Yuan!" he bellowed. "Get over here!"
Qin Yuan did not stop walking.
But Lin Qing'er abruptly turned around, her almond eyes wide. "Who are you? Why are you shouting like that?"
Seeing the Seventh Peak token at her waist, Zhao Hu cursed inwardly, though he forced a fake smile onto his face. "Junior Sister, I merely wish to discuss a private matter with Qin Yuan."
"How is it none of my business?" Lin Qing'er stepped in front of Qin Yuan. "Brother Qin Yuan is my friend!"
Friend? Zhao Hu's eye twitched, but with everyone watching, he could not back down.
"Qin Yuan!" he raised his voice. "Yesterday, Senior Brother Liu Feng was magnanimous and merely gave you a light punishment. Not only are you ungrateful, you have even been spreading rumors everywhere, dragging in a Third Peak senior sister to stand up for you? You useless piece of trash who lives off women!"
The instant his words fell, the mountain path became deathly silent.
Qin Yuan slowly turned around, his face expressionless.
"What did you say?" Green light flowed around Lin Qing'er's fingertips in rage.
Zhao Hu's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted, "Sect rules! Inner Sect disciples may not attack Outer Sect disciples without cause! Do you want to violate the sect rules?!"
The green glow at Lin Qing'er's fingertips stalled.
Liu Han sighed softly. She could see that Zhao Hu was a dog sent by Liu Feng. If Qing'er made a move, Seventh Peak would certainly seize upon it and make an issue of it.
"Qing'er." Qin Yuan suddenly spoke.
Lin Qing'er turned back.
"Let me handle this myself," he said.
Zhao Hu scoffed. "Anyone can talk big while hiding behind a woman! If you've got the guts, step out here!"
Qin Yuan stepped forward and stopped three zhang before Zhao Hu.
Just then—
"Quite lively."
A voice came from above the mountain path.
A streak of azure light arrived on a flying sword, landing and taking the form of Liu Feng. He swept his gaze across the scene, pausing briefly on Liu Han before a faint smile curled his lips. "Junior Sister Liu is here too."
Liu Han gave a slight nod. "Senior Brother Liu."
Liu Feng looked at Zhao Hu, his tone casual. "Cousin, what are you doing?"
Zhao Hu quickly bowed. "Cousin, this Qin Yuan was disrespectful to you yesterday. Today, he has even dragged in a Third Peak senior sister. I was just about to teach him a lesson for you."
"Nonsense." Liu Feng lightly rebuked him, yet there was not a trace of blame in his tone. Instead, he looked at Liu Han. "Junior Sister Liu, Seventh Peak and Third Peak have always been on good terms. It is not worth harming our harmony over such a trivial matter."
Liu Han fell silent.
She understood the meaning beneath his words—Liu Feng was reminding her that the relationship between their two peaks was more important than a single Outer Sect disciple.
Lin Qing'er said anxiously, "Senior Sister Liu, Zhao Hu was the one who provoked us first!"
Liu Han looked toward Qin Yuan. The gray-robed youth stood in the wind with his back straight, his calm eyes making one's heart tremble.
"Qing'er." At last, Liu Han spoke, her voice soft. "Come back."
"Senior Sister!" Lin Qing'er could hardly believe it.
Liu Han offered no explanation. She merely said to Liu Feng, "Senior Brother Liu is right. It is indeed inappropriate for us to interfere in a dispute among juniors."
Liu Feng's smile deepened. "Junior Sister Liu is sensible."
Seeing this, Zhao Hu's courage swelled. He cast Qin Yuan a sidelong glance and sneered in a low voice, "See that? Even Third Peak cannot protect you. Trash will always be trash. Even if you cling to a high branch, it won't help."
Qin Yuan did not look at him. His gaze fell upon Liu Feng's face.
Liu Feng was looking at him as well, that condescending scorn in his eyes exactly the same as it had been in the main hall yesterday.
"Qin Yuan." Liu Feng spoke as if ordering a dog. "Kneel and apologize to Zhao Hu, and we'll let this matter go."
The mountain path was so quiet that the faint commotion from the distant dining hall could be heard.
All eyes fell upon Qin Yuan.
Lin Qing'er clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. Liu Han lowered her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the hilt of her sword.
Qin Yuan suddenly smiled.
It was a faint smile, like a thin crack splitting open across ice.
"Senior Brother Liu," he said. "What if I refuse?"
Liu Feng raised a brow.
"Impudence!" Zhao Hu roared. He took one step forward, his right fist already wrapped in earthy-yellow spiritual light as it slammed toward Qin Yuan's face—the Yellow Grade Low Rank Mountain Splitting Fist, a full-force strike!
He had calculated it perfectly. Liu Feng was present, and Liu Han had already declared she would not interfere. This was the best possible opportunity to establish his might!
The fist wind howled.
Qin Yuan moved.
There was no buildup, no flourish. He threw out a punch as well.
Their fists collided!
Bang—!!!
The dull impact sounded like heavy leather being struck.
The savage grin on Zhao Hu's face instantly froze. It felt as though he had not struck a fist, but a mountain! Tyrannical spiritual power surged backward through the meridians in his arm, shattering them inch by inch wherever it passed!
"Argh—!"
His scream tore through the silence.
Zhao Hu flew backward, crashing through a locust tree as thick as a bowl beside the mountain path. He rolled seven or eight times before stopping. His right arm hung limply at his side, the elbow bent backward, white bone piercing through flesh as blood streamed down.
Qin Yuan withdrew his fist and remained where he was, the hem of his robe not even disordered.
Dead silence.
The smile on Liu Feng's face stiffened.
Liu Han raised her eyes, and a faint trace of surprise flashed through them.
Lin Qing'er covered her mouth.
The disciples peeking from behind their windows stood with their mouths agape, forgetting to close them.
Zhao Hu at Level 6 Qi Condensation... had been crippled by a single punch?!
Qin Yuan turned and looked at Liu Feng. His eyes were calm, calm as a deep pool, yet something seemed to churn beneath the surface.
"Senior Brother Liu." His voice was not loud, but every word was crystal clear. "Was that apology enough?"
Liu Feng stared at him. After a long moment, he suddenly laughed. "Good. Very good."
His laughter was cold.
"Looks like I misjudged you." Liu Feng spoke slowly. "But Qin Yuan, when it comes time to show the real thing at the Outer Sect Competition, I hope your fist will still be this hard."
With a sweep of his sleeve, he wrapped up Zhao Hu, who had passed out on the ground, and rode his sword away in a streak of light.
Only the three of them remained on the mountain path.
Lin Qing'er let out a long breath and ran to Qin Yuan's side. "Brother Qin Yuan, are you all right? You scared me to death just now!"
"I'm fine." Qin Yuan shook his head and looked at Liu Han. "Senior Sister Liu, thank you for earlier."
Thank her for what? For not stopping him? Or for... giving him this chance to strike?
Liu Han looked deeply at him. "That punch of yours—did you use your full strength?"
Qin Yuan was silent for a moment. "Seventy percent."
Seventy percent.
Liu Han's fingertips tightened slightly. At Level 7 Qi Condensation, using seventy percent of his strength, he had crippled someone at Level 6 Qi Condensation with one punch... This was not combat power a Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root should possess.
"Let's go." She turned around.
Lin Qing'er looked at Qin Yuan, then at her senior sister's departing figure, and hurriedly said, "Brother Qin Yuan, be careful! Liu Feng definitely won't let this go!"
The two women left.
Qin Yuan returned to his small hut and closed the door.
The room was dim. He spread open his right hand. A little of Zhao Hu's dark-red blood stained the back of his fist.
He wiped away the bloodstain and sat down cross-legged.
The system panel appeared:
[Host: Qin Yuan] [Cultivation: Level 7 Qi Condensation (Peak)] [Extractable Cultivation: 0 years] [Next Refresh: Midnight tomorrow]
That punch earlier had indeed used only seventy percent of his strength. But the instant he threw it, the spiritual power within him had surged like rivers—though the ten years of cultivation bestowed by the system had already been converted, the "momentum" contained within it remained.
He closed his eyes.
He understood the look in Liu Feng's eyes when he left.
It was killing intent.
Good.
Qin Yuan opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing through them.
There were still two and a half days until the Outer Sect Competition.
Before you continue