Qi-Explosion Pill

Li Yao was visibly interested when he heard that.

"Oh? It has something to do with the Shangguan Family? Tell me."

Li Wenbin continued, "Yu Xuerou and Shangguan Yan went to the same high school. Somehow, the two became close friends."

He paused, then went on. "Later, Yu Xuerou awakened a Heaven-Grade Spirit Root during the talent test. When Shangguan Yun found out, he invited her to become a nominal guest elder of the Shangguan Family."

"She made such rapid progress afterward because the Shangguan Family provided her with resources. Shangguan Yan took good care of her, too."

"Shangguan Yan and Yu Xuerou are still close friends in name, but in truth, Yu Xuerou is one of the Shangguan Family's... uh... people."

Li Wenbin hadn't spelled it out, but his meaning was easy enough to grasp.

Li Yao smacked his lips.

That explained it. Everything made sense now. No wonder Shangguan Yan called to say I wouldn't dare enter the Martial Arts Tournament.

No wonder Yu Xuerou noticed me from the start of the Preliminaries, even though we'd never crossed paths.

No wonder she kept saying she looked forward to facing me.

I thought she liked me and was just a little prickly about it. Turns out she wants to beat me.

Talk about flattering myself.

Li Yao cursed under his breath. Soon, though, he calmed down.

Li Wenbin saw Li Yao's face turn green, then pale, and held his tongue until Li Yao settled down. Only then did he continue. "I also looked into Ye Xiao while I was at it."

"Oh? Let's hear it. I'm genuinely curious about him."

Although Ye Xiao topped Imperial Capital University's Strength Rankings, he kept an extremely low profile.

His background, his family, and the cultivation technique he practiced were all unknown.

"What I found was that Ye Xiao's origins are unclear. He seems to have been an abandoned infant whom the head of the Ye Family, a first-rate Great Family, found while traveling. He was then named Ye Xiao."

"As for the rest... he doesn't practice the Ye Family's inherited technique. Instead, he uses one he found when he stumbled into an Elder Ancient Cave as a boy. No one knows its name, only that it's at least a Profound-Rank Cultivation Technique."

"And his strength is so great that even Yu Xuerou apparently can't force him to reveal all of it."

"Young master..."

Li Yao blinked. "What?"

"Making the top three is already a great achievement."

Li Wenbin's face was full of encouragement.

Li Yao was speechless.

Come on, that could be taken the wrong way.

But he said nothing.

System! Get out here and save me!

"Ding. What does the host need this system for?"

I'm in a pinch. Is there any way to break through or boost my Spiritual Power drastically in a short time?

"Yes, host, yes. There are nine methods like that, and they're all the most sought-after options in the current version."

Nine? Damn, System, you really do deliver. What are they?

"Ding. Of course this system delivers. The nine methods include exchanging for a Qi-Explosion Pill, going all in with your Background Value to increase your cultivation, exchanging for a Superpower..."

"If you can think of it, this system has it."

Li Yao ran through the options and found several that suited him.

A Qi-Explosion Pill? What's that? Would it let me knock Ye Xiao flat?

"Qi-Explosion Pill: After consumption, Spiritual Power surges for a short time. The precise effect depends on the host's current cultivation. At the host's current Eighth Rank Martial Master cultivation, it can raise you to the peak of the Ninth Rank for fifteen minutes."

And the side effects?

"Three days of weakness after the effect wears off."

That's manageable. Li Yao nodded. What about going all in with my Background Value to increase my cultivation?

"The host currently has 11,000 Background Value. Going all in would raise you to Ninth Rank Martial Master with no side effects."

Ninth Rank Martial Master? Li Yao frowned. That's still not enough. If Ye Xiao really outclasses Yu Xuerou, I'm afraid I couldn't beat him at the Ninth Rank, either.

"So this system recommends choosing the Qi-Explosion Pill. Combined with Ninth Rank cultivation, it could briefly bring you into the Martial Venerable Realm."

The Martial Venerable Realm? Li Yao's eyes lit up. If I can really reach that realm, victory's in the bag.

He didn't believe Ye Xiao was a Martial Venerable. Anyone who reached that level had to go to the border. Since Ye Xiao was still on campus, he could be no more than a high-level Ninth Rank Martial Master.

Good! That's the plan!

Li Yao slapped his thigh. An exchange window popped up on the system interface, displaying "Qi-Explosion Pill" with a price beneath it.

1,000 Background Value!

Li Yao froze. That cheap? Exchange!

"Ding. Exchange successful. 1,000 Background Value deducted. The Qi-Explosion Pill has been placed in the host's storage space."

Li Yao sent his consciousness into the storage space. Sure enough, a black pill lay there, giving off a faint medicinal fragrance.

With this thing, I don't care how strong Ye Xiao is or how fierce Yu Xuerou is. I'll knock you both flat!

I've still got 10,000 Background Value. System, put it all in! I want to break through to Ninth Rank Martial Master!

"Ding. Deduction successful. Host, please prepare yourself."

As soon as the words faded, Li Yao felt a current of incomparably pure Spiritual Power flood every limb and bone.

He hurriedly sat cross-legged and began absorbing it.

Meanwhile, the fight between Ye Xiao and Zhao Tiezhu on the Arena had ended.

As expected, Ye Xiao had defeated Zhao Tiezhu with ease. Zhao Tiezhu hadn't even been worthy of a second move.

Zhao Tiezhu lay on the ground, gasping for breath, his face full of resentment.

Ye Xiao stood on the Arena and dusted off his hands, his expression calm, as though nothing had happened.

Over on the second Arena, Yu Xuerou had long since won as well.

The referee cleared his throat and shouted, "Semifinal results! Ye Xiao wins! Yu Xuerou wins! Li Yao advances by default!"

"We have our top three! Ye Xiao! Yu Xuerou! Li Yao!"

The crowd below erupted.

"Holy crap, those three are strong!"

"Ye Xiao and Yu Xuerou crushed their opponents, while Li Yao got a free pass. How do you even compare them?"

"The Finals will be incredible. Ye Xiao versus Yu Xuerou, with Li Yao watching from the sidelines."

"Not necessarily. Li Yao may have advanced by default, but he's no slouch. Have you forgotten his fight with Wang Lei?"

"Is that the same thing? Can Wang Lei compare to Ye Xiao?"

"Fair point. Ye Xiao would probably crush Li Yao, too."

The referee continued, "Rules for the Finals! The three contestants will draw lots. One advances by default, while the other two fight. The winner will face the one who advanced for the championship!"

Just then, a soft pop sounded, like an egg cracking open. It wasn't loud, yet it seemed to slip into nearly everyone's ears.

Everyone looked toward the sound and discovered Li Yao sitting cross-legged, plainly in the midst of cultivation.

By then, more than half the surrounding Spiritual Qi had gathered around him, enveloping him.

"Did he just break through?"

No one knew who said it.

The once-quiet crowd burst into an uproar.

"Come on, a breakthrough right before the fight? Could this get any more ridiculous?"

"Well, now there are three Ninth Rank Martial Masters. With Li Yao's breakthrough, who knows who'll take first place?"

"He broke through at a time like this..."

Li Yao opened his eyes. His aura was perfectly stable. Anything the system produced was top quality.

He had never felt so strong, nor had his foundation ever felt so solid.

Compared to before, it was the difference between clouds and mud!

The referee took out a lot container holding three sticks.

"Will the three contestants please come forward and draw."

Ye Xiao stepped forward first and drew a stick. After one glance, he raised it without a trace of expression.

It read—advanced by default.