33: Challengers arrive, Purple Pill is the key.

Zhang Yang returned to the quiet room with a hundred Purple Sun Pills, sat cross-legged, and immediately immersed himself in Cultivation.

He took out twenty Purple Sun Pills and swallowed them one by one.

Fortunately, the Purple Sun Pills were the essence of heaven and earth's Origin Qi condensed into form; as soon as they entered his mouth, they instantly transformed into a scalding and pure torrent of Origin Qi.

If not for that, Zhang Yang truly wouldn't have been able to swallow these twenty Purple Sun Pills.

He held his breath and focused, beginning to breathe deeply as the Bright Moon Art Mind-Cultivation Technique circulated within him, refining the surging Origin Qi of the Purple Sun Pills like a whale swallowing water, transforming it into trickling true essence that flowed into the Meridians throughout his body and filled the eighth spirit aperture.

At the same time, he took out the Saber Intent notes given by Senior Jiang Dao and began to read.

On the other hand, he also diverted a portion of his mind to visualize a precious saber in his head, intensifying his efforts to raise his Saber Intent Realm.

The Inner Sect Grand Competition was imminent, with only a dozen or so days remaining.

Zhang Yang felt a sense of urgency, wishing to push his Saber Intent to the Seventh Heaven Realm within these limited days.

Only then would he be confident in condensing that supreme Dao Fruit recorded only in ancient texts when he reached the Profound Core Realm: the dao rhyme golden core!

As dusk fell, the fluctuations of Origin Qi in the quiet room gradually stabilized.

All hundred Purple Sun Pills had been completely transformed into pure energy, merging into Zhang Yang's body.

However, although the aura around him was surging and turbulent, he still failed to Breakthrough to the Ninth Spirit Aperture.

In the Spirit Aperture Realm, the further one progresses, the more true essence needs to be accumulated, becoming as unfathomable as a deep sea.

Opening the ninth spirit aperture, filling it with the required vast true essence, and then accounting for the consumption needed to stabilize the Foundation afterward...

Zhang Yang's thoughts raced as he secretly estimated that he would need at least six hundred more Purple Sun Pills to succeed.

If he also considered the massive demand for drawing in heaven and earth's Origin Qi to consolidate his Realm after the Breakthrough to the Profound Core Realm, the number of Purple Sun Pills required would likely be a thousand to satisfy it!

As for Saber Intent, there was still some distance from the Seventh Heaven Realm Zhang Yang wanted to reach.

But Zhang Yang wasn't in a hurry; more accurately, being in a hurry was useless because the matter of comprehending Saber Intent could not be accelerated.

He wondered if this world had something like a consciousness illusion, where one year inside equaled one day outside.

He wondered if visualizing Saber Intent in such an illusion would speed up his progress.

Unfortunately, at Zhang Yang's current level, he was still far from coming into contact with such things, so he could only think about it.

After a brief period of regulating his breath, Zhang Yang stood up, and with a flash of his figure, he had returned to his quiet little courtyard.

Calculating the time, those who wanted to challenge Zhang Yang were likely already sending people to find him.

To prevent them from failing to find him, Zhang Yang had to stay in his courtyard for a while.

Sure enough, in less than the time it takes for half a stick of incense to burn, the sound of footsteps approaching from afar came from outside the courtyard, and a not-weak aura stopped at the door.

Zhang Yang pushed open the door and walked out, standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back; his robes fluttered without any wind, and his aura was calm and heavy.

Just as the person was about to knock, his clear voice had already pierced through the door: "No need for formalities, come straight in."

The hand of the person outside paused in mid-air, and then they pushed open the courtyard gate.

The moment he stepped into the small courtyard, his gaze was firmly attracted by the pile of dark purple thunder stones stacked like a small mountain in the corner, and a look of clear astonishment and confusion inevitably appeared on his face.

This item was nearly useless to ordinary Martial Artists, and its value was also extremely low.

Why was this Zhang Yang hoarding so many?

He suppressed the strangeness in his heart, turned his gaze to Zhang Yang, who stood tall in the courtyard, shook his head, and said in a deep voice, "Zhang Yang, I, Fu Lei, challenge you!"

Although he tried his best to keep his tone flat, he couldn't hide a trace of helplessness deep down.

The outcome was already predetermined; according to the practice of previous years, a Prodigy like Zhang Yang, who had hopes of reaching the top ten, would never accept a challenge at this time, wasting energy and exposing his trump cards.

If not for the strict orders from the person behind him, he wouldn't have wanted to come and do this useless work either.

Zhang Yang's gaze was like lightning, instantly sweeping over the other party.

Fu Lei did not hide his cultivation; his Ninth Spirit Aperture aura was thick and solid.

Zhang Yang pondered for a moment, the corners of his mouth curling slightly as he said loudly, "A challenge? Fine! Six hundred Purple Sun Pills, how about it?"

"Since you don't..." Fu Lei instinctively started to say the expected refusal, but his voice stopped abruptly.

He suddenly looked up, his eyes wide, staring straight at Zhang Yang as if he had heard the most unbelievable thing in the world:

"You... you said you... accept my challenge?!"

His mind went blank; the expected process was for Zhang Yang to politely decline, and then he would turn and leave.

Zhang Yang would actually accept the challenge? This development completely disrupted his predictions.

As for the bet of six hundred Purple Sun Pills, Fu Lei didn't take it to heart at all.

Such a number might be the hard-earned savings of several months, half a year, or even a year for an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple.

But for the existence behind him, it wasn't some shocking price.

"Yes. Tomorrow at noon, on the Martial Arts Stage, I will await Your Excellency." Zhang Yang nodded in confirmation, his tone brook no doubt.

The number of six hundred Purple Sun Pills was also the result of his deliberation; for those with deep backgrounds who were determined to get into the top ten, it should be within an acceptable range.

"Oh... okay... fine!"

Fu Lei was still a bit dazed and instinctively agreed, then suddenly snapped back to his senses, hurriedly cupped his fists in a salute, and quickly turned to leave with a heart full of suspicion and a trace of uncontrollable excitement.

As he walked, his thoughts turned rapidly.

They had already investigated the information about Zhang Yang.

This person had just entered the Clear Wind Sect a year ago during the disciple recruitment ceremony, and his background was a mystery.

Observing the destitute state of his Cultivation when he first entered the Sect, he was definitely not from a wealthy family.

"It seems this kid wants to take this good opportunity to make a fortune in Cultivation resources..." Fu Lei sneered in his heart, having already characterized Zhang Yang's move as "shortsighted."

In his view, for a mere six hundred Purple Sun Pills, to rashly accept a challenge on the eve of the Inner Sect Grand Competition and expose his own reality was simply beyond stupid!

If he could firmly secure a place in the top ten, the Sect rewards and implicit resources he would obtain—how could they be compared to these six hundred Purple Sun Pills?

"Forgetting the grand scheme for small gains, how unsteady is his martial heart! Ultimately, he is burdened by his shallow background."

Fu Lei sighed secretly, but also felt a sense of shared pity.

His own talent was also considered superior; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to reach the Ninth Spirit Aperture Realm.

However, on the mysterious path of comprehending "Concept," he had always been separated as if by a natural chasm, wasting many years without making any progress.

He was unwilling to just condense a Low Grade Profound Core, cutting off his hope of climbing to higher Realms in the future.

That was why he humbled himself to serve under the person behind him, Wang Ming, the Personal Disciple of the Second Elder, seeking an opportunity to comprehend a profound Concept!

He knew that behind Wang Ming, there were secret treasures and ancient curios containing powerful Concepts that could help a Martial Artist perceive a Concept with half the effort.

At the age of thirty, a Martial Artist's golden period for Core Formation was nearing its end!

If he still couldn't comprehend a Concept and lay his Foundation with a medium-grade profound pill, he would forever stop at the bottom of the Profound Core Realm, with no possibility of further progress!

"Zhang Yang, oh Zhang Yang,"

Fu Lei suddenly looked back at the increasingly distant small courtyard, a meaningful smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

"This time, perhaps I really have to thank you!"

If he could force out Zhang Yang's trump cards in this challenge and find out the true depth of his strength, it would be a great achievement for him, Fu Lei!

With this merit, he might be able to get what he wished for and obtain the qualification to comprehend that dreamed-of Concept, condensing a medium-grade profound pill before the age limit of thirty!