53: Chapter 53 First Battle with Zhao Yan

Li Changsheng opened his eyes, stood up, and walked out of the small hut.

The middle-aged Cultivator glanced at him.

His gaze lingered for a moment on that faint, almost imperceptible trace of emerald, but in the end, he said nothing, merely making a note in his ledger.

The first trial was passed.

Ding District was for the cultivation assessment.

The examiner was a female Cultivator in her thirties, at the Foundation Establishment Stage, with a cold expression.

She had Li Changsheng place his hand on a Crystal Pillar, more precise than the Spirit Stone used for entry testing, and circulate his spiritual power.

The Crystal Pillar lit up, displaying his cultivation: Qi Refining Level 2.

Spirit Qi Solidity: 7.3.

The female Cultivator looked at the value, then at Li Changsheng, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Qi Refining Level 2, Spirit Qi Solidity 7.3, close to 8. Given your Spiritual Root Aptitude... this is rare."

She paused for a moment before recording it in her book.

"Cultivation assessment, passed."

Li Changsheng cupped his fists in thanks, but in his heart, he understood.

Behind this '7.3' lay the credit of the Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture's day and night nourishment, the slight accumulation from the Spirit Nourishing Grass's feedback, and the assistance of those few qi gathering pills.

If any one of those were missing, he would have achieved a 6 at most.

Two trials were over; only combat remained.

In the center of the Martial Arts Field, three arenas were arranged in a triangular formation.

At this moment, on the middle arena, two Disciples were clashing—one at Qi Refining Level 3 and one at Qi Refining Level 2—trading blows back and forth. A dozen or so onlookers stood scattered around.

Li Changsheng found the gathering point for the third assessment.

Five people were already standing there, all dressed as Named Disciples, looking nervous.

In front of them stood three green-robed Formal Disciples, conversing in low voices.

One of them was someone Li Changsheng recognized.

Zhao Yan.

He stood in the middle of the three, pointing at the match on the arena and offering some commentary with an arrogant demeanor, while the two beside him laughed in agreement.

The moment Li Changsheng walked over, Zhao Yan's gaze happened to sweep across him.

Their eyes met.

Zhao Yan was stunned for a moment, then his lips curled into a playful smile.

"Oh, isn't this..."

He intentionally dragged out his tone, looking left and right.

"...that guy? From the General Affairs Hall, what was his name again?"

The two beside him laughed cooperatively.

Li Changsheng's expression remained calm as he cupped his fists in greeting.

"General Affairs Hall Named Disciple Li Changsheng greets Senior Brother Zhao."

"Li Changsheng..."

Zhao Yan savored the name.

"Right, I remember now. That batch of Materials of mine, are they ready?"

"They are ready."

Li Changsheng said.

"They have been in storage for three months; Senior Brother Zhao may send someone to collect them at any time."

Zhao Yan's smile faltered, seemingly not expecting such an answer.

His intention was to make things difficult, but he had been rebuffed by this firm yet polite response.

"Hmph."

He gave a cold snort.

"Fine, I know. You are sixth in line; wait your turn."

Li Changsheng nodded and walked to the side, waiting quietly.

In the first five matches, there were wins and losses.

The first: Qi Refining Level 2 against Qi Refining Level 3; lasted twenty breaths, lost.

The second: Qi Refining Level 2 against Qi Refining Level 2; the opponent had rich combat experience; lasted forty breaths, narrowly passed.

The third: Qi Refining Level 3 against Qi Refining Level 3; a flaw was exploited at the thirtieth breath, lost.

The fourth: Qi Refining Level 2 against Qi Refining Level 3; the opponent clearly went easy, barely lasted thirty breaths, passed.

The fifth: Qi Refining Level 2 against Qi Refining Level 3; knocked off the arena in eight breaths, a crushing defeat.

When it was Li Changsheng's turn, Zhao Yan proactively stepped forward.

"I'll do it."

He said to the other two.

"This sixth one, I will examine personally."

The two exchanged looks, both seeing the mockery on Zhao Yan's face, and stepped aside with a laugh.

Li Changsheng walked onto the arena.

Zhao Yan stood opposite him, his Qi Refining Level 7 aura released without concealment, causing the air around the arena to stagnate slightly.

"You know the rules, right?"

He had a half-smile.

"Thirty breaths. If you endure them, you pass. If not, crawl back to your warehouse."

Li Changsheng took a deep breath and assumed the basic starting stance of the Qingyuan Formula—this was the pose he could take that would least expose any of his hidden cards.

"Begin!"

Zhao Yan moved.

He did not use his full strength, not even thirty percent; he suppressed his strength to around Qi Refining Level 3.

To him, playing with a Qi Refining Level 2 piece of trash didn't require any seriousness at all.

A palm struck out, the wind sharp and carrying a hint of the heat unique to fire-attribute spiritual power.

Li Changsheng stepped aside to avoid it, not meeting it head-on, only maneuvering around.

Zhao Yan's brow arched as the second move followed immediately, his speed increasing a notch.

Li Changsheng continued to dodge, his footwork coming from a Martial Skill he had learned in his early years; though it was a mundane, low-grade technique, it was slightly more flexible than pure basic spiritual footwork.

Three breaths, five breaths, ten breaths.

Zhao Yan's face gradually darkened.

He thought he could force this trash off the arena in two or three moves, but he hadn't expected the opponent to be as slippery as a loach.

Every time it looked like a hit would land, he always managed to dodge by a hair's breadth.

"Do you only know how to hide?"

He said coldly, no longer holding back as he pushed his spiritual power to fifty percent!

A palm struck out, and the air slightly distorted!

Li Changsheng's eyes narrowed, knowing he could no longer rely solely on dodging.

As he turned his body, his right palm met the attack, still using the most basic palm technique of the Qingyuan Formula.

Yet, at the moment of contact, he quietly circulated a thread of spiritual power using the "Force Redirection" method of the Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture.

"Bang!"

The palms met, and Li Changsheng used the force to retreat three steps. His face turned slightly pale, but he stood firmly on the arena.

A flash of surprise crossed Zhao Yan's eyes.

Though he had only used fifty percent of his power in that palm strike, the offensive strength was already equivalent to the Peak of Qi Refining Level 3.

This should have been enough to send an ordinary Qi Refining Level 2 flying.

This trash actually blocked it?

"Interesting."

He sneered, pushing his spiritual power to seventy percent!

The second palm followed immediately, its power more than double what it was before!

The attack power was now equivalent to an attack from Qi Refining Level 4.

Li Changsheng gritted his teeth, not daring to take it head-on again. Instead, he used clever force to guide the palm's power toward the empty space beside him.

"Boom!"

The arena floor vibrated slightly as Array Patterns flickered, dissipating most of the impact.

Li Changsheng's blood surged from the aftershock, and a trace of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, but he remained standing.

Twenty breaths.

Twenty-five breaths.

Twenty-eight breaths.

Zhao Yan's face was livid.

He, a Qi Refining Level 7, had been fighting for nearly thirty breaths and still hadn't knocked a Qi Refining Level 2 piece of trash off the arena?

Twenty-nine breaths!

Fury rose in his heart, and he actually disregarded the rules, pushing his spiritual power to one hundred percent and striking out with a full-power palm!

If this palm hit, Li Changsheng would be critically injured if not dead!

At this critical juncture, a figure suddenly flashed onto the arena, blocking in front of Li Changsheng and meeting the attack with a palm of his own!

"Bang—!"

The palms met, and a wave of air exploded!

Zhao Yan groaned, retreating three steps as his expression changed drastically!

The newcomer was a young man in white with a cold face—it was Liu Qingchen!

"Zhao Yan,"

Liu Qingchen's voice was icy.

"The assessment rules state that one should stop when the point is made."

"With that last palm, were you trying to kill him?"

Zhao Yan's face flushed red; he wanted to argue but had nothing to say.

With that palm, he truly had intended to kill.

The surroundings fell into a dead silence.

Li Changsheng stood behind Liu Qingchen, blood at the corner of his mouth, but his gaze remained calm.

After a long moment, the Foundation Establishment Stage examiner responsible for the combat assessment coughed and announced:

"Sixth match, thirty breaths have passed."

"General Affairs Hall Named Disciple Li Changsheng, combat assessment... passed."

Only then did Liu Qingchen withdraw his gaze and turn to look at Li Changsheng, his eyes carrying a hint of barely perceptible approval.

"Let's go."

Liu Qingchen said.

"Go to the registration office and collect your Formal Disciple Waist Token."

Li Changsheng nodded and followed him down from the arena.

Behind them, Zhao Yan stared at his back, his eyes full of malice.