Volume 1 Chapter 40

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Volume 1 Chapter 40: Wishes Granted

The day after Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian’s match, it was already afternoon. Sunlight streamed through the windows into Xu Qingfan’s room, creating small patches of light. Outside, the sounds of birds chirping and cicadas singing filled the air, and the whole world seemed to have a lively spring feel.

Inside the room, Xu Qingfan was sitting quietly on the bed, meditating. Two colors of light were swirling around him. The changing lights also cast shadows that made the room flicker between light and dark.

"Huff…" Xu Qingfan let out a long sigh, finally waking up from his meditation. He slowly opened his eyes, which reflected a mix of satisfaction and helplessness.

The match with Feng Qingtian yesterday had not only drained his Spirit Qi but had also caused more internal injuries than he had imagined. It was very likely to affect his performance in the next match. Feeling helpless, Xu Qingfan could only take three "Wood Spirit Pills" to restore his Spirit Qi.

The "Wood Spirit Pill" was made ten years ago by Lu Huayan using the flesh and blood of the "Green Snake Dragon" and more than ten kinds of thousand-year-old spiritual herbs. These two materials are hard to find even in the Immortal Realm, and they have great power. It is easy to imagine how precious the "Wood Spirit Pill" is. After Xu Qingfan took the "Wood Spirit Pill," not only did his strength restore in just one night and a half day, but the Spirit Qi in his body also increased greatly. Now, he is only a small step away from reaching the Lingji Stage. In terms of strength, Xu Qingfan is now on par with Feng Qingtian and Jin Qinghan.

However, the Wood Spirit Pill is only meant to refine the Wood-type Qi stored in Xu Qingfan’s body, so its healing effect is not very clear. Therefore, there are both advantages and disadvantages to taking it. After consuming the "Wood Spirit Pill," the Spirit Qi inside him surged, and although his power greatly increased, his internal injuries did not lessen; instead, they became more severe due to the swirling Spirit Qi. More importantly, during the inner tournament, Xu Qingfan took the "Wood Spirit Pill" several times in a short period to forcibly recover his Spirit Qi and raise his level, which led to instability in his realm, greatly affecting his future growth. The possibility of reaching the Condensed Core Stage became even more distant.

With serious internal injuries and an unstable realm, Xu Qingfan’s strength, though unprecedentedly high, felt as fragile as a tall building on the beach; magnificent but unable to withstand any storm. Even in the upcoming match, Xu Qingfan needed to use a large part of his Spirit Qi to protect his injured heart and organs. Otherwise, not only would his body collapse, but he might also risk falling into a Qi deviation crisis.

"Is my highest achievement really destined to only reach the late stage of the Lingji Stage?" Feeling his body’s condition and noticing he had refined only about a third of the thousand-year Wood-type Qi from the Mountain Spirit Wood Monster, Xu Qingfan bitterly murmured to himself. "An unstable realm is just an unstable realm. No matter what, if my strength increases, my hope of reclaiming my master’s relic grows a little too."

At this moment, Xu Qingfan could only comfort himself like this.

After fighting hard yesterday just to help Jin Qinghan understand Feng Qingtian’s strength better, Xu Qingfan couldn’t tell if he regretted it or not. He only knew that if Jin Qinghan lost to Feng Qingtian again this time, it would be a huge blow. As a friend, he should do his best to help him. But was it worth it to delay his own chance to reclaim his master’s relic for this? Xu Qingfan couldn’t say. It was as if he didn’t know if he would do it again if given another chance.

Perhaps only when he truly has another chance will Xu Qingfan know the answer in his heart?

People often do not truly understand themselves. It is common to see those who believe they are strong-willed give in to temptation at the last moment, just as many who are thought to be weak can show unexpected courage at a critical time. People only realize their true thoughts at the very last moment.

Xu Qingfan took a deep breath and calmed the turmoil in his heart. Since he had already done it, there was no time for regret. Now, he was focused on the final match for third or fourth place he would participate in that afternoon. If he won in the afternoon, he could reclaim his master’s relic legitimately.

According to the schedule, the final match between Jin Qinghan and Feng Qingtian will take place tomorrow. Today in the morning, Bai Qingfu, Wang Qingjun, Sheng Yushan, and Lou Qingsong will compete to find out who is in fifth place, and in the afternoon, Xu Qingfan and Lv Qingshang will compete for third and fourth place.

Although Xu Qingfan did not see the match between Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang yesterday, he believes that the winner will be Jin Qinghan. He has confidence in Jin Qinghan because he has seen Jin Qinghan’s hard work over the years.

Seeing the bright sun outside his window, Xu Qingfan knew that it was almost afternoon and his match was about to begin. So he got out of bed and slowly opened the door to walk outside.

Outside the door, the sun shone brightly. Jin Qinghan was quietly standing in the sunlight waiting for Xu Qingfan to appear.

"You waited for me?" Xu Qingfan asked with a smile.

Jin Qinghan nodded and asked, "How is your injury?"

"It’s much better, no need to worry," Xu Qingfan reassured him. "Did you win yesterday?"

Jin Qinghan nodded. Seeing Xu Qingfan’s still pale face and weak steps, Jin Qinghan shook his head and said, "Aren’t you going to rest and recover a bit more? If you don’t treat your internal injury quickly, it could leave lasting effects."

"It’s not a big deal, I’m feeling much better," Xu Qingfan replied lightly. "And soon I will compete against Lv Qingshang. This match is very important; it determines whether we can recover the master’s relic. We can’t afford to lose, so it’s better to go soon."

"There’s no need to go so early. Maybe Lv Qingshang will arrive later than you," Jin Qinghan said. When Xu Qingfan heard this, he was surprised to see a rare smile on his face.

Xu Qingfan, however, didn’t have time to think about the meaning of Jin Qinghan’s smile. He led the way up the mountain because the competition was about to start.

On the way, the spring breeze was gentle, and the shade of green was everywhere.

"By the way, who won the competition this morning?" Xu Qingfan asked.

"Wang Qingjun," Jin Qinghan replied.

"Really?" Xu Qingfan said in surprise. "What about Senior Brother Bai?"

"That Wang Qingjun is indeed very strong. He easily defeated Sheng Yushan. Even with all of Sheng Yushan’s skills, he couldn’t fight back at all. Senior Brother Bai won against Lou Qingsong, but he still lost to Wang Qingjun." At this point, Jin Qinghan couldn’t help but frown and continued, "Although the match between Senior Brother Bai and Wang Qingjun was exciting, I still think he is hiding his true strength."

Hearing Jin Qinghan’s words, Xu Qingfan recalled Bai Qingfu’s eyes, which always seemed to hide true feelings, and sighed, "Senior Brother Bai’s actions are indeed very mysterious."

Led by Xu Qingfan, the two walked very quickly. In no time, they arrived at the square in front of Linghua Hall on the mountain.

Compared to the scene at the semifinals, there were noticeably fewer people gathered in the square this time.

Maybe people are used to paying attention to the winners, so they don’t seem as interested in today’s contest between the losers, Xu Qingfan thought to himself.

What puzzled Xu Qingfan was that whenever the crowd in the square looked in his direction, their eyes were filled with deep respect. To be precise, it was the gaze directed at Jin Qinghan that held that deep respect.

Although Xu Qingfan was curious, as the bell rang continuously, he had to walk toward the stage, planning to ask Jin Qinghan for clarification after the contest ended.

As Xu Qingfan walked step by step toward the stage, he felt a slight nervousness in his heart. This was his last contest in the inner gate competition, and it was also the most important one. If he won this contest, Xu Qingfan could successfully retrieve Lu Huayan’s belongings. But if he lost, all his previous efforts would be in vain.

Lv Qingshang was considered the third favorite in this inner gate competition. This was not self-proclaimed; he had already gained fame in Jiuhua Gate for his cleverness and skill in spell-casting and formations. With the help of charms and formations, he could easily defeat opponents much stronger than himself. Although his previous contest with Bai Qingfu had some unfairness, it clearly showed how difficult he could be as an opponent. Honestly, Xu Qingfan felt he didn’t have much confidence in winning against such a rival.

"Since I have come this far, I have to give it my all," Xu Qingfan thought to himself.

But strangely, after standing on the stage for a long time, Xu Qingfan still had not seen Lv Qingshang appear. As Lv Qingshang continued to delay, the crowd below began to show signs of restlessness.

"What’s going on? Why hasn’t Lv Qingshang arrived yet? Doesn’t he fear being disqualified?" Xu Qingfan wondered quietly to himself.

After three incense sticks had burned, when the crowd below began to feel impatient, a ray of rosy light suddenly flashed across the sky and flew towards the square at incredible speed. Once it reached the square, the light stopped in mid-air, and when it faded, an old man, thin and withered, quietly appeared before everyone.

As the old man appeared, everyone on the high platform, from Sect Leader Zhang Hualing to the ordinary elders, stood up and bowed respectfully to him. Clearly, this old man held a very high position in Jiuhua Gate.

After the old man returned the bow to the elders on the platform, his gaze began to search among the lower-level disciples in the square. When he spotted Xu Qingfan, his eyes paused for a moment before continuing to scan. Finally, his gaze stopped at Jin Qinghan.

Upon seeing Jin Qinghan, the old man’s eyes grew sharp, and a powerful aura suddenly surged toward Jin Qinghan. Although Jin Qinghan was talented and had an innate pride, he was still only at the late stage of the Inedia Stage in his cultivation. Even though it was just a thin line away from the Lingji Stage, the gap in realms between him and the old man was immense. Unable to withstand the old man’s pressure, he took three steps back before finally steadying himself.

The old man was somewhat surprised by Jin Qinghan’s reaction. He had intended to use his pressure to force Jin Qinghan to kneel, yet he did not expect that Jin Qinghan only stepped back three paces before standing firm against his aura.

"Hmph…!" A cold snort echoed, low yet resonating throughout Jiuhua Mountain.

Just as the old man was prepared to take further action, Jin Qinghan’s master, an elderly man with a faint golden hue to his face, suddenly let out a cold snort as a warning.

Clearly wary of Jin Qinghan’s master, the thin old man glared fiercely at Jin Qinghan before raising his voice to say, "My disciple Lv Qingshang cannot participate in today’s match due to severe injuries sustained yesterday and forfeits."

As he said this, the thin old man couldn’t help but shoot another fierce glare at Jin Qinghan. Then he transformed back into the rosy light and flew away into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Did I just win?" Xu Qingfan found it hard to believe what the old man said and thought in a daze.

Only after an elder announced his victory on the high platform did Xu Qingfan finally believe this fact.

Suddenly, a feeling of ease washed over him. This ease came not only because he finally got third place and retrieved Lu Huayan’s belongings, but also because Xu Qingfan felt he no longer had to worry about competing and fighting. By nature, Xu Qingfan liked comfort and disliked conflict, so it had been difficult for him to think about the competitions every day.

Hearing the old man’s words and seeing his expression, along with remembering what Jin Qinghan said today and the way others looked at him with respect, Xu Qingfan began to guess something. After leaving the arena, he directly asked Jin Qinghan, "Did you arrange all of this?"

Jin Qinghan nodded and said softly, "You were seriously injured helping me figure out Feng Qingtian’s strength, so I thought I should do something for you too."

It turned out that after Xu Qingfan returned to the back mountain to heal yesterday, Jin Qinghan felt that Feng Qingtian was injured because he was helping him, and it might even delay the most important third and fourth matches for Xu Qingfan. So, Jin Qinghan decided he had to help Xu Qingfan. In the next match against Lv Qingshang, Jin Qinghan no longer hid his strength and used his powerful secret weapon—the "Golden Armor Technique."

In front of the incredibly strong "Golden Armor Technique," Lv Qingshang’s spell formations were useless, but his defense couldn’t stop Jin Qinghan’s amazing gold-type attacks. A terrible defeat became inevitable. However, for Jin Qinghan, just winning was not enough. So, at the last moment of the match, Jin Qinghan used the "Golden Nail Spell" to strike Lv Qingshang’s eight meridians. Although he didn’t hurt him badly, Lv Qingshang was left unable to fight for a short time. This led to today’s scene, where Xu Qingfan won without fighting after Lv Qingshang forfeited, claiming third place in the competition and rightfully retrieving Lu Huayan’s relic, the "Three Meters Green Silk."

Hearing Jin Qinghan’s story, Xu Qingfan didn’t know how to feel—should he feel it was an undeserved victory or guilt towards Lv Qingshang? Perhaps, it was more of a deep brotherly bond?

Shouldn’t friends always think of each other and find ways to help one another without expecting anything in return?