Chapter 11
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Chapter 11: Qi Refining
"Stop, stop! Senior Brother Qin, stop!" A youthful female voice cried out from the dense woods behind Ye Yun, thick with urgency.
"Qin Qianhan, acting as judge and executioner! How dare you flaunt your authority!"
Another woman’s voice pierced the air like an arrow, carrying bone-chilling coldness that warned others to keep their distance.
The surrounding air within ten zhang suddenly stilled. The temperature plummeted as creeping coldness seeped from all directions, permeating the entire area.
Two figures emerged from the forest. Leading them was a little girl of twelve or thirteen with delicate features that promised future beauty. Her starry eyes burned with urgency as she dashed forward.
Behind her walked a veiled woman in plain white robes, her curves accentuated only by a pale blue ribbon at the waist. Jet-black hair cascaded down her back, restrained by nothing but another blue ribbon.
Each step the woman took seemed to drain warmth from the air.
Qin Qianhan’s lips twitched with faint coldness. "So it’s my two junior sisters. What brings you here?"
The white-robed woman’s beautiful eyes flashed with mockery. "I witnessed the duel between the servant disciple and Liu Yu. Dare you claim impartial judgment?"
"Exactly! Senior Brother Qin should leave now before my sister loses her temper!" The little girl nodded gravely, though her playful wink at Ye Yun betrayed her mischievous nature.
"Su Yinxue. Su Ling." Qin Qianhan’s voice hardened. "You insist on meddling?"
"You’re clearly in the wrong! Why punish this servant disciple?" Su Ling planted her hands on her hips, the picture of childish defiance.
Suddenly she darted forward, clutching Qin Qianhan’s sleeve with pleading eyes. "Senior Brother, you’re usually so fair! Let them go this time, please?"
Qin Qianhan’s brow furrowed. Expelling Ye Yun today would prove difficult.
"If you persist," Su Yinxue’s voice turned glacial, "I’ll challenge you here and now."
"Is this a threat?"
Frost glittered in Qin Qianhan’s eyes. "We’ll settle this during the sect competition."
He turned sharply and strode away.
Ye Yun exhaled shakily.
Cold sweat drenched his back.
Though he’d resolved to fight earlier, he knew Qin Qianhan’s cultivation level could’ve killed him with a mere breath. These female cultivators had saved him.
"Who are these women?"
He sensed Qin Qianhan feared not just their power, but their status.
"Sister, why did he bluff when he can’t beat you?" Su Ling blinked in surprise at Qin Qianhan’s retreat, then giggled with artless delight.
Su Yinxue’s icy gaze swept over Ye Yun before she turned. "We’re leaving."
With an obedient hum, Su Ling shot Ye Yun a final glance before skipping after her sister.
Their abrupt departure left Ye Yun speechless, gratitude unspoken.
"Sister, why was Qin Qianhan acting strange today?"
"Doesn’t matter. He wanted that servant disciple dead."
"What?"
The two girls spoke softly, their sweet voices fading as they drifted away, leaving only a faint lingering fragrance.
No one had anticipated this outcome. The servant disciples stood frozen in place, dazed and bewildered as if trapped in a dream.
Liu Yu’s face was mangled, his body covered in wounds. He stood motionless, struggling to accept this crushing defeat.
Qin Qianhan had retreated? Just like that, pressured by those women’s words?
Who were those two?
Why would they intervene for Ye Yun?
A cold dread surged through Liu Yu’s veins, chilling his spine and making his limbs tremble. Was there some hidden bond between Ye Yun and those women? If so, opposing Ye Yun meant inviting death!
It had to be true—nothing else explained Ye Yun’s earlier punch. Such power defied the limits of the Fourth Level Body Refinement Stage.
If this were real… was he doomed?
Liu Yu forgot his pain, his entire body numb with terror.
He staggered backward, desperate to flee before Ye Yun noticed him.
“Senior Brother Ye!”
Shen Mo cried out first, his voice trembling with relief.
The courage he’d mustered earlier vanished, leaving his legs weak. He collapsed to the ground.
Ye Yun turned to see Shen Mo struggling to rise. “Thank you, Junior Brother Shen Mo,” he said quietly.
Shen Mo’s eyes reddened.
Ye Yun offered him a faint smile before looking away.
He’d seen Liu Yu’s retreat but didn’t care. As a Tian Zhu Peak disciple with weaker spiritual power, Liu Yu posed no threat—not even his low-grade spiritual weapon, the Black Radiant Sword, could rival Ye Yun.
The true danger lay with Qin Qianhan.
Qi Refining Stage.
Ye Yun’s eyes hardened as he recalled Qin Qianhan’s cultivation level. The earliest cultivators were called Qi Refiners. Only by entering this stage could one truly begin the path of cultivation.
But Qi Refining Stage techniques weren’t publicly available. To advance, Ye Yun first had to pass Tian Zhu Peak’s outer sect assessments. Only as an outer disciple could he hope to enter the inner mountains, becoming an inner disciple, elite disciple, or even a true inheritor.
These titles mattered less now. What Ye Yun craved was raw power.
The Heavenly Sword Sect’s outer disciple assessment loomed in mere days. Normally, his current cultivation level should suffice.
Yet the trials varied unpredictably—raw strength didn’t guarantee success. Without knowing the test’s format, boosting his cultivation remained the safest path.
He needed time to train. His easy victory over Liu Yu? That came from the black and white light’s power within him—a force he still couldn’t control or understand.
Every miraculous effect happened by accident, never by his will.
No. He would uncover its secrets.
“Senior Brother Ye!” Shen Mo’s voice shattered his thoughts. “You must pass the outer disciple assessment!”
Ye Yun recognized Shen Mo’s genuine concern. Becoming a Tian Zhu Peak disciple meant gaining elders’ protection.
He nodded. “Not just me. You too.”
Shen Mo blinked. “Me?”
“Take this.”
Ye Yun opened his palm, revealing a glowing middle-grade spirit stone.
