There Seems to Be a Knot of Spiritual Qi in His Abdomen
Five days later, the Heavenly Ranking Tournament officially began.
The Heavenly Ranking Tournament did not use the usual arena format. During the tournament, two disciples matched against each other would be sent into the same secret realm.
The environments within the secret realms varied. Forests, deserts, swamps, ancient temples, marketplaces, the middle of a lake... Every illusory environment was assigned at random. Disciples could use the terrain to conceal themselves or set traps.
In short, so long as they did not resort to crooked or underhanded methods and defeated their opponent openly and honorably, they would be considered the victor.
On the day of the tournament, the participating disciples arrived early. Those who had failed the preliminary trial or were not participating also came outside the grounds early to watch.
Twenty-seven pairs were participating in the first round. According to the predetermined order, three pairs competed at the same time, and the round was divided across three days.
Ji Chaoyun’s number was relatively late, so he was assigned to the second match on the third day.
He had no interest in watching the other matches and did not leisurely make his way over until the afternoon of the third day.
Several screens of light floated above the martial field, projecting the matches taking place within the secret realms.
In the Heavenly Ranking Tournament, a match ended only when one side had been completely defeated. It was therefore normal for a match to last one or two shichen.
Ji Chaoyun had not arrived particularly late. At present, one pair had yet to finish their match.
The martial field was unbearably noisy. Ji Chaoyun found a corner to stand in, looking unusually irritated.
It was already the third day of the Heavenly Ranking Tournament, and Feng Qi still had not returned.
“...Liar.” Ji Chaoyun vented his anger by kicking the trunk of the tree beside him. Unable to bear the impact, leaves fluttered down in a shower.
The commotion in the distant spectator stands grew louder, inevitably drawing Ji Chaoyun’s attention.
“How can someone toy with another person like that? Doesn’t that count as breaking the rules?!”
“Exactly! He’s a dignified Heaven-rank disciple, yet he behaves like this. Isn’t that going too far?”
“How is it going too far? Didn’t you see that the Immortal Venerables never stopped the match? Senior Brother Wei acted entirely within the rules. If you don’t accept it, go complain to the Immortal Venerables yourselves!”
...
At some point, the final match had already ended. The spectator stands were crowded with people, and arguments and discussion rose from all sides.
Ji Chaoyun walked over but did not rush to squeeze through the crowd. Instead, he casually pulled aside a disciple. “What happened?”
“Chaoyun, you’re here.” The disciple was already furious, and the moment he saw Ji Chaoyun, he immediately complained indignantly, “Those Heaven-rank disciples have gone too far! That last match was Ye Chenxing against Heaven-rank Wei Shaoyang, but Wei Shaoyang actually used the terrain to toy with Chenxing for a full two shichen. We couldn’t stand watching it anymore, so...”
Ye Chenxing treated others extremely well and was well-liked throughout the academy. Seeing him toyed with in such a manner, people naturally stepped forward on his behalf.
Wei Shaoyang had only just left the martial field when he was surrounded by people demanding an explanation.
Behind him, Ye Chenxing walked down with Bei Ran supporting him, his face pale.
Wei Shaoyang came from a distinguished immortal clan and possessed exceptionally high cultivation and talent. He had ranked among the top five on the Heavenly Ranking for two consecutive tournaments, and this time he even appeared capable of breaking into the top three. His cultivation might have been high, but his character was another matter entirely. He behaved arrogantly and held everyone else beneath his notice.
Now that people had blocked his path, he was in no hurry. He said leisurely, “If you think I did something wrong, then by all means report me to the Immortal Venerables and have them punish me.”
“Y-You’re a Heaven-rank disciple and the young lord of Yunlucheng. Of course the Immortal Venerables will favor you. You... you’re clearly bullying people!” It was rare for Beiran to become truly angry, and his face flushed red as he spoke.
Wei Shaoyang did not take it seriously. “So what if I am? Hurry up and move aside.”
Bei Ran refused. “You... you can’t leave. You have to apologize for what happened today!”
A hint of impatience flashed through Wei Shaoyang’s eyes. His gaze swept across the surrounding Yellow-rank disciples, and he sneered. “Have you all misunderstood something? Or do nameless wandering immortals like you truly believe that entering Hongmeng Academy means everything will go smoothly from now on? Be sensible and stop provoking this young master. Once you leave the academy and find yourselves with nowhere to go, perhaps this young master might even remember our ties as fellow disciples and find you work guarding some estate or courtyard in Yunlucheng.”
The amusement in his eyes deepened. “I’ll say it again. If you’re angry, go find the Immortal Venerables and see whether anyone will even take low-ranking disciples like you seriously.”
Bei Ran: “You—”
“Bei Ran.”
A hand abruptly pressed down on Bei Ran’s shoulder. He turned around and saw Ji Chaoyun.
Ji Chaoyun shook his head at him and said quietly, “Calm down. He’s doing it deliberately. He wants to provoke you into attacking him, and then you’ll be the one punished afterward.”
“Brother Ji...”
Ji Chaoyun turned his head toward Ye Chenxing. “Are you all right?”
Ye Chenxing was too exhausted to speak. He shook his head, his forehead covered in beads of sweat.
Ji Chaoyun said to Bei Ran, “His spiritual power has been severely depleted. Take him back to rest first, then go to Alchemy Hall and obtain some medicinal decoction to regulate his internal breath and replenish his spiritual power. He’ll recover after drinking it.”
“...All right.”
Bei Ran helped Ye Chenxing away. Only then did Ji Chaoyun turn back. “Young Lord of Yunlucheng, Wei Shaoyang, correct?”
Wei Shaoyang’s expression changed slightly. “I was wondering who it was. So it’s His Highness, the Dragon King’s Crown Prince. The next match is about to begin. Shouldn’t Your Highness be preparing?”
“I’m merely an ordinary Yellow-rank disciple, not the Dragon King’s Crown Prince. There’s no need for Young Lord to address me that way.” Ji Chaoyun’s voice was calm. “The Heavenly Ranking Tournament is no place for games, though. I fear it is improper for Young Lord to rely on your cultivation to humiliate others like this.”
“What? You want to avenge that disciple from earlier?”
In the distant martial field, the names of the next group of disciples entering the secret realms were beginning to be announced. Ji Chaoyun glanced over there and said calmly, “I only want you to apologize to him in person.”
Wei Shaoyang smiled. “What if I refuse?”
Ji Chaoyun considered for a moment, then asked, “I heard that before this Heavenly Ranking Tournament, Young Lord declared that you would certainly break into the top three?”
“So what?”
“You won’t make it into the top three,” Ji Chaoyun said evenly.
Wei Shaoyang’s expression froze briefly, and his gaze darkened. “What gives you the right to say that?”
“You don’t believe me?” Ji Chaoyun said. “Let’s make a wager. If you fail to enter the top three, you withdraw from the academy. How about it?”
“What if I do enter the top three?”
Ji Chaoyun said, “I withdraw.”
“Chaoyun, don’t be impulsive!”
“Judging from today, Wei Shaoyang’s cultivation has improved again. Apart from Senior Brother Bai, there may be no one in the academy who can rival him. Chaoyun, you can’t make a wager like this with him.”
“Exactly, this is far too risky...”
The surrounding Yellow-rank disciples began trying to dissuade him. Ji Chaoyun seemed not to hear them and merely stared quietly at Wei Shaoyang. “Do you dare?”
Wei Shaoyang had originally been extremely confident that he would enter the top three. Yet under Ji Chaoyun’s gaze, a hint of apprehension inexplicably arose in his heart. With so many people watching, however, he was already riding a tiger and could not dismount.
“Of course I dare!” Wei Shaoyang said. “A wager it is. You think I’m afraid of you?!”
At last, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Ji Chaoyun’s lips. His gaze swept across those around them. “Many thanks to everyone for bearing witness. My match is about to begin, so I’ll go first.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the center of the martial field.
At the center of the martial field, the Profound-rank disciple matched against Ji Chaoyun was already waiting outside the secret-realm array. Ji Chaoyun gave the disciple an apologetic nod, and the two stepped into the array at the same time.
Inside the array was a swamp forest.
Miasma filled the swamp forest. The damp, rank stench made Ji Chaoyun feel nauseated again.
First Feng Qi had broken his promise, and then Wei Shaoyang had provoked him. Ji Chaoyun’s mood today was truly poor, and he had even less interest in circling around with his opponent. After thinking for a moment, he simply cast a spell and sent out his location directly, informing his opponent where he was.
Outside the martial field, the spectator crowd had reached its largest size in all three days.
During these past days, rumors had circulated openly and privately throughout the academy that Ji Chaoyun’s cultivation had improved tremendously and was no longer what it once was. Yet Ji Chaoyun had not attended lessons in a long time, so no one knew exactly how advanced his cultivation had become.
Thus, everyone was watching this match with barely contained excitement.
It was not only the disciples. Even the Immortal Venerables on the high platform had their gazes fixed firmly on Ji Chaoyun’s match.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the heaven-chosen unfortunate who had drawn Ji Chaoyun as his first-round opponent soon followed the location Ji Chaoyun had sent him.
The young disciple concealed himself among the bushes. From afar, he saw Ji Chaoyun standing beneath a fir tree with one hand covering his mouth, his complexion appearing somewhat unwell.
The young disciple looked nervous. He placed a hand on the saber at his waist and approached without a sound.
When fewer than five steps remained between them, Ji Chaoyun finally seemed to notice the movement. He raised his head, and his gaze met the young disciple’s.
He smiled in relief. “You’re finally here.”
No one saw clearly how he drew his sword. They saw only a flash of white light, and the young disciple could do nothing but draw his saber to block.
The clash of weapons rang throughout the swamp forest. The next moment, the screen of light went dark.
The Immortal Venerables: “...”
The spectating disciples: “...”
It was over?
It was already over???
There was only one reason a screen projecting the events inside a secret realm would go dark: the match had ended. This might have been the fastest victory yet in the entire Heavenly Ranking Tournament.
Everything had ended so abruptly that no one managed to react. Even Kaiyang, who was presiding over the tournament, leaned forward and asked, “The light screen... broke?”
His question was answered almost immediately.
On the martial field, one of the secret-realm teleportation arrays abruptly lit up and sent the two disciples back to their original positions.
The match was over. Victory and defeat had been decided.
“...”
The young disciple was still gripping his saber. He staggered and fell backward onto the ground.
He had known from the beginning that he might lose, but he had never imagined that he would fail to withstand even a single move. The young disciple looked up at Ji Chaoyun, so dejected that he seemed nearly ready to cry. “You... you...”
“You were gracious.” Ji Chaoyun gave him a modest bow, then turned and quickly left.
☁
Ji Chaoyun forced himself to hurry back to Wenqu Peak. Only then did he brace himself against a tree trunk and vomit without restraint.
The smell inside that swamp forest had been truly unbearable. His stomach felt as though rivers and seas were overturning within it, and he vomited up every bit of the thin porridge he had forced himself to drink that day.
Only after vomiting did Ji Chaoyun finally feel somewhat better. Holding his abdomen, he sat down beside a bluestone at the roadside.
By now, there was no possibility that he had failed to notice something unusual with his body.
He rested there for a while before returning to the courtyard. The little white cat had already wandered off somewhere, so Ji Chaoyun returned to the bedchamber alone. He sat cross-legged on the bed and circulated his spiritual power, sending it into his body.
The spiritual meridians within him circulated as usual, and the dragon pearl was calm and undisturbed. Only in his abdomen did there seem to be a place where spiritual qi had gathered into a knot.
Ji Chaoyun circulated more spiritual power and sent it into that place. The force there shared the same origin as his dragon pearl, and he could even detect within it a small amount of Feng Qi’s divine power.
Ji Chaoyun opened his eyes and, puzzled, pressed a hand over the place beneath his clothes where that spiritual qi had gathered.
He could not determine what this force was, but one thing he could be certain of was that it would not affect his cultivation.
On the contrary, ever since this knot of spiritual qi appeared, the spiritual power within his body had become even more abundant than before. He could even unleash, within an extremely short span of time, power several times greater than his own.
Was this another effect of forming his core?
Or could it be...
Ji Chaoyun murmured to himself, “Did he leave some spell on me before he left?”
☁︎₊˚⊹ The Author’s Jade-Slip Aside ⊹˚₊☁︎
Feng Qi: That’s right. I left you a baby. =w=
————
I miscalculated. Gong won’t be back until tomorrow _(:з」∠)_
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