Otherworldly Medicine King

Chapter 16: Exhausted (Part 1)

“What? Spirit Gathering Rank Seven?”

“He broke through again in a single day? Since when did cultivation become this easy?”

“This is ridiculous. Why was I not born with a wood affinity?”

For one brief moment, the entire training ground fell silent. Not the casual kind of quiet. The heavy kind. The kind that presses against your ears and makes you suddenly aware of your own breathing.

Then everything exploded.

Voices overlapped. Questions flew in every direction. Several disciples stepped forward instinctively, as if standing closer would somehow change what they had just witnessed.

Every gaze locked onto Nolan King.

Shock was written plainly across their faces. So was envy. A few tried to maintain composure, but it was obvious they were unsettled. Even Nie Xiugo, who had been so confident only moments ago, now stood stiff and pale, his lips parted slightly as though the ground had shifted beneath him.

A sharp voice cut through the noise.

“Forget his rank. What about the spirit technique he used? That was wood element. The Nie family does not possess a single wood-element technique.”

That single sentence struck harder than any blow.

The crowd stilled again, this time with suspicion.

On the Tianling Continent, the rules were clear. A cultivator could only practice techniques aligned with their elemental affinity. Spiritual energy had to harmonize with heaven and earth. Without that harmony, techniques would collapse or backfire. Even children understood that principle.

The emerald strands Nolan had summoned earlier had twisted and coiled like living vines. There was no mistaking it.

It was wood element.

And the Nie family had no such inheritance.

Nolan stood with his hands loosely clasped behind his back, looking far too relaxed for someone being openly questioned.

“Oh, that?” he said calmly. “I created it myself. I have been refining it for a few days.”

Silence.

Then several people stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

“You created it?” someone repeated.

A few disciples let out short, disbelieving laughs.

Creating a spirit technique was not some trivial achievement. Even the clan leader and the senior elders had never claimed to invent one from scratch. Techniques were treasures passed down through generations, refined through trial, error, and often bloodshed.

And here stood a mere Spirit Gathering Rank Seven cultivator claiming he had done exactly that.

“Do not listen to his nonsense,” a tall and sharp-featured youth said as he stepped forward. His robes were immaculate, his expression controlled but cold. “If Rank Seven cultivators could invent spirit techniques, the world would already be upside down.”

Soft laughter followed.

“He must have discovered it somewhere,” the youth continued. “Perhaps an abandoned manual. Or something he was never meant to have.”

“Hmph. Obviously,” Nie Xiugo added quickly, regaining a fraction of his earlier pride. “Only a fool would believe him.”

Agreement rippled through the crowd.

Nolan did not argue.

There was no reason to.

The cultivation system of this continent had been built and perfected over ten thousand years. Techniques had been revised, polished, optimized countless times. True innovation was rare beyond imagination.

Why would they believe him?

He simply smiled faintly.

“Believe what you wish,” he replied. “It does not concern me.”

He rolled his shoulders once, almost casually.

“So. Who is next? Anyone below Spirit Gathering Rank Nine may step forward. If you are above that, there is no need to waste your effort.”

His calm tone only aggravated them further.

Rumors had spread quickly the previous day. Whispers of a prodigy who advanced as if barriers did not exist. That was why so many of them had gathered early.

Now that he stood before them, having already defeated Nie Xiugo with ease, retreating would mean humiliation.

“I will fight you.”

The voice was steady and clear.

The tall youth who had mocked him stepped fully into the open space.

“Spirit Gathering Rank Nine. Nie Xiuzhu.”

He appeared no older than sixteen. His features were refined, his posture upright and confident. There was a natural sharpness in his gaze that spoke of talent and pride.

“I am not Nie Xiugo,” he said evenly. “Watch carefully.”

Before Nolan could respond, Nie Xiuzhu moved.

There was no dramatic preparation. No visible gathering of energy.

One instant he stood several meters away. The next, he was directly in front of Nolan.

Fast.

Nolan’s eyes narrowed. His arm shot forward instinctively, fingers aligned like a spear aimed at Nie Xiuzhu’s chest.

But Nie Xiuzhu did not dodge.

He rushed straight toward the strike.

A flicker of unease crossed Nolan’s mind.

Something was wrong.

In the next instant, Nie Xiuzhu vanished.

He did not retreat.

He simply disappeared.

A violent surge of spiritual energy erupted behind Nolan.

The impact struck like solid iron. Nolan staggered forward several steps before regaining his balance. His organs trembled from the force. Blood surged wildly through his veins, and heat rose sharply to his face.

Cheers burst from the crowd.

“That is Rank Nine speed.”

“He specializes in wind element. No one can keep up with him.”

“Power is meaningless if you cannot even land a strike.”

Nie Xiugo’s expression brightened. Some of his earlier humiliation seemed to fade.

Nolan inhaled slowly and straightened his back.

Across from him, Nie Xiuzhu stood calmly with his hands behind him, as if nothing of consequence had occurred.

“A genius?” Nie Xiuzhu said lightly. “If this is your strength, I have wasted my time.”

A faint smile curved his lips.

“You will fall here.”

Nolan let out a quiet laugh. Not mocking. Not angry. Simply composed.

“We shall see.”

His gaze sharpened.

Then he raised his hand and pressed two fingers against his own chest.

He tapped one hidden point.

Then another.

Then another.

Each touch was precise. Deliberate. Threads of green spiritual energy slipped into his body with every strike, vanishing beneath his skin.

Murmurs spread again.

“What is he doing?”

“Has he gone mad?”

He continued without hesitation, striking point after point along his torso and arms. The rhythm was steady, controlled.

When he pressed the ninth point, something shifted.

All nine hidden nodes ignited at once.

A deep vibration coursed through him, like distant thunder rolling beneath the earth. The spiritual power in his meridians did not disperse outward. It compressed inward.

Condensed.

The air around him grew heavy.

His robes stirred even though there was no wind. The faint green glow surrounding him darkened and thickened, becoming dense and almost tangible.

Nie Xiuzhu’s expression changed.

“What kind of method is this?”

Nolan’s breathing slowed. The energy within him no longer flowed outward in scattered streams. It spiraled inward, tightening and condensing like a coiled spring.

The ground beneath his feet cracked softly.

The temperature around them dropped.

Nie Xiuzhu reacted at once. Wind-element spiritual power surged around him, forming a violent spiral. In a blink, he reappeared to Nolan’s left, palm striking toward his throat.

The strike was swift and efficient.

Deadly.

Gasps sounded from the crowd.

Too fast.

But Nolan did not dodge.

He did not even raise a hand.

He simply exhaled.

The green aura expanded outward in a sudden surge.

Nie Xiuzhu’s palm halted three inches from Nolan’s throat.

An invisible barrier shimmered faintly between them, woven from compressed strands of spiritual energy. It did not appear solid. Yet it did not yield.

Nie Xiuzhu pushed harder.

Nothing.

Then the emerald strands shifted.

They coiled around his wrist.

At first gently.

Then with crushing force.

A sharp crack echoed. The wind-element energy around him shattered under the pressure.

Nie Xiuzhu was thrown backward as if struck by overwhelming force. He slid across the stone ground before barely stabilizing himself several dozen paces away. His sleeve was torn, his wrist trembling uncontrollably.

Silence fell again.

No cheers this time.

Only the faint whistle of wind.

Nolan lowered his hand.

He appeared calm, but sweat gathered at his temples. Forcing nine energy points into convergence strained his meridians far beyond their comfort.

He held steady.

Nie Xiuzhu stared at his injured wrist, then at Nolan.

“What are you?”

Nolan tilted his head slightly.

“The one standing before you.”

Anger flared in Nie Xiuzhu’s eyes.

He stomped down, unleashing another surge of wind-element power. Dust and pebbles rose into a swirling vortex around him.

“I will not accept this.”

He vanished again.

This time, Nolan moved first.

He stepped forward.

The stone beneath his foot fractured.

In the next heartbeat, he appeared within the heart of the vortex.

Nie Xiuzhu barely registered the movement before Nolan’s palm descended.

It was not flashy.

It was not elaborate.

It was absolute.

The vortex collapsed instantly.

Wind-element energy dispersed in every direction.

Nie Xiuzhu slammed into the ground, carving a shallow crater upon impact. The air left his lungs in a violent rush. He struggled to rise, but his limbs refused to obey.

Dust settled slowly.

Nolan stood at the edge of the crater, breathing heavier now. Pain pulsed through his body. The nine ignited points trembled under strain.

He had pushed himself too far.

Still, his voice remained steady.

“Do you concede?”

The entire training ground seemed to hold its breath.

Nie Xiuzhu attempted to move once more. His arm would not respond. His meridians burned as though scorched.

Finally, through clenched teeth, he spoke.

“I concede.”

The words fell heavily.

Spirit Gathering Rank Seven defeating Rank Nine.

Not through luck.

Not through trickery.

Through strength.

Nolan turned and began to walk away.

Each step felt heavier than the last. The green aura gradually faded, sinking back beneath his skin. Inside him, his spiritual sea churned violently.

Victory had come at a price.

As he neared the edge of the training ground, a metallic taste filled his mouth.

He swallowed it down.

No one noticed the faint tremor in his fingers.

No one saw the thin line of blood that slipped from the corner of his lips.

Behind him, the disciples remained stunned.

Ahead of him, the world seemed slightly unsteady.

Deep within his spiritual sea, something stirred.

It did not feel like power.

It felt like hunger.

Nolan paused for the briefest moment.

Then he continued walking.

He did not know that from the shadowed halls of the ancestral compound, unseen eyes had opened.

And they were watching him.