"How dare you hold me back like this? Who on earth do you even think you are?" Wei Feng spoke, his voice laced with anger.
"This was just a punch. What makes you think I would waste my energy on you—" Before Wei Feng could finish his statement, a loud crackling sound rang through the crowd. "Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Wei Feng shouted in pain as Lu Chang twisted. "You call yourself a genius, but you're just a firecracker. One big bang, and now you're just damp paper. Get lost before I decide to fix your 'short-stamina' problem by removing the source entirely," Lu Chang said with a straight face, turning to glance at Qin Yue, who was rooted to the spot, scared to move, as though she was frozen there. 'How cute,' Lu Chang thought as he scanned her one more time. "This can't be happening. Wei Feng is really moving away. Wait, I thought Lu Chang was the coward—turns out I was wrong," someone said as the crowd watched Wei Feng walk away in utter defeat, his face still twisted in pain. The crowd started to disperse gradually, dumbfounded by what they saw. "That guy might be sandbagging," someone said as he kept staring at him. When the crowd finally dispersed, Lu Chang began to speak. "Become my student, and in a week your core will be back to full function. Fail to do so, and your core will burst open tomorrow, killing you." Lu Chang said this because from the book he read on Qin Yue, he could tell she kept trying hard to cultivate each day, which kept freezing her core, and inevitably it would crack and burst within a day. Qin Yue raised her head in utter disbelief; her core was shattered. No teacher in this academy would want a student with a crippled core. Definitely, it was an opportunity she desperately needed to jump on. But she was hesitant; besides, what much could a teacher with zero stars to his name do for a normal student, talk less of her, who had a crippled core? Qin Yue was lost in thought, not realizing that Lu Chang had already begun heading back to his cottage. She quickly rushed after him. After all, she didn't have many options; her core was crippled. ******** It took Lu Chang just thirty minutes to arrive back at his cottage. It was obviously very old, since he was not even a one-star teacher. He wasn't able to get the meal anymore because of the coincidence, but looking at the good side, that might have brought him a student. "Excuse me, sir, I think I might be interested in being your student, as far as my core can be fixed," Qin Yue said, her head down as she circled lines with her feet on the floor. Lu Chang heard the familiar voice and instinctively directed her inside the cottage. He moved right to his inner room immediately, where he took his seat in front of the old dusty table. "You said you want to be my student, right?" Lu Chang asked as he scrambled for the student–teacher signing documents. Qin Yue only nodded as she watched him fiddle through the papers. "Then sign this. Once you're done, we can begin. Firstly, we will start by reviving that core of yours," he said instinctively, pushing a pen and paper forward for her to sign. She took a deep breath and finally signed the documents. With a satisfying smile, Lu chang pulled the paper back and tucked it in, before turning, adjusting himself, and focusing on Qin Yue. "You feel it, don't you? Every time you try to circulate mana, it feels like needles of ice piercing your lower abdomen. That's because your 'Jade Pillar' is suffocating. My remedy is simple: Manual Yang Stimulation. I will manually force my heat into those blocked points. It will be painful. It will be… stimulating. And it will be the only reason you ever cultivate again. Now, strip to your inner robe and lie on the desk. We're losing sunlight," Lu Chang said, his voice as professional as it could be. Qin Yue's eyes were filled with shock and reproach. What a pervert, she thought inwardly, deciding to leave immediately—but Lu Chang caught the strain in her expression. "I do not have time to waste. There are other students who need help. If you want to remain crippled, then leave and continue your life," Lu Chang said, pulling out the signed documents and lighting a candle, waiting for her decision. He saw the resistance in her eyes; he was sure he was playing his cards right. Of course, he didn't want to lose such a student, but he had to be on top to gain her trust. Qin Yue took a deep breath as she gave Lu Chang a long look before reaching for her robes. After all, there was nothing to lose; it was better to have something with a teacher than to remain crippled. After all, he sounded so professional; besides, it was a risk worth taking. "You know what? Just lie down and let me handle it. It looks like you're a little shy." Lu Chang stood up, stretching like it was going to be a hard day. Meanwhile, he couldn't wait to dive into this cultivation technique. Qin Yue lay on the desk as commanded, her figure shaking as she did. Lu Chang readily waited at the edge so as not to look desperate. After she was settled in, Lu Chang finally spoke. He looked over her figure; her robes slightly exposed her delicate thighs. He could barely wait to begin the process. But professionalism is everything. "This process will take a while, but as long as you follow all my instructions to the letter, you will have a fully functioning core at the end. Are you with me?" Lu Chang said, looking at Qin Yue. She nodded slightly, her face holding a glimmer of hope.Latest Chapter
chapter 48
Chapter 48: Controlled FireThe walk back was quieter.Not because there was nothing to say.But because everything that needed to be said had already been decided.---Fifty spirit stones.Two hundred Merit Stones.One requirement left.---And a clear direction.---Qin Yue.Top three.---Tang Mo rolled one of the spirit stones between her fingers as they walked. The faint glow reflected in her eyes.“…So this is what it feels like to actually have resources.”Lu Chang didn’t look at her.“Don’t get used to it.”---She smirked.“…Too late.”---Qin Yue said nothing.But her grip on the jade slip tightened slightly.---They returned to the same small residence.Same narrow space.Same limitations.---Nothing about their environment had changed.---But something about them had.---Lu Chang closed the door behind them.Then turned.---“Sit.”---Tang Mo groaned.“…We just got back.”---“Sit.”---She dropped down anyway.Qin Yue followed without hesitation.---Lu Chang placed
chapter 47
Chapter 47: Terms of AdvancementMorning came too quickly.The academy had a way of moving on as if nothing unusual had happened, but the looks said otherwise.As Lu Chang stepped onto the main path, conversations dimmed for just a second before continuing in hushed tones. Not open respect. Not yet.But no one laughed.That alone was new.---Tang Mo walked on his right, slower than usual but upright. Her injuries were real, but her posture hadn’t changed. Chin slightly raised. Eyes forward.Qin Yue walked on his left, calm as ever, her steps quiet, her presence colder than the morning air.They didn’t speak.They didn’t need to.---At the end of the stone path stood a tall, simple building.No decorations.No grand display.Just a carved plaque above the entrance:Administrative Hall---Tang Mo clicked her tongue softly.“…So it’s real.”Qin Yue’s gaze lingered on the doorway.“…It always was.”---A junior attendant spotted them immediately and straightened.“You’ve been called,”
chapter 46
Chapter 46: The First RewardNight settled over the academy.The noise from the tournament had faded, but the aftermath had not. Conversations still lingered in quiet corners, spreading in fragments - a name here, a rumor there.Tang Mo.Lu Chang.Something strange was happening.---Inside the small residence, the air was still.Tang Mo sat cross-legged on the floor, back against the wall, eyes half-closed. Her breathing was uneven at first, but slowly, gradually, it began to settle.Across from her, Qin Yue mirrored the posture.Calm.Focused.Silent.---Lu Chang stood near the window.Watching.Not outside.But them.---“Don’t force it,” he said.Tang Mo clicked her tongue without opening her eyes.“…I’m not forcing anything.”“You are.”A pause.“…Your Qi is spiking every few breaths.”---Tang Mo’s brows tightened slightly.She didn’t argue.Because she felt it too.That unstable surge beneath the surface.Like something inside her was still trying to push further… even when he
chapter 45
Chapter 45: Quiet RipplesThe arena didn’t empty immediately.Even as the formal announcement ended, clusters of students lingered, voices lowered but urgent, replaying every moment of the final match as if repetition would somehow make it easier to understand.Tang Mo winning was one thing.How she won—That was something else entirely.---“Did you see that last exchange?”“She shouldn’t have had the stamina for it…”“It’s not just stamina. Her control changed mid-fight.”“That teacher… something’s wrong with him.”---Speculation spread faster than fact.And like all things in the academy—It didn’t take long to reach the wrong ears.---By the time Tang Mo was escorted off the arena platform, her legs felt like they no longer belonged to her.The healer at her side didn’t let go this time.“Enough,” the woman said calmly. “You’ve pushed your body past a safe threshold. Any more strain and you’ll tear your meridians.”Tang Mo let out a quiet breath.“…Feels like they already tore.”
chapter 44
Chapter 44: AftermathThe roar didn’t die down.If anything, it grew louder.Waves of sound crashed through the arena, echoing off the stone walls as students stood, shouted, argued, and tried to make sense of what they had just witnessed.Tang Mo.Champion.---At the center of it all, Tang Mo stood unsteadily, her legs threatening to give out at any moment. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to regulate her breathing, but every inhale still burned.She didn’t move.Not yet.Not because she wanted to stand there.But because her body hadn’t decided whether it could take another step.---“Move aside!”A sharp voice cut through the noise.Two academy healers rushed onto the platform, their robes fluttering as they quickly approached both fighters.One knelt beside Lin Xue.The other reached Tang Mo just as her knees nearly buckled again.“Easy,” the healer said, supporting her arm. “Don’t force it.”Tang Mo frowned slightly.“…I’m fine.”“You’re not,” the healer replied flatly.She
chapter 43
---Chapter 43: Final ExchangeThe arena fell silent.Not a whisper. Not a breath.Every eye was locked onto the two figures still standing.Tang Mo’s chest rose and fell unevenly. Sweat clung to her skin, her limbs heavy, her ribs screaming with every inhale. The fight had already pushed her past her limits.But her eyes remained sharp.Unyielding.Across from her, Lin Xue stood just as still.No longer untouchable.No longer distant.For the first time since the tournament began, her breathing had lost its perfect rhythm.That alone said everything.Tang Mo wiped the corner of her lips with the back of her hand and let out a slow breath.“So… this is the last one.”Lin Xue studied her quietly.Then gave a faint nod.“Yes.”No arrogance. No mockery.Just acknowledgment.They both understood.There would be no second exchange after this.One move would decide everything.From the stands, Qin Yue’s fingers tightened unconsciously.“...She can’t take another clean hit.”Lu Chang didn’t
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