Chapter 18: Overcoming Tribulation, the Fate Trait Opportunity
Li Sifeng moved with incredible speed.
Yue Zhenchuan, whose name had long shaken the martial world of Guzhou, had fought countless battles—yet even he was caught off guard.
Instinctively, he tried to retreat, but Li Sifeng seized the front of his robe.
In the blink of an eye, Yue Zhenchuan raised his knee to strike, aiming to stop Li Sifeng’s advancing body.
Suspended in midair, Li Sifeng hadn’t expected such a swift reaction.
He immediately struck out with his left palm toward Yue Zhenchuan’s knee.
Bang!
Li Sifeng was knocked backward and sent flying.
After hitting the ground, he staggered and fell heavily onto the grass. His right hand clenched a bloodstained scrap of cloth—ripped from Yue Zhenchuan’s body.
Yue Zhenchuan too was forced back several steps.
Once he steadied himself and glanced down, he saw five deep claw marks across his chest, making his heart tremble with lingering fear.
Lifting his gaze toward Li Sifeng, his expression twisted into ferocity as he gritted his teeth and said, “Kid, you’re ruthless enough. Since when did the Clear Sky Sect produce such a genius as you?”
There had been countless prodigies across the martial world, but never before had one barely in his teens managed to wound him. His rage burned, mixed with astonishment.
Li Sifeng shouted loudly, “You two, get up the mountain! I’ll hold them off for a while and catch up soon!”
Li Sijin opened her mouth to speak but was pulled away by Xu Ning.
Yue Zhenchuan did not immediately give chase.
Two girls barely over ten posed no threat, and the Clear Sky Sect was still a long way ahead.
“Do you even know who I am? Within all of Guzhou, few dare to speak to me that way,” Yue Zhenchuan said coldly, glaring at Li Sifeng.
Li Sifeng drew a dagger from the small of his back, pointing its blade at Yue Zhenchuan with mockery. “Someone once told me the same thing,” he said. “But the moment we crossed hands, he rolled around on the ground, crying and begging for mercy.”
Inside, his nerves were taut as bowstrings.
He could feel that this man was unlike any opponent he’d faced before—immensely dangerous.
With a cold snort, Yue Zhenchuan lunged forward. His surging inner energy burst forth, forming gusts of wind swirling around him. His hands curved into claws, striking repeatedly at Li Sifeng. Li Sifeng quickly dodged.
Ever since he’d stepped into the First Stage of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, Li Sifeng’s reflexes had grown vastly faster, his body more agile.
Except when sparring with his Third Senior Brother, he had never truly felt pressure—everyone else just seemed slow.
But facing Yue Zhenchuan now, he was terrified.
He felt far too slow—barely managing to dodge, unable to counterattack.
Before long, he was forced back to the edge of a dirt slope, with nowhere left to retreat.
Fortunately, he had practiced the Wind Sprint Technique for some time.
Twisting under Yue Zhenchuan’s arm, he leapt backward, body arched like a fish springing from water, landing lightly on the slope.
When Yue Zhenchuan turned, he didn’t see Li Sifeng.
Looking up again, he found him already atop the hillside—his face twisted with rage and humiliation.
“Bah!”
Li Sifeng spat at him and turned to flee.
Yue Zhenchuan was caught off guard—he didn’t dodge in time.
The spittle struck his face squarely, leaving him stunned.
At that moment, the Seven Peaks Alliance martial artists from the woods came charging in.
They had seen Li Sifeng leap over Yue Zhenchuan’s back—a sight that left many in disbelief, thinking their eyes deceived them, until someone snapped out of it.
Wiping the spit from his face, Yue Zhenchuan turned to his followers and shouted, “Charge up the mountain! Slaughter the Clear Sky Sect!”
With that, he leapt first, light as wind, vanishing into the forest.
Meanwhile—
Li Sifeng moved like a leopard, darting through the mountain forest. His hands occasionally braced against fallen logs or rocks as he vaulted obstacles.
Ordinary people—perhaps even beasts—could never keep up with him.
But his pursuer was a martial master.
Glancing back, Li Sifeng saw Yue Zhenchuan bounding swiftly from branch to branch.
Each light step carried him several meters, as though he were flying through the trees.
The distance between them was closing fast!
Clenching his teeth, Li Sifeng began channeling his Vital Energy.
Without realizing it, his control over the Wind Sprint Technique was improving—he now performed movements he’d never dared before without stumbling.
Whoosh—
A violent gust swept from behind. Instinctively, Li Sifeng tilted his head—out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Yue Zhenchuan swooping down like a hawk, his iron palm striking forward.
There was no time to dodge.
Yue Zhenchuan’s palm landed squarely on his back.
Blood spurted from Li Sifeng’s mouth as his body pitched forward, crashing into a dense thicket.
……
Sunlight filtered through the forest canopy.
Jiang Zhaoxia sat cross-legged in an open clearing.
Around him floated nine long swords, their tips pointed downward and quivering slightly. His hands rested on his knees, palms upward, and his sect robe rippled faintly in the wind.
Ever since he had begun focusing on the Supreme Sword Controlling Technique, his progress had been astonishing.
He could now command nine swords simultaneously.
He came here every day to train alone. This was the main path up to the Clear Sky Sect—quiet and undisturbed. He could also guard against intruders.
“Third Senior Brother! Something’s wrong!”
A panicked voice cried out from afar. Jiang Zhaoxia’s eyes snapped open.
He turned and saw Junior Sister Li Sijin and Xu Ning running toward him.
Seeing Li Sijin’s tear-streaked face, his heart sank.
With a gesture, the nine swords returned to their scabbards at his waist. As he stood, the sword sheaths clinked together, heavy and solid.
He strode toward them; they met halfway.
“There are many enemies heading up the mountain to attack us! Our brother is holding them off—Third Brother, you must save him!” Li Sijin cried.
At once, Jiang Zhaoxia asked, “Which direction?”
Li Sijin pointed behind her. Jiang Zhaoxia immediately dashed off, leaving only a command behind: “You two, get up the mountain now—don’t stop!”
Watching his silhouette vanish among the trees, Li Sijin turned worriedly to Xu Ning. “There are so many enemies. Can Third Brother handle them alone?”
Xu Ning didn’t answer. Instead, she urged, “Go warn Master on the mountain. I’ll follow him and see.”
“Can you manage?” Li Sijin hesitated.
Xu Ning shot her a glance. “Stop wasting time. People will die.”
Thinking of her brother possibly in danger, Li Sijin bit her lip, then turned and hurried up the mountain.
Xu Ning took a deep breath. Her gaze hardened as she chased after Jiang Zhaoxia.
……
Anxious, Jiang Zhaoxia began burning his Vital Energy, activating the Wind Sprint Technique as he sped down the mountain.
All the way, he recalled memories of Li Sifeng as a child.
Ever since Master had brought him to the mountain, Jiang Zhaoxia had disliked him—dirty, snot-nosed, constantly pestering Senior Brother.
That impression had only changed over the last two years.
Now that they were leading the Clear Sky Sect together, Li Sifeng’s decisiveness in crises had completely altered his opinion.
He had come to see Li Sifeng as someone worth cultivating—a future pillar of the sect.
And now, with Li Sifeng in danger, the bright future he’d imagined was shattering—and the killing intent in his chest surged uncontrollably.
He moved faster and faster, until even the passing scenery blurred around him.
After some time, a group of figures appeared in his vision—men in blue martial robes scattered through the pine forest, like ghosts awaiting him in hell.
Then his eyes fixed on one person. His pupils dilated; blood filled his gaze.
Yue Zhenchuan was stomping on Li Sifeng’s face again and again.
Li Sifeng lay limp on the ground, his body twitching with each impact—it was impossible to tell if he was alive or dead.
“You dare!”
Jiang Zhaoxia roared, his hand flashing to his waist as he drew his sword.
The metallic sound of the blade leaving its scabbard rang clear and sharp, drawing the attention of hundreds of Seven Peaks Alliance disciples.
Grinning wickedly, Yue Zhenchuan turned and saw Jiang Zhaoxia charging toward him. Instead of panic, his smile grew even more savage.
“Perfect timing! This one’s already useless—let’s see if you can entertain me!”
Laughing madly, Yue Zhenchuan kicked Li Sifeng aside and lunged toward Jiang Zhaoxia.
Around them, the Seven Peaks Alliance disciples unsheathed their weapons, circling to cut off his escape.
Suddenly—
The swords behind Jiang Zhaoxia burst from their scabbards, swirling around him. Yue Zhenchuan’s eyes widened in disbelief, as if he were seeing a ghost.
……
Inside the hall, Li Qingqiu was writing a scripture manual, recording every spell and technique he had learned.
Beside him, Li Dongyue stood, grinding ink.
“Senior Brother, I realized my handwriting is terrible. How can I make it prettier?” Li Dongyue asked softly, her tone expectant.
Li Qingqiu replied, “In a few months, I’ll ask Yuchun to invite a few scholars up the mountain to teach you all reading and writing.”
The Clear Sky Sect’s literacy was woefully low.
Teaching the younger disciples even basic characters had once driven Li Qingqiu nearly insane.
The Seven Sons of Clear Sky had all come from mountain villages, none of them literate.
Even in this ancient world, Li Qingqiu still valued learning—for nurturing thought, broadening horizons.
Books, to him, symbolized the evolution of Heaven and Earth.
“Then can we buy more books? The ones Master and Grandmaster left are so few—I’ve read them all.”
“Of course.”
Li Qingqiu spoke easily, managing to converse while continuing to write.
Suddenly, his brush froze.
Before his eyes, a message appeared:
【As the Clear Sky Sect has repelled an invading force for the first time, the Dao Lineage has overcome a tribulation and earned one Fate Trait draw opportunity.】
Repelled an invading force?
What happened?
Li Qingqiu wasn’t elated by the reward. His brow furrowed, thoughts racing.
For the system to call it a “force,” the enemy must have been large.
He hadn’t heard any commotion, meaning the battle must have taken place far from the sect.
Could it be something happened at the mountain’s foot?
He immediately set down his brush, uttered quickly, “I have something to do. Guard this room—don’t let anyone peek,” and dashed off.
Before Li Dongyue could respond, he was already gone.
Rushing out of the courtyard, Li Qingqiu activated the Wind Sprint Technique and sped down the mountain.
He hadn’t gone even a mile when he encountered the panting Li Sijin.
Upon seeing him, she grew emotional and hastily explained everything that had happened.
Li Qingqiu didn’t waste a second comforting her.
Following her pointing finger, he raced on.
Like Jiang Zhaoxia before him, he was gripped by a rising sense of dread. He opened the Dao Lineage panel to check that the number of disciples hadn’t decreased.
Seeing that it hadn’t, he felt slightly reassured—but still checked it repeatedly along the way.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn—
Li Qingqiu finally reached a pine forest, where he found Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, and Li Sifeng.
Scattered corpses littered the ground, blood splattered across the trees.
Jiang Zhaoxia was drenched in blood, sitting on the ground with Li Sifeng cradled in his arms.
Xu Ning sat nearby, exhausted and disheveled, though less injured.
Li Qingqiu’s heart sank as he hurried forward.
He placed two fingers under Li Sifeng’s nose—there was still breath. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
But seeing his two junior brothers reduced to bloodied wrecks, rage surged uncontrollably within him.
Jiang Zhaoxia lifted his head, voice weak as he said, “Senior Brother, you were right after all. The martial world and the battlefield… are nothing alike. Forget armies—just fighting a few hundred martial men, my swords were all broken…”