Half a month later.
Crack, crack, crack!
In Jade Wind Valley, a young man in a blue long gown stood atop a massive rock, gripping a branch about one meter long and as thick as a finger. He practiced relentlessly—thrusting forward, slashing diagonally, chopping vertically, and sweeping horizontally. Each movement generated a faint whistling sound, and as he accelerated, the noises merged into a series of sharp cracks reminiscent of firecrackers.
Suddenly, Li Hao's eyes narrowed. He hurled the branch toward a distant tree. It sliced through the air with escalating speed, the whistling growing louder, covering the dozen meters in mere breaths before impaling the trunk of a giant tree wide enough to require three people to encircle. The branch pierced cleanly through the first tree, then a second, and a third—not stopping until it embedded itself in the sixth.
Surveying the neat holes, Li Hao murmured, "With Senior Shu's Energy Stones and Meridian Protection Pills, plus my Pale Golden Profound Qi continuously tempering my body, my physical strength has improved dramatically. But it's a pity—I've used up all ten Energy Stones and pills."
Li Hao had dedicated himself to cultivation over the past fortnight, spending ten out of twelve daily hours training. His efforts bore fruit: he advanced to the sixth grade of the Profound Practitioner realm and mastered the Basic Sword Art to perfection.
The Basic Sword Art was common knowledge among Outer Sect disciples, but most dismissed it as inferior to graded Sword Arts. Li Hao once shared that view, but after being demoted to a Chore Disciple, he had no choice but to practice it diligently. Two years of relentless drilling changed his perspective—the simple moves of thrusting, slashing, sweeping, and chopping now felt profound. Each swing produced a crisp whistle, an effect even some Yellow Rank Sword Arts couldn't achieve.
Determined to uncover the art's limits, Li Hao resolved to continue honing it.
Glancing at the noon sun, he clapped his hands. "Today, I will succeed in crafting a Strength Talisman!"
The Strength Talisman, a basic inscription from the Five Elements Rune Formula gifted by Ya Ya, wasn't overly complex—but for a novice like Li Hao, it posed a challenge. His initial attempts over the past week had failed due to impatience. Learning from this, he spent the last seven days memorizing every detail of the talisman's patterns and critical points before even touching the materials.
Sitting cross-legged on the rock, Li Hao retrieved Talisman Paper, a Rune Pen, Spirit Grass Juice, and Profound Beast Blood from his robe. He lay prone, calming his mind, then channeled Pale Golden Profound Qi into the pen. With painstaking precision, he began drawing on the paper, guiding the Qi to form delicate lines that wriggled like tiny worms. He used the pen to steer them into a specific pattern—a flame.
Fifteen minutes later, a pale golden flame shape emerged. Li Hao held his breath, focusing entirely on stabilizing the design. But the hardest part remained: Spirit Infusion.
This step required simultaneously infusing Spirit Grass Juice and Profound Beast Blood into the talisman, blending them with his Qi to redraw the flame—all in one seamless flow. Any misstep would ruin everything.
Li Hao took a deep breath, steadying his hands. He dripped one drop of Spirit Grass Juice and one of Profound Beast Blood onto the paper, then fused them with his Pale Golden Profound Qi. Using the pen, he guided the mixed liquid along the flame's contours, his Soul Power and Qi control tested to the limit. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he worked, not daring to blink.
After thirty tense minutes, a smile spread across his face. As he lifted the pen, the flame on the paper ignited with a faint golden glow, lifelike and vibrant.
"I did it! I've become a First Grade Rune Master!" Li Hao laughed triumphantly.
From the basic rune manual, he knew talismans were graded: Inferior, Low, Medium, High, and Supreme. A High Grade Strength Talisman could triple the user's strength—a rare achievement. Yet his first attempt yielded a High Grade product. "Is it because of my unique Qi?" he wondered, making a note to ask Ya Ya later.
Tucking the talisman away, Li Hao headed to the Martial Training Field. There, an Outer Sect disciple blocked his path—a young man around seventeen or eighteen, with an "Outer" character on his left shoulder. This was Chu Meng, Zhang Qiang's cousin, an eighth-grade Profound Practitioner radiating killing intent.
Nearby Chore Disciples watched anxiously. Thanks to Li Hao, they'd been freed from Zhang Qiang's bullying, and they feared for his safety now that Chu Meng had returned.
Chu Meng's eyes gleamed with cold fury. His cousin and Manager Liu, key sources of income, had been exiled to the Crystal Mine because of this Chore Disciple. The insult—and the loss of thousands of gold coins annually—stung deeply.
"You dare target my people? Die!" Chu Meng snarled, slapping a palm at Li Hao's face.
Li Hao met the strike with a punch. Boom! Both staggered back three steps.
Chu Meng raised an eyebrow. "So you've reached the Profound Practitioner realm? No matter—I only used a tenth of my power. Prepare to die!"
"Wait!" Li Hao stepped forward, eyes blazing. "I challenge you to a duel—on the Duel of Death Arena!"
Silence fell. Chore Disciples gaped; even Chu Meng froze. A Chore Disciple challenging an Outer Sect disciple to a death match? It was unprecedented.