Chapter 134 – Sticks and Stones

  Jun De’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing at first. His hand, however, unconsciously curled into a fist at his side. Shen Ruolan straightened as much as she could without disturbing Lin Yue, who was still lying in her arms.

  Zhang Yuehai smirked as he saw the reaction his words had and chose to press on. He was enjoying himself immensely, as he hadn’t had an opportunity to needle Jun De since their encounter the previous year in Tranquil City.

  The details of their bet had been on everyone's lips, and he was disappointed about the interruption by the Demonic Cultivators. This was supposed to be his time to prove himself superior to Jun De, the first step of many during the Inner Sect Competition.

  Instead, the entire event had been ruined.

  “Ah, perhaps I have spoken too harshly. After all, a beauty like that could make any man forget his duties.” Yuehai’s gaze slid to Lin Yue, and he shook his head sadly.

  “Though I suppose she is not much use to you now, is she. Battered and broken, likely crippled, I doubt she will even reach Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. She will be as useless as Shen Weifeng has been.”

  “Perhaps a miracle will occur, just as it did for him.” Zhang Yuehai added at the end, tapping his finger against his lips thoughtfully.

  “Watch your mouth.” Shen Ruolan snapped, and the Azure Kingfishers screeched as they flew protectively around her.

  Zhang Yuehai completely ignored her, and his words cut even deeper as he continued.

  “Or perhaps that’s just your type, Jun De. Weak women who cling to you for protection and look at you like you’re their hero. Unfortunately for them, you are too useless to keep them safe. If she were in my care, I wouldn’t let a single hair on her head come to harm.”

  Jun De’s aura wavered slightly, and golden Qi flickered faintly around him. When he replied to Zhang Yuehai, his voice was calm.

  “Enough, Zhang Yuehai. I’m not in the mood for this, not after everything that has happened today.”

  “You mean everything you are responsible for? We all know who it was that brought news about this Secret Realm to the Sect. Every death here today is on your hands, Jun De.”

  That last line landed like a blade.

  Shen Ruolan’s face twisted with fury, and Jun De’s chest heaved; each breath he took drew cold air into lungs that were burning from his anger. His hands trembled by his sides, not from fear or worry over the confrontation building between him and Yuehai, but from the barely-contained storm of rage that was surging within him.

  The stress of what had happened today, all the death and destruction. Mu Yanyu and Lin Yue were injured because of Mei Lian’s betrayal. It all came crashing down onto Jun De at that moment.

  Something inside Jun De broke at that moment from Zhang Yuehai’s words.

  The deck shuddered beneath his feet as his cultivation flared outward. Golden light burst from his body as his Qi flooded his meridians, weaving through the pathways like threads of molten fire. His aura struck out in waves, rattling loose items across the deck and even causing the weaker Outer Sect Disciples to stagger backwards in shock.

  The air above Jun De was filled with golden light, tinged with purple at the edges, and figures could be seen within it. Fantastical images could be faintly observed, although they were far too blurry to be identified.

  For the first time in his life, rage took root in Jun De’s heart. It was a true, unfiltered fury that was directed at Zhang Yuehai and the comments he had made about those closest to him. Jun De had nearly lost so much today, and he was in no state to hold back his emotions.

  Zhang Yuehai only smiled at the display of emotions, completely unfazed by the pressure Jun De was exuding. His arms spread slightly, as if inviting Jun De to do his worst.

  “So, this is what is going to push you forward? Grief and anger? You’re pathetic.” Yuehai’s voice dripped with disdain.

  He took a step closer, and his own Qi rose in response. It was sharp and metallic, like a sword being drawn from its sheath. Unlike Jun De’s rage, Zhang Yuehai was calm and arrogant, filled with the assurance that no matter what happened next, he would emerge as the victor.

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  The thought of losing, of not being the equal of Jun De, never entered his mind.

  “You think your anger will allow you to cross the gap between us so easily? The heavens placed that barrier there for a reason, Jun De. A bottleneck that only the most talented can break, the final hurdle before the ultimate test of Foundation Establishment.”

  “The difference between the 8th and the 9th Level isn’t something that can be overcome by willpower alone, or emotion. It requires talent and comprehension, adequate Qi and the method to control it properly.”

  Zhang Yuehai’s eyes narrowed, and he shook his head dismissively.

  “You haven’t even touched the surface of what it means to control your Qi. You’re just flailing about with emotion, like a child throwing a tantrum. You are a decade too early to challenge me, Jun De.”

  Jun De didn’t answer. Golden light rippled from his skin, and the very air warped from the intensity. His teeth clenched, and his breathing was ragged. He stood there, trembling as fury and fear waged a war inside of him, each striving for dominance over the other.

  His anger wanted him to rip through Zhang Yuehai, to make him suffer for what he had said. Then he wanted to tear the remaining Demonic Cultivators apart for what they had done. But his fear of losing Lin Yue, Shen Ruolan and Mu Yanyu made him want to clutch onto them tightly and protect them from all harm.

  Zhang Yuhai chuckled at the display.

  “If you continue in this manner, our wager may already be settled. You will be lucky to survive, although you may be as crippled as that girl you are so fond of.”

  The golden light around Jun De began to spiral upward, pulling in the scattered Qi from the battlefield, flickering like the sun rising in the morning as it broke through the darkness of the night. The air seemed to buckle around him.

  Jun De could barely hear what the pair were saying about him as the roar of his Qi drowned out the sounds around him. His spiritual energy surged and surged until it could no longer be contained.

  ‘Crack’

  A thunderous sound echoed through his body as the bottleneck keeping him from the 9th Level shattered.

  A blinding radiance burst from Jun De’s body, golden and fierce, mingled with threads of violet that danced around it like lightning. The shockwave rippled outward, and, for a heartbeat, everyone ceased moving on the deck of the flying ship as they felt the suddenness of Jun De’s breakthrough.

  Oddly, the scattered Demonic Qi that still clung to the air around the battlefield shuddered before being dragged toward him. The vile, oily essence was devoured by Jun De’s golden spiritual energy. It was refined and purified in an instant.

  He had done it before when he had been infected by Xun Beiming, and it was as simple as breathing to him. Every trace of corruption around him became fuel for his breakthrough, every drop of filthy energy became his own power.

  Inside Jun De’s Dantian, the golden mist that filled the space condensed into nine luminous droplets of pure, liquid Qi. Each of them was dense, radiant, and almost alive with energy. Around it swirled a vast cloud of golden light that was tinged with purple, the sign that another droplet was about to be produced.

  At the center of the nine droplets, acting like a sun to planets that orbited it, the Dawnheart Flame burned brightly. It seemed to match its owner’s fury, and it roared with an intensity that even Jun De’s meridians glowed faintly through his skin.

  Jun De opened his eyes and, for a moment, they matched the colour of his Qi. His irises had turned golden with flecks of purple as his aura surged with an oppressive weight that rolled off him. It caused even the Disciples in the 9th and 10th Level of Qi Condensation to step back instinctively.

  Zhang Yuehai froze, and the confident smirk fell from his face.

  “This…this is impossible.” Zhang Yuehai whispered, his pupils contracting in fear.

  “You broke through in the middle of this battlefield?! Without a pill, or meditation?”

  Jun De didn’t respond as he took a single step forward. The Luminous Step flared beneath his feet, brighter and purer than ever before. Golden light erupted around him as his figure seemed to vanish in the brilliance. The air cracked like thunder as he shot forward.

  Before Zhang Yuehai could even raise his guard, Jun De was already in front of him.

  The punch landed squarely across Yuehai’s face with a deafening bang that sent a wave of force across the deck. It was a simple strike, lacking in any real technique, but it still had enough power behind it to send Yuehai’s body hurling backward.

  Zhang Yuehai spun through the air before crashing onto the planks. He slid several meters, leaving a trail of splintered wood behind him.

  Gasps broke out from amongst the observing Disciples, all of whom had been tending the wounded or clearing the fallen.

  A moment later, several Inner Sect Elders landed on the deck around them, their blue robes fluttering with the wind of their descent. Their expression darkened as they took in the scene before them. Jun De blazed with golden Qi, while Zhang Yuehai was lying on the ground, holding his cheek in disbelief and humiliation.

  “Disciple Jun De! You dare raise your hand against a fellow Disciple after the battle has just ended?” One of the Elders barked, his tone sharp as his Core Formation Qi pressed down on them.

  Jun De didn’t respond, but his aura slowly dimmed, and the golden light retreated into his body like a tide withdrawing from the shore. He turned away from the Elders and walked back to Lin Yue’s side.

  Kneeling once again, he ignored everyone around him as he made sure she was comfortable and safe. Shen Ruolan was looking at him with pride, clearly happy that Jun De had acted as he had.

  The Elders exchanged uneasy looks. Despite their high cultivation and status, both Jun De and Zhang Yuehai were talented Disciples with firm backing in the Sect. The Zhang Clan was incredibly powerful, but Jun De was a favourite of both Mu Yanyu and the Sect Master himself.

  One of the Elders sighed and shook his head.

  “We will leave it for the Sect Master to decide when we return to the Sect.”