014 Willpower

  From what I had gathered, the partits had to be under fifty years old. Not that it really mattered to me—I had no way of gauging anyone’s strength beyond pure observation. And even that had its limits.

  I sighed, watg as the gambling attendants made their final rounds.

  “The betting period has officially closed!” one of them announced, waving a scroll above his head.

  Damn. I didn’t eveo pce a bet.

  Not that I would’ve known who to bet on, anyway. My ck of Qi Se me at a severe disadvantage when it came to evaluating cultivators. Sure, I could analyze body nguage, movement efficy, and maybe even some surface-level martial teiques, but that wasn’t enough. Strength in this world wasn’t just about skill—it was about Qi, and that was something I couldn’t perceive.

  And with over two hundred testants, even abusing my Intelligeat wouldn’t help much.

  I set aside my disappoi and focused ba the arena.

  Liang Na stepped fain, raising a hand for silence.

  “Huests, fellow cultivators, and citizens of Yellon City,” she decred. “Before the test ences, we shall first hear a few words from our sn—Lord Ren Jin.”

  At that moment, movement stirred in the VIP box.

  A figure stepped forward, dressed i yet uated robes. His attire was embroidered with golden patterns resembling a dragon’s scales, and his posture carried an effortless grace.

  The sn of Yellon City.

  Ren Jin looked young—about my age, actually. That threw me off for a sed. He’s the ruler of this pce?

  Then he spoke.

  His voice was gentle, yet it reached every er of the arena, as if the wind itself carried his words.

  “My people,” he began, “this past decade has been one of trials and perseverance.”

  His gaze swept across the crowd. “We have faced hardships, yet we have grown stronger. We have eorms, yet we have not fallen. And through it all, Yellon City has stood proud and unyielding.”

  A wave of murmurs passed through the audience. Some nodded in agreement, while others listened with rapt attention.

  Ren Jin’s lips curled into a small smile. “Today, we gather not just to witness a tour but to celebrate the spirit of those who dare to rise above. These cultivators standing before you are the future. The strong shall prevail, and from them, new legends shall be born.”

  He raised a hand, and his voice rang clear with finality.

  “Let the tour for Yellon’s Heroes… begin!”

  The areed into thunderous appuse.

  The moment Lave the signal, the tenders erupted into motion.

  Their Qi burst forth like an explosion of nearly invisible e, spreading through the arena in waves. It was an eerie yet fasating sight—aire battlefield of warriors, each radiating their own unique energy.

  I couldn't sense Qi iraditional way, but my Perception stat was still high enough tister the distortions in the air. It felt like standing in the middle of a storm without actually feeling the wind.

  "Huh," I muttered. "So this is what it looks like when a bunch of cultivatet serious."

  Gu Jie, atg ily, scoffed. "This is nothing. Just a bunch of p before the real fighting starts."

  That caught my attention. "Speaking of which, you used to be at Third Realm before, right? Any idea what realm that Enforcer and City Governor are at?"

  Gu Jie perked up at the question, eager to prove herself useful. "Well, I don’t have the senses of a Sed Realm cultivator anymore, but I still have my experience," she said, rubbing her . "For the Chief Enforcer to be able to project her voice like that, she should at least be at Third Realm."

  Chief Enforcer?

  It looked like Liang Na was a bigger figure than I initially thought.

  I gnced back at the arena, taking another look at the enforcer standing proudly at the ter of the battlefield.

  As if on cue, Liang Na took a step forward and released a trolled pulse of energy.

  "I am at the Will-Reinfort Realm!" she decred, her voice ringing through the arena once again. “Chief Enforcer of Yellon Armed Forces, Liang Na! In the name of my liege, I shall duct this Elimination Round thhly and fairly for the sake of ho petition.”

  Gu Jie grinned smugly. "See? Told you."

  I chuckled. "Alright, you got ht. What about Lord Ren?"

  Gu Jie's expression turned ptive. "That one's harder to guess. The way he projected his voice, the way his presence filled the entire arena… that kind of trol isn't something a Third Realm cultivator casually pull off." She shook her head. "He's definitely stronger. At least Fourth Realm, maybe higher."

  I hummed in thought, turning my attention back to Liang Na.

  She stood at the ter of the arena, radiating authority. My Perception stat wasn’t my stro, but it was still superhuman pared to a normal person’s. And right now, that meant I could see something most people couldn’t.

  A thin yer of power coated Liang Na’s entire body, a shimmering aura that pulsed in sync with her movements. It was subtle, but undeniable.

  Iing.

  So if I paid close enough attention, I could distinguish cultivation realms, even without Qi Sense.

  That was good to know.

  The moment Liang Na released her aura, the entire arena shifted.

  A heavy, oppressive presence desded like a storm cloud, pressing down on the testants. The sheer weight of it made several cultivators stagger, their knees bug as they struggled to remain standing. Others weren't as lucky—one by one, partits began dropping unscious where they stood, their bodies crumpling like puppets with cut strings.

  Liang Na’s voice rang across the battlefield. "I SHALL NOW BEGIN!"

  Her words were punctuated by ahicker wave of malicious i, ing around the remaining cultivators like a noose.

  I frowhat’s kinda overpowered.

  This was just the Third Realm?

  Beside me, Gu Jie shuddered, her face slightly pale.

  "This is what separates realms," she murmured, hugging herself. "What she’s doing isn’t just radiating her Qi—she’s expressing her Willpower to the world. More specifically… her Killing I."

  I raised an eyebrow. "She’s sg them unscious?"

  Gu Jie nodded. "It’s like a blizzard of raw pressure. The stronger your will, the better you withstand it. But for those below her level, it’s unbearable. Their minds colpse before their bodies do."

  I g the arena. The few still standing were visibly struggling, their faces drenched i as they ched their fists and gritted their teeth.

  "And what about normal people?" I asked.

  Gu Jie exhaled. "They wouldn’t feel anything."

  I blinked. "Wait, really?"

  Was it due to the ck of cultivation? Maybe I could tank this?

  She nodded. "Killing I is a battle instinct meant to suppress other cultivators. Mortals wouldn’t eveer it. Especially the untrained." She smirked slightly. "It’s why nobles and rich merts sit and watch these kinds of fights without fainting in their seats."

  I hummed in thought. So suppression abilities scale based on the oppo’s cultivation…

  Good to know.

  But still, this meant Liang Na wasn’t just strong—she had mastery over her willpower. The fact that she could apply it in such a trolled manner spoke volumes.

  This was shaping up to be an iing tour.

  Alright. I’ve decided.

  This recious learning opportunity for me.

  One by ohe weaker cultivators below were kicked straight into dreamnd, their bodies sprawled across the arena floor like scattered marbles. Within seds, the field had thinned siderably, leaving only those who could endure Liang Na’s overwhelming presence.

  I leaned forward, closely.

  Some of them were trembling but remained upright through sheer force of will. Others stood tall, unshaken, their gazes burning with defiance. Iing.

  Within moments, the true tenders made themselves apparent. Roughly ten people remaianding.

  I turo Gu Jie. "Has anyone ever died to something like this before?"

  Gu Jie shook her head. "hat I know of, Master. Theoretically, it should be impossible. I mean, would you die just because someone imagined you dying?"

  Her analogy was iing.

  I nodded. "Fair point."

  Before I could ask more, Liang Na’s voice rang out, clear and fident.

  "I am going to increase the pressure now."

  Her decration wasn’t just for the testants—it was loud enough for everyoo hear, including the oners in the bleachers and the VIPs above. She was making a show out of it.

  A heartbeat ter, her aura burst forth like a storm.

  The sheer iy of her killing i expanded, growing heavier, sharper—like an invisible guillotine pressing against those below.

  The ten remaining tenders stood unfling.

  Gasps of awe erupted from the crowd.

  oners, indepe warriors, and even some lower-ranked cultivators murmured in astonishment.

  I simply watched, fasated.

  This wasn’t just a test of cultivation—it was a dispy of willpower.

  Gu Jie leaned forward, her eyes alight with reition as she observed the ten cultivators who had endured Liang Na’s killing i. "Look at them," she whispered. "I reize a few of them. The remaining tenders seem to be members of the Seven Grand s and the Three Great Sects of the Riverfall ti."

  I followed her gaze, sing the arena.

  Among the remaining tenders, I quickly picked out a familiar face—Kang Shi of the Fighting . He stood tall, his aura fring with barely restrained aggression.

  Gu Jie nudged me and poi anure. "That’s Lu Gao of the Road ," she said, l her voice as if the name alone demanded reverence. "You tell from the emblem on his sleeve—the endless road symbol. His believes in expansion and ambition above all else."

  This was something I'd heard a couple of times already.

  This 'Lu Gao' was fairly famous, huh?

  I'd hate to burst her bubble, so I let her have at it.

  Lu Gao stood with his arms crossed, his expression unbothered, as if Liang Na’s pressure was nothing more than a light breeze. He had an aura of unshakable fidehe kind of person who never sidered losing an option.

  Before I could examihe rest, one of the ten tenders suddenly swayed and colpsed.

  Gu Jie sighed. "That’s Xun De of the Seeker . See that single character for Seek stitched on his robe?"

  I nodded.

  "His prides itself on searg for a knowledge and lost teiques," she tinued. "But I guess his willpower wasn’t enough to stand with the others."

  Liang Na, ued by the loss, raised her voice again. "I will increase the pressure once more!"

  A fresh wave of killing i surged forth.

  The air turned heavier, the atmosphere thick with an oppressive weight. Yet—no one else fell. The nine remaining cultivators eheir stances firm.

  The urmured in admiration.

  Gu Jie, unfazed, kept providing entary. She gestured toward three specific cultivators in the arena. "See them? The ones with the cloud symbol, the sword character, and the isotion character?"

  I nodded.

  "They must be representatives from the Three Great Sects," she expined. "The ist Sect, the Sword opy Sect, and the Isotion Path Sect."

  That made seheir presence alone roof of their sects’ standing.

  Suddenly, Liang Na spread her hands open.

  Nine faint orbs of energy maed above her, h in a perfeation.

  Then, in an instant, the orbs shot forward, eae targeting a different testant.

  The rea was immediate.

  The tenders moved—some dodging, others brag themselves—but oood out in particur.

  Kang Shi.

  The moment the orb struck him, it shifted shape—transf into a spectral shat bit into his shoulder.

  Kang Shi’s body locked up. His limbs stiffehen—he colpsed, his expression frozen in shock.

  Gu Jie gasped in admiration. "Did you see that?"

  I did.

  More clearly than I imagined.

  I turo her. "What was that?"

  Gu Jie frowned, deep in thought. "It robably a martial spell of sorts… or maybe a qi-maed attack." Then, as if realizing she was beied, she quickly added, "Qi maion is invisible to Martial-Tempering Realm cultivators like me. We are more used to cirg qi inside our bodies instead of externalizing it like this."

  I raised an eyebrow.

  She hesitated. "...Was that right? Did I get it right, Master?"

  I just stared at her.

  Gu Jie fidgeted under my gaze, clearly eager to prove herself.

  After a moment, I gave a slight nod. "Good to know."

  She exhaled, looking relieved.

  Yeah. This had been really educational.