Surprisingly Enough(NOT), Common Sense Is Overpowered in Cliché Cultivation World

1.81 Yearly Challenge~

Every year in the inner sect, disciples can challenge others to improve their ranking, take the spot of the defeated disciple, and improve their treatment in the sect.

In a way, it was quite a barbaric event, as it was essentially just beating the shit out of someone and taking their home. But in this world, where the law of the jungle reigns supreme, such a thing was not rare.

Of course, this was just a milder form of raising disciples. It was not like one of those demonic sects, where young cultivators would have to kill each other, with only the last one standing being given resources.

So, that was a silver lining, he supposed. Ning pondered the intricacy of such an event being held yearly, nothing more than the strong getting stronger and the weak getting weaker.

That's why, needless to say, the arenas were packed with fights.

"I guess the improved sect subsidy is really enticing." Ning thought so. As an inner sect disciple at his ranking, he was given two cultivation pills as a subsidy along with the standard spiritual density in his home.

It was said that the high-ranking inner sect disciples were allowed to visit the superior spirit gathering pond every year to swiftly increase their cultivation.

As for why he was here, it was simply to support his senior sister, Ling Yinran, in her placement challenge.

Ling Yinran, as a ninth-stage qi condensation cultivator, ranked twentieth at the Hidden Edge Peak.

Unlike the simply named Farming Peak, where Ning resided, which was wholly occupied by spiritual farmers, the Hidden Edge Peak was composed of a myriad of cultivators with various spiritual professions, puppet cultivators, spiritual brewers, spiritual paper crafters, painters, medicinal cultivators, and such, each rare and few in number.

After reaching the pinnacle of their respective peaks, the highest-ranked cultivator would then fight with other peak cultivators of the same ranking, which would decide the top ten ranking of the inner sect.

Ling Yinran's opponent was an insect cultivator named Shen Wei, nineteenth rank, one above Ling Yinran, and ninth stage of qi condensation as well. He stood at the far end of the arena with a calm expression and a sealed gourd hanging at his waist.

"Insect cultivators, probably a tough fight." Ning analyzed. It was simple logic, really. While his senior sister's puppets were immune to insect attacks, the bugs were small and agile enough to cause her constructs trouble.

Also, Ning had a general policy of being wary of anything that came out of a sealed container. Especially insects, they were a whole other beast compared to the ones back on Earth. He could only hope to never encounter the heaven-sucking mosquito, said to be the size of a small building. That was straight nightmare fuel.

The match started.

Ling Yinran deployed both puppets immediately, the two iron constructs moving to flank positions with a smoothness that came from thousands of hours of practice.

Shen Wei also didn't hesitate, instantly uncorking his gourd.

What emerged was a swarm. A suffocating, black-purple cloud of Ghost-Faced Locusts erupted into the arena. These weren't brainless bugs; they were trained spiritual beasts, moving with a terrifying, unified intelligence.

Instead of mapping the arena or targeting the constructs, the entire swarm surged directly at Ling Yinran in a relentless, overwhelming tide. They intended to drown her before she could even command her mechanical forces.

"A swarm blitz. Quite a predictable tactic." Ning mumbled as he watched.

As far as he knew, Shen Wei didn't have iron-eating insects in his arsenal, which would have perfectly countered the puppets. So he had defaulted to trying to overwhelm Ling Yinran with sheer numbers.

Moreover, these Ghost-Faced Locusts had other notable features. They were highly resistant to spells from the five elements, and their sensitivity to those elements allowed them to dodge with uncanny precision. It was what shackled the magic users who fought against them. That meant most of the time, magic users could not eliminate the swarm in a single hit and would inevitably get overwhelmed.

Despite this, Ning wasn't worried about Ling Yinran. His senior sister had naturally prepared for this situation.

Facing the suffocating mass of mandibles and venomous wings, Ling Yinran didn't retreat a single step. She had spent the entire previous night coating her iron constructs and her robes in a specialized, pungent grease refined from the crushed marrow of Stink-Root Weevils, the natural apex territorial rival of the locusts.

As the vanguard of the swarm slammed into a five-foot perimeter around her, the invisible, foul qi-barrier radiating from her preparations took effect. The locusts violently recoiled, their sensory organs completely overwhelmed. Their unified coordination shattered into a chaotic mess.

"Now." Ling Yinran hissed, her fingers twitching.

Her two deployed puppets leapt into action, and their design modifications became instantly clear. These weren't generic constructs; they were meticulously tailored to counter insect-type cultivators.

The left puppet, carved from Glow-Phosphor Bronze, suddenly ignited. Its joints hissed as a torrent of high-intensity, blinding spiritual light burst from its chest core. The sudden flash didn't just blind the insects; it exploited their primal phototactic instincts, forcibly drawing the scattered swarm toward it like moths to a flame.

Simultaneously, the right puppet, constructed from hollow Thundering-Core Wood, slammed its massive fists together. A localized, high-frequency sonic vibration rippled outward. It didn't destroy the arena floor, but the sound wave was perfectly tuned to shatter the internal equilibrium of flying pests. Dozens of locusts dropped instantly, spinning blindly toward the floor, their wing coordination ruined.

Seeing his swarm's momentum completely neutralized by her meticulous preparations, Shen Wei narrowed his eyes.

This was the downside of fighting a puppet master with both resources, talent, and thorough preparation. They could modify their puppets to counter their opponents, as long as they were given information, as Ling Yinran had just demonstrated.

Shen Wei didn't have that luxury. His insect cultivation technique was merely a branch of the broader gu cultivation widely practiced in the Southern Marshlands, and due to the distance between the two regions, his inheritance was incomplete.

He did not have access to the myriad insects available to those in the Southern Marshlands. But Shen Wei also knew his own shortcomings.

A seasoned beast tamer was never helpless without his horde. Unsheathing a sleek, emerald-tinted Centipede-Hook Sword, Shen Wei channeled his qi and stepped forward. He wasn't going to play a battle of attrition. He was going to blitz her himself.

Most puppet masters had weaker physical one-on-one capability without their puppets.

"Combine!" Shen Wei roared.

The remaining elite locusts that had survived the sonic wave instantly rallied. They didn't attack Ling Yinran; instead, they swarmed onto Shen Wei's blade, coating the metal in a vibrating, serrated layer of toxic mandibles.

With a burst of speed, Shen Wei launched a deadly combination attack. The swarm flew ahead to obscure Ling Yinran's vision and mask his approach, while he trailed a fraction of a second behind, executing a lethal, low-angle strike aimed straight at her hip.

It was a flawless execution of master and beast coordination. The swarm blinded; the sword killed. A tactic he had much experience in.

"You seem to be concentrating quite hard on this." It was then that Ning, who had been watching the match with intensity, was patted on his shoulder. "I called out to you from afar, but you didn't hear me."

Who else could it be but the resident protagonist among them?

"Um, my senior sister's match is going on, so I got quite absorbed in the fight," Ning answered.

"Your senior sister's situation looks quite dangerous." Xiao Fan said, noticing Ning's rather nonchalant expression even as his senior sister seemed on the verge of losing.

"Well, that's all according to the plan," Ning spoke, then quickly turned, remembering who he was speaking to. "Just promise you won't jinx it."

"Hah?" Xiao Fan was shocked.

"Just stay quiet for a while." Ning spoke quickly, then added, "Please."

"Alright then." Xiao Fan could only relent after letting out a snort. Anyway, he was the broodign type anyway.

Ling Yinran's two puppets were too far out on the flanks, still dealing with the remnant horde. She was completely open. Shen Wei's hook-sword tore through the outer edge of her protective scent barrier, the toxic wind of his strike already fraying her robes.

But Ling Yinran's eyes flared with brilliance. This was the exact information gap she had spent months hiding.

As a ninth-stage qi cultivator, she had until now only shown the ability to control two puppets at once, but she had improved. In fact, this was not without the assistance of her junior brother. Her spiritual qi control had been further refined by the innovative methods her junior brother used to refine his own.

Her storage pouch flashed.

Clang!!!

A third construct materialized directly in the path of Shen Wei's blade. Unlike the bronze and wood puppets, this one was sleek, forged from high-grade Cold-Iron Steel, and shaped like a multi-armed guardian. It didn't just block the blow; its four arms clamped down onto the Centipede-Hook Sword with a vice-like grip, locking the weapon in place.

Shen Wei's eyes widened in sheer shock. "A third puppet?! Your spiritual sense and control-"

"Is deeper than you calculated," Ling Yinran interrupted, her voice ice-cold.

While her first two puppets cleanly decimated the rest of the distracted, leaderless insect horde, Ling Yinran poured the absolute remainder of her concentration into her hidden card. The thick, vibrant spiritual threads connecting her fingers to the third puppet hummed with immense tension.

Before Shen Wei could abandon his trapped sword and retreat, the third puppet's chest chassis slid open, revealing a hidden, spring-loaded iron stake.

BOOM!

The pneumatic stake shot forward with explosive force, striking Shen Wei squarely in the sternum. The protective qi-shield around his chest shattered instantly, and the sheer kinetic impact lifted him off his feet, sending him crashing hard across the arena floor, his sword clattering away.

The remaining locusts instantly dissolved back into the gourd as their master's consciousness wavered.

Ling Yinran stood firmly in the center of the arena, her three puppets standing in a perfect, impenetrable triangle around her.

"It seems this match is settled." Ning sighed. "Anyway, sorry for saying that earlier. I was in a bad headspace."

"You called me a jinx-" Xiao Fan said.

"Well, let the past stay in the past. Anyway, here, eat this. This is a mid-tier healing pill; it should be enough for your injuries." Ning handed the pill to Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan was quite battered. Besides Ling Yinran, he'd also had a match of his own.

"Don't think you can bribe me with this," Xiao Fan grumbled, but still ate the pill.

"Anyway, good job winning two fights, even though you faced two seventh-stage qi cultivators," Ning said.

Speaking of the fights, Xiao Fan's eyes glowed with irritation. "Why the hell is everyone challenging me? Seriously, it doesn't make any sense. What can they even get from me?"

Ning chuckled at the grumble.

One had to know that the recent additions to the inner sect like Ning and the others were not being challenged, because firstly their rankings were very low, so beating them wouldn't yield any benefits, and secondly, beating someone of lower cultivation while also being older translated poorly to one's reputation.

The only exception to this rule had been Xiao Fan, who was challenged time and time again.

"Hey, at least you're getting good combat experience, along with increasing the spiritual energy concentration in your home." Ning smiled and comforted Xiao Fan.

"You're just having fun, aren't you?" Xiao Fan glared at the smug Ning.

"Well, I wouldn't deny it. Still, for you to be getting challenged so much, have you offended someone recently in the inner sect?" Ning asked. In fact, what he'd wanted to ask was how many people he had offended, but that would hurt the guy even more. Others might have said it, but he was kind like that.

Xiao Fan pondered for a moment. "I did reject the invitations of various cliques and groups wanting me to join them. One of them stood out, one of the top ten inner sect disciples, Gu Zheng, led a group called Rising Dragon. Though they claimed they wanted me in their ranks and would support me despite my low talent, they were truly after my earth-ranked technique. They wouldn't hear that I was prohibited from sharing it."

"That's rough, buddy." Ning couldn't help but sigh at the protagonist's hatred-attracting halo.

Actually, Ning had also received invitations to various cliques. Not counting the Mutual Aid Association, which was getting quite irrelevant since most of its members were still in the outer sect, with Zhang Feng and the others busy with their own inner sect work. He had also joined Sui Feng's Farm Help group.

Not only that, he had gotten invitations from several other cliques, not only because he had placed third in the outer sect competition, but also because of his master. It was a pity that he'd never received invites from alchemy groups, but that was a given.

In the sect, one was only considered a true alchemist when able to refine a usable qi-gathering pill. In fact, the reason he'd never visited the alchemy hall was that exploring its library and tasks were only accessible to those who held the alchemy badge, not to be confused with the alchemical certificate. The alchemy badge was the identification jade given when one successfully demonstrated their alchemy in the hall, notably refining a low-grade pill with good quality and consistency.

"Anyway, I need to quickly heal myself before another one of those bastards starts a challenge against me. Since they dare challenge me, I will show them the height of Mount Tai." Xiao Fan spoke, his grin quite savage.

"Sounds fun, sounds fun. Go kick some ass." It was a pity there wasn't any proper gambling taking place; otherwise, this would have been quite the money-making event.

"Will you not participate in the challenges as well? From what I've experienced, though those who challenge me have seventh-stage qi cultivation, they aren't particularly strong. You should be able to defeat quite a few," Xiao Fan said. He was quite curious about the extent of the strength his friend had developed over the past year.

"If someone challenges me, I would, but I don't have plans to go out of my way to beat others. Firstly, the ones I can beat will only be a few rankings above me, so the benefits aren't that high. Secondly, I just want to look at matches and enrich my knowledge about different types of fighters for now." Ning answered. "Of course, since I'm not you, the chances of anyone challenging me are quite low."

"What do you mean by that? You make me sound like I'm always getting into trouble," Xiao Fan grumbled.

"Bruh, really?" Ning could only stare at Xiao Fan blankly at that.

Moreover, as if on cue, a shout suddenly alerted the two of them. "Are you Xiao Fan? I'm here to challenge you! How dare you beat Junior Sister MiaoMiao like that! To restore her honor, I challenge you!"

MiaoMiao was the challenger Xiao Fan had just beaten. You could say anything about that guy, but his fist was truly rated E for everyone.

Xiao Fan looked thoroughly done with this, his expression only worsening when he heard Ning say, "So, you were saying."

Smug Ning was a bad Ning.

Xiao Fan took a deep breath. "You know, punching that face is sounding very therapeutic right now. Oi, let's fight."

Ning was lamenting the protagonist's luck when they both heard another challenge.

"You! Fight me now. Surely you wouldn't run away this time." A man appeared in front of them and spoke.

"Can't you see I've already accepted an invitation to fight someone else?" Xiao Fan said irritably.

The man seemed surprised. "Who are you? I'm talking about you, Ji Ning. Let's fight."

"Me?" Ning was surprised. He looked at the man carefully. "You're Lao San?"

Lao San was the guy who had opposed Ning during the farming gathering with Sui Feng and the others, something about him being an alchemist and pretending to be a farmer, or something along those lines.

"Did you not even remember me?" Lao San gritted his teeth. After losing face, he had kept to himself, especially since this guy had integrated so well with the farming group.

"Haha. It seems even you have a day like this." Xiao Fan, at this point, couldn't help but smile at that.

Ning glared at the smug Xiao Fan.

"Are you sure you want to challenge me?" Ning asked honestly. "You won't really gain anything from it. My courtyard has lower spiritual density than yours, so even if you win and take it over, you'll basically get nothing."

"Not everything is about benefits!" Lao San shouted angrily. "I just want to smash your pretty boy face!"

"…That sounded way more personal than I expected." Ning muttered.

Then he thoughtfully added, "You know, instead of wasting your challenge chance on me, you could probably profit more by selling the opportunity to challenge others."

Lao San blinked.

Ning immediately continued in a serious tone.

"Think about it. Every disciple only gets two challenge opportunities during this ranking cycle. Meanwhile, each ranked disciple can only be challenged ten times total, and only by people within their ranking range." He folded his arms wisely. "That means challenge slots themselves have value."

Xiao Fan slowly turned toward Ning with a strange expression.

Ning ignored him completely and continued speaking like a businessman pitching a revolutionary idea.

"You could cooperate with someone trying to climb the rankings. Or arrange favorable matches. Or exchange challenge rights for spirit stones." Ning nodded thoughtfully. "Technically speaking, there's an entire market opportunity here."

"T-That…" Lao San hesitated visibly.

Clearly, the logic was working. As a farming disciple with limited income, the possibility of earning spirit stones naturally tempted him.

Seeing this, Ning nodded internally in satisfaction. As expected, reasoning was an underrated art.

While his proposal did have some merit, it also carried plenty of problems.

First, challenge manipulation could easily provoke stronger disciples if exposed.

Second, sect rules technically prohibited intentionally rigging ranking matches.

Third, challenge trading could quickly spiral into faction-controlled monopolies if left unchecked.

And finally, given what Ning knew about Lao San, this guy had probably never fully read the sect rules in the first place.

None of that mattered.

The important thing was giving Xiao Fan the ammunition to make fun of him.

Was it petty? Absolutely.

But honestly, this man had been holding a grudge over a single argument from months ago. That already explained everything about his personality.

"Damn! I didn't know we could do something like that," Xiao Fan muttered, still watching the whole exchange. His challenger had already agreed to fight him in half an hour after Xiao Fan finished healing. It might have seemed like the challenger was being decent about it, but in actuality, this was the rule: one cannot be challenged back-to-back without any rest. There was a mandatory rest period given to the challenged party.

"Don't worry, it's not really in your skillset," Ning said, his words leaving Xiao Fan confused.

If it were Undertale, Xiao Fan, being the very definition of a xianxia protagonist, would be forced to go the genocide route, so yeah, reasoning was genuinely not in his skillset. Simply put, the mandatory 'turning the villain good with a single conversation' was not something they had the power to pull off, unlike protagonists from other genres.

"What do you mean by that? Seriously-"

"You know…" Ning tried carefully, "your style is more…"

He made a vague punching gesture.

"…direct."

Xiao Fan's eyelid twitched.

"That sounds insulting."

"Well, that's a you problem then," Ning said honestly.

Xiao Fan realized his eloquence was worse than Ning's, so he gave up on that front. Instead, he glanced toward Lao San, who looked troubled and added thoughtfully, "Still, your earlier idea really wasn't bad. Selling challenge opportunities for spirit stones actually sounds smarter than wasting them over personal grudges."

Lao San's face stiffened slightly.

Xiao Fan, completely unaware, continued speaking.

"I mean, if someone challenged me over something from months ago instead of using the opportunity properly, I'd honestly think they were an idi-"

"Wait-" Ning tried to stop the protagonist from going off the deep end, but it was already too late.

Lao San's face instantly turned red.

"You—!" He pointed furiously toward Xiao Fan before turning back toward Ning. "Forget it! I'm still challenging you!"

"He was the one who said it, not me," Ning quickly said.

"No matter! First I'll beat you, then I'll beat this guy. You brats have been having far too much fun running your mouths in front of me." Lao San's voice rang out.

Hearing that, Ning glared at Xiao Fan. "You just had to do it, didn't you."

"Well, it's not my fault. Don't worry, if you can't beat him, I'll avenge you," Xiao Fan said considerately.

Ning just sighed. "There's no need. I just didn't want to fight, but since it's come to this, let's get this over with."

...

"First to be unable to continue, or to surrender, loses." For each match, the sect had arranged a referee through missions.

"Begin."

The moment the words fell, Lao San moved first. Clearly, he had no intention of giving Ning even a breath to prepare.

Several green seeds shot out from his sleeves and scattered across the stone battlefield.

[Wild Growth]

The instant they touched the ground, spiritual qi surged violently beneath the earth.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The ground split apart.

Dark-green vines thicker than a man's arm burst upward like living serpents, twisting violently through the air as thorn-covered branches lashed toward Ning from every direction. Some attacked openly from the front while others burrowed beneath the stone floor, silently aiming for Ning's legs.

Once caught within their rhythm, an opponent could easily find themselves exhausted to death beneath endless waves of spirit plants.

Lao San laughed loudly as the vines spread across the arena. "Hahaha! Let's see how you handle this. These are the spirit-devouring vines I've nurtured with all my strength. Once you are caught, you will lose."

Farming cultivators were rarely explosive fighters; their techniques specialized in battlefield control and attrition. After all, what they were most concerned with were spells related to farming. And since most were not 'geniuses' like Ning, they had a hard time grasping all the basic farming spells, let alone practice other spells.

That's why someone like Lao San, who, beyond the five basic farming spells, had also achieved mastery in Wild Growth, one of the offensive farming spells, was quite proud.

Ning calmly watched the incoming attacks. Then he raised one hand.

A sphere of blazing flame rapidly condensed above his palm. The heat surrounding it caused the nearby air to distort faintly.

[Fireball]

After reaching great accomplishment, Ning's fireball could be unleashed within seconds with only a brief incantation.

The fireball exploded directly into the mass of incoming vines.

Flames erupted violently across the battlefield as the wood-attributed plants ignited almost instantly. Burning vines writhed wildly through the air while black smoke spread outward in waves. The sharp scent of charred wood filled the arena.

After all, while Wild Growth may be a rare offensive farming spell, Fireball was a purely attacking spell, so the result was expected. Moreover, within the five elements, wood is restrained by fire.

So yeah, type matchup was also a thing here.

Lao San's smile stiffened slightly, but he quickly snorted coldly. "Hmph! Cheap tricks!"

He immediately slapped another handful of seeds against the ground.

This time, several thick stalk-like plants erupted upward before blooming open like giant carnivorous flowers. Layer after layer of black thorns unfolded from within their petals.

Then the battlefield exploded with shrill, piercing sounds.

Hundreds of thorn needles shot toward Ning like a storm of black rain.

The attacks were fast.

Far faster than the earlier vines.

Some aimed directly for vital points while others curved strangely through the air under spiritual control, clearly attempting to predict Ning's dodge path.

Yet Ning's expression remained calm.

Shadow Steps circulated beneath his feet.

His body moved lightly across the battlefield like drifting smoke as he slipped through the storm of thorns with terrifying precision. Several needles narrowly passed his sleeves while others struck only afterimages left behind by his movement.

At the same time, another fireball condensed within his palm.

Boom.

The flower plants exploded into flames.

Petals, thorns, and burning vines scattered through the air as the spirit plants rapidly collapsed into charred remains.

"Yes, and fireball." Ning sent the fireball directly into the oncoming plants. At least his pyromaniac urges were being greatly fulfilled.

Meanwhile, Lao San's face grew uglier and uglier.

He gritted his teeth and launched another wave of seeds. This time, pale yellow pollen exploded across the battlefield like drifting mist. The moment it spread, the nearby stone floor started sizzling faintly from corrosion.

Poison pollen.

At the same time, thick roots surged beneath the ground while massive thorn vines intertwined together into the shape of a gigantic wooden maw that snapped toward Ning from above.

The attacks layered together one after another.

Lao San clearly understood how to pressure opponents through continuous spell combinations.

Unfortunately, Ning saw through all of it. Pure Eyes circulated quietly within his pupils.

The battlefield became clearer. The flow of spiritual qi beneath the ground, the twitch of Lao San's fingers before activating spells, the movement of roots beneath the stone floor, the delay between pollen release and vine activation.

Everything reflected within Ning's vision with frightening clarity.

His body moved naturally through the battlefield.

He sidestepped a hidden root before it erupted from the ground. He lowered his head slightly as thorn needles passed over his shoulder. Then another fireball smashed directly into the center of the poison mist, igniting the pollen cloud in a violent explosion of flame.

Boom.

Heat surged across the arena.

Several disciples near the edge hurriedly stepped back from the shockwave.

Lao San's expression finally changed completely.

Because from beginning to end, Ning had never once looked pressured.

"You arrogant bastard!" Lao San roared furiously, his voice echoing across the arena like a beast driven to madness. "I'm a seventh-stage Qi Condensation cultivator while you're only at the sixth stage! How dare you look down on me?! You're courting death!"

The moment the words fell, spiritual qi erupted wildly around his body.

A violent wave of pressure spread outward from him, causing dust and loose stone across the battlefield to tremble faintly. The vines surrounding the arena twisted even more violently under the influence of his spiritual energy.

This time, Lao San completely abandoned restraint.

Several handfuls of seeds scattered wildly from his sleeves as he charged forward simultaneously.

[Bronze Body]

A metallic bronze sheen rapidly spread across Lao San's skin. His muscles visibly expanded while veins bulged beneath the hardened flesh like twisted roots beneath old bark. Under the sunlight, his body reflected a faint metallic glow, giving him the appearance of a humanoid bronze statue forged directly from iron and stone.

Clearly, Lao San had also invested heavily in close combat to compensate for the weaknesses of farming cultivators once enemies breached their spell range.

The vines surged forward alongside him like an advancing tide while Lao San himself charged directly toward Ning with astonishing momentum. Each step he took caused the stone beneath his feet to crack faintly.

He wanted close combat now.

Ning narrowed his eyes slightly.

Then, for the first time since the battle began, he properly raised his spear as his qi flared as well, bringing out a chill that cooled the intensity of the battle.

[Cold River Spear Technique: Still Water Stance]

The spear held straight, locking directly onto the charging Lao San. Unlike the sharpness that came from the falling spear technique, the spear now resembled the surface of a cold river during winter, appearing still and motionless on the surface, yet with currents flowing endlessly beneath.

"Still Water Stance: appear as still as possible while gathering energy, for that one perfect hit," Ning mumbled.

In Still Water Stance, one observed the enemy and figured out all their tells. Using Pure Eyes, Ning had done exactly that. Even his own rage-baiting had aided in it, making Lao San sloppy.

With proper martial arts, anger can be channeled into strength, but the moment Lao San popped out Bronze Body in the heat of the moment, Ning knew he didn't truly possess such a technique.

The vines surged toward Ning violently, trying to hold him in place for Lao San to land the finishing blow.

Ning moved.

Shadow Steps circulated beneath his feet as his figure drifted across the battlefield like flowing mist over a frozen river. His movements were light and strangely elusive, slipping through the narrow gaps between the incoming vines with terrifying precision.

Not a single thorn touched his robes.

Lao San roared and immediately closed the distance himself.

Boom!

His bronze-covered fist smashed through the air with explosive force, producing a low sonic boom as it shot directly toward Ning's chest.

Ning tilted sideways at the last possible moment.

The punch barely grazed past his sleeve before shattering part of the stone arena behind him into fragments.

At the same time, Ning's spear moved like flowing water.

The spear tip shot toward Lao San's ribs with cold precision.

Clang!

A metallic sound echoed loudly throughout the battlefield.

The spear struck Bronze Body directly before sliding away across the hardened bronze skin, unable to fully pierce through the defense.

Lao San laughed loudly after seeing this.

"Hahaha! You can't pierce my Bronze Body!"

His confidence immediately rose again.

Bronze Body was not a high-level technique, but it was extremely effective against opponents lacking overwhelming offensive power. Once activated fully, ordinary weapons could barely leave scratches against it.

Ning calmly launched another blow.

The battlefield gradually transformed into a strange dance of pursuit and evasion.

Lao San advanced aggressively with overwhelming force while Ning continuously repositioned around him like flowing water circling a boulder. The vines constantly attempted to seal off escape paths while Lao San pressured from the front with his Bronze Body-enhanced attacks.

Boom!

Another punch smashed through the air.

Crack!

The arena floor shattered beneath Lao San's feet.

Several thick roots burst upward simultaneously from beneath Ning's blind spot.

Yet Ning's body always seemed to shift away moments before the attacks connected.

"You slippery bastard!" Lao San roared furiously.

He tried using his spiritual sense to predict Ning's movements, but every attack somehow missed by the smallest margin possible.

Or more accurately, Ning had already predicted where Lao San would attack beforehand.

At the same time, Ning continuously unleashed intermittent spear strikes during his movement.

Some targeted Lao San's ribs, others targeted joints, others targeted qi circulation points beneath Bronze Body.

Although the spear could not pierce through fully, every impact still consumed the spiritual qi maintaining the defensive art.

To outsiders, the battle appeared evenly matched.

But Ning knew better.

Lao San's cultivation realm was higher, but his spiritual qi quality was far inferior to the Pure Qi Sutra. Maintaining Wild Growth, Bronze Body, poison pollen, and continuous offensive pressure simultaneously consumed enormous amounts of energy.

Meanwhile, Ning conserved every movement carefully. He only dodged when necessary and attacked when useful.

"You slippery bastard. Face me like a man if you dare." Lao San could only shout as Ning dodged yet another attack.

"I guess it's time then." Ning smiled at that. Normally, he was not the type to talk during battle, but at this moment he had ascertained the full depth of his opponent. "I'll launch my attack now. Be ready."

Ning backflipped, landing far away from Lao San.

Was backflipping necessary? No. But Ning just wanted to do it for the flair.

At this point, Lao San didn't immediately chase. Instead, he reinforced his technique. His spiritual energy was running low, so after talking the talk, he knew he had to stand ready to face the attack. "Bring it on. I will not lose."

If nothing else, Ning could admit that this guy at least followed through on what he said.

Ning took a deep breath, felt the ice in his veins, and settled into a familiar position.

After reaching unity, Ning had made a habit of thrusting the spear at least a hundred times a day. It was the most fundamental aspect of attacking with a spear.

So, the stance came to him instinctively. He raised his spear and moved.

His speed far greater than anything he had shown until then, he dodged the first two vines with an ease that left Lao San barely able to react.

[Cold River Spear Art: Still Water Pierces Stone]

The spear traveled forward with terrifying precision, slipping directly through the tiny opening in Lao San's defense like a river flowing naturally through cracks in stone.

The attack carried no unnecessary movement, only perfect accuracy, releasing all of its energy into a single point of contact.

Lao San's pupils contracted violently. Because the spear had pierced directly toward the exact weakest point in his qi flow.

The precise instant where Bronze Body destabilized, the precise angle where his overextended punch had exposed his centerline, and the precise flaw created by his own impatience and dwindling spiritual energy.

"No!" Lao San roared, trying to launch a final attack to take this guy down with him, even in defeat, but the spear had already stopped directly in front of his throat.

"Surrender?" Ning tilted his head, his expression utterly calm for someone one step away from ending a man.

Lao San gulped, feeling death hovering uncomfortably close. "I-I give up."

"That's it then." Ning put his spear away. "It was a good fight."

Ning patted the still-frozen man and moved toward the referee, ignoring him as he simply collapsed to the ground panting.

He walked toward the referee, who nodded. "Disciple Ji Ning has defeated Disciple Lao San. You may either move into his courtyard, or the sect will adjust the spiritual gathering formation to improve the spiritual density of your courtyard to be equivalent to that of your defeated foe."

Not everybody wanted to move into another's courtyard after winning, especially spiritual farmers, since, due to the nature of their profession, they rarely changed courtyards.

"That's a no-brainer. Please increase the spiritual density of my courtyard." Ning answered with a smile.

"Hm. Okay." The referee nodded, then spoke. "Congratulations, Disciple Ji Ning. Your new courtyard number is now 66."

Ning paused. Among all things, he had forgotten that his courtyard number would also change.

"That means no number 69 courtyard. Damn, did I just fumble the perfect courtyard number?" Alas, Ning had won the battle but lost the war.

...

Thanks for reading~