Xiao Feng took a deep breath before pushing open the door of his hut. He tightened his fingers around his staff, drawing comfort from the smooth cold metal against his palm.
Outside, a crowd had gathered, labor disciples with their dirt-stained clothes, female servants clutching brooms and baskets, and even a few outer disciples in their fine robes. Their eyes moved between him and the tall figure standing in the center of the yard.
Liu Chen!
Liu Chen stood with his arms crossed, his green outer disciple robes fluttering in the breeze. His face, handsome in the way that made female disciples giggle behind their sleeves, was filled with rage.
"So this is the famous Xiao Feng?" Liu Chen's voice dripped with mockery. "The labour disciple who thinks he can challenge the heavens?"
A few snickers rippled through the crowd. Xiao Feng's cheeks burned, but he kept his face blank as he stepped forward.
"I didn't challenge any heavens," he said quietly. "Just taught your cousin some manners."
Liu Chen's eyes narrowed at. "A worm like you, teaching my family manners?" He circled Xiao Feng slowly. "I heard you were a cripple. Seems like you've been hiding your abilities."
"Maybe I just got tired of being pushed around," Xiao Feng replied, trying to keep his voice steady despite the fear eating at his insides. He could feel the power radiating from Liu Chen. First Order, Fourth Stage. Far beyond his own strength.
"Bao Chen, come here," Liu Chen barked.
Bao Chen emerged from the crowd, his face still ugly from their earlier encounter. He pointed at Xiao Feng, his voice shaking with rage. "That's him! The one who broke Du Xiu's wrist!"
Liu Chen's handsome face darkened. "You dare harm my cousin and his friends? You, a mere labour disciple?"
The crowd pressed closer, hungry for drama. Xiao Feng recognized a few faces, people who'd watched him get beaten up countless times before.
"Your cousin is a bully," Xiao Feng said, gripping his staff tighter. "And not a very smart one."
A collective gasp rose from the crowd. Bao Chen's face turned purple.
"You see?" Bao Chen sputtered. "He's, he's disrespecting our whole family!"
And just when did I do that!? I disrespected you only! Don't escalate this further!
Liu Chen smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I see. So the rat finally grew some teeth." He took a step closer. "Let me show you the difference between us."
Without warning, a palm strike shot toward Xiao Feng's chest, just right at his dantian, the core of a cultivator's power. There was no hesitation and no mercy in the attack.
Xiao Feng barely twisted aside, the edge of the strike grazing his ribs. Even that glancing blow sent pain shooting through his body.
Too fast! he thought, stumbling backward.
"Oh?" Liu Chen raised an eyebrow. "You dodged? Interesting."
The crowd murmured in surprise. They'd expected Xiao Feng to be crushed in an instant.
"Maybe today is just my lucky day," Xiao Feng said with a weak smile, trying not to show how much that single blow had hurt.
Liu Chen's expression hardened. "Luck runs out." He moved again, this time a kick aimed at Xiao Feng's knee.
Xiao Feng blocked with his staff, but the force sent him skidding backward. His arms vibrated with pain from the impact, he almost spat out blood but controlled himself.
"That staff..." Liu Chen's eyes narrowed. "Where did trash like you get such a weapon?"
"Found it in the trash," Xiao Feng snapped back, his anger at his treatment finally making way to his mouth. "Where your personality probably came from."
Someone in the crowd choked on a laugh, quickly stifled when Liu Chen glared in their direction.
"You've signed your death warrant," Liu Chen said softly, his hands beginning to glow with qi. "I was going to give you a simple beating, but now..."
Xiao Feng knew he couldn't win this fight. Not today. Not yet. But something inside him refused to back down, refused to return to being the sect's punching bag.
An idea struck him, a very crazy one, probably suicidal, but it was his only chance.
"I challenge you," Xiao Feng said loudly, his voice carrying across the yard, "to a life-or-death duel. One month from today."
The crowd erupted in shock. Even Liu Chen looked startled.
"You... what?" Liu Chen blinked.
"You heard me." Xiao Feng stood straighter, ignoring the pain in his side. "A formal duel. One month. If I win, you and your cousin leave me alone forever. If you win..." He shrugged. "Well, I'll be dead, so problem solved."
Whispers spread like wildfire through the crowd.
"He's gone mad!"
"A labor disciple challenging an Outer Disciple?"
"He'll surely be killed this time!"
"He really does have a death wish?"
Liu Chen's surprise turned to amusement.
His lips curled into a cruel smile. "You're either the bravest man I've ever met, or the stupidest."
"I get that a lot," Xiao Feng replied, trying to look more confident than he felt.
Liu Chen stepped closer, lowering his voice so only Xiao Feng could hear. "You realize what you're asking for? I won't just defeat you. I'll break you in front of everyone. They'll remember your death for years."
A cold sweat broke out on Xiao Feng's back, but he didn't flinch. "That's the idea. Everyone will remember, especially if I win."
Liu Chen threw his head back and laughed. "I accept your challenge, labour disciple. One month. The arena." His eyes gleamed with malice. "I'll enjoy breaking you piece by piece."
As Liu Chen turned to leave, his followers trailing behind him like obedient dogs, the crowd began to disperse, buzzing with the news.
Xiao Feng stood alone in the yard, his heart hammering in his chest.
"What have I done?" he whispered to himself.
A female servant lingered behind the others, her bright eyes fixed on him with an unreadable expression. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then shook her head and hurried away.
Xiao Feng limped back to his hut, collapsing onto his bed. He had just challenged a Fourth Stage cultivator to a death match. If he didn't find a way to get stronger, much stronger, in one month, he was a dead man.
His gaze fell on the yellow spirit herb sitting on his small table. The last gift from Bao'er.
"Well," he muttered, "no time like the present to see what this thing can do."
.
.
.
As night fell, Xiao Feng sat cross-legged on his bed, staring at the yellow herb in his palm. Its subtle glow cast eerie shadows on the walls of his tiny hut.
"Here goes everything," he whispered.
He popped the herb into his mouth, chewing slowly. It tasted like sunshine and honey, if that made sense, with an undertone of something wild. As he swallowed, warmth spread down his throat.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then his world exploded into fire.
"Gahhh!" Xiao Feng doubled over, clutching his stomach. It felt like someone had poured molten metal into his veins.
Energy surged through his body, seeking channels that had been blocked for years, or maybe had never existed in the original Xiao Feng's body. His muscles spasmed, his bones creaked, and sweat poured down his face.
"Too much!" he gasped, falling onto his side. "Way too much!"
Through the pain, Xiao Feng felt something changing. The energy wasn't just flowing through him, it was reshaping him, strengthening pathways, opening blockages.
Hours passed in a blur of agony and transformation. As dawn's first light crept through his window, the pain finally began to subside.
Xiao Feng lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, his breathing ragged. Every inch of his body felt different, stronger, more alive. He could sense energy flowing through him, responding to his will.
Slowly, he raised a hand and concentrated. A faint glow appeared around his fingertips.
"Qi," he whispered in awe. "I can control qi now."
He sat up carefully, testing his limbs. His movements felt lighter, more graceful. When he stood, the usual aches that had plagued his body were gone.
His first breakthrough, First Order, First Stage. Qi Awakening!
Xiao Feng laughed quietly, flexing his fingers as the glow brightened then faded. "I did it. I actually did it."
He picked up his staff, channeling a tiny bit of qi into it. The ancient markings flickered in response, sending a warm tingle up his arm.
For a brief moment, elation filled him. Then reality came crashing back.
"First Stage," he murmured, the smile fading from his lips. "And Liu Chen is Fourth Stage."
The gap between them was still enormous. This breakthrough, incredible as it felt to him, was just a baby step in the world of cultivation. First Stage cultivators were barely considered cultivators at all by the sect's standards.
Xiao Feng sank back onto his bed, the weight of his challenge settling on his shoulders.
"One month to bridge an impossible gap," he whispered to the empty room.
One month to find a way to survive, or face certain death at the hands of Liu Chen.
The first rays of sun illuminated his face, casting both light and shadow.
It wasn't enough, not nearly enough.
But it was a start.