Chương 99: 98. Pressure Washing the Sect Leader

We move to a secluded section of the mountain. My arm still tingles from the training session. Mud and water cling to my robes, and every movement pulls at bruises that have not yet decided whether they are improving or getting worse. None of that matters now. Ling'er checks the surrounding area before raising a simple formation barrier around us. It is not meant to stop a determined cultivator, only to keep stray qi from carrying too far and to prevent anyone from wandering into the clearing at the wrong moment.

I sit cross-legged against a flat section of stone and reach into my storage ring. The pill rests inside a small jade bottle. When I remove the stopper, a dense medicinal scent spreads into the air. I focus the Gaze. Foundation Establishment Pill - Grade: Medium Type: Medicinal Pill Effect: Increases the likelihood of successfully breaking through into Foundation Establishment by approximately thirty percent.

When consumed by a cultivator already within Foundation Establishment, the pill instead provides a concentrated reserve of refined qi capable of supporting advancement between stages, restoring damaged meridians, and loosening minor bottlenecks caused by prolonged stagnation. Verdict: A stable and well-refined breakthrough pill with little medicinal conflict.

Its value is greatest when consumed near the edge of a bottleneck, where its accumulated qi can be directed into expansion rather than wasted through ordinary recovery. Improper circulation may cause much of the medicinal energy to disperse before refinement. I read the assessment twice. Six remain. There had once been eight. Two went to Ling'er what feels like a lifetime ago, back when handing her precious pills had seemed like the most obvious decision I could make.

I had never questioned whether she could use them properly. I had only questioned whether I could afford to give her more. Using one on myself feels different. The pill is more than a cultivation resource. It is the first valuable item I have deliberately taken from the sect's reserves primarily for my own advancement. For a moment, I think of Mei Lin, Jun, and Wei Chen. Then I remember Ling'er's words. The right measure, for the right person, at the right moment. I lift the pill to my mouth.

The hesitation lasts only a breath before I swallow. The effect is immediate. The pill dissolves before it reaches my stomach. Qi floods outward through my body in a torrent so dense that my first instinct is to force it back. Ordinary cultivation gathers energy gradually, thread by thread, until enough has accumulated to produce change. This is nothing like that. The pill places months, perhaps years, of gathered qi inside me at once and leaves me with a simple choice. Refine it or waste it.

I begin circulating the Azure Frost technique. Cold spreads through my meridians. It is not the sharp cold of ice against skin, but something deeper and more controlled. The technique shapes the medicinal surge, cooling the violent pressure before it can burn through the narrower channels. It becomes manageable. I guide it through the first circulation route, feeling the influence of the Five Phases. The second method accepts what Azure Frost stabilizes.

Instead of forcing all the qi through one pathway, I divide it across several compatible cycles. Each phase redirects what the previous one cannot absorb, passing the energy through another route before returning it toward the dantian. The soreness in my body begins to recede. Medicinal qi spreads into strained muscles, bruised joints, and channels worn raw by Ling'er's training. The numbness in my arm fades. The ache beneath my ribs loosens.

Even the lingering tightness along my back begins washing away beneath the circulation. I draw the energy inward. The volume is enormous. No matter how carefully I guide it, some qi begins escaping. Heat rises from my skin despite Azure Frost. Medicinal vapor leaves with each breath. Faint streams of energy press outward through channels too full to contain them. A hand settles against my back. Ling'er touches one point beside the spine, then another. The pressure inside one meridian shifts.

A blockage I had not noticed loosens before it can form. She changes the angle of her hand slightly. The qi leaking toward my shoulder turns inward, redirected into one of the Five Phases cycles. Energy that would have dispersed through my breath returns toward the dantian instead. The difference is immediate. My circulation accelerates. The medicinal current passes through my meridians faster than before without losing stability.

Ling'er applies only the smallest corrections, nudging a route here, reducing pressure there, guiding escaped energy back toward something usable. I feel as though I am steering a river through channels that are widening while the water still passes through them. The meridians strain. Each cycle presses against their limits. Azure Frost keeps the pressure from becoming destructive while Five Phases divides the burden and carries it onward. The dantian begins to compress.

Qi gathers within it until the pressure becomes painful. Then another refined current arrives and forces the boundary outward. I grit my teeth. Sweat runs down my face and beneath my robes. Ling'er remains silent behind me. Her concentration does not waver. She corrects only when necessary, leaving every act of refinement, compression, and circulation to me. The medicinal torrent continues rising. I complete another cycle. The pressure reaches its peak. I gather the refined qi and compress it as tightly as I can.

The Five Phases turn once more, each route feeding into the next until the entire current converges toward the dantian. I drive it inward. The barrier resists. My cultivation trembles at the edge of the Fifth Stage. For several breaths, nothing changes. The gathered qi presses against the bottleneck and begins to scatter. Ling'er's hand shifts once against my back. The dispersing current bends. I seize it before it can escape. Everything remaining gathers into one final circulation. I push again.

Pain flashes through my abdomen. The dantian expands. The meridians connected to it widen in response, stretching to accommodate a greater and denser flow than before. The pressure that had been trapped within me suddenly finds space. Qi rushes through the new circulation. I gasp. The barrier is gone. Foundation Establishment, Sixth Stage. For a moment, all I feel is relief. Then something begins forcing its way out of my skin. Black residue beads across my arms. More follows from my face, neck, chest, and back.

Thick, foul-smelling impurities pour from my pores and soak immediately into my already ruined robes. The stench rises. Years of stagnation, damaged circulation, accumulated medicinal remnants, and whatever else this body failed to expel during its long plateau come out all at once. This is my first breakthrough since awakening in Lu Chen's body. It may be the first meaningful advancement this body has experienced in years. The cleansing is far worse than either of us expected. Ling'er removes her hand immediately.

A choked sound escapes her. I inhale once and almost vomit.

"Ling'er! Water—" The blast strikes before I finish speaking. I am torn from the stone. The clearing vanishes beneath a wall of water as I am carried backward with enough force to make the recent expansion of my meridians feel like the least significant event of the evening. My back hits a tree trunk as t he impact drives the remaining breath from my lungs. The water does not stop.

For several seconds, I remain flattened against the bark while black residue, pieces of ruined fabric, and loose fragments of the tree wash away around me. The pressure works into every fold of my robes and across every section of exposed skin with the thoroughness of someone cleaning a courtyard after an especially unpleasant accident. When the stream finally ends, I remain against the trunk for a moment. Then I peel away from it and land unsteadily on my feet.

Surviving a breakthrough only to be struck by what feels like a speeding carriage is not how I imagined reaching the Sixth Stage. Ling'er stands across the clearing with one hand still raised.

"I am sorry, Master." Her apology sounds sincere.

"The impurities needed to be removed quickly. They are very hard to get rid of once they dry." I look at the section of bark missing behind me.

"You acted quickly. Good job." Ling'er lowers her hand.

"How does Master feel?" The question shifts my attention inward. I straighten slowly and circulate qi. The difference is immediate. My dantian holds more than it did before—a denser and more responsive reserve. The first circulation moves through my meridians without the resistance I have grown accustomed to. Routes that once felt narrow now accept the current cleanly, carrying it through my body with enough ease that I briefly think I have missed part of the cycle. The soreness from training is gone.

My numb arm has recovered. The bruising along my ribs remains visible, but the deep ache beneath it has vanished. Strength settles through my limbs with every breath, accompanied by the peculiar lightness of a body that has been exhausted, repaired, and filled with more energy than it possessed before. It feels like a shot of adrenaline after a full night of rest. Or the relief of every strained muscle being worked loose after a marathon, followed immediately by the certainty that I could run again.

My divine sense expands. Leaves shift farther into the forest. I hear them individually. Water drips from the branches around us, and I can distinguish the impact of each droplet against bark, stone, or soil. Within my own body, the movement of qi through the widened meridians is clearer than it has ever been. I can sense tiny changes in speed and pressure that would previously have passed unnoticed. I look at my hands.

'This is the first breakthrough I have made since awakening here.' More importantly, it is the first proof that the years of stagnation were not permanent. This body had not reached the end of its path. Coiling Dragon Sect Leader - Foundation Establishment (Sixth Stage) Name: Lu Chen Age: 48 Spirit Root: Mixed Five Elements (D-grade) Cultivation: Foundation Establishment, Sixth Stage - Stabilizing Verdict: Years of stagnation have ended.

Repeated physical conditioning, restored circulation, compatible cultivation methods, and guided medicinal absorption allowed this breakthrough to occur with unusually little waste. Your cultivation remains modest for the leader of a sect, but your body and combat instincts no longer reflect the ordinary limits of that stage. I read the cultivation line again.

Despite the water dripping from my hair, the fresh pain spreading across my back, and what remains of my robes hanging unevenly from my body, I begin to laugh. Ling'er watches me, still waiting for my answer.

"The best I've ever felt." Her expression brightens. The smile that follows is the first full one I have seen from her in four days. Whatever remained of our disagreement disappears with it. Ling'er raises one hand. Wind circles around me in a controlled current. Water lifts from my skin and robes in a cloud of fine mist. The dampness vanishes from my hair, warmth returns to my body, and the remaining scraps of fabric stop clinging to me quite so unpleasantly. I test the movement of one shoulder.

Even after being blasted into a tree, it moves cleanly.

"We should return," I say.

"I need to change robes and allow the realm to stabilize." The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"We can continue training first." I look at her. For several breaths, I wait for some indication that she is joking. None appears.

"I have just broken through."

"Yes, Master."

"A newly reached realm needs time to settle."

"I monitored the entire process," she says.

"Master's circulation is already stable. The dantian has expanded evenly."

"That does not mean strenuous movement is advisable."

"It will help Master adjust to the increased qi output." She turns toward the clearing. The damaged earth begins shifting. Mud drains away. Broken ground rises and settles. The crater left by my breakthrough flattens beneath a slow wave of earth.

"If Master uses the same amount of qi as before, the techniques will be stronger than expected," Ling'er continues.

"It is better to learn the difference now than during the wager."

"The body also requires rest after advancement."

"Master's body has recovered."

"I was just thrown into a tree."

"That was after the recovery." I search for another argument. The first earthen pillar begins rising at the edge of the clearing. It is wider than the pillars from the previous session. The second follows. Water spreads across the ground beneath my feet.

"... Are you still mad at me, Ling'er?" Ling'er settles into Stone River's rooted stance with a small smile on her face.

"Nope!"

"Ling'er..."

"Stone River's sect leader remains two stages above Master," she says.

"There is no time to waste." I back away. A pillar erupts behind me and closes the path. The water beneath my feet begins moving. Screams echo across the lower mountain soon afterward. No one from the sect comes to rescue me.

"Master?" Something taps my shoulder. My body reacts before my thoughts do; I catch the wrist, turn, and pull. Ling'er's arm rotates inside my grip. The next moment, the ground disappears. The sky turns once above me as she redirects my momentum and sends me over her shoulder. Qi moves through my body on instinct. I twist in the air, bring my feet beneath me, and land several paces away in a low stance. For a moment, I remain there with one hand raised, prepared for the earthen pillar that usually follows.

None appears. Ling'er blinks at me. Behind her, the disciples stare. Wei Chen, Mei Lin, and Jun stand at the front of the group. The rest of the disciples have gathered behind them in travel robes, packed closely enough that nearly every expression is visible. I slowly lower my hand. Memory returns in pieces. I have apparently spent the journey moving through the world while some important part of my mind remained trapped between earthen walls.

"Master?" Ling'er repeats.

"What happened?"

"We arrived." I look past her. Greenstone's outer streets spread ahead of us. That explains the buildings. It also explains why everyone has stopped walking. I brush dust from my robes and straighten.

"Ah," I say.

"Yes." No one responds. I turn toward the town.

"We should not keep them waiting." The others follow. My body has spent the past few days adjusting to the Sixth Stage through a method Ling'er describes as 'accelerated stabilization'. This involves ensuring every increase in strength, speed, and qi output is tested under combat conditions. It has left me with the persistent expectation that any quiet moment is merely the pause before the ground attacks. The wager is being held in Greenstone's public training square.

The space was originally built for militia drills, sect demonstrations, and disputes too important to settle inside a private courtyard. A broad stone platform occupies the center. It rises only a few feet above the surrounding ground, and wooden viewing stands have been erected along two sides. They are already full. Merchants occupy the front rows beside representatives from nearby villages. Several local clans have sent elders or senior members.

Cultivators from neighboring minor sects stand in small groups, wearing expressions of careful neutrality while ensuring they miss nothing. Ordinary townspeople fill every remaining space. Some stand on barrels or low walls. Others crowd along nearby rooftops. Vendors have appeared around the square despite the seriousness of the occasion, selling tea, roasted nuts, steamed buns, and what appears to be sliced fruit at triple its usual price. Stone River has already arrived.

Their disciples stand in orderly rows on the opposite side of the platform, all dressed in brown-and-grey robes marked with the same river-and-mountain emblem. Their formation is cleaner than ours, their posture more practiced, and their numbers greater. They look like an established sect. Conversations lower as we enter, but they do not stop entirely. I catch fragments: Coiling Dragon's old ranking, Stone River's senior disciples, and the recent road defeats.

Some people have heard enough about our improvement to be curious. Others have already decided that success against patrols and outer disciples will not survive individual matches against Stone River's best. A few look at us with open pity. At the center of Stone River's delegation stands Guo Jian. He is broad through the shoulders, with greying hair bound tightly behind his head. His robes are more restrained than those of the people around him, bearing only a small embroidered emblem over the chest.

Nothing about him is ostentatious. Even before I use the Gaze, his presence is clear. His qi is settled deeply within the body, dense enough that the space immediately around him feels heavier than the rest of the square. Guo Jian steps forward when we approach.

Stone River Sect Leader - Foundation Establishment Name: Guo Jian Age: 67 Spirit Root: Earth-Water Dual Root (D-grade) Constitution: None Cultivation: Foundation Establishment, Eighth Stage Verdict: A veteran cultivator whose growth has slowed after decades of relying upon a stable but limited inheritance. Though unlikely to advance far beyond his present realm without extraordinary opportunity, years of repetition have made him highly proficient within it.

"Sect Leader Lu."

"Sect Leader Guo." We exchange bows of equal depth. His gaze passes over our disciples, lingering briefly on Ling'er before returning to me.

"You have brought a larger delegation than expected."

"The wager concerns the entire sect. They wished to witness it."

"As they should." His tone is controlled. There is no open hatred in his expression. He does not look like a villain who's prepared a speech about crushing us beneath Stone River's might. He looks like a man who believes I have allowed my sect to expand beyond its proper place. I find that considerably more irritating.

"We are grateful that Greenstone has provided neutral ground," he says.

"As are we."

"And that both sides have agreed to accept the result without further dispute."

"Provided the agreed terms are enforced in full." His expression tightens slightly.

"They will be." The pleasantries remain polite enough that no one can accuse either of us of hostility. They are also stiff enough that continuing them much longer might become more dangerous than the matches. Village Head Guo approaches before that can happen. He wears an embroidered robe stretched tightly across his stomach and has brought three clerks to carry documents that would fit comfortably in one person's hands. I remember him well enough. He bows deeply to Guo Jian. Then equally deeply to me.

"Sect Leaders. Greenstone is honored to host a peaceful and properly witnessed resolution between two respected powers of the region." His deference is almost impressive. Behind him, the clerks carry the written terms to a table near the platform. Representatives from both sects inspect the seals before the agreement is read aloud to the assembled witnesses. Four disciple matches. If the score ends evenly, one match between sect leaders will decide the wager.

Victory by surrender, inability to continue, leaving the platform, or intervention by the arbitrator. Lethal techniques are forbidden. Deliberate crippling will void the offending sect's claim and may result in compensation beyond the existing terms. There is no grand tournament atmosphere here. No distant geniuses, no imperial representatives, no prizes valuable enough to alter the fate of a continent.

Only two local sects deciding who may protect roads, carry meat, sell pressure cookers, and collect payment from people who know both names. In some ways, that makes the attention feel heavier. When the reading ends, Stone River announces its representatives. The first man to step forward is tall and thickly built, similar to our newest worker, Bao Ming. His weight is evenly distributed, his stance narrow and controlled.

Deng Rui - Stone River Core Disciple Age: 31 Spirit Root: Earth-Water Root (C-grade) Constitution: None Cultivation: Qi Condensation, Peak Verdict: Stone River's most accomplished disciple of this generation. His patient control of earth and water allows him to accept minor losses while steadily narrowing an opponent's options. Years of escort work and sect disputes have taught him to study unfamiliar techniques rather than rely only on cultivation superiority.

'So much for hoping their strongest disciple would be an idiot.' The second representative is younger, with scarred knuckles and a reinforced collar around his training robes. Han Kuang - Stone River Inner Disciple Age: 26 Spirit Root: Earth Root (D-grade) Constitution: Ironbank Frame (D-grade) Cultivation: Qi Condensation, Ninth Stage Verdict: A close-range body cultivator whose constitution grants increased stability and resistance to blunt force while his feet remain firmly planted.

Powerful during direct exchanges, though less effective when forced to change direction repeatedly or fight without secure footing. Wei Chen studies him with immediate interest. That matchup remains appropriate. Both men are durable, physically forceful, and likely to interpret retreat as a personal insult. The difference is that Wei Chen has spent weeks learning not to fight exactly the way people expect him to. The third disciple is leaner.

His sleeves are bound tightly at the forearms, and his weight rests lightly across the balls of his feet. Qiao Ren - Stone River Inner Disciple Age: 26 Spirit Root: Earth Root (D-grade) Constitution: None Cultivation: Qi Condensation, Ninth Stage Verdict: A mobile counter-fighter who uses earth to disrupt balance and conceal changes in direction. He lacks the direct force common among Stone River disciples but compensates through patience, evasive movement, and attacks delivered during an opponent's recovery.

He will face Ling'er. Of Stone River's representatives, he may be the least likely to force her into an obviously overwhelming display. His movement gives her enough reason to appear cautious, and his cultivation is high enough that her victory will seem exceptional rather than impossible. The last disciple looks barely older than Jun.

Mu Zhen - Stone River Inner Disciple Age: 25 Spirit Root: Earth-Water Root (D-grade) Constitution: None Cultivation: Qi Condensation, Eighth Stage Verdict: A disciplined cultivator trained to establish narrow lanes of movement and punish opponents who attempt to escape them. His technique remains conventional, but his composure and willingness to follow a prepared strategy make him more dangerous than his cultivation alone suggests. Jun watches him without expression. Good.

Of the four, Mu Zhen has the lowest cultivation. He is still stronger than Jun in direct terms, but not so far beyond him that one mistake will end the match immediately. Guo Jian gestures toward the four disciples.

"These will represent Stone River." Village Head Guo consults the written agreement.

"Stone River has also confirmed that Coiling Dragon may determine the individual pairings." A murmur passes through the crowd. Guo Jian shows no concern.

"We agreed because the earlier road encounters involved coordinated groups," he says.

"Individual matches will demonstrate each disciple's ability more clearly. Sect Leader Lu may arrange the pairings he believes most favorable." The meaning beneath the concession is obvious. Choose however you like. We expect to win anyway. I step toward our representatives. The matchups were decided before leaving the sect based on Jun's information. Wei Chen will face Han Kuang. Jun will face Mu Zhen. Ling'er will face Qiao Ren. That leaves Mei Lin against Deng Rui.

He is the strongest of the four, but his blended earth-and-water style gives her the most favorable technical interaction we can arrange. Her water control can interfere with his terrain shaping, while Flowing Ripple Counter Art gives her a way to redirect the direct pressure of a peak-stage cultivator. The cultivation gap remains dangerous, but no other pairing gives us a better answer. Before the pairings can be entered, Guo Jian speaks again.

"There is one additional matter concerning the sect-leader match." I look toward him.

"The platform formations are sufficient for Qi Condensation combat," he says.

"They may not fully contain two Foundation Establishment cultivators using unrestricted techniques. It may cause… collateral damage, among the crowd." That is true. Several nearby merchants suddenly appear concerned about how close they are to their seats.

"To prevent damage to Greenstone and reduce the possibility of lasting injury," Guo Jian continues, "Stone River proposes that the sect-leader match prohibit weapons, formation tools, and large-scale elemental manifestations. The result would be decided through body techniques, qi reinforcement, and direct combat." The proposal sounds responsible. It is responsible. We could both cause injuries beyond what either sect intends.

Large earth or water techniques might damage the square, nearby shops, or the people gathered to watch. My ice techniques could do the same. The witnesses murmur their approval. I examine Guo Jian again.

'Cunning rat.' Stone River specializes in precisely the methods he is proposing. Body reinforcement. Close combat supported by controlled earth and water. He has framed the rules most favorable to him as a concession made for public safety. Refusing would make me appear reckless. It might also give Stone River grounds to demand a different location or delay the wager while the terms are renegotiated. The disciples will settle the matter before then. Even if they do not, I am no longer at the Fifth Stage.

The thought brings only a marginal amount of comfort.

"We accept," I say. Guo Jian bows.

"Then the terms are complete." The pairings are recorded. Around me, the Coiling Dragon disciples fall quiet. Wei Chen rolls one shoulder and rests his hand near Mountain Breaking Blade. Jun continues studying Mu Zhen as though the match has already begun. Mei Lin closes her eyes briefly, her breathing settling into a slow rhythm. Ling'er is the only one not watching her opponent. Her gaze remains fixed on Guo Jian. I notice it.

Before I can consider why, Village Head Guo steps onto the edge of the platform and raises both hands. The square gradually falls silent.

"The terms have been witnessed and accepted," he announces.

"The formal wager between Stone River Sect and Coiling Dragon Sect will now begin." He turns toward the first pair of names.

"First match. Deng Rui of Stone River Sect." The senior disciple steps onto the platform. Village Head Guo looks toward us.

"Mei Lin of Coiling Dragon Sect." Mei Lin opens her eyes.