C19 Break Through

"Stop right there!"

Elder Xianyun's timely intervention brought immense relief to Ye Qianqian, as he had thwarted Yang Yuquan's lethal strike against Zhang Binn.

Despite his intense frustration, Yang Yuquan kept it to himself. He might show little regard for Ye Qianqian, but he wouldn't dare disrespect an elder of the Nether Connecting Stage from the Heavenly Rotating Jade Sect.

"Why does the elder defend this man? He's but a lowly servant in our sect, yet he's slain many, including my own brother. Why prevent me from exacting justice?" Yang Yuquan, though kneeling, was clearly resentful.

Elder Xianyun, instead of responding immediately, took his time to assess Zhang Binn's wounds.

"One who kills must be prepared to be killed, but to allow only one side to strike without recourse is not the way of the Profound Spirit Continent. And besides..." Elder Xianyun stepped closer to Yang Yuquan, his previously serene presence now edged with severity, "Who told you he's merely a servant? This young man is my newly accepted disciple; I simply hadn't yet informed the rest of the sect."

With that revelation, Ye Qianqian's anxiety dissipated. Zhang Binn's rapid advancement in cultivation now made perfect sense—he was Elder Xianyun's disciple.

Under the crushing presence of Elder Xianyun's Nether Connecting Stage power, Yang Yuquan shivered, not daring to show the slightest defiance.

"I am not without reason. Though Zhang Binn is my disciple and has indeed killed your brother, let's settle this matter at the Sect's Great Competition. Does that sound fair?" Elder Xianyun's formidable aura subsided.

"I will abide by the elder's decision." Yang Yuquan, his clothing soaked with sweat, had no choice but to agree.

Approaching Zhang Binn, Elder Xianyun lifted his hand, and a wisp of cloud essence rose from the unconscious disciple, carrying him aloft as they both soared back to the sect.

Watching them leave, Ye Qianqian felt a profound sense of relief. With the backing of a Nether Connecting Stage Elder within the sect, Yang Yuquan's chances of harming Zhang Binn had significantly diminished. Content, she too made her way back to the sect.

Left alone, Yang Yuquan remained kneeling on the empty ground, seething with rage. Clenching his teeth, he vowed, "Zhang Binn, I swear, you haven't seen the last of me!"

Zhang Binn felt as though he had just woken from a dream—a bizarre adventure where he'd inexplicably battled others in a foreign world. Yet, it was his past life that now seemed like the illusion.

"Hey! Kid, you're up?" Elder Xianyun's expression was one of unexplained delight as he looked at the newly awakened Zhang Binn.

"So it was all real." Zhang Binn, noticing his injuries, realized the dream wasn't a figment of his imagination. That scoundrel Yang Yuquan was sure to be after him.

"What's real and what's not?" Elder Xianyun overheard Zhang Binn's muttering but appeared unconcerned. "You're a cultivation prodigy. It's incredible how you've advanced from the first to the ninth level of the Body Refining Stage in such a short time."

Zhang Binn couldn't help but think, "Of course my cultivation is swift. With the system in me, I, Zhang Binn, am destined to reach the pinnacle of the Spirit Martial Continent!"

"Wait, aren't you that swindler from the Green Cloud Pavilion? What are you doing here?" It suddenly dawned on Zhang Binn that the old man beside him was the one who had tried to con him out of his crystal stones.

"You..." Elder Xianyun's beard quivered with rage, and he nearly ended Zhang Binn with a thunderous palm strike.

"Greetings, Elder Xianyun!" At that moment, Ye Qianqian arrived to visit Zhang Binn and, seeing Elder Xianyun, promptly paid her respects.

"Ah? Is that really Xianyun?" Zhang Binn had a moment of realization.

"Hmph!" With a flick of his sleeve, Elder Xianyun stood up, exuding an air of haughty disdain.

"Ding dong! Resentment from Elder Xianyun +50!"

"This is bad..." Zhang Binn moaned. The system had confirmed his identity.

Ye Qianqian was baffled by the strange dynamic between the two men.

"Elder Xianyun, you claimed Zhang Binn was your disciple, didn't you?"

"Me? Take him as my disciple? Never!" Elder Xianyun's voice was harsh, but it was clear he was brimming with resentment.

"Ah?" Zhang Binn was clueless about what had transpired during his unconsciousness. Had he inadvertently completed his first mission in his stupor?

Zhang Binn quickly checked the system's mission interface for answers.

"To achieve the status of an Inner Sect disciple within the Heavenly Rotating Jade Sect, progress stands at 50%."

"Master, I humbly ask you to receive my bow!" Zhang Binn sprang from his bed and knelt swiftly on the floor, executing a move with a difficulty rating of 9.9.

Xianyun effortlessly sidestepped the gesture, while Ye Qianqian, standing nearby, pressed her delicate hand to her lips, which had parted in surprise.

Undeterred, Zhang Binn performed another acrobatic flip and knelt again. "Master, you are akin to my own parents. My admiration for you is like an unstoppable torrent of river water..."

Xianyun watched the scoundrel with a barely perceptible twitch at the corner of his eye, as Ye Qianqian struggled to suppress her giggles.

"Fine, taking you on as my disciple isn't out of the question," Xianyun conceded, finding the young man's talent and character surprisingly compatible with his own temperament. "Deliver five thousand crystals to me within two months, and I'll consider it."

"Isn't that a bit much?" Ye Qianqian had remained in a state of shock and bewilderment since entering the room. After all, the Heavenly Rotating Jade Sect's expenses for half a year amounted to no more than five thousand crystals. She had always known Elder Xianyun to be the most unorthodox among the elders, but this was beyond the pale...

"A mere trifle," Zhang Binn responded earnestly.

Ye Qianqian's face was a picture of incredulity. "You're actually agreeing to this..."

"A promise is a promise," Elder Xianyun remarked, a flicker of surprise crossing his face upon hearing Zhang Binn's acceptance. He then swept out of the room with a flourish, his fleeting smile vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

"Senior Sister, thank you for visiting me," Zhang Binn said, turning his attention to Ye Qianqian once Xianyun had departed.

Ye Qianqian patted Zhang Binn's head and felt for his pulse.

"Senior Sister, it's not proper for men and women to have such contact!" Zhang Binn protested, his face turning a shade of red.

"Tch! I'm just checking if Yang Yuquan's beating knocked some sense into you!" retorted Ye Qianqian, a blush spreading across her cheeks at his words.

Zhang Binn stood up and briskly patted himself down. "I'm feeling great now. Once I break through to the Qi Refining Stage, I'll have Yang Yuquan go find his brother."

"Oh... good to hear. If you're alright, I'll be on my way." Ye Qianqian felt the need to take a moment to collect herself. What in the world just happened?

"Don't go, Senior Sister! Let's spend some more time together!" Zhang Binn reached out to stop her, but the beauty had already departed. "Could it be my dashing looks that have made you bashful?"

With a sigh, Zhang Binn, now alone, flopped back onto his bed.

After his brush with death and subsequent coma, Zhang Binn felt transformed, his perspective clear. If fate had chosen him to wield this system in a strange new world, he was determined to grow stronger. Life-and-death adversaries were merely stepping stones or passing clouds; those who needed to be vanquished would meet their end.

"The priority now is to complete this spectacularly powerful system. I'm just five thousand crystals shy of finishing the first mission. Luckily, the system allows for pill exchange—pharmacists have always raked in the profits since ancient times."

Reviewing his experience points, Zhang Binn noted the substantial gains from his recent battles. Converting these into medicine pills could mean a windfall! But his immediate concern was to advance his realm. He vividly recalled Yang Yuquan's torment and, as a man with a system, he was determined to turn the tables.

"Time to level up, system. Qi Refining Stage, first level!"

"Ding dong! Congratulations, host, for reaching the first level of the Qi Refining Stage. Experience deducted: 8000, remaining experience: 30."

Zhang Binn was stunned. He'd gone from wealthy to penniless in a flash!

"Why did it take so much experience?"

"Ding dong! The host is advised to thoroughly review the system instructions. Upgrading each level of the Qi Refining Stage costs 8,000 experience points, the Myriad Image Stage 80,000 per level, and for the Nether Connecting Stage..."

"Stop there," Zhang Binn interrupted, his face falling. "It takes that much?"

He sighed again, his mind racing for a strategy. After such an expensive level-up, he couldn't even afford the leftover scraps from the medicine pills.

"Isn't there some kind of reward for advancing from the Body Refining Stage to the Qi Refining Stage?" Zhang Binn asked, rubbing his hands together with a sly grin.

"Ding dong! None."

"Uh... Can I still borrow experience points to get a Medicine Pill?" Zhang Binn persisted, clearly not ready to let go of the idea.

"Ding dong! The previous allowance to owe experience points with the novice gift bag was merely to acquaint the host with the system's operations. Now that the host has graduated from the novice phase, that privilege is no longer available. Furthermore, if the host continues to inquire about such matters, it could trigger a system bug and cause a self-destruct."

"Ugh..." Zhang Binn, cowed by the system's warning, abandoned any thoughts of gaming the system.

"Now that I've reached the Qi Refining Stage, a martial skill of the Common Rank High Grade should be more powerful. Maybe it's time to test my luck again at the Devil Beast Mountain Range!" Resolved, Zhang Binn leapt out of bed, packed his belongings, and set off for the Devil Beast Mountain Range.

...

"Wang Shifei!" Yang Yuquan, flanked by a dozen followers, confronted Wang Shifei within the sect's grounds.

"Senior Brother Yang," Wang Shifei greeted him, her face ashen.

With a sudden "Pah!" Yang Yuquan's hand struck Wang Shifei, leaving a vivid palm print on her once flawless face, and she crumpled to the ground from the force of his anger.

"If it weren't for you, you wretched woman, my brother would still be alive!" Yang Yuquan spat out, seething with rage. Nearby disciples hastened their steps to avoid the unfolding drama.

Wang Shifei wept behind her hands. As a mere Body Refining Stage disciple, she stood no chance against Yang Yuquan and his Qi Refining Stage comrades.

Yang Yuquan, in a fit of fury, grabbed Wang Shifei by the throat and lifted her, "I really want to strangle you!"

"Senior Brother Yang, please, calm down," Yuan Ji intervened, stepping in front of the enraged Yang Yuquan. "The elders and the sect master have just returned from the Floating Sun Sect's assembly. It would reflect poorly on us if a disciple were to be harmed now."

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Yang Yuquan demanded, still gripping Wang Shifei's neck, her beautiful face turning a deep shade of purple.

"I've heard that Zhang Binn is particularly fond of Wang Shifei. We could use that to our advantage," Yuan Ji said, his face twisted into a malevolent grin.

With a snort of disdain, Yang Yuquan flung Wang Shifei into the flower pond. Thorns tore at her flesh, leaving her body streaked with fresh blood as she silently writhed in agony.

Yuan Ji's sinister chuckle echoed as he strolled into the garden. He crouched beside Wang Shifei, whose face was now a tapestry of purple and green bruises, and tenderly stroked her cheek. "It's not that Brother Yang lacks compassion for the fairer sex; it's simply that Zhang Binn has crossed the line. Direct your hatred towards him..."