"Tan Ji Tao, hi. You're hard to find" - Liu Qiang greeted me, joining the queue for food.

"I wasn’t deliberately hiding" - I replied nonchalantly.

"There are already all kinds of rumors about you."

"What rumors?" - I asked, surprised.

"That you turned Sam Su Sam into the best teacher in the sect’s history. And after that, you crippled Dao Yu, the most gifted student in the outer forest, and got away with it."

"What a nonsense? First of all, the most gifted student here is me. Second, Sam Su Sam could have achieved the same results ages ago if someone had just explained to him how to teach cultivation science properly."

"Science?" - Liu Qiang wrinkled her nose. - "Isn't cultivation an art?"

"To spark wild, frantic, maddening fear, to blast, disperse, leave ash severe. A fire's rush, untamed and alive, my art—it is the BOOM—a blast to thrive! " - I recited the silly rhyme that popped into my head.

"You're a poet too!" - she laughed, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me.

"A little" - I admitted.

We chatted for a while longer before I managed to part ways with my unexpected admirer and head off to meditate. Thanks to today’s lecture, I improved my Qi absorption process. The energy didn’t just accumulate in my channel anymore—it was gradually becoming denser, bringing me closer to the second level of Qi Condensation. Each subsequent level meant denser Qi in the Qi Thread, which improved its quality and allowed for greater physical enhancements with less energy expenditure.

Additionally, the life energy, Ki, mixed with Qi and flowed through my body, strengthening it permanently. Qi settled into the body’s tissues, making them more resilient. While this slowed cultivation by consuming Qi, it provided a foundation to prevent accidental energy surges from causing the cultivator to explode like an overinflated balloon.

I meditated through the night, absorbing the Qi that flowed through me. Based on my current pace, I estimated I’d reach the second level of Qi Condensation in about a week.

The next morning, as I went to the dining hall for breakfast, I was hit with the news: the distribution of Weak Qi Pills was happening today. Originally scheduled for tomorrow, it had been moved up because the sect leaders had some important event planned for that day.

The upcoming distribution caused twice the usual chaos. People were rushing around, discussing things, and the more aggressive bullies were busy reminding their victims to hand over every last valuable. Strangely, someone even tried to extort me—though it wasn’t a gang of ten, just one kid at the third level of Qi Condensation.

"Listen, today you’ll hand over your Weak Qi Pill to me" - he ordered imperiously.

I didn’t bother replying. I simply sped up my mental process and punched him square in the jaw. To my surprise, I didn’t shatter his skull, but I did break his jaw. His unconscious body spun around and flew five meters away, crashing into a nearby crowd. Amid the commotion, no one paid it much attention—except for the kids he crashed into, who immediately looted his body and relieved him of all his possessions.

The atmosphere in the camp was more like a den of criminals than a cultivation school. Gangs roamed everywhere, extorting money from each other and from "unaffiliated weaklings." The only way I saw to maintain peace was to kill anyone who dared cross my path. For now, my actions were a warning, but if intimidation didn’t work, I’d have to resort to guerrilla warfare and terror tactics. I also needed to be cautious—these local thugs might have "protection" among the sect leaders.

After breakfast, I joined the crowd heading to the building where the pills were being distributed. The process was mechanical: students were herded like sheep through a checkpoint, where each had their aura imprint recorded before receiving a pill about a centimeter in diameter and being sent away.

I didn’t inspect my pill, slipping it into my pocket instead. You never know—hesitate for a second, and someone might snatch it and gulp it down on the spot. In fact, I witnessed just that. One boy snatched a pill from someone and ran off while his victim stood there dumbfounded.

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"Master Tan Ji Tao, I’m under your protection, right? They’re trying to take my Weak Qi Pill" - an unfamiliar boy said, pleadingly.

I turned to see three extortionists and quickly identified their leader. With a swift motion, I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

"Listen, scum! You already owe me a pill for this stunt. If you don’t hand it over right now, I’ll snap your neck."

The thug couldn’t answer—his throat was too tightly squeezed. He could only stare at me in terror and struggle uselessly in my iron grip. As the oxygen in his lungs dwindled and I saw the fear of death in his eyes, I suddenly released him.

Coughing and gasping, he collapsed to his knees, struggling to catch his breath.

"The pill" - I demanded in a merciless tone.

"Yes, cough, yes, here, take it" - the thug stammered, immediately surrendering his possession.

"And don’t let me see you again."

The trio turned pale and quickly fled. What shook them the most was how casually I had almost killed a fourth-level cultivator, someone who should have been far stronger than me. Of course, this display of power didn’t come without cost for me either—I had to burn through several percent of my accumulated Qi in just a few seconds.

"And where do you think you're going?" - I grabbed the neck of the fool who had dared to use my name and was now trying to sneak away unnoticed. - "You still owe me for my protection. You said it yourself. That’ll be three Weak Qi Pills. Will you hand them over, or should I start breaking your arms first?"

"Master, forgive me. I don’t have three pills."

"How many do you have?" - I asked, fully embracing my role as a local thug.

"Just one."

"And if I find more?"

"I swear, I only just got the pill, and I need it for my cultivation!"

"Firstly, you need a brain. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have caused trouble by dragging me into your mess. Now cough up everything you’ve got, or I’ll beat those rotten brains out of your stupid head."

"Here, take it" - he muttered, handing over his "treasure."

"Bring me two more in a week" - I growled at him before walking away.

And there it was—two pills of pure profit, with a promise of two more to come. A good deal.

When I arrived at the lecture hall, I was surprised to find it packed to the brim. However, the crowd parted for me without protest, allowing me to take the same seat at the front where I had sat yesterday. Fifteen minutes later, Sam Su Sam arrived and began the lecture on the next chapter. This time, it was about breathing exercises—something I wasn’t particularly interested in, but I decided to stay anyway to ensure I didn’t miss anything important.

About an hour into the lecture, just as the teacher was answering my pointed questions, a satisfied male voice called out from the entrance.

"Sam Su Sam, I see you’ve finally learned to express your thoughts clearly. Well done."

"Teacher!" - The lecturer immediately jumped up, bowed deeply, and greeted the newcomer.

The entire hall followed suit, bowing in unison. Not wanting to stand out, I begrudgingly mimicked the local etiquette. Someday, these worms would be bowing at my feet, begging for mercy.

The man who had graced us with his presence looked quite distinguished. He was around thirty years old and radiated an aura of mystical knowledge and regal nobility. This aura was the result of the Qi energy emanating from him. I had to focus for a moment to clear my mind of its influence.

Meanwhile, I heard the students whispering.

"So that’s the famous Sam U Bum? He’s at the sixth level of Core Crystallization. Sam Su Sam is his adopted son. Thanks to his father, he’s been able to learn ancient cultivation techniques, which he’s teaching now."

Sam U Bum glided gracefully over the hall, landing beside his student, and surveyed the packed room.

"I think we can consider your punishment complete" - he said with a satisfied nod.

"Yes, Teacher" - Sam Su Sam replied, clearly overjoyed.

I, however, was far from pleased. The information I’d been gaining from these lectures was invaluable, and losing access to it would be a major setback for my cultivation progress.

"But if that happens, we won’t have lectures again" - I voiced the concern shared by many. The crowd echoed my sentiment with a murmur of agreement.

"You have two other teachers" - Sam U Bum said, frowning as he identified me as the bold dissenter daring to question his decision.

"We do. But one demands Weak Qi Pills as payment, and the other only tells stories about his own greatness" - I said bluntly, summarizing the state of teaching in the sect.

"I’ll check this myself" - he said, frowning even more. - "Stay here."

Without another word, Sam U Bum flew out of the hall like an arrow, leaving only a blurred image in his wake. It appeared to be some kind of illusion or a side effect of his movement technique. Using my psionics, I tracked his movements as he silently hovered near the windows of one lecture hall, listening for a few minutes before moving to another. He completely concealed his aura, so the teachers didn’t even notice his presence.

When he was done eavesdropping, he flew into the hall where paid lessons were being conducted and used some technique on one of the "guards," placing his hand on the man’s head. It looked like a memory-reading technique. Moments later, without a word, he approached the lecturer and, with a casual flick of his hand, decapitated him.

This swift execution shocked me. The torrent of Qi escaping the dead body terrified everyone in our hall. I, however, thought about how wasteful it was to let all that Qi dissipate into the air.