A profound sense of urgency propelled Karma through the marketplace, his robes billowing in his wake. Weaving through the faceless bodies diffused throughout the area limited his speed and internal compass, further stoking the fires of his inner anxiety.

Truthfully, Karma held some reservations towards the enigmatic Elder Li. The inherited memories from Administrator Zhao played a part, but mostly, something about him felt deeply unsettling. His profound manner of speaking, subtle shifts in tone, and the eerie method with which he posed his questions all seemed to coagulate into an indomitable force capable of intruding directly into the psyche of all those present.

Glancing up to determine his remaining time, his features writhed in frustration. It was excruciating, as if he'd reached for a lifeboat merely a hair's breadth away, only to feel the cold breath of inevitability on the back of his neck.

He knew it was illogical for him to feel the way he did. His failure wouldn't provoke fatal danger or unbearable consequences.

The authentic source of his inner turmoil lay in the unknown. Elder Li did not attach a punishment to his exhortation, nor did he phrase his words angrily. Instead, what he made was a declaration, one that offered no alternative. This tortured Karma because he simply couldn't imagine what his failure would bring as if being punctual represented his only possible future.

Face hardening in resolution, Karma came to a decision.

All that's left is to arrive on time; that's the only thing separating my plan from perfection.

Acting on instinct alone, his eyes metamorphosed into a pair of self-devouring serpents, the familiar bronze tainted by a whitish hue. Channeling his most recently acquired memory, artificial white-gold threads extended from his being, entangling the threads closest to them.

Whenever one of his threads successfully made contact, a pale glow would manifest upon the connected segment, spreading outwards akin to an infection.

Karma felt his spiritual energy consumption skyrocket, estimating roughly one to two more minutes of continued uptime.

Following a sudden pulse of white light, a luminescent pathway overlaid his vision—a projected route. The passage displayed remarkable adaptability, constantly in flux to accommodate variables old and new. Instantly, the world faded away save for the one true path, thrusting Karma into a flurry of movement.

To an outsider, Karma moved in sole opposition to grace. His movements oscillated between whiplash-inducing pivots, traversing walls and inclines, and even vaulting over empty air. The erratic dance drew numerous eyes, yet none could capture his elusive figure. No matter how circuitous his steps may seem, he unerringly advanced towards his destination.

Throughout his mad dash, the drain on his spiritual energy did not once cease. As a result, the path ahead flickered increasingly, slowly losing its intricacy.

Finally, the golden threads flickered out of existence, his spiritual energy spent. Too zoned-in to care, Karma arrived where the projection last indicated, landing directly on his bum.

Through blurry eyes, his head turned towards a sudden flash, refocusing on the imposing outline of an elderly gentleman.

He had made it just in time.

**

After Karma experienced a moment's rest, the nonstop signals his body had been firing began blaring en masse. The constant static buzzing in his ears made way for thunderous heartbeats, haggard breaths went from autopilot to manual, and muscle aches flared from head to toe.

Chest heaving uncontrollably, Karma's attempts to avoid belying his discomfort were unsuccessful. Thankfully, Elder Li's immobile figure maintained his usual placidity, paying him no heed. The same could not be said for his neighbors, who sent him a slew of strange gazes from the corner of their eyes.

"Good afternoon, disciples."

Synchronously, the disciples stood and clasped their hands, responding, "Good afternoon, Elder Li!"

Elder Li gave a gentle nod, signaling everyone to take a seat.

"Today, we shall begin with an exercise targeting spiritual energy manipulation."

His sleeves billowed, releasing numerous spheres of light before distributing them to the students below.

"You have each received a mid-grade Qi Formation artifact entitled 'Disk Duelers.' To activate a Disk Dueler, it must come in contact with a sibling Disk Dueler. Next, each disciple must find a partner and activate their artifacts. Do so now."

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The disciples leaped into motion, many seeking out a friend or acquaintance. To Karma's surprise, many of his neighbors raced to pair with him. Without much thought, Karma accepted the frontrunner, provoking a round of cursing, often mentioning the words "Shrew Lin."

Aligning his Disk Dueler with his partner's, leading to a satisfying click, he voiced his confusion, "Why'd you want to partner with me?"

Suppressing a smirk, she replied with a tinge of mirth, "Well, this is a spiritual energy manipulation exercise. Those tend to award prizes to the final winners."

Angling his neck upward, he met the gaze of a disciple of similar height. Her narrow eyes, framed by wisps of jet-black hair tied in a loose bun, glinted with a hint of jest.

"And?"

"And … you don't seem to have that much spiritual energy."

Blinking, Karma replied, "I see, that does seem to be the case."

Whipping two spiritual energy fragments out of his pockets, he began madly absorbing them. Coincidentally, an outburst of coughing happened to erupt from the disciples behind him.

"Spendthrift."

"Idiot."

"Fool."

Seeing everyone had found a match, Elder Li continued with his instructions, "The usage of the Disk Dueler is as follows: all participants must place their hands onto the indicated formation nodes, injecting spiritual energy when ready. A floating disk will spawn in the arena center. The goal is to send that disk through the opposing Dueler's goal, netting you a point and resetting the disk back to the center. First to three points, or the one with the most points after five minutes, wins."

At this point, each spiritual stone fragment had shrunk by 40%, bringing Karma's reserves up to roughly 20%.

"Winners will be granted a quantity of Qi Acceleration pills equal to the final difference in score. Drawn pairs split a single pill. Begin."

Ending at 25% capacity, Karma stowed the spiritual stone fragments and did as Elder Li instructed.

Quickly, the outline of a small black disk materialized above the arena, dropping down with a plink. Faster than Karma could react, foreign spiritual energy seized the disk and whipped it forward. Above his opponent's goal, a floating "1/3" appeared.

"Don't forget to defend," she reminded cheerfully.

"Thanks for the advice, Shr—Sister Lin."

Staring at the rapidly materializing disk, Karma imagined a mini Administrator Zhao riding atop the disk, recalling his incredible control over the flying sword. The instant the disk became corporeal, Karma willed Mini Zhao forward.

Shloomp!

To Miss Lin's immense shock, a "1/3" appeared above Karma's goal.

"Ahem, the importance of a good defense cannot be overstated."

"Noted," spat Sister Lin through gritted teeth.

The next bout commenced shortly after, with Karma willing Mini Zhao to flee Sister Lin's spiritual energy rather than go for a predictable shot. Sister Lin reacted quickly, shaping her spiritual energy into tendrils as she raced in pursuit.

Whizzing about the arena, the disk performed several acrobatic maneuvers under Karma's control, evading Sister Lin's capture. Mini Zhao's flying skills steadily climbed as the chase progressed, showcasing Karma's growing familiarity.

Sister Lin continued undeterred, her eyes squinting in a line as she tracked the disk's every movement. Slowly, her diligent analysis bore fruit, leading her toward a realization,

It's slowing down! He must be running out of spiritual energy.

Invigorated by this discovery, she began to scale back her own speed, prolonging the deadlock in search of an opportunity.

The tendrils pursued the disk in a tight formation, using spreading and contracting motions to mimic the behavior of a sandworm. The disk, now noticeably slower than before, arced towards Sister Lin's goal in an apparent act of desperation.

Realizing her chance had come, the tendril formation suddenly split, forming an inescapable blockade. Unable to escape, the disk sped around randomly, resembling a carp trapped in a fast enclosing net.

Seeing no indication of resurgence, Sister Lin pounced, snapping onto the disk. However, the moment the contraction accelerated, the Mini Zhao lurched forward.

Sister Lin hadn't accounted for a vertical disk, the resultant impact ripping an opening through her spiritual energy from which the disk shot out. Sister Lin could only despair as the disk faced no resistance despite its slowed speed as it entered her goal.

Huffing in a mix of anger and exhaustion, she roared, "Shameless trickster!"

Karma smiled, opting not to respond.

Fighting to control her emotions, her narrow eyes regained their sharpness as she resolved to make a comeback.

Two sets of eyes bore into the center of the arena; sparks flew as their spiritual energy ground against each other, the stakes at an all-time high.

…

"Huh?"

Spiritual energy dissipating in unison, their joint scrutiny fell upon a hologram displaying "0:00" in flashing red.

Stunned, Karma thought back to Elder Li's instructions before it dawned on him.

"Five minutes! Haha, Qi Acceleration pill here I come."

Fuming, Sister Lin violently disconnected her Disk Dueler, stomping away to a distant corner. Karma looked around, discovering many others startled in surprise by the five-minute deadline, the room split between expressions of gloating and gloom.

Elder Li cleared his throat, capturing the disciples' attention. Lifting his arm, Elder Li levitated the Disk Duelers back into his sleeve.

"Pills will be distributed at the end of the lecture. The purpose of this exercise has been achieved, I have ascertained the proficiency of each and every one of you. For the remainder of the lecture, we will engage in a discussion addressing the 146 most common deficiencies I have compiled. Let's begin, somebody tell me number one."

Following Elder Li's proclamation, winners and users alike united in a single objective: don't get called on.

Unbothered by the protracted silence, Elder Li pendulated across the crowd. A particularly miserable disciple who'd achieved a score of "0–3," failing to grapple with his grief, minutely twitched his lower lip.

A gravitational force seemed to ensnare Elder Li's eyes, pulling them to rest on the man with the broken heart.

"P-poor efficiency?"

Nodding with an encouraging smile, a "1/146" with the exact same font shone on the Disk Duelers appeared overhead.

…

Late into the evening, Karma crashed into bed face first, a Qi Acceleration pill clutched firmly in his grasp.