Wang Bo's bellow shook the air, and his qi surged, a dark read aura enveloping him. "You’ll regret this, Zhen!" His power didn’t just rise; it exploded, a suffocating wave of force that slammed into everything around him. The pressure of his Qi Condensation realm descended on everyone around.

Zhen stood frozen, his mind racing as Wang Bo's furious roar echoed in his ears. The air seemed to tremble, and suddenly, an invisible force bore down on him like a mountain. His chest tightened, and his legs felt as if they were rooted to the ground.

He could feel something, an oppressive energy in the air that seemed to be pushing against him, making it hard to breathe.

What... what is this? It was as if the very atmosphere had turned hostile. Zhen had never paid much attention to the concept of 'pressure' before. To him, it was just another one of those mystical things cultivators liked to talk about—like profound insights, legendary treasures, or that elusive enlightenment. This was the second thing on that mystical cultivator list that had suddenly become all too real for him.

Has Wang Bo been hiding his true strength all along? Just how powerful is he? Or is this the true strength of a proper cultivator in the eighth realm of Qi Condensation? Am I that weak? Not having any memories of cultivation, Zhen could only guess.

He had read stories about powerful cultivators exerting their presence, but experiencing it firsthand was a different matter altogether. Just as he was beginning to think he'd buckle under the strain, something strange happened.

Deep within his body, Zhen felt a stirring— the nine stars in his acupoints, which had been dormant moments ago, suddenly began to rotate, each one slowly spinning as if responding to the external pressure. The rotation started off sluggish, but it quickly gained momentum, and Zhen felt a surge of energy coursing through him, pushing back against the oppressive force.

His eyes widened in realization. The weight he felt wasn’t just in his head—Wang Bo's Qi was influencing the environment, filling the air with a palpable sense of danger.

The pressure that had felt so suffocating just moments before was now meeting resistance—his own Qi was rising to the challenge, fueled by the instinctive sense of the stars. It was like an invisible tug-of-war, with the oppressive force of Wang Bo's Qi on one side and the resilient energy of Zhen's own Qi on the other.

So this is what those cultivation talks were all about—being able to sense the pressure, Zhen realized, the pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place as he gained a sudden epiphany. The pressure he felt was due to the qi in the environment, which was influenced by Wang Bo spiritual sense.

His gut instinct, that strange sense of instinctively handling the qi, was actually something more— It was my Spiritual Sense... That’s what he had been feeling this whole time.

Before he could understand this new experience, he heard someone in the crowd shout, "That's the ninth realm of Qi Condensation!"

"Oh, Li Zhen is done for…"

"When did Wang Bo reach the ninth realm of Qi Condensation?" someone in the crowd shouted.

Wait, what? Ninth realm? For a moment, Zhen was stupefied. Isn't that supposed to be, like, really hard to achieve? Isn't this the kind of plot twist where the protagonist somehow powers up mid-fight and turns the tables? Since when do the bad guys get to use that cheat code?

I need to learn how to distinguish between different realms, Zhen thought, gulping down the saliva that had gathered in his throat. This guy's no pushover. I might actually get a beating here.

Wang Bo's eyes were wild with anger, and he stepped closer. "You think you’re safe just because you’ve gained a little strength? In this sect, power rules, and I’m going to show you your place."

Zhen's heart pounded in his chest. He might actually do it. I need to be prepared. The previous Li Zhen had faced countless beatings, and the memories of those painful experiences resurfaced. Even though there was a small deterrent to kill inside the sect, bullying was within limits and even a daily practice in this demonic sect.

I should have taken those combat lessons seriously... He recalled skipping out on sparring sessions, dismissing them as a waste of time. Now, all he had to rely on was his Boy Scout training, but that didn’t exactly cover this.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

As Wang Bo’s qi grew more intense, Zhen’s eyes drifted to his opponent’s hands. He could see the growing talons, overlaid with a dense red aura of qi, sharp and menacing.

Should I try to replicate that? he wondered, a part of him filled with the childish hope of mimicking Wang Bo’s deadly technique. But reality quickly set in—such an advanced skill was far beyond his reach.

Should I use my daily limit for the golden words? Zhen thought, considering his options. The golden words were his trump card, but they were limited, and he had to be careful about when to use them. He didn't know much about them and it would be problematic if Wang Bo could somehow sense his ability. Before he could make a decision, Wang Bo’s strength surged again, and Zhen felt his own qi react instinctively.

He braced himself, crossing his arms defensively, trying to focus his qi to reinforce his body like he had done before. But this time, something went wrong. Instead of the controlled flow he was aiming for, his nine stars of qi began to rotate wildly, sending a flood of energy crashing through his meridians.

What the—! Panic surged through him as the overwhelming force coursed through his body. He barely managed to direct most of it to reinforce his arms, but even then, it felt like too much.

His hands began to burn, the skin tingling with a painful heat as the qi condensed into a rough, hand-shaped aura above his own. The energy was volatile, gaining in color to a light shade of blue with streaks of purple that danced erratically across his skin.

The pain was nearly unbearable, a searing sensation that threatened to overwhelm him completely. But at the last second, Zhen managed to divert some of the excess energy to his legs, bracing himself for the impact he knew was coming.

Wang Bo lunged, his talons gleaming with concentrated qi, aimed straight for Zhen’s chest. The sheer force behind the attack was terrifying, the air itself seeming to split apart as Wang Bo’s qi-enhanced strike hurtled toward him.

Zhen could see the deadly intent in Wang Bo’s eyes, the raw power behind his strike. Every instinct screamed at him to dodge, to flee, but he knew it was too late. All he could do was focus everything he had on his defense, praying that the chaotic energy swirling around his arms and legs would be enough to withstand the attack.

As Wang Bo’s talons closed in, Zhen’s vision narrowed, time seeming to slow as he prepared for the impact. The energy burning in his hands flared brighter, the blue and purple hues merging into a violent storm of qi just as Wang Bo’s strike connected.

The crowd watched with bated breath as the two forces collided. Zhen’s arms absorbed the impact, his reinforced qi holding against Wang Bo’s fierce assault.

The sheer force of the blow pushed Zhen back three steps, his feet scraping against the ground as the shockwave ran through his body. His muscles screamed in protest, burning with the effort of holding on, but he remained standing, staring at Wang Bo in disbelief.

Zhen could feel his qi begin to leak from the point of impact where Wang Bo's attack had struck. Panic flared in his mind as he felt his qi destabilizing, the once steady flow turning chaotic and unpredictable.

But Wang Bo wasn’t giving him any time to recover. He advanced swiftly, another strike prepared, his intent clear.

Desperation gripped Zhen and there was another wild surge of qi from his stars. The small leak in his qi tore open further, and suddenly, his energy exploded outward with a force he hadn’t expected.

The blast knocked both of them back several steps, but Wang Bo was in worse shape—his outer clothes were slightly torn and scraped. Zhen stumbled, his heart racing, as everything around him seemed to freeze for a moment.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to pause. The once dismissive crowd now stared in stunned silence, their disbelief palpable.

“Zhen stopped Wang Bo’s attack… Did you see that?” someone whispered, the shock in their voice echoing the thoughts of everyone present.

“Zhen has the same strength as Wang Bo? How is that possible? He was only at the eighth realm a few days ago!” another voice chimed in, filled with confusion and awe.

I stopped the attack? Zhen straightened slowly, trying to ignore the raw power still coursing through him and the way his heart pounded in his chest like a drum. His arms were burning, turning red from the strain, but he forced himself to keep a straight face. Face is important in here, after all, he reminded himself, mentally gritting his teeth against the pain.

Great. Just great, Zhen thought bitterly as he checked his condition, trying to keep his composure. He could feel the strain in his meridians from the sudden surge of energy, each pulse of qi like a knife scraping along raw nerves.

I’ve just blown half my qi reserves in one go, my meridians feel like they’ve been scraped raw, and now I have to stand here and pretend I’m not one step away from crying from the pain.

Why couldn’t I just have a nice, normal day? Just once? he lamented inwardly. No, of course not. I had to go and pick a fight with someone who’s basically a walking qi disaster.

Despite his inner complaints, Zhen forced himself to appear calm, his expression one of cold defiance. This is what they do in all those stories, right? Act like you’re completely unfazed while secretly dying inside? Yeah, this is exactly how it’s done.

But even as he tried to project confidence, Zhen’s mind was racing. The blast had knocked Wang Bo back, but it was clear that the fight was far from over. It was only the first strike, and Zhen could tell that Wang Bo wasn’t close to being finished.