Chapter 137: Life 66, Age 21, Martial Master 3

Words : 1378 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Over the next few months, I dispersed the meridian I had formed during the Earth Peak Trial and followed a Profound-Rank technique focused on variable meridian diameter to form two new ones. I wanted to experiment with the benefits and drawbacks such a design would have. During this time, I also studied how to transform some basic earth qi techniques into disposable formations that any of my classmates would be able to throw out and activate. The goal was to learn to design things that could let any of them easily pass through the early levels of any Trial. At the course’s nine-month mark, we had a martial competition against one of the regular Master-level classes. They had all advanced to Martial Master 5 or 6 while we were languishing at only 2 or 3. This gave them confidence that they could easily overcome us, but as soon as the fighting began, the value of our elite training showed itself. LiTing, our weakest fighter, was able to easily crush her opponent. The boy tried to use qi to shield himself from her attacks, but his barriers were so rough and flimsy that they could barely slow her punches of concentrated energy. She could have won with a single hit, but she took time to experiment on the poor kid. The rest of our opponents fell just as quickly, and we were each rewarded with a Rank 2 library token for helping teach that class about the difference in strength that comes from rigorous training. While the others went to grab skills that would help them in their Trials, YuLong gave his token to me. I used both his and mine to purchase entry into the Rank 2 fire libraries for both martial and cultivation techniques. While I exited the building with only one technique of each type in my hands, I had a smile on my face and all the knowledge in both libraries safely stored away. I spent the following three months dedicated to creating several different simple disposable formations around the fire techniques I had acquired. When it was time for our second Trial, I gave YuLong a large backpack filled with formation stones. He and I were both aiming to take on the Fire Peak, and I had prepared many contingencies for what we might face there. The others were entering the Water, Metal, and Dark Trials. I couldn’t help them this time, but I would try to do so in the future. YuLong’s reason for challenging the Fire Peak was simply that he had gotten as much as he could expect to get from the Earth Peak for now and needed to work on a second affinity. Since he was studying talismans, I expected he would want to raise his lightning affinity, but he said it didn’t matter. He would be able to get further with help from my formations, so he gave me his token and decided to go wherever I did. I expected the Fire Peak Trial to at least resemble the one from the Earth Peak, but I was sorely mistaken. The elder at its entrance told us that we would appear in a long corridor, and we would only need to walk to the end of it to pass through to the next stage. Going back the way we came would allow us to exit the Trial. Upon entering, I appeared in an old lava tube. Light emanated from the cave walls, giving the place a hazy reddish cast. No ‘test’ immediately presented itself. Before beginning my trek forward, I turned on energy vision and saw the situation more clearly. Starting a meter in front of me, the lava tube was chock full of fire qi. If I stepped forward, I might not be burned alive, but I wouldn’t have a very pleasant time of it. Among the formations I had prepared was a heat shield that I could use as protection in this kind of environment, but for this first stage, I was able to easily bull my way through by relying on my peak six-star affinity. Once I reached the end of the tunnel, a glowing white formation appeared on the ground, but before I could step on it, I was bombarded with fire essence. I didn’t cultivate it. I couldn’t have even if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to. I was here to raise my fire affinity as high as I could so that I would have as many chances to permanently advance my earth affinity as possible. The following four stages maintained this setup. The only additions were small crevices with a few fire-based herbs growing in them. These were the ingredients necessary for concocting basic Rank 2 Fire Resistance Pills. At the twenty-sixth stage, the size of the lava tube expanded. The atmospheric fire qi intensified, and it was excited into a state where it was putting off overwhelming levels of heat. Even just doing simple alchemy at the beginning of the stage was difficult because the excessive environmental qi wanted to corrupt anything I tried to create. I had to modify a Qi Gathering Formation to form its normal qi barrier, but instead of pulling energy from outside and making the qi inside denser, it pulled qi from inside and expelled it out. This let me work, and I concocted every pill I expected to need through to the thirtieth stage. Instead of being able to just run through these tunnels, I was beset by large wolves that looked like hellhounds and had to defend myself. I couldn’t easily trap them, so I was finally forced to use my earth qi to fight them. I wasn’t worried about finishing them off, though. I only spent as much energy as needed to knock them aside so that I could continue rushing further down the corridor. When I reached the end of stage thirty, I had no desire or time to continue further. I just slumped to the ground to rest as the final minutes of my timer ticked away. Essence filled me, and for the second time that day, I felt a snap as fire welled up within my body and my affinity reached mid five-star. When it did, a voice echoed out from every wall of the lava tube. “You have reached the maximum potential of the Master-level Trial of the Fire Peak. You may continue forward to test yourself, but you will receive no more benefits from this Trial. As you have passed the thirtieth stage on your first attempt, you will be rewarded based upon the manner in which you did so.” A small dark iron alchemy cauldron appeared in front of me. It was elegantly designed with several flowing images of mythical beasts on every surface. At a glance, I could see that they were composed of several miniature formations, but I couldn’t easily work out their purpose. As I examined it, the voice spoke up once more. “This is a restricted item. You are not allowed to remove it from the lands of the Nine Rivers Sect. If you do so, you will be killed.” The voice paused briefly to let the message sink in before continuing. “Seek out new challenges at the other peaks to test yourself.” I wanted to take the cauldron and hide it away in my soul space so that no one would see it, but doing so would have been a grave mistake if I was being watched. I picked it up and carried it out of the Trial openly. Outside, Shi YuLong was waiting for me. “Why do you always take so long?” he asked in an annoyed tone. “I was out of there after only a few hours. How the hell can you spend so long inside when you can’t even cultivate? You need to learn to admit defeat and just leave early like I did.” As he talked, I noticed the left eye of the elder guarding the Trial’s entrance twitch in annoyance, but he didn’t say anything. YuLong seemed oblivious to the cauldron I was holding, so I slipped it into my storage bag without comment. After that, we returned to the Academy.

Chapter 137: Life 66, Age 21, Martial Master 3

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