I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Lin Qing'er arrived again before the morning mist had dissipated.

This time she was alone, her pale yellow skirt damp with dew, and the silver bells in her hair tinkling softly with each step.

She stood outside Qin Yuan's hut, hesitated for a moment, and then raised her hand to knock on the door.

The door opened.

Qin Yuan stood inside the door, dressed in a faded gray robe, but his aura was completely different from yesterday—refined and calm, like a sword sheathed. He was at the peak of the seventh level of Qi Refining, just one step away from the eighth.

"Brother Qin Yuan," Lin Qing'er looked at him earnestly, "Come with me to the Third Peak."

Qin Yuan remained silent.

"Seventh Peak doesn't want you, but we do." She spoke quickly, as if afraid of being interrupted. "I know you refused yesterday, but that was to save face. But now that Zhao Hu has been crippled by you, Liu Feng will never let it go. It's too dangerous for you to stay in the outer sect. At least Third Peak can protect you."

The mountain path was quiet, with the distant footsteps of early-rising disciples heading to the dining hall.

Qin Yuan looked toward the direction of the third peak, one of the three most majestic of the nine peaks of the Xuan Yuan Sect, its palaces gleaming with a cold, metallic light in the morning glow.

"The outer sect competition is in three days," he said. "I want to settle things with Liu Feng personally."

"And then what?" Lin Qing'er asked anxiously. "Even if you win—I mean, if—will the Third Summit let you go? Liu Feng is the personal disciple of the Enforcement Elder!"

Qin Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked at her: "That's why you should go even more."

Lin Qing'er was taken aback.

"Some things can't be avoided." Qin Yuan's voice was calm. "Since we can't avoid them, let them come."

He paused, his tone softening slightly: "Qing'er, I appreciate your kindness. But I won't go to the Third Peak."

Lin Qing'er bit her lower lip, her eyes slightly red. She suddenly remembered ten years ago, under the old locust tree at the village entrance, the boy carrying her on his back as they climbed the tree to pick locust blossoms. She was afraid of heights and clung tightly to his neck. He said from the tree, "What are you afraid of? I'm here."

Now he says that some things can't be avoided.

"Then...please help me this once, okay?" Her voice lowered, tinged with pleading. "The Third Peak and the Seventh Peak have a ten-person competition every year, and the winning peak gets 30% more resources. This year, several of our senior brothers from the Third Peak are away on training and haven't returned, so we can't gather ten people..."

She looked up, her eyes glistening with tears: "You can just register for now. After the competition ends in three days, you can leave whenever you want. Consider it... consider it repaying me for that basket of locust flowers from ten years ago."

Qin Yuan looked at her.

After a long pause, he asked, "Does Senior Sister Liu agree?"

"Senior sister, she..." Lin Qing'er's eyes flickered, "She said she takes after me."

In fact, these were Liu Han's original words: "If he wants to come, then he can. But Qing'er, you need to think carefully. Getting him involved in the conflict between the two peaks might not be helping him."

But she couldn't care less about that. All she knew was that Qin Yuan was alone in the outer sect, facing Liu Feng and the entire Third Peak; he would die.

Qin Yuan remained silent.

At the end of the mountain path, a white figure stood silently in the thin mist. Liu Han had arrived at some unknown time, holding his sword, like an ice sculpture.

Qin Yuan looked at her.

Liu Han said calmly, "The Third Peak has no shortage of thugs." The implication was clear: what could he possibly do to help?

Qin Yuan suddenly laughed: "Then let's just treat it as going to watch the fun."

He looked at Lin Qing'er: "I agree."

After everyone left, Qin Yuan closed the door and sat down cross-legged.

The system panel appeared on time:

[Host: Qin Yuan]

Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 7 (Peak)

[Cultivation Points Available for Extraction: 10 Years (Can be Converted Today)]

【Whether to extract? 】

"extract."

boom--!

The familiar, fiery torrent surged forth from my dantian once more, even more powerful than yesterday.

Qin Yuan activated the "Qi Guiding Technique," guiding spiritual energy to cleanse his meridians.

The seven-layer barrier shattered instantly, and spiritual energy surged into the eighth level of Qi Refining, its momentum undiminished, heading straight for the ninth level!

This time, he clearly felt a certain constraint within his body loosening.

The five mixed spiritual roots are like five leaky buckets, but the cultivation poured in by the system is like a raging flood. Even if some leaks out, the rest can still submerge everything.

At midnight, the page was refreshed for the second time.

Ten more years of cultivation will flow in.

Qi Refining Level 9, broken through!

Peak of the ninth level!

On the morning of the third day, Qin Yuan opened his eyes as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the window paper.

His eyes gleamed with inner light, and his spiritual energy flowed around him like a tangible stream, with the faint sound of wind and thunder in his breath.

He raised his hand, his five fingers loosely clenched, and the air made a popping sound as if it were being compressed.

Qi Refining Level 10.

Two days, from the third floor to the tenth floor.

If word gets out, it will shake the entire Xuan Yuan Sect—no, the entire Qingzhou cultivation world. Even for geniuses with Heavenly Spiritual Roots, it would take at least five years of arduous cultivation to go from the third to the tenth level.

Qin Yuan stood up, his bones cracking. He walked to the worn bronze mirror; the person in the mirror still had the same features, but his demeanor was completely different.

Like a rough piece of ore, it was forcibly forged to have sharp edges.

He pushed open the door and went out.

Lin Qing'er was already waiting outside the door. When she saw him, her almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise: "Brother Qin Yuan, you've broken through again?!"

"Hmm." Qin Yuan didn't explain further.

Lin Qing'er opened her mouth, as if to ask something, but ultimately didn't. She just blinked hard and smiled, "Great! We've got this in the bag!"

On the way to the third peak, Lin Qing'er chattered on about the feud between the two peaks.

"The Third Peak and the Seventh Peak are the two strongest peaks in the Xuan Yuan Sect, and they compete against each other every year. The sect leader doesn't care, saying that competition leads to progress. The competition is held once a year, with each peak sending ten people below the Foundation Establishment stage. They draw lots to determine who fights, and the peak with more wins wins."

She paused, then lowered her voice: "Actually, the Seventh Peak won last year, and the extra 30% of resources allowed several senior brothers and sisters to break through their bottlenecks. We, the Third Peak, are holding our breath in anticipation."

Qin Yuan asked, "Can an outer disciple like me participate?"

"No, it wasn't possible at first." Lin Qing'er smiled slyly, "But didn't you agree to temporarily enter the Third Peak? Just be a nominal disciple. Anyway, the competition only considers status, not cultivation level—of course, it would be embarrassing to go if your cultivation level is too low."

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Qin Yuan. The tenth level of Qi Refining wasn't much in the inner sect, but in competitions below Foundation Establishment, it was considered above average.

As the two were talking, they arrived at a martial arts training ground halfway up the third peak.

Nine people were already waiting in the arena. Seven men and two women, all dressed in inner sect blue robes, the lowest cultivation level being the ninth level of Qi Refining, and the highest being the tall young man who had reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from Foundation Establishment.

Seeing Lin Qing'er bring over an outer disciple in a gray robe, the expressions on their faces became somewhat strange.

"Junior Sister Qing'er," the young man at the twelfth level of Qi Refining frowned, "is this the helper you were talking about?"

Lin Qing'er pulled Qin Yuan forward: "Senior Brother Chen, this is Qin Yuan. He's temporarily registered on our peak to participate in today's competition."

"Nonsense!" a tall, thin man sneered. "An outer disciple? What level of Qi Refining are you? Are you just trying to fill in at level seven or eight?"

Qin Yuan remained silent.

Lin Qing'er panicked: "Senior Brother Wang, Brother Qin Yuan, he..."

"Ten floors," Qin Yuan suddenly said.

The room fell silent.

Several pairs of eyes fell on him simultaneously, filled with scrutiny, suspicion, and undisguised contempt.

"Ten levels?" The tall, thin Senior Brother Wang sized him up. "I underestimated you. But so what if it's ten levels? The lowest level here is nine, and Senior Brother Chen is even at the twelfth level of Great Perfection. Is your ten levels enough?"

Senior Brother Chen raised his hand to stop him, then looked at Qin Yuan: "Since Junior Sister Qing'er recommended you, you must have some outstanding abilities. However, the competition is about the reputation of the Third Peak. If your strength is insufficient, it's not too late to withdraw now."

He spoke politely, but his meaning was clear—don't hold us back.

Qin Yuan raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the nine people in the room, finally landing on Senior Brother Chen's face.

"We'll know once we fight it out," he said.