Chapter Thirty-Two: Achieving the Breakthrough

A punch! Another punch!

The tall man, as if possessed, began his assault on the stout fellow, his fists pouring down like a flood released from its dam. The stout man was not idle either; swinging his arms, he launched counterattacks at the tall man. Each of his blows was heavy, landing fiercely on the tall man's face and body. Yet, despite this, the tall man never ceased his attack.

He endured the other's punches with his own flesh, channeling all his vital energy into his fists, relentlessly targeting Zhang Qing. And every punch struck the same spot—right at the stout man's eyes.

Finally, the stout man could bear it no longer. Blood flowed from his mouth and nose, and his attacks ceased. The tall man, however, continued, raining down ten more punches in succession.

With the last remnants of his strength, the stout man raised his hands and pressed them against the floor of the arena. The tall man, seemingly deranged, tried to continue his assault, but the referee, responsible for maintaining order, hurriedly separated them.

“He’s already conceded. You’ve won.”

The disciples below the stage were already dumbfounded; no one could have anticipated such a dramatic reversal. The stout man, who seemed certain to win, ended up bloodied and admitted defeat, while the tall man, thought to be frail and weak, managed to turn the tables.

Those who had bet on the stout man fell silent, each staring at the tall man as if he were a monster. Wait—what was his name again?

“Guang Tai!”

“How come I’ve never heard there was such a fierce character among the outer disciples?”

“I heard he just joined the sect this year—apparently he’s a relative of XXX.”

“No way, isn’t that too much of a coincidence?”

Li Sibai watched the match and listened to the crowd, remaining calm. He thought to himself, this tall man must have a remarkable background; I’d better prepare well.

With that, Li Sibai lost interest in the remaining matches. He slipped away from the crowd and quietly returned to his quarters, ready to begin his cultivation.

At that moment, Caiyao ran out. She hadn’t watched the match, but she could sense that Li Sibai was troubled.

“Brother, you look a little upset,” Caiyao asked with concern.

Li Sibai forced a smile and recounted what he had just witnessed to Caiyao.

Caiyao comforted him, “Since you’re worried, why don’t we start cultivating right away? Perhaps today you’ll have some breakthroughs.”

Li Sibai nodded, looking at Caiyao with gratitude. “Then I must trouble you, sister.”

Caiyao smiled at him and activated her vital energy. Seven rays of colored light shone upon Li Sibai. Instantly, he felt a gentle warmth envelop him and began his daily cultivation.

Whenever Caiyao assisted him, Li Sibai always felt his progress doubled compared to his usual pace. Yet Caiyao would tire, her energy depleted. Li Sibai thought he needed to find better methods, for he couldn’t always rely on Caiyao.

Soon, Li Sibai consumed the Xuan Tian Jade Purity Pills that Mo Yun had given him, taking care to absorb them slowly, striving not to waste a single trace of their power, refining and assimilating them fully. Still feeling it wasn’t enough, he swallowed the six more pills he had saved.

Gradually, he sensed his meridians expanding, his energy swelling on its own, and even his dantian seemed to grow wider.

Li Sibai was overjoyed—these were signs of breaking through the Phoenix Initial Realm. He had already reached level five, lingering just before the threshold, awaiting a breakthrough.

After his battle with the venomous crocodile the previous day, his cultivation had increased significantly. Now, with these pills and Caiyao’s seven-colored auspicious light, he finally saw signs of advancement.

Suddenly, there was a loud “bang” from his quarters.

Happiness had arrived too suddenly; Li Sibai failed to control the surge as he broke through, resulting in the table inside his room shattering, startling the outer disciples outside.

Many pressed against the window, eager to see what this outer sect “good-for-nothing” was doing.

Abruptly, the door opened and Li Sibai stepped out. His whole body felt refreshed, his eyes shining with vigor.

Outside, Mo Yun and others who had heard the commotion gathered around.

Seeing Li Sibai in this state, their eyes gleamed with delight.

Mo Yun asked, “Xiaobai, did you break through? What’s your cultivation level now?”

Li Sibai grinned, “Level six in the Phoenix Initial Realm.”

The surrounding disciples gaped in astonishment.

...

“What? This good-for-nothing has reached level six in the Phoenix Initial Realm?”

“Isn’t that impossible? How could he reach level six?”

“It’s hard to say. Xiaobai passed the first round of this year’s exam—maybe his strength has soared these past few days.”

Some defended Li Sibai, showing he had a decent reputation.

Mo Yun chuckled, “Since you’ve broken through, come on, Xiaobai, let’s find Chef Cai for a couple of drinks to celebrate!”

Li Sibai shook his head after a moment’s thought. “Senior brother, let’s leave it for today. I need to prepare—there’s another match tomorrow.”

Mo Yun nodded, “All right, then I won’t disturb you. I’ll bring your dinner later?”

“Thank you, senior brother!” Li Sibai cupped his hands in thanks and returned to his quarters.

Inside, he saw the chaos left by his breakthrough to level six.

“Caiyao? Where are you? You weren’t hurt just now, were you?”

Absorbed in his breakthrough moments earlier, Li Sibai now remembered Caiyao and worried she might have been injured.

Caiyao crawled out from beneath the broken table, covered in dust. She was about to complain, but seeing the gleam in Li Sibai’s eyes, she broke into a bright smile.

“Brother, did you just break through?”

Li Sibai quickly scooped her up, checking for injuries, and nodded.

“It’s all thanks to your seven-colored auspicious light that I broke through to level six tonight. Thank you, sister.”

Caiyao, hearing this, was overjoyed. After checking herself for injuries, she happily helped Li Sibai tidy the room.

The place was in complete chaos; they still needed to rest here tonight and had to get it sorted quickly.

Li Sibai didn’t mind much, thinking that in a few days he might be able to enter the inner sect, where he’d naturally move to new quarters. The thought made him happy.

The two finished tidying, ate the meal Mo Yun brought, and retired early for the night. Li Sibai slept soundly and deeply.