Chapter 31: Spar with Shen Li

The training ground was quiet, the stone tiles beneath their feet worn from countless battles fought here before. The air smelled faintly of damp earth and old sweat, the remnants of past fights lingering in the space between them.

Jin Ye adjusted the newly forged war robe on his shoulders, feeling how it moved with his body rather than restricting it. It was light but durable, a perfect fit for his fighting style. A good start—but he knew he was just grazing it's potential.

Shen Li cracked his knuckles, his grin wide, filled with anticipation. "Haven't seen you since the underground fights. Figured you'd already left the city."

Jin Ye smirked. "Figured I'd stick around a little longer. Can't rush these things."

Shen Li scoffed. "Oh? You saying you're taking the entrance trials seriously?"

Jin Ye rolled his wrist, feeling the weight of his sword settle naturally into his grip. "I'm saying I don't intend to just enter. I intend to dominate any and all who block my path."

Shen Li chuckled. "That so? Then let's see if you're all talk."

A pulse of Foundation Establishment Qi surged from his body, thick and overwhelming. It rolled over the courtyard in waves, causing the air itself to feel heavier, pressing against everything beneath it. The cracked tiles beneath them trembled slightly from the sheer force.

Jin Ye's silver eyes flickered with interest. He had expected Shen Li's presence to feel stronger, but this? This was something different.

Shen Li's grin widened as he rolled his shoulders. "You feel that? That's the difference between Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment."

Jin Ye didn't move, didn't react—just observed.

Shen Li raised a hand, his palm glowing faintly with condensed Qi. "Let me guess. You've never fought a proper Foundation Establishment cultivator before, have you?"

Jin Ye tilted his head slightly. "Not one worth remembering."

Shen Li barked a laugh. "Tch. You're gonna be fun."

Shen Li's stance shifted, his Vast Mountain Step activating in an instant. The ground beneath him cracked as he burst forward, his momentum like a boulder crashing down a mountainside. His Iron Wave Palm surged with condensed Qi, the force behind it twice that of any Qi Refinement cultivator's strongest strike.

A blow like this Qi Refinement cultivators should have been blasted away

And yet—Jin Ye was gone.

Shen Li's palm tore through empty air, its residual force exploding outward, sending a concussive blast through the courtyard. Loose debris ripped from the ground, stone tiles fracturing from the impact.

His grin faltered.

A whisper of movement—a flicker of steel at his side.

Jin Ye reappeared within his blind spot, his Flowing Phantom Blade already in motion. His sword glided toward Shen Li's ribs, its movements unreadable, shifting like a mirage, impossible to pin down.

Shen Li twisted instinctively, his Iron Guard Reflex activating just in time. His forearm caught the blade, redirecting the strike, but the moment it hit—he felt it.

The sheer weight behind Jin Ye's sword. The unnatural flow of his strikes. The terrifying unpredictability.

This wasn't a technique that followed conventional patterns.

It was like trying to fight a shadow—just when you thought you had tracked it, it slipped through your grasp, striking from another angle.

Shen Li gritted his teeth and pushed off, forcing distance between them. His boots skidded against the stone tiles, his Qi settling as he steadied himself.

His eyes narrowed.

"That… shouldn't be possible."

Jin Ye smirked. "Guess you're not used to losing ground."

Shen Li exhaled sharply, his expression turning serious.

"This isn't just fast reflexes," he muttered. "You're actually keeping up. That shouldn't be possible for a Qi Refinement cultivator."

Jin Ye smirked. "And yet here i am."

Shen Li rolled his wrist, his Qi flaring up again. "Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment aren't just different realms—they're entirely different ways of using Qi."

Jin Ye said nothing.

He tapped his chest lightly. "Foundation Establishment is different. We don't just circulate Qi—we refine it, temper it, and merge it deeper into our bodies, forming a stable foundation that strengthens everything we do. It makes our Qi denser, more efficient, and far more powerful than anything in Qi Refinement."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Even if you were the strongest Qi Refinement cultivator in the world, you should still be feeling the difference. My Qi should be pressing down on you, making it harder to move, harder to react."

And yet, Jin Ye wasn't affected at all.

He exhaled. "But it's not."

Jin Ye smirked. "Guess I'm special."

Shen Li scoffed. "No. You're a damn freak."

Jin Ye just shrugged. "Same thing."

The wind shifted between them, carrying the last echoes of their conversation away.

Then, Shen Li dropped into a low stance.

"This time, I'm not going easy."

Jin Ye tilted his head, cracking his neck. "Good. I'd be insulted otherwise."

Then, in a flash of movement, the battle resumed.

Shen Li surged forward, activating Mountain-Breaking Palm, his Qi condensing into his strike, the sheer force behind it enough to rupture boulders. The moment his foot touched the ground, the Vast Mountain Step sent a shockwave through the tiles, propelling him forward like a hammer crashing down.

Jin Ye didn't dodge.

He met it head-on.

His sword blurred into motion, and instead of blocking, he activated Flowing Phantom Blade, his weapon weaving like a river shifting its course, slipping through gaps in Shen Li's technique.

Their attacks collided mid-air.

A deafening boom erupted as Mountain-Breaking Palm met Jin Ye's blade, sending a Qi shockwave ripping through the courtyard. The ground cracked apart beneath them, debris flying outward.

Shen Li had expected to overpower him instantly—that was how it always worked.

And yet—Jin Ye didn't move.

He stood firm, his sword absorbing, redirecting, flowing with the force rather than resisting it.

Shen Li's eyes flashed with shock and excitement. His feet adjusted, activating Soaring Gale Steps, shifting instantly into another strike, his hands glowing with Iron Wave Palm, a technique designed to shatter defenses with rolling consecutive force.

Jin Ye read his movement instantly.

Instead of meeting him head-on, his sword flickered—not resisting, but shifting.

His Flowing Phantom Blade cut through the air with deceptive ease, never clashing directly with Shen Li's strikes but redirecting the force, slipping past his defenses at impossible angles.

Shen Li's heart pounded.

This was absurd.

Every Qi Refinement cultivator he had ever fought before had crumpled under the sheer difference in power. The gap between realms was too vast—Foundation Establishment had more Qi, more durability, and a natural suppression against lower-stage cultivators.

But this?

Jin Ye was pushing him back.

The realization hit like a hammer.

Shen Li barely dodged a strike aimed at his ribs, feeling the sharp wind pressure of Jin Ye's sword slicing past him, its trajectory impossible to predict, shifting the moment he tried to read it.

He gritted his teeth, excitement surging through him.

This guy… he's not normal.

"You…" Shen Li exhaled sharply as he landed a few feet away. He finally paused, shaking out his arms, the numbness setting in. "You're actually—pushing me back."

Jin Ye smirked, adjusting his grip on his sword. "Took you this long to figure that out?"

Shen Li let out a low laugh, his breathing steady despite the exertion. "No… I knew from the first exchange. But I wanted to be sure."

Jin Ye tilted his head slightly. "Sure about what?"

Shen Li exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "That you're a freak."

Jin Ye chuckled. "You keep saying that like it's a bad thing."

Shen Li wiped the sweat from his brow and smirked. "No, it's a compliment. You shouldn't be able to do this, not at Qi Refinement. That's not how cultivation works. I've never seen someone do it at least."

He pointed at Jin Ye, eyes sharp. "You're not just keeping up—you're fighting like someone who's already stepped into Foundation Establishment."

Jin Ye raised an eyebrow. "And what does that mean, exactly?"

Shen Li let out a slow breath. "It means you're a monster."

Jin Ye let the words settle.

Foundation Establishment wasn't just a breakthrough in strength. It was a complete restructuring of one's Qi foundation, a refinement that made their energy denser, more efficient, nearly impossible for lower-realm cultivators to match.

And yet, he had fought Shen Li on even footing.

No, more than that—he had forced Shen Li to take him seriously.

Jin Ye tapped the hilt of his sword, his smirk widening. "Then I guess I'll be an even bigger monster once I actually reach Foundation."

Shen Li barked out a laugh. "Yeah, no doubt." He shook his head. "Alright. I think I've seen enough."

He loosened his stance, letting his Qi settle. "If we keep going, I'll have to use my actual combat techniques, and we both know that'd turn this from a spar into a full-blown fight."

Jin Ye sheathed his sword in a smooth motion. "Fair enough. Wouldn't want to ruin your confidence before the trials."

Shen Li snorted. "Cocky bastard."

Jin Ye just smirked.

The tension between them eased, the sharp edge of competition fading into something else—respect.

Shen Li rolled his shoulders. "I won't fight someone like you seriously until we're in the trials."

Jin Ye nodded. "Looking forward to it."

Shen Li glanced at him once more, his expression thoughtful. "I'll be honest, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the competition going into the Azure Sky Sect entrance exam." He exhaled, then grinned. "But you? You're gonna make things interesting."

Jin Ye didn't say anything. He simply turned and walked away, his new war robe flowing behind him.

The next time they fought, it wouldn't be friendly.

And Jin Ye had no intention of losing.