12 - The Ascending Dragon Sect selection (01)

The air in the cultivation room trembled as sweat dripped incessantly down Long Qingyi's bare chest, soaking his pants.

In his hands, a silver sword danced restlessly. Thunderous lightning surrounded it and the glow of the lightning sword's Qi completely illuminated the room with every movement.

With each strike of the blade, small shockwaves swept through the air, scattering subtle electric rays that spread out like sparks, falling slowly.

Finally exhausted, Qingyi collapsed on his back on the floor, his breathing was heavy and irregular.

"System... how long?" he asked between gasps.

[This time, you lasted seven minutes and thirty-nine seconds].

"Ah... that's enough." A bitter smile appeared on his face. He was testing his new spiritual roots and the result was truly impressive.

What he was doing was called imbuing Qi, a technique that consisted of circulating energy not only through his body, but also through his weapons.

It was a simple and effective method, but with a huge energy cost, causing immense pressure on the meridians.

In the higher realms, this was no problem, but in the Qi Refinement Realm, it was rare for someone to be able to maintain this state for more than a few seconds or minutes before their meridians began to fatigue and suffer damage.

"What time is it?" Qingyi stood up with an exhausted grunt. He had trained enough, it was time to recover his Qi reserves.

[It's 10:45 at night.]

"Right." Qingyi sheathed his sword as he sat down cross-legged.

Without further delay, he began to absorb the spiritual energy present in the room.

The night had been long and monotonous, but as soon as he immersed himself completely in the cultivation process, he lost all sense of time.

Only a loud knock on the large door of the room managed to snap him out of his trance.

Opening his eyes, he gathered his belongings, dressed quickly and opened the door.

"Good morning, sir, was your cultivation experience pleasant?" An attendant smiled warmly.

"It was... good." He returned the smile, taking a few silver coins from his pocket and offering them as a tip.

"Thank you very much for your preference, young cultivator," the attendant's face lit up as she received the coins.

That amount represented more than three days of her salary!

"In case you're in town for the Ascending Dragon Sect selection, I must remind you that it will start in approximately two hours." She spoke, her voice changing from a professional kindness to a real one.

Long Qingyi nodded and left the Thousand Petals Pavilion afterwards. He took a hot bath at a nearby inn and then enjoyed a hearty breakfast.

Feeling prepared, he set off in the direction of the imposing mountain that loomed on the horizon.

The streets were teeming with people, much more crowded than before, forcing him to squeeze through the crowd until he finally reached the Sect's gates.

Internal disciples separated those taking part in the selection from those who just wanted to observe. Standing in the middle of the street, they projected their auras of the foundation realm onto the audience.

This was the first test - a test of will. The candidates had to resist the spiritual pressure emanating from foundation stage cultivators and manage to get past them.

Many had already failed and dozens were lying in the streets as disciples dragged their bodies out of the testing zone.

Some advanced with difficulty, dragging themselves along, while others passed without any problem, walking in large, relaxed strides.

Qingyi paused briefly, took a deep breath and stepped forward. Instantly, several powerful auras descended upon him.

But he remained unshaken. His face didn't even twitch as he moved forward naturally, attracting impressed looks from everyone around him.

The inner disciples cleared the way, allowing him to pass through to the Sect entrance, where hundreds of candidates were already waiting.

"Oh... young master Qingyi!" A soft, seductive voice called out to him.

As he turned, he saw Feiyan running towards him, her voluptuous breasts almost escaping from her daring cleavage, swaying hypnotically with each hurried step.

Tianming followed right behind her. His face, initially smiling, contorted into a bitter frown when he noticed Qingyi's presence.

But he didn't say anything, just looked away disdainfully. He seemed to treat Qingyi like a mere insect that he would crush at the first opportunity.

"Good morning, Miss Feiyan." Qingyi smiled at her, feeling her sweet, mature fragrance envelop him.

"Oh... don't call me Miss, you can call me Senior Sister Feiyan! We'll soon be fellow cultivators, right?" Feyian laughed lightly, her tone melodious and pleasant to hear.

"Oh... then I greet senior sister Feiyan!" Qingyi replied with a genuine laugh.

Feyian quickly wrapped her arm around his, pulling him close and pressing him against her voluptuous cleavage.

[Feiyan's lust increased by 1%]

She felt a slight, strangely pleasant tremor run through her body as she touched Qingyi, but she kept her expression unchanged.

Qingyi could feel Tianming's burning gaze on his back, like incandescent braziers, but he ignored it as he walked along with Feiyan.

"Has Junior Brother Qingyi just had a breakthrough?" She asked, also completely ignoring Tianming's presence. It was clear that she and the arrogant young master had had a rather serious conversation the night before.

"I can feel your Qi getting stronger... you seem to be only one step away from the seventh stage of Qi refinement." She turned her head.

"Yes... I ended up having a fortuitous encounter and making a lot of progress, hehehe." He smiled casually, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Oh... Junior Brother Qingyi is really impressive!" Her eyes shone brightly, but not in a pleasant way. It was more like the hungry gaze of a snake that had just tracked down a helpless mouse.

She intensified her grip on his arm, wrapping him more tightly against her body, imprisoning him in a soft, warm sheet.

'That woman...' Qingyi shook his head inwardly as he cast a quick glance at Tianming, who seemed about to explode.

His face was as red as a ripe tomato, his eyes completely filled with fury.

Honestly, it was a rather pathetic. Why on earth was a noble like Tianming so insistent on a plebeian woman who humiliated him like this?

[Feiyan's lust increased by 1%]

'But I have to admit that she really knows how to play with a man's heart.' Qingyi repeated to himself as he felt the weight of her breasts, it was hard not to be conquered by that voluptuous body.

Shaking his head, he consulted her information screen.

'At least she doesn't sleep with just anyone...' He thought, Her chastity remained intact, meaning that no man had ever touched her.