Chapter 35 — What Cloudveil Has Been Feeding Them

By the time Shen Yuan arrived at the Five Peaks Arena, someone had already started taking bets.

He discovered this because Chen An was standing beside the Cloudveil seating area with the expression of a man who had just found an accounting error large enough to become personal.

"Peak Master."

Shen Yuan sat down.

"What happened?"

"Several disciples are wagering contribution points on today's matches."

"Is that prohibited?"

"No."

"Then why do you look unhappy?"

Chen An lowered his voice.

"Someone placed twenty points on Junior Sister Lin losing her first match."

Shen Yuan considered this.

"That's unfortunate."

Chen An nodded.

"For them."

Shen Yuan glanced at him.

Six years.

The influence had apparently gone both ways.

Below them, the Five Peaks Arena was already crowded.

Yesterday's foundation assessments had generated considerably more discussion than Gu Tianhe had expected.

Cloudveil Peak had been nearly empty for years.

Then Shen Yuan accepted three disciples.

One had once possessed a damaged spiritual root.

One had supposedly lost every meridian required for cultivation.

The last still had no cultivation realm anyone could properly write down.

Naturally, everyone wanted to watch them fight.

Especially because the first two were already familiar names.

"That's Lin Yue."

"I know."

"She's only Qi Refining Fifth."

A nearby disciple snorted.

"Zhao Tianming was Qi Refining Ninth when she beat him."

"She wasn't even properly cultivating Qi then, was she?"

"That's the point."

The conversation quieted when Zhao Tianming walked past.

He stopped.

The disciples immediately looked elsewhere.

Zhao sighed.

"You don't need to stop talking every time I approach."

Nobody answered.

He continued toward the arena.

Shen Yuan almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

The combat assessment used four smaller arenas surrounding the central platform.

An elder stepped forward.

"Victory will be determined by surrender, leaving the arena, inability to continue, or examiner intervention."

He swept his gaze across the participants.

"Intentional crippling is forbidden. Killing is forbidden. External pills, talismans, and artifacts not registered as personal equipment are forbidden."

A Vermilion Flame disciple raised his hand.

"Does accidentally damaging the arena count?"

The elder stared directly at Tang Rui.

"Yes."

Tang Rui slowly lowered his hand.

"The wind has been very unfair to me lately."

Nobody believed him.

The elder ignored that.

"First round. Begin."

Names appeared across the four formation screens.

One pair immediately drew attention.

Lin Yue — Cloudveil Peak.

Wei Shan — Vermilion Flame Peak.

Qi Refining Fifth.

Against Qi Refining Seventh.

There were a few murmurs.

Not many.

That surprised Wei Shan more than the matchup itself.

Apparently two minor stages were no longer enough to make people confident against Cloudveil Peak.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Lin stepped toward the arena.

"Junior Sister Lin."

She turned.

Zhao Tianming stood a few steps away.

His cultivation had stabilized considerably since his breakthrough. Foundation Establishment Qi rested around him without the slight restlessness it had carried several days earlier.

"Senior Brother Zhao."

Zhao glanced toward Wei Shan.

"His flame control is better than most Vermilion Flame disciples at his realm. He studies artifact refinement. Don't assume he'll rely on raw heat."

Lin nodded.

"I won't."

Zhao hesitated.

Lin looked at him.

"Was there something else?"

"The last time I watched you fight, you couldn't properly circulate spiritual Qi."

Lin thought about it.

"That's true."

"And you still threw me out of an arena."

"You walked out afterward."

Zhao stared at her.

"...Thank you for preserving my dignity."

"You're welcome."

He laughed.

"Good luck."

Lin started walking again, then stopped.

"Senior Brother Zhao."

"Hm?"

"Thank you for the warning."

Zhao smiled.

"Consider it repayment."

He didn't need to explain for what.

Neither did she.

Wei Shan was waiting when Lin entered the arena.

He looked to be around twenty, dressed in the red-trimmed robes of Vermilion Flame Peak. A pair of dark metal bracers covered his forearms.

He cupped his fists.

"Junior Sister Lin."

Lin returned the greeting.

"Senior Brother Wei."

Wei looked toward Zhao outside the arena.

"I should probably thank Senior Brother Zhao."

"For what?"

"Ensuring nobody on Vermilion Flame Peak is stupid enough to underestimate you."

Zhao's expression became complicated.

Lin considered that.

"That seems useful."

Wei laughed.

"You're really from Cloudveil."

The examiner raised one hand.

"Ready?"

Both nodded.

"Begin!"

Wei moved first.

Fire erupted beneath his feet.

Not backward.

Forward.

His body crossed half the arena in a burst of red light.

Lin shifted aside.

A palm passed her shoulder.

Heat struck a moment later.

Boom!

Flames expanded from Wei's arm.

Lin's sleeve snapped in the pressure.

She stepped back twice.

Wei didn't chase recklessly.

Instead, he changed direction.

Another burst beneath his heel.

Then another.

His movement wasn't simply fast.

It was controlled detonation.

Each explosion changed his angle while forcing Lin to divide her attention between his body and the spreading heat.

Several Vermilion Flame disciples nodded.

Wei Shan might not possess Tang Rui's raw Fire Root, but his control was better.

Against an ordinary Qi Refining Fifth cultivator, three exchanges would usually be enough.

On the fourth, Wei's palm met Lin's.

White mist exploded across the arena.

Wei's expression changed.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

His flame vanished.

Not all of it.

But enough.

He retreated immediately.

A thin layer of frost covered his bracer.

Lin looked at her hand.

That had required less Lunar Qi than expected.

Outside the arena, Mu Qinglan narrowed her eyes.

Qin Feng leaned forward.

Yesterday, the foundation stele had said Lin's Qi purity exceeded its measurement range.

Numbers were one thing.

This was clearer.

Wei Shan's Fire Qi was two stages stronger in quantity.

Lin Yue's Lunar Qi was simply better.

Far better.

Wei looked at his bracer.

"That's unpleasant."

Lin nodded.

"It is cold."

"I noticed."

He changed tactics.

Fire gathered around both legs.

He stopped trying to overwhelm her Qi directly.

Instead, the explosions became smaller.

Faster.

He circled.

Lin followed him with her eyes.

Then Wei attacked from behind.

Lin turned.

No sword.

Her elbow met his forearm.

Wei felt as though he'd struck tempered metal.

His eyes widened.

Lin stepped inside his guard.

Shoulder.

Palm.

Sweep.

Wei blocked the first two.

The third nearly took his legs out.

He exploded backward.

The audience grew noticeably quieter.

Zhao Tianming folded his arms.

This part, at least, was familiar.

Someone beside him muttered:

"Her body is still that strong?"

Zhao looked at him.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

The disciple had no answer.

Cultivation had a strange way of making people forget that improvements didn't replace one another.

Lin's Perfect Body Tempering foundation hadn't vanished when she entered Qi Refining.

Now it had spiritual Qi reinforcing it.

Wei Shan understood the problem quickly.

Close combat was worse.

Direct Qi collision was worse.

So he did what a competent cultivator should do.

He stopped fighting on Lin's terms.

"Blazing Step."

Seven bursts erupted.

Wei's figure blurred.

Flames remained where his feet touched the arena, creating overlapping zones of heat.

Lin's routes narrowed.

Wei raised both hands.

Three compressed fire spheres formed around him.

"Three Furnace Stars."

The Vermilion Flame disciples straightened.

Lin finally touched Moonfrost's hilt.

Then stopped.

Shen Yuan noticed.

So did Moonfrost.

The sword gave a faint vibration.

Lin breathed in.

Lunar Qi advanced.

Not outward.

Through her.

Forward.

Then back.

Then forward again.

The circulation she had spent days building moved through her channels.

Advance.

Recede.

Return.

Wei released the first Furnace Star.

Lin stepped toward it.

The second followed.

She retreated.

Wei adjusted instinctively, sending the third toward the opening.

Lin returned.

Her rhythm changed between one breath and the next.

Wei's eyes lost her for half a heartbeat.

That was enough.

Lin passed between the second and third spheres.

Her palm touched Wei's chest.

Cold spread across his robes.

His feet left the ground.

He landed outside the boundary.

The remaining Furnace Stars struck empty air and dispersed against the arena barrier.

Silence.

The examiner looked down at Wei.

Then at Lin.

"Winner."

"Cloudveil Peak, Lin Yue."

The arena erupted into conversation.

Lin looked at Moonfrost.

She had never drawn it.

A translucent notification appeared before Shen.

[Disciple Lin Yue has successfully applied a self-derived circulation principle in live combat.]

[Nine-Yin Lunar Circulation comprehension increased.]

[6% → 9%]

Another line appeared.

[Moonfrost compatibility increasing.]

Shen Yuan smiled slightly.

That was more useful than the victory.

Wei climbed to his feet.

He checked his arms.

Then his eyebrows.

Both remained intact.

He visibly relaxed.

Lin noticed.

"Your eyebrows are fine."

Wei coughed.

"I wasn't worried."

Tang Rui shouted from the Vermilion Flame seating area.

"Liar!"

Wei ignored him with admirable discipline.

He cupped his fists toward Lin.

"Good fight."

Lin returned the gesture.

"Good fight."

Then she paused.

"Your movement technique was difficult."

Wei blinked.

For some reason, that compliment felt considerably better than he expected.

"You never drew the sword."

Liu Meiying met Lin beside the arena.

"There wasn't a need."

"I know."

Liu's eyes were bright.

"That's why I'm mentioning it."

Lin looked at her.

Liu gestured toward the arena.

"Those traces of Yin Qi you left behind."

Lin waited.

"You were restricting his movement routes."

"Partly."

"You realize that's almost a formation principle?"

Lin's attention sharpened.

"I didn't create a formation."

"No. You created conditions that made some positions favorable and others dangerous. That's the beginning of one."

Lin looked back at the arena.

She hadn't considered it that way.

Liu smiled.

"Come to Jade Lotus after the assessment. I'll show you."

Lin nodded.

"I will."

"And I'll visit the Lunar Pool."

"It's still cold."

Liu stared at her.

Lin realized what she'd done.

"You can still visit."

"Good."

From several seats away, Shen Yuan looked toward Chen An.

"She's making friends."

Chen An nodded.

"Should I prepare refreshments if Junior Sister Liu visits?"

Shen considered the Lunar Pool.

"Something warm."

"I was already planning that."

Reliable man.

The remaining matches progressed quickly.

Tang Rui defeated a Qi Refining Eighth Stage opponent with three flame techniques and one completely unnecessary explosion.

The examiner looked at the blackened edge of the arena.

Tang Rui looked toward the sky.

"Wind."

"One more word and I'm deducting points."

Tang Rui became silent.

Liu Meiying's match lasted longer but contained considerably less destruction.

Her opponent spent most of it trying to determine why every route he chose somehow placed him exactly where Liu wanted him.

Eventually, three formation threads closed around his wrists and ankle.

He surrendered.

Han Bo's opponent struck him fourteen times.

Han Bo moved half a step.

On the fifteenth, he caught the other disciple's fist.

The match ended shortly afterward.

Then Zhao Tianming entered an arena.

His opponent was Qi Refining Ninth Stage.

A very respectable one.

The difference lasted four exchanges.

Foundation Establishment Qi descended.

A sword stopped an inch from the opponent's chest.

"Winner, Zhao Tianming."

Lu Chen watched carefully.

"So that's Foundation Establishment."

Jian stood beside him.

"You fought him."

"That was different."

"How?"

"He wasn't trying to put a sword through me."

Jian considered this.

"Fair."

Lu looked at him.

"That was almost a normal-length answer."

Jian ignored him.

On the guest platform, Duan Zheng watched the arena in silence.

His complexion was considerably better than when Shen Yuan's group had first found him, though traces of instability remained beneath his aura.

Ye Feng sat beside him.

His attention, however, was on Jian Wuchen.

Duan noticed.

"You've been watching him since yesterday."

Ye Feng didn't deny it.

"His cultivation structure is stranger than I expected."

"Stranger than rebuilding his meridians?"

"He didn't rebuild them."

Duan's gaze shifted toward Jian.

"No."

Yesterday's stele had made that very clear.

Sword Heart.

Four Sword Meridians.

An entirely new circulation structure.

Ninefold Heaven-Severing Sword Scripture.

Duan repeated the name silently.

After a moment, Jian looked toward them.

Duan gestured.

Jian approached.

"Senior Duan."

Duan studied him.

Not his cultivation.

Him.

"You stand differently."

Jian glanced down at himself.

Ye Feng laughed.

"He's not talking about your posture."

"I know."

Duan's mouth twitched.

"You used to hold a sword as though every strike needed to prove you still deserved it."

Jian became still.

For a brief moment, the noise of the tournament seemed farther away.

Broken meridians.

A sword he could no longer properly use.

People who stopped looking him in the eye.

Questions surrounding his father's death.

The months afterward.

Then Cloudveil.

Jian rested one hand on Clear Wind.

"And now?"

"Now you simply hold it."

Jian was quiet.

Duan nodded.

"Better."

His gaze briefly lowered to Clear Wind.

"Your father would have noticed."

Jian's fingers tightened once.

Then relaxed.

"Thank you."

No one said anything else about Jian Shou.

There was nothing new to say.

Not yet.

Ye Feng broke the silence.

"You still owe me a spar."

"After the assessment."

"Don't lose before then."

Jian looked at him.

"I wasn't planning to."

"Good."

Duan leaned back.

For the first time since arriving, some of the tension around his eyes eased.

By midday, Lu Chen's name appeared.

Lu Chen — Cloudveil Peak.

Qiao Ren — Jade Lotus Peak.

Qiao Ren was at Qi Refining Sixth Stage.

He carried no weapon.

Instead, several green spiritual threads circled his fingers.

Lu entered the arena.

Qiao looked him over.

"Junior Brother Lu."

"Senior Brother Qiao."

"I watched your physical assessment yesterday."

Lu brightened.

"Pretty good, right?"

"Terrifying."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't entirely a compliment."

"I'll take it anyway."

Several Jade Lotus disciples laughed.

Qiao smiled despite himself.

Then his expression became serious.

Shen Yuan's voice reached Lu before the match began.

"Don't force your Chaos circulation."

Lu turned.

"Even if I'm losing?"

"Especially if you're losing."

Lu scratched his cheek.

"That's less exciting."

"Survive the disappointment."

"Yes, Master."

The examiner raised his hand.

"Begin!"

Qiao Ren immediately moved backward.

Lu moved forward.

Neither was surprising.

Green spiritual threads shot across the arena.

Lu ducked one.

Caught another.

Pulled.

Qiao nearly flew forward.

His eyes widened.

He released the thread immediately.

"Absolutely not."

Lu grinned.

Then six more threads came from different directions.

One wrapped around his ankle.

Two caught his arms.

A fourth tightened around his waist.

Lu planted his feet.

The threads stretched.

Qiao formed a seal.

"Verdant Binding."

Spiritual light surged.

The bindings tightened.

Lu flexed.

Snap.

Two threads broke.

Qiao's expression became very serious.

On the Black Tortoise seating area, Han Bo leaned forward.

"He's strong."

His companion stared at him.

"We all saw yesterday."

"No."

Han Bo shook his head.

"Yesterday he hit something that didn't fight back."

That was different.

Qiao understood the same thing.

He stopped attempting direct restraint.

The next threads attached themselves to the arena instead.

Lu charged.

A thread pulled his ankle sideways.

Another altered his shoulder.

He missed Qiao by half a meter.

Qiao's palm struck his back.

Qi exploded.

Lu stumbled.

He turned.

Qiao was already gone.

"That's annoying."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I'll take it anyway."

Lu stared.

Qiao smiled.

Apparently that worked both ways.

Another binding caught Lu.

Then another.

He broke one.

The second pulled him off balance.

Qiao struck.

Lu blocked.

Spiritual Qi drove him backward.

Not enough to injure him badly.

Enough to remind him of what he lacked.

Qiao's body was weaker.

His Qi was weaker than Lu's body.

But everything worked together.

Breathing.

Movement.

Technique.

Circulation.

No pause between them.

Lu's own internal Chaos circulation began to move.

Arm.

Shoulder.

Chest.

Spine.

Lower body.

Return.

He felt the First Anchor.

He recognized himself.

The cycle stabilized.

Then Qiao's thread snapped around his wrist and yanked.

Lu's concentration broke.

The circulation faltered.

A palm struck his chest.

He slid backward.

His heel reached the arena boundary.

Lu stopped.

Qiao didn't give him time.

Three threads approached.

Lu raised his arms.

And realized something.

The Chaos inside him hadn't completely stopped.

A tiny strand continued moving.

Arm.

Shoulder.

Chest.

Weak.

Uneven.

But moving.

Lu forgot about Qiao for half a second.

That was nearly a mistake.

He dropped beneath a binding.

Rolled.

Came back up.

His eyes widened.

I wasn't doing it.

The First Anchor had remained.

Not because he'd commanded it.

Not because he'd consciously repeated that he was the anchor.

His body had simply—

remembered.

A notification appeared before Shen Yuan.

[First Anchor: Self]

[Unconscious Persistence detected.]

[Anchor Stability: 78% → 81%]

[Primordial Chaos Foundation Mission: 96% → 97%]

Shen's eyes narrowed.

There it was.

Not completion.

But the direction was correct.

Lu started laughing.

Qiao Ren hesitated.

"Did I hit you too hard?"

"No!"

Lu looked delighted.

"You helped!"

"...You're welcome?"

Qiao decided he didn't want to understand.

He formed another seal.

Eight bindings erupted.

This time Lu didn't try to avoid them all.

One wrapped around his arm.

Another his torso.

A third his shoulder.

Qiao tightened them from a safe distance.

Lu grabbed the thread around his arm.

Qiao's expression changed.

"Oh."

Lu pulled.

Qiao immediately released it.

But Lu had already wrapped the thread around his forearm.

The spiritual binding tightened between them.

Qiao tried to sever it.

Too late.

Lu planted one foot.

Pulled with both hands.

Qiao Ren crossed the arena.

Very quickly.

His face changed several times during the journey.

Lu caught him by the robe.

Qiao looked at Lu.

Lu smiled.

Qiao looked at the arena floor.

Then back at Lu.

"I surrender."

Lu blinked.

"I haven't done anything yet."

"Exactly."

The examiner raised his hand.

"Winner, Lu Chen!"

Lu released him.

"I wasn't going to throw you that hard."

Qiao adjusted his robe.

"The word 'that' has confirmed my decision."

Even the examiner laughed.

Lu left the arena and immediately headed toward Shen.

He wasn't smiling because he'd won.

"Master."

"I saw."

Lu stopped.

"You know what I'm going to say?"

"Yes."

"I stopped thinking about the Anchor."

"And?"

"It stayed."

"For a moment."

Lu's grin widened.

"For a moment."

Shen nodded.

That was enough.

The First Anchor wasn't supposed to be something Lu consciously maintained forever.

Breathing didn't require constant permission.

A heartbeat didn't wait for instruction.

Eventually, cultivation shouldn't either.

Lu looked down at his hands.

"So I need my body to recognize me?"

Shen considered the wording.

"More than your body."

Lu looked up.

Shen didn't explain further.

This part belonged to Lu.

The boy thought for several seconds.

Then nodded slowly.

"Okay."

Shen leaned back.

That was one disciple progressing.

Two, technically.

And Jian hadn't even fought yet.

The system had given Shen absurd resources.

Immortal scriptures.

Transcendent materials.

Cultivation facilities that would make entire sects consider morally questionable decisions.

For weeks, those things had mostly existed on Cloudveil Peak.

Hidden behind mist.

Used quietly.

Today was different.

Today the Five Peaks were seeing the results.

Gu Tianhe was seeing them too.

The Sect Master sat on the main platform, expression dignified.

His eyes moved from Lin Yue to Lu Chen.

Then toward Jian Wuchen.

Then, very slowly, toward Shen Yuan.

Shen could almost see the calculation happening.

How many resources had Cloudveil spent?

How many spirit stones?

How many treasures?

How many years of sect reserves would produce foundations like these?

Gu Tianhe looked away.

Some questions were healthier unanswered.

Shen sympathized.

Technically, he'd made a profit.

Explaining that would only make things worse.

The afternoon matches continued.

Cloudveil now had two victories.

Lin had defeated a cultivator two minor stages above her without drawing Moonfrost.

Lu Chen, whose cultivation realm remained officially listed as Pending Assessment, had physically broken a Jade Lotus binding technique and defeated a Qi Refining Sixth Stage cultivator without using Chaos Qi.

The conversations around the arena changed.

Yesterday, people had been curious about Cloudveil.

Now they were paying attention.

Then the next names appeared.

The arena quieted.

Jian Wuchen — Cloudveil Peak.

Chen Ziyu — Heavenly Sword Peak.

Qi Refining Ninth Stage.

Chen Ziyu rose.

He had spent nearly a year at the peak of Qi Refining.

His foundation was excellent.

His swordsmanship was disciplined.

Among Heavenly Sword Peak's disciples below Foundation Establishment, few were more reliable.

Qin Feng stopped him before he entered.

"Ziyu."

Chen turned.

"Peak Master."

"Don't fight his reputation."

Chen waited.

Qin Feng glanced toward Jian.

"Fight the man standing in front of you."

Chen nodded.

"Understood."

Across the arena, Jian stood.

Ye Feng leaned forward.

Duan Zheng's gaze sharpened.

Zhao Tianming stopped speaking.

Lin looked toward her junior brother.

Lu hurried over.

"Senior Brother Jian."

Jian looked at him.

"Good luck."

"Thank you."

Lu waited.

Jian raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?"

"What else?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe you'd say something before your fight."

"I just did."

Lu sighed.

"Never mind."

Lin walked past them.

"He's excited."

Lu turned.

"How can you tell?"

Lin watched Jian step toward the arena.

"Long answer."

Lu stared after her.

Then at Jian.

Then at Shen.

Shen wisely declined involvement.

Jian entered the arena.

Chen Ziyu was already waiting.

They saluted.

No provocation.

No arrogance.

Two swordsmen.

That was enough.

Chen drew first.

A clear metallic note spread across the arena.

Qi Refining Ninth Stage spiritual power flowed through his meridians, entered his arm, then his blade.

Smooth.

Stable.

Well-trained.

Jian's hand settled around Clear Wind.

The sword left its sheath.

There was no explosion.

No overwhelming pressure.

Only a thin sound.

Almost too soft to hear.

Inside Jian's body, his Sword Heart beat.

Once.

Four Sword Meridians answered.

Sword Qi entered Clear Wind.

Chen Ziyu's expression changed.

Ye Feng smiled.

The examiner raised his hand.

"Begin."

Two swords moved.