Phew!
After inhaling sharply several times and calming his internal power, Shi Xiaole finally spoke to the stunned crowd, "Senior brothers and sisters, Brother Zhao has a volatile temper and in order to avoid a rampage, I had to knock him out. Would someone please help him back to his dwelling?"
"Not a problem, Brother Shi."
Instantly, a young man in black stood out and lifted Zhao Buping.
Ordinary disciples shared a dormitory, six to a room. This young man in black happened to be one of Zhao Buping's roommates.
After expressing his thanks, Shi Xiaole ignored the shocked and inquisitive stares of the crowd and walked away alone.
"Why do I feel that Brother Shi is different from before?"
"Yes, me too. Not just in terms of power, but also a change in his aura. I have a premonition that the Huajian Sect is about to become lively."
...
Back at his dwelling, Shi Xiaole had calmed down.
"Is this Zhao Buping actually a pawn sent to deal with me by the Grand Elder?"
Reason told Shi Xiaole that the conflict today was not simple, while his instincts told him that Zhao Buping deliberately targeted him.
Looking at the whole Huajian Sect, the only two who'd want to see him dead were the Grand Elder and Qin Zhao. Since Qin Zhao had not returned from his expedition with his three closest disciples, only the Grand Elder was left.
"My swordsmanship is passable, but my internal power is weak, and the Mind Methods I'm cultivating are too low-level."
Shi Xiaole was both annoyed and desperate.
He was lucky today; Zhao Buping overplayed his hand, giving Shi Xiaole the chance to seize the advantage. However, Shi Xiaole knew he couldn't depend on luck every time.
It was clear that after this incident, the Grand Elder's machinations against him would only get more ruthless. To weather the storm, he needed strength.
"I need to break through this realm today and go to the Book Collection Building to choose a more advanced internal Mind Method."
The basic Mind Methods of the Huajian Sect were weak. If Shi Xiaole cultivated a more advanced internal Mind Method, he could have easily defeated Zhao Buping today.
After all, the more advanced the internal Mind Method, the faster and purer the circulation of internal power. It excels when used against enemies.
In essence, internal power is the essence of a martial artist, and techniques are merely the skills used to wield this power.
With legs crossed and his mind at peace, Shi Xiaole immersed himself in cultivation.
One 2-hour period.
Two 2-hour periods.
As night fell, a soft rumble could be heard.
In his room, a gentle wind emanated from Shi Xiaole in all directions, flickering the flames of the candles three meters away.
At that moment, Shi Xiaole had successfully broken through to the third level of the Hidden Qi Realm.
Selecting the lower Dantian within the nine stages of the Hidden Qi Realm is only seen as the starting point on the path of martial arts, but even so, Shi Xiaole was still excited.
He noticed a significant 30% increase in the internal power stored in his lower Dantian. If he would face Zhao Buping now, he was confident he could defeat him within ten moves.
After spending a quarter of an hour consolidating his realm, Shi Xiaole tidied up and immediately headed towards the Book Collection Building of the Huajian Sect.
There are three floors of the Book Collection Building. Regular disciples need to reach the fourth level of the Hidden Qi Realm to enter the first floor, while the Sect Master's personal disciples only needed to reach the third level.
"Hold on, who are you?"
At the entrance of the Book Collection Building, an austere-looking old man got up from his chair to stop Shi Xiaole.
"Third Elder, I am Shi Xiaole, and I came here to select an internal Mind Method."
While responding, Shi Xiaole deliberately released his own aura.
The Third Elder, in charge of the Book Collection Building, glanced at him, and said, "The Book Collection Building is under renovation, come back in a few days."
Renovation?
Shi Xiaole looked into the building. It was quiet and everything was in place, where was the repair work happening?
"Could the Third Elder show some flexibility? I would leave as soon as I copied the necessary internal Mind Methods."
"I said, it is under renovation. Can't you understand? If there is nothing else, you can leave!"
The Third Elder waved his sleeve, sat back down, closed his eyes to meditate, leaving Shi Xiaole hanging.
Shi Xiaole drew a deep breath and asked, "May I know when the renovation will be completed, Third Elder?"
The Third Elder casually replied, "I don't know, it depends on the circumstances."
Shi Xiaole smiled, said no more, turned around, and left.
Not long after he left, a figure descended from the second floor of the Book Collection Building. It was none other than the Grand Elder.
"I owe you one, Third Elder."
The Third Elder opened his eyes and chuckled, "No need for thanks. Comparing him to Qin Zhao, that kid is inferior in talent, character, and strength, yet he snatched away the position of the Sect Master's personal disciple, I can't really stand him either."
Changing his tone, he worriedly said, "But what if the Sect Master finds out about our plan to suppress that kid?"
The Grand Elder waved his hands and laughed, "No need to worry. The Sect Master won't show up until the big competition in three months' time. If that kid gives me any opportunity, I'll make him disappear forever. If he stays away, heh, without higher-level martial arts, he'll become a laughingstock in three months' time. At that point, even the Sect Master may not protect him."
The Third Elder clapped his hands and laughed heartily, "What a brilliant plan you have, Grand Elder!"
...
Walking on the cobblestone road at night, Shi Xiaole's eyes twinkled with a spark of fire. He knew that the Third Elder was purposely creating obstacles for him.
The other party had blocked the Book Collection Building, preventing him from entering. They were trying to put a stop to his prospects.
From his memories, the three elders of the Huajian Sect, the Grand Elder and the Third Elder were close allies, but only the Second Elder remained neutral. Unfortunately, the only person who could help him had gone down the mountain with the three main disciples.
"The middle of the month has arrived. Host, do you wish to engage in the draw for martial arts?"
Just as he was feeling despondent, a mechanical voice rang in his mind.
To Shi Xiaole, it was like the sweet music of heaven.
He suddenly recalled that the system had mentioned that he had a chance to draw for free at the middle of every month. How had he forgotten such a thing?!
Quickly returning to his room and ensuring the door was locked, Shi Xiaole promptly entered the Martial God Hall's space, asserting in a deep voice, "Begin the draw!"
"The host is reminded that because it is a free draw, the drawing failure rate is fifty percent during the middle of the month."
The system's words cast a shadow in Shi Xiaole's heart.
A fifty percent failure rate, this chance was terrifyingly slim.
A square halo flickered back and forth among all the stone walls on the fifth floor of the Martial God Hall, making Shi Xiaole's heart beat faster.
Without a doubt, with the Sect Master not appearing, he had no hope of gaining martial arts from the Huajian Sect's Book Collection Building, so he could only pin his hopes on the system's draw.
If he missed this opportunity, except for extra tasks, he would have to wait another month.
Could Shi Xiaole afford to wait?
So this draw was crucial.
Shi Xiaole tried to calm himself, but his hand was slightly sweaty.
The flickering frequency of the square halo became slower, and Shi Xiaole's heartbeat almost stopped.
Ding!
Eventually, the square halo settled on a stone wall on the first floor. A ray of light shot into Shi Xiaole's brain.
"Congratulations to the host for drawing a third-rate middle-ranking internal martial arts mind method, the Hengshan Mind Method."
Shi Xiaole initially felt a wave of weakness, then burst out laughing.
It was indeed the Hengshan Mind Method!
Even though it was only a third-rate middle-ranking technique, Shi Xiaole was very satisfied.
Among the Five Mountain Sword Sects, the Hengshan Sect was not considered top-notch, but it was certainly not weak.
Especially the Sect Master Mo Da is one of the top ten masters in the martial world, who once killed Fei Bing, one of the thirteen guardians of Mountain Song. Although the latter relied more on decades of internal power and advanced swordsmanship, it also proved that the Hengshan Mind Method has its merits.
Especially now, for Shi Xiaole who had only practiced the basic mind method of the Huajian Sect, there was nothing more suitable.
Remarkably, the third-rate low-ranking Huashan Sword Technique was slightly better than the basic sword technique of the Huajian Sect. You can imagine how much stronger the third-rate middle-ranking Hengshan Mind Method would be compared with the meditative mind method of the Huajian Sect.
The Grand Elder and the Third Elder, who tried to block Shi Xiaole's path, didn't realize that heaven had opened a bigger door for him.
After exiting the system, Shi Xiaole couldn't wait to start cultivating the Hengshan Mind Method.
Once he started practicing, he immediately felt the difference.
The speed of running the internal power using the Hengshan Mind Method was about thirty to forty percent faster than before. What did this mean? In combat, the faster the internal power runs, the shorter the recovery time, and the shorter the interval between moves.
Honestly speaking, Shi Xiaole's power had quietly improved by merely practicing the Hengshan Mind Method once.
But that's not all. As the practice time grows, Shi Xiaole's internal power will inevitably become more refined and substantial. At that time, his explosive power and endurance will advance to another level, thus amplifying his strength once more.
"You guys wait and see. If you want to give me the cold shoulder, I don't mind surprising you greatly."
Shi Xiaole thought of some people's faces, a slight smile curved up at the corner of his mouth.
As such, the days passed in peace and fulfillment.
Shi Xiaole's life was simple, practicing sword every morning, practicing the Hengshan Mind Method in the afternoon, and reviewing both parts at night.
On average, he spent an astounding seven two-hour periods a day practicing martial arts.
Such diligence made hundreds of disciples from the Huajian Sect feel inferior.
Half a month later, Shi Xiaole's Huashan Sword Technique and the basic sword script of the Huajian Sect both reached the level of Divine Harmony Perfection. And with the promotion of the Hengshan Mind Method, his internal power realm also reached the peak of the Hidden Qi Realm's third level.
"I wonder how strong I am now."
When quiet leads to action, after a long period of painstaking practice, Shi Xiaole couldn't help but wanted to find an opponent to validate his strength. He had a feeling that he could completely overwhelm his past self from half a month ago.
This kind of progress speed can definitely be regarded as astonishing.
That night.
"Uphold justice, journey alone! Task two released: Pursue and kill the notorious thief Three-legged Bird of Emerald Feather City."
"Task Difficulty: One Star."
"Task Reward: One random draw of third-rate martial arts, reward value of two hundred points. Failure Punishment: Eradicate one of the host's internal power mind methods, and you will never be able to cultivate it."
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
Shi Xiaole was somewhat excited. He was just worrying about the lack of opportunity to test his strength, but now the opportunity had arrived.
A peaceful night passed.
The next day, at the break of dawn.
After washing up, Shi Xiaole dressed in a green shirt for the occasion. His black hair was tied up with a cloth strip of the same color, he held a precious sword in his hand and quietly left the yard.