### Chapter 18: Testing Limits
After days of intense cultivation, Ming Yue felt the power of his Chaos Qi pulsing within him. Eager to test his new abilities, he headed to the outer sect courtyards in search of a challenge. As he walked, he marveled at the sect's beauty. Flying cranes carried graceful disciples, and the layout of the sect was awe-inspiring: the inner sect floated above the outer sect, while the core sect orbited both, showcasing the genius of its formation.
*What a powerful formation,* Ming Yue thought, his eyes tracing the intricate patterns of the sect's arrangement.
He scanned the auras of the disciples, looking for suitable opponents. After some time, he found four disciples who seemed to match his level. Two were as weak as he was, and the other two appeared slightly stronger. Ming Yue approached them, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Greetings, senior brothers. Do any of you mind giving me pointers?"
The three others laughed, taunting the disciple Ming Yue had addressed. One of them sneered, "You think you can defeat Hanwei? This will be quick."
Another laughed, "A newbie like you, challenging a senior? Don't make us laugh."
The disciple's face turned red with anger. He stepped forward, glaring at Ming Yue.
"You think you can defeat me? Let's put a wager on this. If I win, you will be my slaves and do whatever I want. But if you win, each of us will give you a spirit stone. That'll be four spirit stones in total."
Ming Yue nodded, accepting the challenge. The first opponent, Hanwei, dashed at Ming Yue, aiming a punch at high speed. Ming Yue sidestepped, going behind Hanwei and injecting a concentrated burst of Chaos Qi into his shoulder. Hanwei was blasted away, crashing into a wall and coughing up blood.
*The thing about Chaos Qi,* Ming Yue thought, *is that it needs to be concentrated into one point to deal massive damage.*
Hanwei had been a stage three Qi Gatherer. Ming Yue realized the true potential of his Chaos Qi. The courtyard buzzed with astonished whispers as the other disciples watched.
"Did you see that? He defeated Hanwei in an instant!"
One of the remaining disciples, a chubby-cheeked fellow, rushed at Ming Yue. This one was a stage four Qi Gatherer. Ming Yue grinned, feeling the chaotic energy surge within him. Their palms clashed, and the chubby-cheeked disciple screamed as his hand shattered, bones splintering from the force.
"Your Qi is impure! nothing compared to mine begone," Ming Yue said, his eyes clouding over with a manic gleam.
"Chaos Qi is truly unpredictable," Ming Yue thought, his internal monologue a mix of fear and fascination.
The remaining two disciples, angered, materialized weapons and attacked. They materialised in front of Ming Yue one in the air aiming fo his heart, the other aiming at hus heart. Ming Yue felt his consciousness slipping, a psychotic behavior taking over. He drew his Dao sword, but before he could react, their weapons were inches away from him.
"Think, think, think!" Ming Yue panicked.
A cold scoff echoed through the courtyard. "How dare seniors try to kill a kid and take advantage. Pathetic."
Ming Yue's consciousness returned, the chaotic influence fading as he turned to see the source of the voice. Before he could even try to turn, the person had disappeared. In that moment, a figure in white and green robes appeared. The swords that were on Ming Yue's neck and heart were palmed away with a shattering noise, followed by the brutal sound of kicks and thrashing.
"I was saved..." Ming Yue realized, his thoughts racing. "Those wounds would have meant instant death."
Ming Yue turned to see a boy around his age, perhaps a bit older, with orange hair and blue eyes that seemed too lazy for the situation. He kicked the attackers like they were ragdolls, his eyes half-closed, hands in his pockets.
"Disappointing boys," the figure laughed, giving one last kick that was followed by the sound of bones crushing. "I thought seniors were better than this. At this rate, you're no different from them. And to think all of you were defeated by a new junior. How embarrassing. Ganging up on him... now that's laughable."
The crowd gasped and hurriedly dispersed, clearly avoiding this new figure. "Senior brother Ye, we're sorry, please forgive us!" The four kowtowed, banging their heads on the ground.
Senior Ye smiled. "Not to me, idiots. To him. Apologize now while I'm watching." The group looked conflicted, but the sight of Ye's glare made them shiver. They immediately kowtowed.
"We are sorry for ganging up on you! Please spare us. We'll even give you two spirit stones each. We should've known you were close with Senior Ye."
Ming Yue was shocked by the change in attitude but recognized the luxury of power. He smiled as he received the spirit stones. "That was a magnificent fight, junior brother. What is your name?" Ye asked, shaking Ming Yue's collar.
"I'm Ming Yue. And you?"
Ye just smiled and said, "Ye Mo."
"Judging by his clothes, he's a core member. What's a core member doing here?" Ming Yue wondered.
"Thank you for saving me, but why?" Ming Yue asked as they walked toward his home.
Ye Mo smiled lazily. "Well, you caught my eye, Ming Yue."
The moment those words left his mouth, Ye Mo turned and unleashed a howling kick aimed at Ming Yue's jaw. Ming Yue reacted quickly, injecting all his Chaos Qi into his palms. When the attack collided, a booming sound echoed. Ming Yue was sent staggering eight meters away.
"He's powerful," Ming Yue thought, "and I used nearly all my Qi to block that!"
Ye Mo seemed intrigued by Ming Yue. "He's got potential. Interesting." Meanwhile, Ming Yue felt wary. "This guy is dangerous. What does he want from me?"
Prepared for another fight, Ming Yue steadied himself, eyes locked on Ye Mo.
Ye Mo smiled and said, "Now you know why I saved you. I want you to be my rival when you get stronger in the future. Here is a jade transmission. Only contact me when necessary. I'm a busy man, Ming Yue. Nice to meet you. I hope you will join my branch of the sect."
Ye Mo thought to himself, "How embarrassing it would be if other core members knew that my 15% power usage was just blocked by a stage two Qi Gatherer..."
Ye Mo left with those words, but Ming Yue was confused. "Branch and busy? How could a core disciple be busy if he is wandering around? This guy seems too lazy. As for the branch thing, I will have to go through it."
Ming Yue went into the house and rested on the bed. "Okay, that took a wrong turn. At least I know its limits for now. But I can only use such destructive power when necessary."