Ten Thousand Years in Seclusion

"Damn, someone moved into Heaven One!"

"Go tell Senior Brother Sima! Someone’s living in Heaven One..."

"Who the hell would dare pull something like this? Don’t tell me it’s Senior Brother Cai?"

The entire inner sect residential area erupted.

In an instant, countless figures poured out of their residences. Some hurriedly threw on their robes, others grabbed their swords, while plenty simply came out to watch the spectacle. A dark mass of disciples surged toward the Heaven One residence at the top of the ridge.

Heaven One had never been just another residence.

It was a symbol of being the foremost disciple of the inner sect.

Ever since its previous owner, Jiang Sulong, had been promoted to a personal disciple last month and moved to the summit, the residence had remained vacant. For the past month, two of the inner sect’s most promising disciples, Sima Feng and Cai Zhenyu, had been openly competing for it.

Their strength was evenly matched, and neither was willing to yield. Each also had a group of followers backing him.

Over the past month, both men had tried several times to force their way into Heaven One, each confrontation nearly turning into a clash between their respective followers. Had the elders not been alerted, things might well have escalated into a major conflict.

It was only five days ago that they had finally reached a reluctant agreement.

Next Wednesday, they would settle it fairly in the Sparring Arena.

The winner would take possession of Heaven One.

But now, someone had actually moved in.

Sima Feng was sparring with several fellow disciples at the Sparring Arena when one of his followers suddenly came rushing in.

"Senior Brother Sima! Something’s happened! Someone’s moved into Heaven One!"

Sima Feng stopped mid-strike.

"What?"

A cold glint flashed through his eyes.

"Is it that bastard Cai Zhenyu?"

His follower shook his head.

"I don’t know. The moment the spirit-stone lamp in Heaven One lit up, I came straight here to tell you."

"Let’s go!"

Sima Feng turned and strode out.

"Whoever it is, I’ll skin him alive!"

Almost at the same time, Cai Zhenyu received the news at the Alchemy Hall and immediately led his followers toward the inner sect residential area.

The open ground outside Heaven One was already packed with people. There were senior disciples, as well as new disciples who had only just joined the sect.

The senior disciples were buzzing with discussion, while the newcomers mostly kept quiet and listened, eager to see what would happen. The crowd hummed like a pot of water on the verge of boiling over.

Inside Heaven One, Qi Tian had already sat down cross-legged and was preparing to meditate.

Then the noise outside suddenly swelled.

Footsteps, shouting, and excited voices rushed toward him from all directions like a rising tide. Before long, the residence was completely surrounded.

Qi Tian listened for a moment.

He understood.

His brows drew together slightly.

So this place was a hot potato.

No wonder it had been left vacant.

Should he... move out?

After all, he wanted to keep a low profile. He had no desire to get into a dispute with his fellow disciples over a residence.

"Make way! Senior Brother Sima is here!"

A loud shout came from down the mountain path. The crowd parted like a tide, and Sima Feng strode forward with a dark expression.

He had barely stopped when another shout rang out from the opposite side—

"Senior Brother Cai is here!"

The crowd parted again. Cai Zhenyu looked just as grim as he strode to the other side of the open ground.

The two came face-to-face in the open ground outside Heaven One. Their eyes met, and the air instantly filled with tension.

"Sima Feng," Cai Zhenyu sneered. "Nice move. You say we’ll settle this with a duel next week, yet you secretly sent someone to claim Heaven One ahead of time?"

"Bullshit!" Sima Feng snapped. "I was wondering if you were behind this!"

The two glared at each other. Behind them, their respective followers tightened their grips on their sword hilts, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Just then—

"Senior Brothers, calm down."

Chen Yuan suddenly pushed his way out of the crowd and approached them hesitantly. He gave an awkward little cough.

"Uh... if I’m not mistaken, the person who moved in is one of today’s new disciples."

"A new disciple?"

Sima Feng’s eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

Cai Zhenyu’s expression changed drastically. He glared at Chen Yuan and roared, "You were in charge of receiving the new disciples today, weren’t you? You didn’t tell them Heaven One was off-limits?!"

Chen Yuan scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.

"I... forgot for a moment. I just didn’t expect someone to be so... lacking in judgment."

"Whoever’s in there, get your ass out here!"

Sima Feng was the first to make a move. He pointed at the wooden door of Heaven One and shouted, his voice booming like thunder and making the leaves of the surrounding trees rustle.

Cai Zhenyu was not about to back down. "Get out here now, or I’ll go in there, break both your legs, and throw you out myself."

"Get out here!"

"You deaf? Get out here!"

The followers behind the two joined in, their curses and taunts rising one after another.

Creak—

The wooden door slowly opened.

Qi Tian stood in the doorway, his expression calm as his gaze swept casually across the mass of people before him.

Every eye in the crowd fixed on him.

"Brother Qi! It’s you?!"

A round figure suddenly burst from the crowd and jogged over to Qi Tian. It was Qian Duobao.

Qian Duobao tugged at Qi Tian’s sleeve and lowered his voice.

"Brother Qi, they’re saying Heaven One is supposed to be for the number-one inner sect disciple."

Qi Tian nodded.

"I heard them. I’ll leave right now."

He was just about to take a step—

"You think you can just walk away after dirtying my place?" Sima Feng said coldly.

Cai Zhenyu immediately whipped his head toward Sima Feng.

"Your place? Since when was it yours? It’s mine!"

Qi Tian looked at the two of them. Then, suddenly, a hint of interest appeared in his eyes.

"So what do you want to do about it?"

Sima Feng and Cai Zhenyu exchanged a glance.

"Compensation!"

"And get on your knees and apologize!"

Qi Tian fell silent for a moment.

Then he suddenly smiled.

"I think I’m starting to like this place."

His gaze swept across the entire crowd. Slowly, deliberately, he spoke each word.

"I’ve decided—I’m staying."

The moment the words fell, the entire area fell deathly silent.

Everyone stared at him with wide eyes, their mouths hanging open as though they had just heard the most absurd thing imaginable.

Sima Feng’s face suddenly turned livid. Spiritual pressure erupted from his body, and the might of the ninth layer of Qi Condensation crashed down on Qi Tian like a mountain.

"You want to die?"

Qi Tian stood inside the doorway, utterly unmoved. Not even the hem of his robe stirred. He merely raised his eyes, his tone as calm as though he were discussing the weather.

"Isn’t Heaven One supposed to belong to whoever is the strongest?"

"The strongest?" Cai Zhenyu seemed to have heard the greatest joke in the world. He threw his head back and laughed, laughing so hard that tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.

"Hahaha... Hahaha! A useless third-layer Qi Condensation cultivator dares talk about strength in front of us? Are you fucking insane?"

"Brother Qi!" Qian Duobao frantically tugged at Qi Tian’s sleeve, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Just apologize and back down! They’re really going to make a move!"

Qi Tian glanced at him.

"What are you afraid of? If you’re scared, leave first."

Qian Duobao gritted his teeth, his chubby face flushing red.

"I’ll stay with you! At worst, we’ll take a beating. They’re fellow disciples. Surely they wouldn’t actually kill us, right?"

Qi Tian looked at him. A trace of warmth surfaced in his eyes, and he smiled.

"Don’t worry. It’s fine."

Sima Feng slowly raised his right hand. Spiritual energy gathered in his palm, crackling sharply as his gaze turned cold as a blade.

"I’m giving you one last chance. Kneel, kowtow, and get out of Heaven One."

Countless gazes—some pitying, some mocking, some simply waiting to watch the spectacle—settled on Qi Tian.

Qi Tian lowered his eyes, his thoughts racing.

Beating these two ninth-layer Qi Condensation cultivators would be effortless. But a third-layer Qi Condensation cultivator defeating two ninth-layer cultivators would be far too shocking. It would inevitably alert the several late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators on the mountain, perhaps even the half-step Golden Core cultivator at the summit.

If they started investigating him as a possible spy, there would be no explaining his way out of it.

He needed a way around this...

His eyes flickered, and he quickly came up with a plan.

It would still be astonishing, but at least it would remain within the realm of reason.

Seeing that he remained motionless, Cai Zhenyu sneered.

"Regretting all that big talk now? Then hurry up and kneel!"

Qi Tian did not kneel.

Instead, he lowered himself and sat down cross-legged.

Sima Feng shouted angrily, "I said kneel, not sit!"

"Kneeling isn’t happening."

Qi Tian settled himself cross-legged, his expression calm.

"If you want to fight, then fight. But I have one request."

Cai Zhenyu sneered.

"You want us to go easy on you? Don’t worry, we won’t kill you. At most, you’ll spend a month lying in bed, unable to get up."

"No."

Qi Tian raised his eyes, his tone perfectly calm.

"My request is this—would you mind letting me raise my cultivation first?"

"...Raise your cultivation?"

Sima Feng froze.

"Yes."

Qi Tian did not so much as blink.

"Actually, after the Heaven-Ascending Stairway test earlier, I felt my bottleneck loosen. I was just about to break through when you arrived. So... could you wait for me a moment? It won’t take long."

"..."

Sima Feng was speechless.

Cai Zhenyu stepped forward impatiently.

"Sima Feng, don’t waste time with this idiot—"

"Are you afraid that once I break through, you won’t be able to beat me?"

Qi Tian interrupted him calmly.

"..."

Cai Zhenyu was caught completely off guard.

"Hahaha! Fine!"

Cai Zhenyu laughed in fury.

"I’ll give you half an incense stick’s worth of time, you idiot!"

"Thank you."

Qi Tian closed his eyes and began circulating his cultivation technique.

Sima Feng snorted and did not stop him. Otherwise, it would look as though he were actually afraid of this idiot’s so-called "breakthrough."

A moment later—

Hum—

Qi Tian’s aura trembled, and his spiritual energy suddenly surged.

Fourth layer of Qi Condensation!

Immediately afterward, his aura surged again—

Fifth layer of Qi Condensation!

"He broke through two minor realms at once?!"

Someone cried out in shock.

Qi Tian opened his eyes, looking almost reluctant to stop.

"Actually... the spiritual energy here is quite dense. I could probably raise it a little further. If only I had a Qi-Gathering Pill..."

"Brother Qi, I have it!"

Qian Duobao hurriedly took out a jade bottle from his storage bag and poured out a Qi-Gathering Pill.

The pill was perfectly round and full, with a faint spiritual glow flowing across its surface. Its rich medicinal fragrance spread through the air.

"High-grade Qi-Gathering Pill!"

A wave of shocked exclamations immediately swept through the crowd.

It was no wonder everyone reacted so strongly. Each inner sect disciple received a monthly stipend of spirit stones and five Qi-Gathering Pills, but the pills were all low-grade. A single high-grade Qi-Gathering Pill was worth more than a hundred low-grade spirit stones—twenty times the value of a low-grade Qi-Gathering Pill. Ordinary disciples could only hope to receive one as a reward after making a major contribution to the sect or winning first place in the sect-wide competition.

"Here."

Qian Duobao held the pill out to Qi Tian.

"I can’t pay you back," Qi Tian said.

"We’re brothers. Don’t worry about it!"

Qian Duobao waved it off with a generous grin.

"Besides, it’s not some high-level pill. It’s nothing worth worrying about!"

Qi Tian glanced at him, his opinion of the chubby fellow rising another notch.

He took the pill, raised it to his mouth as though he were about to swallow it, then used his sleeve to conceal the motion and slipped it into his sleeve instead.

What a joke.

A Qi-Gathering Pill was completely useless to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Swallowing it would only be a waste. He might as well find an opportunity to sell it later.

He closed his eyes and pretended to refine the pill while secretly circulating his spiritual energy and continuing to push his cultivation upward.

Sixth layer of Qi Condensation!

There was still time left before the half-incense-stick limit, so he continued building momentum.

At the very last moment—

Boom!

His aura surged once more, reaching the seventh layer of Qi Condensation!

Qi Tian sprang to his feet and dusted off his robes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

The entire area fell deathly silent.

Everyone stared at him in stunned disbelief, as though they were looking at a ghost.

Four minor realms in half an incense stick’s time?!

"This newcomer... Is his talent really that monstrous?"

"Or is a high-grade Qi-Gathering Pill really that powerful?"

"But I’ve never heard of anyone breaking through two minor realms in the middle stage of Qi Condensation with Qi-Gathering Pills alone..."

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