Ten Thousand Years in Seclusion

The sounds of exclamation, sharp intakes of breath, and excited chatter erupted like a wave.

One gaze after another fell upon Qi Tian—filled with shock, confusion, envy, jealousy, and even a hint of wariness.

Qi Tian stood there, rather satisfied inwardly.

If keeping a low profile was no longer possible, then he might as well show some strength and make these people think twice.

But he couldn’t afford to reveal anything beyond the seventh layer of Qi Condensation.

Breaking through four minor realms in the span of half an incense stick was already shocking enough. If he pushed himself another one or two layers higher...

That would be far beyond anything that could be explained by mere extraordinary talent.

"Hmph!"

Sima Feng snorted coldly.

His expression had become extremely grim.

Just moments ago, Qi Tian had been nothing more than a third-layer Qi Condensation cultivator he could have crushed with ease. Now, he had suddenly reached the seventh layer.

Although Qi Tian was still two layers below him, this kind of progress was simply too fast.

The murmurs from the surrounding disciples only made him more irritated.

"What’s there to be surprised about?"

Sima Feng said coldly. "He’s only at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation."

Despite his words, his gaze had grown noticeably more serious.

Cai Zhenyu remained silent as well.

He stared at Qi Tian, his brows drawing together slightly.

Qi Tian looked at the two of them.

"Can we fight now?"

Sima Feng’s expression darkened.

"You think breaking through to the seventh layer gives you the right to act recklessly in front of me?"

"Whether I have the right or not, why don’t we find out?"

Qi Tian’s tone remained calm.

A cold glint flashed through Sima Feng’s eyes.

The next moment, he moved.

He stomped the ground, and the spiritual energy of a ninth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator erupted. His entire body shot toward Qi Tian like an arrow loosed from a bow, his right palm carrying a fierce gust of wind as it drove straight toward Qi Tian’s chest.

He held nothing back.

The disciples around them all changed expression.

"Senior Brother Sima is serious!"

"This newcomer is finished!"

A seventh-layer Qi Condensation cultivator was already two minor realms below a ninth-layer cultivator.

Qian Duobao, standing beside Qi Tian, suddenly paled.

"Brother Qi, watch out!"

Yet Qi Tian did not dodge. Instead, he stepped forward, meeting Sima Feng head-on.

Bang!

A dull impact rang out.

Sima Feng’s palm struck Qi Tian squarely in the chest.

A flicker of delight crossed Sima Feng’s eyes.

Then it vanished.

Qi Tian remained exactly where he stood, completely unmoved. He didn’t so much as frown.

He simply raised his right hand.

His five fingers closed.

Sima Feng’s wrist was caught firmly in his grasp.

The entire area fell silent.

Everyone froze.

Sima Feng’s pupils contracted sharply.

Impossible.

There had been nothing particularly powerful about the strike itself. But it had been a full-powered blow from a ninth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator. Yet it hadn’t even managed to shake a seventh-layer cultivator’s body.

"That’s it?"

Qi Tian’s expression remained calm as he uttered the three words softly.

Sima Feng’s face instantly flushed red.

"You’re asking to die!"

He abruptly poured spiritual energy into his body, veins bulging across his wrist as he tried to wrench himself free.

But no matter how hard he struggled, Qi Tian’s five fingers remained as immovable as an iron clamp.

Qi Tian had not even used a trace of true essence.

His physical strength alone was enough to match an early Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Qi Tian looked at Sima Feng, whose wrist was still locked in his grip, his expression calm.

"Do you concede?"

Sima Feng’s eyes bulged with fury as he roared, "Bullshit! How the hell could I—"

Pa!

A sharp slap rang out.

Sima Feng’s voice cut off mid-sentence. His entire body went flying like a spinning top, turning several times in midair before crashing heavily onto the ground several yards away, sending up a cloud of dust.

The entire area fell deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned. Sima Feng’s followers most of all. They stood frozen, too dumbstruck even to rush over and help him.

Senior Brother Sima, a ninth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator...

Had just been slapped flying by a seventh-layer Qi Condensation cultivator who had only just entered the sect?

A moment later, seeing that Sima Feng still hadn’t moved, several disciples finally came rushing over in alarm.

"Senior Brother Sima! Are you all right?"

"Don’t worry."

Qi Tian calmly dusted off his sleeve.

"He just passed out."

Qi Tian was quietly satisfied. He had gauged the force of that slap perfectly—terrifying at first glance, yet only enough to knock Sima Feng unconscious without damaging him at the core.

After all, they were inside the Falling Cloud Sect. If he struck too hard, he would inevitably bring himself a great deal of trouble.

At that moment, Sima Feng lay motionless on the ground, eyes shut and white foam spilling from the corner of his mouth. One of the disciples cautiously reached toward his nose to check his breathing. Only after confirming that he was still breathing did the disciple let out a long sigh of relief.

Qi Tian paid him no further attention and turned to Cai Zhenyu.

"Your turn."

Cai Zhenyu stood where he was, his thoughts in turmoil.

His strength was on par with Sima Feng’s. Even when the two of them sparred with personal disciples, neither had ever been defeated in a single move.

Yet this guy was only at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation.

How could he possibly be this absurdly strong?

When Qi Tian saw that he still wasn’t moving, he raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, are you going to fight or not?"

Cai Zhenyu stared hard at Qi Tian, then glanced at Sima Feng lying unconscious on the ground, looking as miserable as a beaten dog.

His face shifted from pale to green and back again.

Fight?

He’d probably end up just like Sima Feng.

After a long silence, Cai Zhenyu said nothing. He abruptly turned around, pushed his way through the crowd, and strode away.

His back was stiff, and he didn’t even dare leave behind a single threat.

Not daring to fight was humiliating enough. Throwing out some empty threat now would only make him a laughingstock.

His followers quickly followed after him.

One of Sima Feng’s followers had already hoisted the unconscious Sima Feng onto his back. The others clustered around him, heads lowered, and hurried away with their tails between their legs.

The remaining disciples exchanged glances, looking from one another to another as whispers and murmurs spread through the crowd like a rising tide.

Qi Tian’s gaze swept across everyone.

"Anyone else have a problem with me staying in Heaven One?"

A problem?

You’ve got to be kidding.

The two strongest inner sect disciples—one had just been slapped unconscious, while the other hadn’t even dared to make a move before slinking away.

At a time like this, who would dare object?

A short, thin senior disciple forced a smile.

"Junior Brother, your strength is impressive. We all—"

"Senior Brother Qi is the number-one disciple of the inner sect. Of course Heaven One belongs to him! None of us have any objections!"

A voice suddenly rang out, cutting him off.

The short disciple whipped around, wanting to see which bastard had stolen his line.

Then he saw Chen Yuan.

He was speechless.

Well, well.

A man ranked among the top ten disciples of the inner sect was publicly calling someone who had only entered the sect today his Senior Brother.

What shamelessness.

He cursed inwardly, but didn’t dare let it show. Instead, he immediately plastered on a smile and nodded repeatedly.

"Senior Brother Qi’s strength is extraordinary. It’s only right that he live in Heaven One."

Someone else quickly chimed in.

"Exactly. Heaven One has always belonged to the strongest. Senior Brother Qi moving in is perfectly in accordance with the rules."

"That’s right, that’s right. Senior Brother Qi possesses extraordinary talent. It’s a blessing for our Falling Cloud Sect!"

"Senior Brother Qi, after witnessing your battle today, I’m utterly impressed!"

"If Senior Brother Qi ever needs anything, just say the word!"

For a moment, the flattery came one after another.

Qi Tian watched the scene, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

He waved a hand.

"Since none of you have any objections, then that’s that. You can all leave."

"Yes, yes! We won’t disturb your cultivation, Senior Brother Qi!"

"Have a good rest, Senior Brother Qi."

The disciples hurriedly echoed him before scattering in every direction.

Before long, only Qi Tian and Qian Duobao remained outside Heaven One.

Qian Duobao looked at Qi Tian, seeming to have something to say. In the end, he scratched his head.

"Brother Qi... You really are something."

He still felt that calling him Brother Qi was more appropriate. It made their relationship seem closer and set him apart from everyone else.

Qi Tian smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"I just happened to break through. Otherwise, how could I have beaten them? I have you to thank for that high-grade Qi-Gathering Pill."

"Ah, come on. Brothers don’t worry about things like that!"

Qian Duobao gave a sheepish grin. After a few more words of small talk, he took his leave.

Meanwhile, amid the crowd that had just dispersed, a richly dressed young man quietly returned to his own Profound One residence.

He was the same young man who, like Lin Ye, had been at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation at noon and had been revealed by the Spirit-Assessment Stele to possess a Three-Element Spiritual Root.

Since he had been exempted from the Heaven-Ascending Stairway test, he had arrived at the inner sect ahead of the others and chosen this Profound One residence.

The young man closed the door behind him and pulled a palm-sized, gray-white stone from his robes.

A Recording Stone.

It was a common tool used by cultivators in the Tianyan Realm to record images.

His subordinate had hurriedly slipped this Recording Stone into his hands earlier this morning, before he came to the Falling Cloud Sect for the examination.

He sent a strand of divine sense into it.

In an instant, an image appeared across the surface of the stone.

It showed a teahouse.

A young man in white robes sat there calmly.

Qi Tian.

So the scene that had unfolded at Tingfeng Teahouse that morning had already been secretly recorded.

The richly dressed youth continued watching.

In the recording, Qi Tian had remained completely composed when Old Xiao, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, made his move. He had calmly withstood that dark palm seal without the slightest sign of panic.

From beginning to end, his expression had remained unruffled, and he had emerged completely unharmed.

The richly dressed youth stared at the image, the corners of his lips slowly curling into a meaningful smile.

"Heh..."

"A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, pretending to be at the Qi Condensation stage?"

"Interesting."

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