From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 455 Desperate Counterattack Unfolds a Grand Ambition

The bluestone slabs of the training ground were still damp with the evening air. As soon as I turned around the screen wall, I heard shouts of "Senior Sister Xiao" rising and falling. More than thirty outer disciples were all crowded in the center of the training ground. Wang Erniu's breastplate gleamed dully in the twilight. There were still bits of grass stuck to Chu Qing's ponytail. Even Zhou Xianzi, who was usually aloof, was standing on tiptoe to look this way.

"Come closer, everyone." I gripped the silver hairpin in my sleeve until it was burning hot; it was the one Chu Qing had insisted on giving me, saying it was left by her mother. "Last month, Hall Master Zhao said that we outer disciples 'would be a disgrace to the inner sect even if we went to the Grand Competition,' so the Grand Elder gave us a month."

The wind swirled the grass on the training ground, and Wang Erniu's breastplate clanged against the bluestone slab. "Senior Sister Xiao, does that mean... we can participate in the competition?" Chu Qing tugged at my sleeve, her eyes shining like stars, but her fingertips trembling—I remembered when she first came to the martial arts arena, she was also trembling, hiding behind a tree, saying, "My spiritual power is too weak; I can't learn the fireball technique."

“You can stand on the stage, but you have to stand firmly.” I glanced at their wrinkled Taoist robes and patched protective gear, and my throat tightened. “For the past month, we have been practicing physical exercises at 3 AM, studying the Dharma at 5 AM, and engaging in practical combat at 7 AM every day.”

Elder Li approved ten Qi Gathering Pills for us, but there are thirty people to share—"I paused, then pulled a cloth bag from my pocket, "These are five Qi Cultivation Pills that I exchanged for last month's salary. They'll be distributed among those who practice extra tonight."

Suddenly, Fairy Zhou knelt down, her moon-white dress stained with mud, just like her appearance in the council hall: "When Senior Sister Xiao taught me to draw array diagrams, she said, 'Spiritual roots are the road, and the brain is the foot.' I believe you." Before she finished speaking, Chu Qing also knelt down with a "thump," Wang Erniu scratched the back of his head and knelt crookedly, and even the most shy Xiao Tao squatted down with red eyes.

"Get up, all of you!" I bent down to pull Chu Qing up, my fingertips touching the pale scar on her forearm—a mark left from her sparring with Ironback Bear last month.

She turned and grabbed my hand, her palms sweaty: "Senior sister, I'm not afraid of being tired."

At 3:45 AM, the martial arts training ground was shrouded in a thin mist. I stood on the high platform, gripping my wooden sword, watching Senior Brother Lin lead his disciples in running laps.

Wang Erniu's breastplate was cracked, making a clanging sound as he ran; Chu Qing's ponytail swung wildly, the ends of her hair glistening with morning dew; Zhou Xianzi ran the most steadily, each step landing precisely on the cracks in the bluestone slabs—that was the starting stance of the "Stacked Cloud Steps" I taught her.

"Stop!" Senior Brother Lin blew his bamboo whistle. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and the back of his Taoist robe was soaked. "Wang Erniu, the protective mirror has loosened!"

Chu Qing, your steps are too unsteady!

"Fairy Zhou, lower your center of gravity by half an inch!" He turned to look at me, his eyes pleading, "Junior Sister Xiao, why don't you rest for half an incense stick's time?"

I shook my head.

The Qi Gathering Pills Elder Li gave out rattled softly in the bottle. There were ten pills for thirty people, meaning each person would only receive half a pill the size of a fingernail. "Put the Qi Gathering Pill under your tongue." I checked each person's pills with my medicine box. Xiao Tao, clutching the pill, trembled. "Senior Sister, this is good stuff... I... I'll save it for Wang Erniu, okay?"

“No.” I pressed down on the back of her hand. “Your pulse was trembling when you were practicing Qi cultivation yesterday; you need this.” Her eyelashes fluttered, and she finally put the pill in her mouth, her eyes immediately brightening: “It’s warm!”

But on the fourth day at noon, a problem still arose.

Chu Qing stood in the center of the training ground, holding up half a charred talisman. Smoke was still rising from the edge of the talisman. "Senior Sister, I...I burned it again." Her fingertips trembled, and her forehead was covered in sweat. Last time she burned a talisman, she was scolded by the outer sect deacon for "being a waste of mixed spiritual roots" and cried all night in the woodshed.

“It’s not the talisman’s fault.” I picked up the charred talisman. “Your hand was trembling when you held it.” I placed my hand on the back of hers, feeling the pulse in her wrist. “Were you afraid of being called useless again after being scolded by the deacon that day?”

She suddenly burst into tears, her tears falling onto the talisman: "I'm afraid...afraid I won't be able to practice well enough, and I won't even be able to get onto the competition stage."

“Then crush your fear.” I pulled out a new talisman and handed it to her. “Watch closely—” I condensed a wisp of spiritual power at my fingertips, and the talisman suddenly burst into a ghostly blue flame. “So what if your spiritual root is weak?”

"Back in the modern world, I didn't even have spiritual roots, yet I still managed to get you all here."

She sobbed and wiped away her tears, then gripped the talisman again.

This time, the flames that ignited on the talisman were small, but they were steady and did not burn the edges.

But Master Zhao came more often than expected.

At dawn on the seventh day, the moment his black boots pounded the bluestone slabs of the training ground, the ground fell silent enough that the sound of wind rustling through the grass could be heard. “Xiao Yao,” he said, swinging his jade thumb ring, his voice like shards of ice, “the Grand Elder gave us a ‘one-month agreement,’ not a ‘one-month joke.’” He pointed to Wang Erniu—the boy who was sparring with Zhou Xianzi while holding a cracked breastplate. “Practicing with a cracked breastplate?”

Who's responsible if someone dies?

Wang Erniu's breastplate clattered to the ground, and Zhou Xianzi's hand froze in mid-air. "Master Zhao," I said, bending down to pick up the breastplate. A shard of jade was still stuck in the crack—Wang Erniu had secretly slipped it in. "This breastplate was left to me by his mother; even cracked, it's more convenient than a new one."

He sneered: "Suitable?"

During the Grand Competition, the inner disciples' magic weapons could split mountains, and you're using a piece of broken iron to block them? The training ground was eerily quiet. Chu Qing's talisman burned with a "whoosh," and the smell of burning made people's noses sting.

After Master Zhao walked away, flicking his sleeves, Wang Erniu suddenly squatted down and frantically wiped the breastplate with his sleeve: "Senior Sister, I'll get a new one tomorrow."

"Change what?!" I raised my voice. "Back when Immortal Venerable Wen Chen was wandering the mortal realm, he even used tree branches as swords!" I swept my gaze across their dejected faces and deliberately raised my voice, "Look up!"

We're here to learn skills, not to compete with magical weapons!

Chu Qing was the first to look up; her eyes were still red, but she nodded emphatically.

Fairy Zhou picked up the talisman from the ground and gathered spiritual power at her fingertips—this time the flame was even stronger than yesterday.

Wang Erniu fastened the breastplate back to his chest, the cracked mirror reflecting his shining eyes: "Senior Sister is right, even scrap iron can block a great formation!"

As dusk settled over the martial arts arena, Senior Brother Lin helped me pack up my teaching materials.

His fingertips paused on the bamboo slip, then he suddenly coughed, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. "Senior Brother Lin?" I tried to help him, but he waved his hand, his smile somewhat forced: "It's nothing, I just used up some spiritual energy helping Xiao Tao regulate her qi yesterday."

But I saw the sweat on his forehead and the slight trembling of his wrists as he rubbed his shoulders.

The wind swept fallen leaves across the training ground, and in the distance came the soft sound of warm dust brushing against the pillars—but at this moment, I stared at Senior Brother Lin's pale lips and suddenly remembered that he always said "outer disciples are also treasures," and that he was the first to arrive at the training ground and the last to leave every day.

"Senior brother, I'll come earlier tomorrow," I said softly.

He paused for a moment, then smiled, but there was something in that smile that I couldn't understand, like frost that hadn't melted in the spring night.

The lights in the training ground lit up one by one. Chu Qing ran over carrying a newly drawn array diagram, with Wang Erniu following behind carrying a breastplate.

As I gazed at their long shadows cast by the lamplight, I suddenly recalled the elder's words, "Tread the impossible into a road"—perhaps the road is already beneath our feet, though it may be bumpy and uneven, every step we take is solid.

But then Senior Brother Lin started coughing again, and in the deepening night, his voice was as soft as a falling leaf.

Brother Lin's coughing could not be heard in the morning mist.

The next day at dawn, I carried my medicine box to the training ground and saw him squatting by the bluestone slab, adjusting the straps of Wang Erniu's breastplate, his back hunched like a drawn bow. "Senior brother," I said, handing him a cup of hot ginger tea, and was startled when I touched the back of his hand—it was hot enough to boil an egg, "You have a high fever, you should rest today."

He took the teacup, his brows blurred by the steam: "Yesterday, when I was guiding Xiao Tao's qi, her pulse suddenly became disordered, and I forcibly transferred half an incense stick's worth of spiritual energy to her..." Before he could finish speaking, he coughed again, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned blue.

Wang Erniu leaned closer, the shards of jade on his breastplate gleaming faintly: "Senior Sister Xiao, shall I help Senior Brother Lin to the side hall to rest?"

"No need." Senior Brother Lin wiped his sweat, swayed as he stood up, but still walked to the high platform and blew his bamboo whistle, "Run laps!"

Chu Qing, don't step on the grass! Fairy Zhou, take the Cloud Steps! "His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, but the disciples still lined up in a flash—these days he always said, 'The bones of outer disciples are forged through falls,' and they believed him."

I gripped the medicine box tightly, my nails digging into my palms.

Elder Li had only three Qi-Nourishing Pills left, which were originally intended for the disciples who were struggling the most.

Senior Brother Ke Lin was coughing so badly he could barely hold his bamboo whistle. I gritted my teeth, took out a pill, and stuffed it into his hand: "Suck on this." He hesitated for a moment, then finally put it in his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Thanks."

I suggested the simulated trial on the seventh day.

The Grand Elder has given them only fifteen days left; we must test their true abilities under pressure.

I let Senior Brother Lin rest in the side hall, and then I set up an illusion—ten phantom beasts darted out from the four corners of the training ground, the sharp teeth of the blue wolf grazed Chu Qing's hair, and the tail of the fire fox swept across Wang Erniu's breastplate.

"Form the Three Talents Formation!" I shouted until my throat ached.

Fairy Zhou reacted the fastest, drawing lightning array patterns with her fingertips, but Xiao Tao froze in place, trembling as she stared at the bear demon rushing towards her; Chu Qing's fire-starting talisman was held too tightly, and the edges began to scorch again; Wang Erniu swung his broken wooden sword to block the wolf's claws, and a gust of wind leaked in through the crack in the protective mirror, causing him to stagger.

As the illusion dissipated, the training ground was filled with fragments of phantom "monsters".

Chu Qing's talisman fell to the ground, its corner crumpled from being stepped on; Xiao Tao squatted in the corner, her knees pressed against her chest; Wang Erniu's protective mirror cracked again, and shards of jade fell "clink" onto the bluestone slab.

Fairy Zhou went over to help Xiao Tao up, her voice so soft it sounded like a sigh: "It's my fault for not taking good care of her."

“It’s not your fault.” I crouched down to pick up the broken jade pieces. The jade fragments, no bigger than a fingernail, still carried Wang Erniu’s warmth. “The wolf demon attacked Xiao Tao because she was standing in the weakest position of the formation; Chu Qing’s talisman was scorched at the edges because she was too eager to succeed; Wang Erniu’s protective mirror…” I took out a piece of cloth and wrapped the jade fragments up. “It’s because it followed your mother all over the country and couldn’t bear to see you suffer.”

Xiao Tao sniffed: "Senior sister, I'm just... I'm just afraid of pain."

“It’s good that you’re afraid of pain.” I tugged at her hair tie, which her mother had made of straw. “The first time I was chased by a monster, my legs were so weak I could have eaten mud.” I pointed to my chest. “But this part needs to be strong—once you feel the pain, you’ll know how to dodge it a second time; ten times, you’ll be able to stand on the platform and make the monsters feel pain.”

That night, Senior Brother Lin and I spread out bamboo slips at the stone table in the training ground.

His fever had subsided somewhat, but his eyes were still red, and his hand trembled as he picked up the pen: "Chu Qing needs to practice her inner cultivation technique more; she's too easily swayed by her emotions. Xiao Tao needs to enter the illusionary realm more often, and practice whatever she's afraid of. Wang Erniu's Heart-Protecting Mirror..." He paused, "I'll go to the Weapon Pavilion to ask for a reinforcement talisman; broken jade can suppress spiritual energy."

“Senior brother.” I pressed his wrist, noticing a faint red mark on his sleeve—a backlash from transferring spiritual energy to a disciple. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll lead the morning lessons, and you’ll teach the evening cultivation method.”

He smiled, the candlelight reflecting in the wrinkles around his eyes: "You always say that outer disciples have to walk their own path, but this old bone of mine still wants to give you a little more time to learn."

The days that followed were like a spinning top with its string pulled out.

At dawn, a bamboo-woven illusion tent appeared in the martial arts arena. Xiao Tao would sneak in every day to "fight" with the phantom monsters, going from running out crying to rushing in with red eyes, clutching a lightning-summoning talisman. Chu Qing covered my room with talismans, marking each wasted drawing with a small circle, which later turned into checkmarks. Wang Erniu's protective mirror was wrapped with a reinforcing talisman, and fragments of jade shimmered warmly in the cracks. When he swung his sword, he would always shout, "Break through iron and block the great formation!"

Zhou Xianzi and several disciples pondered a combined spell, and the bluestone slabs of the training ground were engraved with array diagrams of varying depths by them.

One evening, I went to deliver water and saw her squatting on the ground explaining the key points of the formation to Chu Qing: "You need to control the heat of your fire-igniting talisman. Wait until my thunder formation is activated before setting it on, like...like cooking porridge, you have to wait for the water to boil before adding the rice." Chu Qing tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Senior Sister Zhou, you talk just like my mother cooking!"

Brother Lin's cough had lessened a bit, but he still often stared blankly at the backs of his disciples during evening classes.

Once, when I was tidying up my lesson plans, I saw that he had drawn a small portrait on the back of the bamboo slips—it was Wang Erniu holding a protective mirror, Chu Qing clutching a talisman, and Xiao Tao standing in front of the illusion pavilion, with the three words "Outer Gate Bone" written next to it, the ink smudged.

Seven days before the review, I inspected the results at the drill ground in the evening.

In the illusion, ten demonic beasts pounced at the same time. Xiao Tao bit her lip and stood still, drawing an obstacle avoidance array with her fingertips. Chu Qing's fire-starting talisman ignited a ghostly blue flame, steadily burning through the wolf demon's phantom. Wang Erniu's protective mirror hit the bluestone slab, the shattered jade flashing, actually blocking the bear demon's attack.

Zhou Xianzi's lightning array exploded with a "boom," and the phantoms of the ten demonic beasts vanished simultaneously.

The training ground fell silent for a moment, then erupted in cheers.

Chu Qing rushed over and hugged me, the talisman rubbing against my face until it itched; Wang Erniu's protective mirror bumped into my arm and made it ache; Xiao Tao clutched my sleeve, her tears soaking my Taoist robe.

Senior Brother Lin stood on the high platform, holding a bamboo whistle in his hand, his lips curled up like a crescent moon—only then did I notice that the white hair at his temples shone in the twilight.

"Senior Sister Xiao!" Chu Qing waved a talisman at me, "This is a newly drawn immobilization talisman; it can freeze a demon beast for three breaths!"

"Wang Erniu!" Zhou Xianzi called to him, "Come try the combined formation, you guard the left side!"

As I watched their retreating figures, my throat tightened.

Elder Li's pills had long been distributed, and Senior Brother Lin had used three reinforcing talismans, yet their Taoist robes were still patched again and again, and the cracks in their protective gear remained—but there was light in their eyes, a light so bright it could burn through the mist.

The evening breeze swirled the grass blades in the drill ground, and the distant sound of bells rang out.

I took out the silver hairpin from my sleeve—Chu Qing said it was her mother's talisman, and it was warm to the touch in my palm.

Master Zhao's black boots might once again crush the training grounds, and the inner sect's scrutiny might be sharper than any demonic beast. But as I watched the disciples patting each other on the back, I suddenly remembered what Immortal Venerable Wen Chen had said: "Flowers that bloom in dire straits are the most resistant to frost."

As the lights in the training ground gradually came on, Senior Brother Lin approached, clutching a crumpled invitation card in his hand. "It was sent by the Grand Elder," he said. "The review... is scheduled for three days from now."

I took the post and my fingertips touched the two characters "辰时" (Chenshi, the hour of the hour of the dragon) whose ink was still wet.

A gust of wind lifted a corner, revealing small print on the back of the post—it was Senior Brother Lin's handwriting: "The disciple is malleable, the teacher's heart is evident."

The laughter of disciples drifted from afar, mingling with the soft clatter of the protective mirrors on the bluestone slabs.

As I watched their shadows lengthen in the lamplight, I suddenly heard my heart pounding like a drum—this time, our path should be seen by everyone.