From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 10 Cultivating in Adversity

I was still shaken, but I calmed down a little after seeing who it was. The woman in green was Senior Sister Wu, an outstanding disciple of the outer sect. She always had an arrogant and aloof demeanor. I heard that she had already reached the fifth level of Qi Refining and had few rivals among the outer sect disciples.

“Senior Sister Wu…” I stammered, “I… I was just looking around.”

Senior Sister Wu clearly didn't believe my explanation. She gave a cold laugh, her tone laced with sarcasm: "Just looking around? Do you think this is a place where just anyone can come in?"

I was speechless, choked by her words, and could only lower my head, nervously twisting my fingers.

"Tell me, what exactly do you want to do here?" Senior Sister Wu pressed me relentlessly, leaving me with almost no way out.

Just then, the door to the training room was pushed open from the outside, and a burly middle-aged man walked in. He had thick eyebrows and fierce eyes, and exuded an imposing aura. He was none other than Instructor Zheng, who was in charge of teaching the new disciples.

"Junior Sister Wu, what are you doing here?" Instructor Zheng was slightly surprised to see Senior Sister Wu.

“Instructor Zheng,” Senior Sister Wu bowed respectfully, then pointed at me and said, “This Junior Sister Xiao has been acting suspiciously here. I suspect she has ulterior motives.”

Upon hearing this, I panicked and hurriedly waved my hands, explaining, "No, Instructor Zheng, I didn't..."

However, before I could finish my explanation, Coach Zheng impatiently interrupted me: "Alright, this is none of your business. You can go now."

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something more, but seeing Instructor Zheng's stern gaze, I swallowed the words that were on the tip of my tongue. I lowered my head, silently turned around, and prepared to leave the training room.

"Wait!" Senior Sister Wu suddenly called out to me, a cold smile playing on her lips. "Junior Sister Xiao, I heard that your cultivation speed has been astonishing recently, breaking through to the first level of Qi Refining in just one month. Is that true?"

I was startled, not understanding why Senior Sister Wu suddenly brought this up, and could only bite the bullet and answer, "It was just good luck."

"Good luck?" Senior Sister Wu burst into laughter as if she had heard a hilarious joke. "The path of cultivation depends entirely on personal talent and effort. How can there be any distinction between good and bad luck? I think you just dare not admit it."

I was enraged by her words and couldn't help but retort, "Whether I admit it or not is none of your business!"

"Fine, very well!" Senior Sister Wu laughed angrily, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "Since that's the case, let's have a contest, shall we?"

Before I could react, Instructor Zheng spoke up: "In that case, I'll be a witness. Xiao Yao, if you can break through to the second level of the beginner's technique within three days, you win. How about it?"

Three days? A chill ran from my feet straight to my heart. Three days? Hearing Instructor Zheng's words, I felt as if I had fallen into an ice cave. The difficulty of cultivating the initial stage of the technique is extremely high. It took me a month to barely break through the first level. To break through to the second level in three days? This is simply a fantasy!

"What? You don't dare to agree?" Senior Sister Wu looked at me provocatively, her eyes full of contempt. "I knew you were all talk and no action, you had no real skills at all!"

I clenched my fist, a fighting spirit igniting within me. Even if the hope was slim, I would give it my all! "Okay, I promise you!"

Instructor Zheng nodded and led me and Senior Sister Wu to an empty cultivation room. The cultivation room was rich in spiritual energy, making it an excellent place for cultivation.

"Alright, you can cultivate here. I'll come back to check your progress in three days." After saying that, Instructor Zheng turned and left the cultivation room.

I took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate my energy. However, no matter how hard I tried, the spiritual energy within my body was like a wild horse, running rampant and unable to follow the proper energy path.

"Hmph, overestimating yourself." Senior Sister Wu watched coldly from the side. Seeing my cultivation stalled, a mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips. "With your aptitude, you think you can break through to the second level in three days? That's just wishful thinking!"

I ignored her and continued to concentrate on my cultivation. Senior Sister Wu's words were like sharp thorns piercing my heart, but I told myself that I couldn't let her influence me; I had to succeed!

Time ticked by, and fine beads of sweat appeared on my forehead, soaking my clothes. However, my practice made no progress whatsoever. My anxiety grew; was I really going to lose?

"Give up, you can't possibly succeed." Senior Sister Wu's voice rang out again, with a hint of smugness. "I advise you to admit defeat as soon as possible, so as not to embarrass yourself later."

I suddenly opened my eyes, looking at Senior Sister Wu with unwavering determination, and said, word by word, "I won't give up, not until the very last moment..." Before I could finish speaking, I suddenly felt a sharp pain throughout my body, as if countless needles were piercing my meridians...

Before I could finish speaking, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my body, as if countless needles were piercing my meridians. I groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood, staining my clothes red.

"Haha, I told you you couldn't do it!" Senior Sister Wu laughed even more wildly upon seeing this. "With your broken body, you still want to cultivate? You're really overestimating yourself!"

I collapsed to the ground, the intense pain almost making me faint. I tried to circulate my energy, but it was as if something was blocking it, and I couldn't mobilize it no matter what I did.

Am I really going to give up? No, I'm not willing to accept this! I still have so much to do, I can't just give up like this! I struggled to stand up, but my body felt like it was falling apart, I had no strength at all.

"Don't waste your energy, you can't possibly beat me." Senior Sister Wu looked down at me, her eyes full of mockery. "Just admit defeat obediently, and I might consider sparing your life."

I gritted my teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, my gaze fixed on Senior Sister Wu, my eyes burning with an indomitable spirit. I would never admit defeat! Even if it meant being shattered to pieces, I would give it my all!

I staggered to my feet, sat cross-legged, closed my eyes, and began to recall the contents of the manual. Again and again, I carefully studied every word and phrase, trying to find a way to break through.

Time ticked by, and my hope dwindled with each passing second. Was I really going to lose? Just as I was about to give up, a passage from the manual suddenly flashed through my mind: "Spiritual energy is the essence of heaven and earth, the foundation of all things; it must be sensed with the heart and controlled with the will..."

Feel it with your heart, control it with your mind... I pondered this sentence repeatedly, and suddenly, it was as if I had grasped something crucial, and my mind became clear.

I took a deep breath, clearing my mind of all distractions, and completely immersed myself in the cultivation technique. I sensed the surrounding spiritual energy, its aura, its rhythm, and I tried to guide and control it with my own will...

Gradually, I felt the spiritual energy within my body begin to become gentler. It no longer rushed around wildly as before, but flowed slowly through my meridians according to my will...

A surge of joy filled me; I knew I had finally found a way to break through. I continued to concentrate, guiding the spiritual energy through my body, again and again…

"What's going on?" Senior Sister Wu, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, seemed to notice my change as well. A look of surprise appeared on her face. "How is this possible..."

I ignored everything and devoted myself entirely to cultivation. I felt a powerful force awakening within me...

I felt a warm current flowing through my meridians, and the intense pain miraculously disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented sense of comfort. I opened my eyes, and a glint of light flashed across them.

"This is impossible!" Senior Sister Wu exclaimed, looking at me in disbelief. "How could you possibly break through to the second level?!"

I slowly stood up, feeling the abundant spiritual energy within my body, and a confident smile appeared on my lips: "Nothing is impossible. I'm just more hardworking than you."

"You..." Senior Sister Wu was furious and wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Instructor Zheng.

“That’s enough, Junior Sister Wu,” Instructor Zheng walked up to me, his eyes full of praise. “Xiao Yao, you did very well. You have successfully broken through to the second level and completed the challenge.”

I smiled slightly and bowed to Instructor Zheng: "Thank you for the compliment, Instructor."

"It is truly remarkable that you were able to break through adversity," Instructor Zheng nodded, then turned to the other disciples. "You should all learn from Xiao Yao. In the path of cultivation, talent is certainly important, but diligence and perseverance are even more crucial."

The other disciples all looked at me with admiration, and I was secretly delighted. I knew that I had successfully proven myself.

I returned to my training room and continued my practice. I knew this was just the beginning; I had a long way to go. I needed to become stronger to protect those I wanted to protect and to gain a foothold in this world.

Time flies, and seven days have passed in the blink of an eye. During these seven days, I haven't relaxed my cultivation for a moment, and my cultivation level has been steadily improving. I know that tomorrow is the day to showcase my cultivation results at the Immortal Gate Square.

I took a deep breath, slowly opened my eyes, and a glint of light flashed in them... "It's time," I murmured to myself, a confident smile playing on my lips. I pushed open the door to the training room and walked out.