Chapter 8: Fight Fire with Fire!

After eating, Ling Feng was arranged by Duanmu Qingshan to stay in a room within the bamboo building on the right side.

The bamboo house was simple; aside from a bamboo bed, a bamboo table, and a few bamboo chairs, it was almost empty.

Ling Feng set down his bundle, tidied up briefly, and settled in for the time being.

He opened the *Wenxian Qi Refining Manual* and carefully read the incantations and mental cultivation methods within.

After a long while, Ling Feng nodded, a hint of excitement appearing in his eyes.

"So, this is how a Qi Condensation Realm martial artist cultivates. No wonder I couldn't break through even after activating the First Divine Mark of Humanity to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth."

Before arriving at the Wenxian Sect, he had attempted to explore cultivation on his own, but unfortunately, he had failed to find the right method. Now, with this *Wenxian Qi Refining Manual*, he finally knew how to continue his cultivation.

"First Divine Mark of Humanity, activate!"

Ling Feng took a deep breath. His left eye grew slightly warm, and a divine mark emerged.

In an instant, his body felt as if it had become a furnace for the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, beginning to absorb the surrounding essence.

The Wenxian Sect truly lived up to its reputation as a martial arts sect; it was a place of profound spiritual essence, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was incredibly dense, many times more effective than in the outside world.

Ling Feng knew he only had thirty breaths of time and did not dare to waste a single second.

"Absorb the spiritual energy, return it to the Qi Sea..."

Following the methods of the *Qi Refining Manual*, he circulated the true qi within his body. The thirty breaths passed quickly.

"Break through!"

Ling Feng gritted his teeth. The true qi stored in his Qi Sea had already reached the breaking point.

Then, it was as if a barrier within the Qi Sea shattered. The newly born true qi was like a precious sword hacking through thorns, moving with unstoppable force. A more condensed and robust current of energy began to circulate through his limbs and bones.

"I broke through!"

Ling Feng was overjoyed, knowing that his true qi had grown stronger, which was the sign of a realm breakthrough.

His cultivation had directly bypassed the second level of the Qi Condensation Realm and reached the third level!

This was also the realm of most newly recruited inner disciples. If he were to undergo testing again, his treatment might be completely different.

Ling Feng suppressed his inner joy. Today's thirty breaths of time were exhausted; from now on, he could only rely on his own hard work to improve.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. Although he could not continue to use the ability of the Eye of Humanity, he did not want to waste time; every bit of improvement counted.

...

The night passed quickly.

Ling Feng brushed the morning dew from his clothes and slowly stood up from the ground. Breaking through to the third level of Qi Condensation in a single night—this rapid progress gave him a glimmer of hope.

His talent might not look impressive on the surface, and his age offered no advantage, but as long as he focused on his cultivation, he could soon surpass his peers and even leave them far behind.

Ling Feng bowed deeply toward the door. Regardless of whether Duanmu Qingshan acknowledged it, since the man had taught him the introductory mental method, he was his master.

Walking out of the courtyard, Ling Feng went directly to a relatively open bamboo grove and began practicing some rudimentary fist and foot techniques.

"Yo, yo, yo! Is this the Cat Boxing or the Dog Boxing?"

Just then, a piercing voice rang out. A youth dressed in the inner disciple uniform of the Wenxian Sect, accompanied by several fellow disciples, surrounded him.

"Haha, I think it's Dog Boxing, because this kid's punches are as weak as a dying dog!"

"Exactly, exactly..."

In an instant, five or six inner disciples surrounded Ling Feng, jeering incessantly.

Ling Feng frowned. He had only just joined the Wenxian Sect; logically, he shouldn't have provoked anyone.

Therefore, the only possibility was that his "master" had brought him this trouble.

No wonder he kept saying he didn't want to harm him, and no wonder that Senior Brother Zong Yuan, who had guided him here, seemed terrified of being associated with him.

Ultimately, it was those two elders, Li Liang and Yang Wei, who were deliberately framing him.

An unnamed fury surged in Ling Feng's heart.

He did not wish to cause trouble, yet trouble always came knocking at his door!

"You are that Ling Feng?"

Seeing that Ling Feng remained silent, the leader, Ren Yifei, narrowed his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips.

"I am," Ling Feng's voice was somewhat cold.

"My apologies. Although we have no grudge, who told you to be such a waste!" Ren Yifei snorted. "A waste deserves a beating; a waste deserves to die!"

With that, Ren Yifei waved his hand. "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll do it, I'll do it!" The youngest disciple stepped forward excitedly. "Senior Brother Ren, let me teach him a lesson!"

"Fine, I'll give you a chance to show off."

Ren Yifei nodded. This young junior brother was named Jia Ping, who had also recently joined the inner sect of the Wenxian Sect.

Jia Ping licked his lips and approached Ling Feng like a wild wolf. "Black Wind Claw!"

This was the family martial art of the Jia clan. Within the Wenxian Sect, there was no shortage of disciples who joined with existing skills.

Ling Feng's expression changed slightly. Although his cultivation had reached the third level of Qi Condensation, he did not know any martial techniques.

He frowned, his right eye narrowing slightly as he watched Jia Ping's move, and then he let out a loud shout: "Black Wind Claw!"

*Bang!*

The two sets of claws collided. Ling Feng's body swayed slightly, but Jia Ping was forced back several steps with a series of stumbling movements.

"How is this possible? The Black Wind Claw is my Jia family's ancestral technique! You... how do you know it?"

Jia Ping's pupils shrank violently as he stared at Ling Feng in disbelief.

"What's impossible about it?" Ling Feng snorted coldly. "I'm your long-lost father!"

"You brat, you're looking for death!" Rage surged on Jia Ping's face, but having suffered a minor setback just now, he did not dare to strike recklessly again.

"Hmph, not bad!" Ren Yifei narrowed his eyes. Most disciples who had joined under Duanmu Qingshan in the last few years were crushed in a single move, yet this Ling Feng had actually repelled Jia Ping, a disciple with prior training!

"It seems I'll have to step in personally." Ren Yifei sneered. "A mere first-level Qi Condensation... I want to see just how much capability you have!"

As his voice fell, Ren Yifei moved like lightning, using a subtle footwork to charge toward Ling Feng.

"It's the Cloud Chasing Steps! Haha! I didn't expect Senior Brother Ren to use a movement technique!"

"It looks like Senior Brother Ren is getting serious!"

Ling Feng's gaze sharpened as he once again activated the First Divine Mark of the Heavenly Path.

Unlike the Divine Mark of Humanity, the Divine Mark of the Heavenly Path had no time limit and could be activated at will.

"Cloud Chasing Steps? I know that too!" Ling Feng snorted. In the next moment, he began to move according to Ren Yifei's footwork.

His movement was just as swift and agile as Ren Yifei's!

Ren Yifei's eyelid twitched. Just as he was about to throw a punch at Ling Feng, he suddenly felt a numbness under his arm. It turned out that Ling Feng had used his movement technique to bypass Ren Yifei's front and, with lightning speed, had thrust a golden needle into his armpit.

"You!"

Ren Yifei spun around, wanting to strike back, only to find that half of his body had fallen into numbness, leaving him unable to move. With a "thud," he collapsed to the ground.

"Li... li... li..."

Ren Yifei wanted to curse Ling Feng, but he found that not only was his body numb, but even his tongue was paralyzed.

"Senior Brother Ren!"

The surrounding disciples' eyelids twitched violently. Ren Yifei, at the fourth level of the Qi Condensation Realm, had been dealt with so easily?

In the next moment, Ling Feng brought his foot down heavily, stepping directly onto Ren Yifei's head and smashing it into the mud.

"Who was it that just said a waste deserves a beating?" Ling Feng's gaze swept across the crowd as he spoke, word by word: "You were right!"