Volume One: A Thousand Years of the Stream Chapter 38: A Friendly Spar

Half an hour later, Sun Zikai took his leave from Mu Qiuhe’s residence. Guided by a small child, he began to inquire about the whereabouts of Wen Yiru.

"Elder Sister Li? Oh, I know exactly who you're looking for!" the child exclaimed. "Does she have a little black cat?"

"That's her. You know her?"

"I do. Among the inner sect disciples, she’s considered one of the most beautiful."

The child was not only a guide but also a monitor. After all, the Dongchen Sect was wary of outsiders, though they didn't want to make it too obvious, so they simply assigned a child to accompany Sun Zikai.

Sun Zikai understood the rules well; he did not look at what he shouldn't, nor did he ask what he shouldn't. Before long, the two arrived at a vast open space. Many inner sect disciples of the Dongchen Sect were scattered about, with spiritual energy fluctuating constantly and exotic techniques appearing and vanishing. It turned out to be the inner sect’s martial arts arena, where disciples could spar.

From a distance, Sun Zikai spotted the cat perched on a plum tree beside the arena. The black cat seemed to sense the presence of its savior; it looked up, scanned the crowd, let out a sudden meow, leaped from the tree, and moments later, stood on Sun Zikai’s shoulder.

Sun Zikai stroked the cat’s head and remarked, "It's been a few years. How did you get so fat?"

The child chuckled, "You didn't see it at its fattest. It looked like a big rice cake balanced on four short chopsticks; it couldn't even climb trees! Senior Sister Wen had to force it to diet to get it into this shape."

"Huh? That's strange, this cat..." Sun Zikai sensed the cat’s body with suspicion. "Why is there spiritual energy inside it?"

The child replied, "To prolong its life. How many years can a cat live? Much like how we cultivate, the realm of spiritual energy can extend one's lifespan. Experts at the Golden Core stage can live for hundreds of years. Senior Sister Wen wanted the cat to stay with her longer, so she followed ancient methods, nourishing its body with spiritual energy to gradually extend its years."

"There is such a method?" As Sun Zikai spoke, he saw Wen Yiru walking toward him.

Wen Yiru had come because of the cat, as it never approached strangers. However, she gradually felt that the youth looked familiar. When she caught a glimpse of the long, slender blade tucked into his waist, she recognized Sun Zikai.

As if the clouds of the past few months had been swept away, her face lit up with joy. She ran over, stopped before Sun Zikai, and asked, "How did you get here? Is the Princess here too?"

"She isn't. I had business at the Dongchen Sect, so I stopped by to see you."

As they spoke, people began to gather around. A youth asked, "You aren't from the Dongchen Sect, are you? Who are you?"

The child answered for Sun Zikai, "This is the strongest disciple of the new generation of the Yanming Sect, here as a guest today."

"The Yanming Sect? The strongest?"

The disciples whispered among themselves. "Is he the one with the surname Ma?"

"Why is he so weak? Only at the first stage of Qi Refining?"

Wen Yiru also looked bewildered. She was now at the fourth stage of Qi Refining and knew Sun Zikai’s level; she had seen Ma Yuhong of the Yanming Sect before.

Sun Zikai kept his hands in his pockets and shrugged, saying nothing.

As the crowd of disciples grew, someone inevitably began to incite trouble, shouting, "Let's spar! We want to see what the 'strongest' of the Yanming Sect looks like!"

The disciples laughed, and one stepped forward, saying, "I am Liu Bo, a disciple of the Elder of Songming Mountain. Since Senior Brother Cheng Xu is not here today, I would like to seek your guidance."

Liu Bo was fifteen years old and at the fifth stage of Qi Refining. He spoke with a calculated tone, elevating Sun Zikai’s status so that he could not refuse without losing face for the Yanming Sect.

Sun Zikai indicated that he could accept the challenge, but he had no pretext; he had not been commissioned by his sect and could not compete in the name of the Yanming Sect. Furthermore, he disliked meaningless fighting.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bo took a pendant from his neck and said, "This is made of pure gold..."

Sun Zikai waved his hand, "What use would I have for that?"

A disciple leaned over and whispered into Liu Bo’s ear. Liu Bo’s expression shifted, but his eyes revealed a glimmer of surprise. He then said to Sun Zikai, "If you win, I am willing to give you my opportunity to enter the Dongchen Sect’s Scripture Pavilion to select a technique. How about that?"

Sun Zikai understood immediately. This was the will of the Dongchen Sect’s upper echelon. As an outsider, he could never be allowed into their Scripture Pavilion. Even if he won, they could claim it was merely a private matter between disciples and refuse to honor the bet. The bigwigs of the Dongchen Sect must have been skeptical of his identity and strength. How could a brat at the first stage of Qi Refining represent the "strongest" of the Yanming Sect?

Sun Zikai was pushed into a corner. He hated this feeling, but for the sake of his sect’s honor, he said, "I accept. But if you win, what must I give you?"

"Easy. Just... leave your blade behind." If Sun Zikai’s blade were left at the Dongchen Sect, the Yanming Sect would truly be humiliated.

"No problem. Come on then," Sun Zikai said calmly.

The disciples dispersed to the sides, leaving the massive arena to the two. Wen Yiru said worriedly, "If you can't defend in time, signal me, and I will intervene."

Sun Zikai nodded, hands still in his pockets, looking languid.

Liu Bo released his spiritual energy and shouted, "Star Gather!"

He watched as the spiritual energy in front of him rapidly mutated, forming a stream of starlight that shot toward Sun Zikai.

Sun Zikai merely tapped his toes, dodging it easily. He then extended his index finger and shook it, signaling that Liu Bo was a bit weak.

"Don't be arrogant!" Liu Bo formed a hand seal, and dozens of star streams shot out.

Sun Zikai stepped through the wind, weaving through them as if he were a dragonfly skimming the water. He was effortless, and not a single fast-moving star stream touched him.

Seeing his exceptional footwork, Liu Bo withdrew the star streams, letting them orbit his body before charging at Sun Zikai. Sun Zikai leaned forward, then sidestepped, and as they crossed, he kicked Liu Bo in the right waist.

Liu Bo instantly lost consciousness, his entire body flying out, scattering the crowd and slamming into the wall.

After a dozen breaths, the Dongchen Sect disciples finally regained their senses. They were furious, yet a sense of fear toward Sun Zikai had taken root. Another man jumped out, saying, "I am Qin Yiyang. I seek your guidance."

He leaped opposite Sun Zikai and shouted, "Draw your blade!"

Sun Zikai said calmly, "Sorry, you don't have the qualifications to make me draw my blade."

"You little thief! Don't be arrogant! Take this!" Qin Yiyang coated his skin with spiritual energy to harden his body, but such tempering was child’s play in front of Sun Zikai.

As Qin Yiyang charged, he threw a punch, but Sun Zikai caught it with his hand.

With a push downward, Qin Yiyang’s entire body flipped over. Sun Zikai’s right hand chopped down, striking the back of Qin Yiyang’s neck, instantly knocking him unconscious.

Seeing two fifth-stage Qi Refining disciples defeated by Sun Zikai in an instant, the Dongchen Sect disciples finally realized how terrifying he was. Both Liu Bo and Qin Yiyang were direct disciples of high-ranking elders and had mastered high-level spiritual techniques, yet they were so easily defeated. Perhaps this Sun Zikai really was the strongest disciple of this generation of the Yanming Sect. And he was only at the first stage of Qi Refining—what kind of power would he have if he reached the fifth stage or higher?

Two elders of the Dongchen Sect, who had been observing from the shadows, shared the same thought. One elder said coldly, "How does this brat have such strength? Since when did the Yanming Sect possess such footwork techniques?"

"What do you want to do?" the other elder asked.

"Kill him! Leave no future trouble!"

"That might not be wise; the Yanming Sect..."

"Just find an excuse. It's not like it hasn't been done before. A hundred years ago, wasn't our sect's pride and joy... by the Tianyao Sect..."

At that moment, the small child who had guided Sun Zikai walked up to the two elders and said, "The Sect Master has sent a message for you both: since we have already lost so much face, do not do anything even more disgraceful. Fulfill what was promised immediately. After that, you are both requested to appear before the Sect Master to explain this matter."

The elders looked embarrassed, nodded, and sent someone to the arena to tell Sun Zikai that he could enter the Dongchen Sect’s Scripture Pavilion to browse techniques and take one out to read while he was in the sect, though he could not remove it from the sect grounds.

The disciples in the arena cleared a path for Sun Zikai. He had Wen Yiru lead the way and strutted toward the Scripture Pavilion.

Wen Yiru whispered, "I didn't expect you to be so strong. Is the Princess just as powerful now?"

"I suppose so. She has grown a lot as well."

"That's wonderful. The Princess will surely lead us to reclaim our home."