Li Shen sneered. "What? Found your backbone in the mud, cousin?"
He cracked his knuckles and stepped into the courtyard, fully confident. Around them, a few outer disciples had stopped to watch. None expected anything but another beating. Li Fan had been trash his whole life.
But this time, Li Fan didn't flinch.
He took a single step forward — and the ground cracked beneath his foot.
The sudden shift drew attention. Murmurs spread.
"Did the ground… shake?"
Li Shen scowled. "A trick. I'll knock it out of you."
He launched forward, a blur of speed, his palm wreathed in wind qi — a mid-tier martial technique: Wind-Cutting Strike.
Li Fan didn't dodge.
He raised his arm — and blocked it.
Boom!
A gust of wind exploded outward — but Li Fan stood firm. The air howled around him, robes flapping wildly, but his body didn't budge.
"What?!" Li Shen staggered back. "You—how did you block that?!"
Li Fan looked down at his arm. A faint heat shimmered beneath his skin. The Earth Cauldron had not only refined his bones — it had anchored his body.
"I don't need Qi to fight you," Li Fan said quietly. "Just these."
He clenched his fists.
Li Shen roared in frustration and lunged again, fists flying. Li Fan met each one head-on — and won. His movements weren't elegant, but they were clean, precise, and carried terrifying weight.
One punch landed square in Li Shen's chest — sending him flying into a stone pillar with a sickening crunch.
Silence fell.
The crowd gaped.
"That was… impossible."
"Li Fan beat Li Shen without using any Qi?"
"Was that… a body cultivation technique?"
But Li Fan wasn't done. He turned to the crowd. His voice was quiet, but carried weight.
"I, Li Fan, challenge the Inner Court Entry Trial… one month from today."
Gasps erupted.
"The Inner Court?"
"He has no cultivation base!"
"You'll be humiliated!"
Li Fan met their scorn with calm defiance. "I only need one month."
Then he turned and walked away, leaving whispers and shaken pride behind him.