Day 20
Gate One was nearly complete.
Kai could feel it—the resistance that had plagued him for weeks was finally crumbling. The pill's effect had accelerated everything, and now he was less than five percent away from breakthrough.
[Gate 1 Progress: 52% → 68%]
The acceleration pill had four days remaining. He needed to use every moment.
But exhaustion was becoming a serious problem. His body was starting to rebel. His muscles twitched involuntarily. His vision occasionally blurred. The system kept warning him about his deteriorating physical state.
[HP: 160/160]
[Status Effects: Severe Fatigue, Qi Strain, Muscle Degradation]
[Warning: Continued overtraining may result in permanent damage]
[System Recommendation: Rest 8 hours daily minimum]
Kai ignored the warnings. Rest was a luxury he didn't have.
He was practicing Shadow Phantom Step in the training courtyard when Wei Long found him. The senior disciple took one look at Kai's stumbling movements and immediately called a halt.
"Stop."
Kai barely registered the command. His body was moving on pure instinct now, the technique worn into muscle memory.
Wei Long grabbed his shoulder—not aggressively, but firmly enough to break his concentration. Kai's form flickered and disappeared, reforming ten meters away as his survival instinct kicked in.
"I said stop," Wei Long repeated, his voice cold. "You're going to collapse."
"I'm fine—"
"You're not fine. You're falling apart." Wei Long studied him with sharp eyes. "Master Shen Yue will kill me if her personal disciple dies from stupidity. Come."
He dragged Kai to the medical hall before Kai could protest.
The healer—an old woman who'd treated him before—took one look and sighed. "Again? How many times are you going to push yourself to this point?"
"Necessary," Kai said.
"What's necessary is not getting yourself killed." She forced him to drink a bitter tea that tasted like grass and copper. "You have severe qi imbalance. Your meridians are inflamed. Your body is consuming itself faster than it can recover."
She placed her hands on his chest, her healing qi flowing into him. It was warm, soothing, and Kai felt his muscles finally relax.
"Better," she said after several minutes. "But you need to stop training like you're trying to kill yourself."
"I don't have a choice."
"Everyone has a choice." She looked at him seriously. "But if you keep this up, you'll die before the competition even starts."
Wei Long waited outside. "The healer's right. You're brilliant in combat and strategy, but terrible at self-preservation."
"How did you survive training under Master Shen Yue without pushing yourself?" Kai asked.
"By being smart about it. Yes, I trained hard. But I also rested properly. Yes, I cultivated intensively. But I spread it across weeks, not days." Wei Long began walking, forcing Kai to follow. "There's a difference between dedication and suicide."
"The inter-hall competition—"
"Is thirty days away. You have time." Wei Long stopped at a secluded garden—a place Kai hadn't seen before, surrounded by protective formations. "This is where I come to train. Master Shen Yue approved it for personal disciples. The formations boost cultivation speed and prevent outside observation."
[New Location Discovered: Private Cultivation Garden]
[Cultivation Speed Bonus: +30%]
[Privacy: Absolute]
"Why are you showing me this?" Kai asked.
"Because you're going to kill yourself training, and I can't let that happen. Master Shen Yue trusts me to keep you alive." Wei Long sat down on a stone bench. "But more than that, I was where you are now. Second personal disciple. Desperate to prove myself. Pushing too hard, too fast."
He looked at Kai seriously. "The first personal disciple died because he pushed himself to collapse during cultivation. Qi deviation during a critical breakthrough. The third one burned out mentally from the pressure. I survived because I learned balance."
"Balance won't help me win the competition."
"Won't it?" Wei Long's expression was calm. "A cultivator who collapses before the competition is useless. A cultivator who trains smart and stays healthy is unstoppable. Quality of training matters more than quantity."
Kai wanted to argue, but exhaustion was making everything difficult. His body was screaming for rest.
"Fine. I'll use this garden."
---
Day 25
Gate One was complete.
Kai had spent five days utilizing Wei Long's garden and the remaining days of the acceleration pill's effect. He'd been smart about it—training in focused bursts, resting between sessions, letting his body recover enough to keep functioning.
And it had worked.
[Gate 1 Progress: 68% → 100%]
[Gate 1 Breakthrough!]
[Qi Condensation Realm Level 6]
[New ability unlocked: Gate Resonance]
[Effect: Enhanced qi control and precision]
[Gate 2 Opening: 0%]
[HP: 160/160 → 180/180]
[Qi: 90/90 → 110/110]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 9]
[+2 Stat Points Available]
Kai distributed the points—one to Strength, one to Intelligence. Every stat would help in the competition.
[Strength: 13 → 14]
[Intelligence: 25 → 26]
The breakthrough was smooth, controlled. No qi deviation. No pain that lasted more than a few minutes. It felt almost clean, which was rare for cultivation breakthroughs.
[Status Alert: First gate complete, second gate beginning]
[Estimated time to complete Gate 2: 3 weeks at normal pace]
He had five more days of the acceleration pill effect before it wore off. If he used them wisely, he could start Gate Two with significant progress.
That evening, he met with his alliance at the storage building. They had a lot to discuss.
"Gate One complete," Mei Lin said, impressed. "You're advancing faster than expected."
"The acceleration pill helped. And Wei Long showed me a private cultivation garden."
Hong Wei looked annoyed. "Of course he did. Favorite disciples get special treatment."
"It's not favoritism," Kai said. "It's practical. If I collapse before the competition, Master Shen Yue loses a disciple. Wei Long was keeping an asset alive."
"Fair point." Hong Wei reported his own progress. "Crimson Path cultivation at 35%. Should break through to Foundation Establishment in about three weeks if I maintain this pace."
"I'm at 42% on the Earth Foundation Scripture," Yun Xia said quietly. "It's more stable than most methods, but slower."
"I'm having trouble with the Shadow Core method," Mei Lin admitted. "It's too dangerous. Master warned me that if I make even small mistakes, my qi could reverse and damage my meridians permanently."
[Alert: Mei Lin's cultivation path is high-risk]
[Recommendation: Provide support during critical moments]
"We'll help," Kai said immediately. "When you attempt major breakthroughs, we'll stand guard. If anything goes wrong, we'll be there to stabilize your qi."
"That's not guaranteed to work," Mei Lin said. "The Shadow Core method is designed by Master Shen Yue herself. It's extremely volatile."
"Neither is sitting here doing nothing," Kai countered. "We're an alliance. We help each other."
Yun Xia nodded. "He's right. No one survives alone in this sect."
They spent two hours discussing competition strategy. Kai had already analyzed the probable Blood Hall opponents.
"Blood Hall disciples at our cultivation level will have about 30% higher base stats," Kai explained. "They focus on direct combat techniques—powerful strikes, high-impact damage, physical domination. They're not trained in deception or complex strategy."
"So we use our advantages," Hong Wei said. "Formation control, poison, pressure points, psychological warfare."
"Exactly. We also need to consider team composition." Kai laid out his thoughts. "If the competition is five-on-five, we have four. We need one more."
"Who?" Yun Xia asked.
"Wei Long. He's the strongest personal disciple, and he's already proven he'll support us. If we can convince him to represent Shadow Hall alongside us..."
"He'd do it if Master Shen Yue orders it," Mei Lin said. "But asking him might expose our alliance."
"Not if we make it look political. Like Master Shen Yue is using her strongest disciples to fight Blood Hall's strongest. Wei Long is already seen as a rival to the personal disciples because he's older."
[Strategy Refined]
[Proposed Team: Kai Zhang, Mei Lin, Hong Wei, Yun Xia, Wei Long]
[Estimated battle strength: Above average for competition tier]
"I'll approach Wei Long," Kai said. "Carefully. Alone. Make it seem like I'm asking for personal advice, not alliance business."
---
Day 27
The acceleration pill's effects had worn off two days ago. Kai had used the remaining time to push Gate Two to 8% completion.
[Gate 2 Progress: 8%]
[Estimated time to Gate 2 completion: 18 days at accelerated pace]
He found Wei Long in the private cultivation garden, meditating beneath a waterfall that he now realized must be part of the formation system.
"I had a feeling you'd come," Wei Long said without opening his eyes.
"I need advice."
"About the inter-hall competition?"
"How did you—"
"Master told me about it days ago. She was gauging my reaction, testing whether I'd volunteer or need to be ordered." Wei Long opened his eyes. "I assume you're here because Master Shen Yue wants me to fight alongside you four."
"Will you?"
Wei Long was silent for a long moment. "You realize this competition is more important than you understand? It's not just about hall prestige. It's about whether Master Shen Yue can maintain control of Shadow Hall. If we lose badly, Elder Bone will use it as proof that she's failing."
"I know."
"And you still want me to fight? Even though I'm older, more experienced, and my reputation might overshadow yours?"
"Yes. Because I know we'll win if you're there."
Wei Long smiled slightly. "Bold confidence for a disciple who was barely alive a month ago." He stood, water cascading off his shoulders. "Fine. I'll fight. But we do this smart. We practice together, we develop real strategies, and we dominate Blood Hall so completely that there's no question about who won."
[Alliance Expanded]
[New Member: Wei Long]
[Team Composition: Complete]
[Competition Preparation: Official]
Over the next three days, they began official training sessions. To outside observers, it looked like Wei Long was instructing the four younger disciples in advanced Shadow Hall techniques. Only they knew it was strategic preparation for the inter-hall competition.
Wei Long taught them advanced movement patterns that could confuse opponents. Coordination techniques for group combat. Ways to recognize weaknesses in enemy techniques during live combat.
And most importantly, he taught them psychological warfare.
"Blood Hall disciples are taught to be confident," Wei Long explained. "Sometimes overconfident. They believe their physical superiority makes them unstoppable. We exploit that. We let them attack, we make them miss, we show them that strength alone isn't enough."
"Fear weakens them," Kai realized.
"Exactly. Once they realize they might lose, their discipline cracks. We use that."
---
Day 30
The first month of preparation was complete.
Kai stood alone in the private cultivation garden, reviewing his progress.
[Current Status: Kai Zhang]
[Age: 17]
[Cultivation: Qi Condensation Realm Level 6]
[Level: 9]
[HP: 180/180]
[Qi: 110/110]
[Strength: 14]
[Agility: 13]
[Vitality: 14]
[Intelligence: 26]
[Luck: 15]
[Gate 2 Progress: 8%]
[Days until Inter-Hall Competition: 0]
[Days until The Purge: 73]
[Survival Probability: 53.4%]
Tomorrow, the inter-hall competition would begin. Five days of duels between Shadow Hall and Blood Hall. Five matches per day. Victory meant proving their worth and securing Master Shen Yue's position. Defeat meant embarrassment, loss of prestige, and vulnerability to Elder Bone's schemes.
Kai felt ready. Not confident—confidence led to mistakes—but prepared. His body was strong. His techniques were refined. His strategy was sound.
And he had allies he could trust.
An alarm formation activated at the garden's edge. Someone was approaching.
Master Shen Yue emerged from the shadows, her silver hair glowing faintly in the moonlight.
"Kai Zhang. Preparing for tomorrow?"
"Yes, Master."
"Good." She studied him with those crimson eyes. "You've improved significantly in the past month. Gate One complete, Gate Two begun. Your techniques are refined. Your combat effectiveness has increased substantially."
"Thank you, Master."
"Don't thank me yet. Tomorrow, you face Blood Hall. They are violent, brutal, and trained specifically for combat." She stepped closer. "But you have something they don't—tactical brilliance combined with survival instinct. Use both."
"We will, Master."
"I know you will. Because failure is not acceptable." Her voice turned cold. "If you lose tomorrow, Elder Bone gains leverage against me. If I'm weakened, I can no longer protect you. The entire alliance falls apart. You, Mei Lin, Hong Wei, and Yun Xia will become fair game for anyone who wants to eliminate you."
[Warning: Extreme pressure applied]
"Understood, Master."
"Good." Master Shen Yue turned to leave, then paused. "One final thing, Kai. You've impressed me. Not just with your cultivation speed or combat ability, but with your strategic thinking. You remind me of someone I knew long ago—someone with the potential to become extraordinary."
"Who, Master?"
"Someone who died before reaching their potential." She disappeared into the shadows without another word.
Kai sat in the garden, her words echoing in his mind.
Tomorrow, the real battle began.
And he intended to win.
[Competition Countdown: Started]
[Final Preparation: Complete]
[Status: Ready for battle]
The moon hung high over the Blood Demonic Sect. Somewhere in Blood Hall, disciples were probably training too, preparing to crush Shadow Hall's representatives.
They didn't know that five seemingly ordinary disciples were about to change the balance of power within the sect.
Kai stood and walked back toward his quarters.
[Days Remaining: 1]
[The Inter-Hall Competition Begins Tomorrow]