"Huh?!"
The receptionist's brain seemed to short-circuit when she heard Yi Beidou's words. She froze on the spot, unsure how to respond.
In the moment she was stunned, Yi Beidou had already strode past her and was heading deeper into the sports center.
The receptionist finally snapped out of it and wanted to stop him, but seeing Yi Beidou's tall frame and seemingly worrisome mental state, she didn't dare approach.
Left with no choice, she pulled out the walkie-talkie on her hip.
"Brother Qin, someone's making trouble. He seems a little mentally unstable, so just subdue him. Try not to hurt him."
"Got it."
A man's voice came from the other end of the walkie-talkie.
The commotion attracted many passing members, who stopped to watch the spectacle, casting their gazes in Yi Beidou's direction and murmuring among themselves.
Many of them knew the background of this sports center. Trying to cause trouble here was no different from storming a dragon's den or a tiger's lair.
"Sir, the area ahead is for members only. Please leave."
Five burly men in suits ran out of a room off the lobby, blocking Yi Beidou's path.
Yi Beidou didn't answer, simply continuing to walk forward.
"He really does have a screw loose," the man in the lead grunted. "Subdue him first."
The five men immediately fanned out, surrounding Yi Beidou. Then they pounced, their movements nimble and coordinated. They were clearly trained fighters.
However, in the blink of an eye, Yi Beidou's figure seemed to teleport past the five security guards' encirclement and continued walking forward.
The five men in suits stood frozen in place, as if paralyzed.
Half a second later.
THUD! THUD!
With a series of thuds, their bodies collapsed to the ground in unison. Their breathing was steady, as if they had simply fallen asleep.
Yi Beidou walked into a nearby corridor and vanished from sight.
The crowd of onlookers in the lobby fell silent. It was a long moment before an uproar of discussion erupted.
No one had seen clearly what just happened or how the five security guards had been taken down.
'Sorcery?!'
The receptionist stood stunned for a good while before she came to her senses. Recalling what Yi Beidou had said earlier, she realized things were getting serious and hurriedly picked up her walkie-talkie.
"Manager Luo, someone forced his way into the center! He said he's here to challenge the sect! The security guards couldn't stop him; he took them all down in an instant!"
「Elsewhere.」
Cyan Wood Heart Intent, training ground.
This was an open-air courtyard with an antique architectural style, preserving the features of the Republican era from over a century ago amidst the modern buildings. It was paved with bluestone and spanned over a hundred meters in diameter.
In the center of the training ground stood a tall pagoda tree. Its canopy was lush with leaves and branches, and its thick trunk, tinged with a faint cyan hue, was wide enough for five people to link arms around.
It stood unmoving, like the center of the earth, gathering the Spirit of the earth's ley lines. It was truly extraordinary.
Being near this giant tree, one would feel refreshed and clear-headed, as if bathing in a Spiritual Spring or drinking sweet nectar.
Just as people have unique destinies, trees have unique species.
This great pagoda tree was one such unique species. The natural magnetic field it radiated could calm the mind and nurture one's True Spirit.
The character for pagoda tree (槐) is composed of 'wood' (木) and 'ghost' (鬼), signifying the spirit within the wood. Legend says it can be used to harbor ghosts and refine yin energy.
It was said that the founding master of Cyan Wood Heart Intent had discovered this unique tree in the mountains. By observing its spirit and imitating its intent, he created the Cyan Wood Heart Intent Fist.
This giant tree could be called the very root of the entire Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect.
At this moment, many Cyan Wood Heart Intent disciples in cyan Martial Arts Uniforms were sitting cross-legged on the bluestone floor of the training ground. Li Qingdai was now among them.
Beneath the great pagoda tree sat a tea table and three rosewood grand-master chairs.
Seated in the primary position was a man whose age was difficult to discern. His face looked to be in his early thirties at most, with a ruddy complexion, yet he had a full head of white hair, and even his eyebrows were white.
The Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect Leader, Mu Huaidong.
Of the two in the guest seats, one appeared to be around forty, with a portly build and a constant smile, looking somewhat like a Buddha statue. The other was a skinny old man in his fifties or sixties, but his eyebrows were as thick and wild as flames, marking him as someone with a fiery temper.
The former was the Six Yang Qi Sect Leader, Tang Zhihe, and the latter was the Five Fire Refining Truth Sect Leader, Wu Xianjue.
Among the many Martial Arts Schools in Han Province, Cyan Wood Heart Intent, Six Yang Qi, and Five Fire Refining Truth were the three strongest and most influential.
Meanwhile, in the open space of the training ground, two young men, both around twenty-five or twenty-six, stood facing each other, having assumed their respective Fist Technique stances.
One had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a square jaw, a tall build, and a piercing gaze. His stance was like a giant tree rooted to the ground, his center of gravity sunk deep into the earth, seemingly unshakeable.
The head disciple of the Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect, Wei Ziren.
The young man opposite him was lean, the distinct muscle fibers of his limbs clearly visible, coiled like steel wires ready to explode with power. His gaze was as aggressive as fire, and the bones of his palms, elbows, and knees protruded like blades.
The head disciple of the Five Fire Refining Truth Sect, Yin Xingjie.
"Brother Ziren, be careful!"
Yin Xingjie let out a low shout, and his body shot forward.
His speed was like lightning, his momentum like fire.
BANG!!
The moment he moved, the sound of his breath exhaling in concert with his internal organs and the sound of his movements slicing through the air merged into one, like the ignition of gunpowder.
Five Fire Refining Truth Fist. The five fires were the five viscera. Once one reached the Tonghui Internalization realm, circulating the power of the viscera was like igniting five raging fires within the body, instantly and drastically enhancing all bodily functions.
His hand became a blade as he chopped down with a palm strike!
Where his palm passed, it was a razor's edge; where his elbow passed, it was a knife!
The core disciples of the Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect sitting below were all experts. They naturally knew how ferocious this move was and couldn't help but let out a low gasp.
If they were on the field, a palm strike like that hitting a joint would sever their limbs.
Yet Wei Ziren's expression didn't change in the slightest as he raised a thick arm to block it head-on.
BANG!!
Flesh met flesh with a sound like muffled thunder. Sweat vaporized on impact, exploding into a hazy mist.
Wei Ziren stood rooted to the earth, firm and unmoving.
The wind may blow a great tree, but its hundred branches only sway.
"Good!"
Yin Xingjie roared, his buzz-cut hair standing on end. His entire expression became ferocious.
His figure flickered, unbelievably nimble. His palms, elbows, knees—every part of his body was a weapon. Each attack produced a piercing sonic boom, leaving the disciples of the Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect dazzled and completely unable to keep up with his rhythm.
Yet even under such an assault, Wei Ziren remained as steadfast as a mountain, his footwork stable, his response calm and composed.
"Hah!!"
After Yin Xingjie had attacked for more than ten exchanges, Wei Ziren suddenly seized an opening. With a great shout, a sharp light flared in his eyes, and he unleashed a powerful aura.
Rooted in the earth, a giant tree reaching for the heavens.
For an instant, Yin Xingjie was overcome with the illusion that this man was unshakable. His own spirit wavered, his attack slowed, and an opening was revealed.
Wei Ziren's arms, like the gnarled roots of an old tree, had already coiled around Yin Xingjie's arms, locking onto the major pulse points of his biceps.
He stepped, twisted his waist, and exerted his force!
Yin Xingjie's body became weightless. He was thrown into the air by Wei Ziren, flying ten or twenty meters before tumbling several times on the ground to regain his footing, his eyes filled with astonishment.
"Fist Intent Shocking Soul... the Realm of Mighty Spirit?!"
The sect leaders of the other two sects cried out in surprise.
"You flatter me. My disciple has been in quiet cultivation in the mountains recently and finally had some insight, achieving a small breakthrough."
Mu Huaidong said with a satisfied smile.
"Younger Brother Mu, you've taken on a fine disciple! He's only twenty-six or twenty-seven, right? To be able to grasp the mysteries of Mighty Spirit already... If he can reach the Soul-Seizing Realm before he's thirty-five, he might have a chance to glimpse the ultimate realm of Body Ascension."
The Five Fire Refining Truth Sect Leader, Wu Xianjue, exclaimed with a sigh.
"Among the younger generation of Martial Artists in all of Han Province, I'm afraid there are few stronger than Ziren."
The Six Yang Qi Sect Leader, Tang Zhihe, also nodded in agreement.
"I will be content if he can reach the Soul-Seizing Realm and inherit my mantle. As for Body Ascension, how could such a realm be ordinary? Since ancient times, there have been many Soul-Seizing masters, but how many have achieved Ascension? It is a matter of fate and opportunity, not something that can be forced by human effort."
Mu Huaidong shook his head as he spoke. He himself was a Soul-Seizing master and naturally had some understanding of that higher realm.
"As expected of the head disciple! To reach the Realm of Mighty Spirit at such a young age... Perhaps our Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect will produce a second master to achieve Body Ascension in the future."
Beside Li Qingdai, a cute-looking female disciple said with stars in her eyes.
Wei Ziren held an extremely high status in the hearts of the sect's female disciples. He was handsome, had a steady personality, was powerful, and cared deeply for his junior brothers and sisters. In the future, he might even inherit the mantle of the Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect. He was, in short, the perfect man.
Li Qingdai nodded, her eyes also filled with admiration as she looked at the tall figure standing before the crowd.
Just then, Mu Huaidong's phone, placed in front of him, suddenly rang. BEEP BEEP BEEP! His phone had an emergency setting; only important calls could get through at a time like this.
"Hello? What's the emergency?"
Mu Huaidong apologized to the two sect leaders beside him, picked up his phone, and answered the call.
"Sect Leader, it's bad! Someone is here to challenge the sect! He forced his way into the center, we can't stop him! He's about to break into the training ground—"
The voice on the phone was noisy, and with a loud BANG, the sound of something heavy hitting the floor came through, followed by complete silence.
'What?!'
Mu Huaidong's expression was one of stunned disbelief. The other two sect leaders beside him looked equally incredulous.
"I have heard that a true vestige of Body Ascension can be found here. I have come seeking it."
Just then, a voice like muffled thunder boomed from outside the training ground's main gate.
BOOM!
After the massive sound, the heavy courtyard gates were blasted open.