Morning arrived.
Inside Room 53579, Fang Lin sat quietly on the bamboo bed.
His aura was restrained.
Calm.
Stable.
No one outside the room would have guessed that during the night, Fang Lin had broken through to the Late Stage of Qi Conjunction Realm.
Qi flowed through his meridians like a deeper river now.
Compared to before, the difference was enormous.
His dantian had expanded.
His body felt lighter.
His techniques seemed easier to circulate.
Even the Nine Nether Phantom Body felt smoother under the support of his stronger Qi.
Fang Lin slowly opened his eyes.
A faint light flashed within them.
"Late Qi Conjunction…"
He clenched his fist lightly.
Power gathered instantly.
Not explosive like before.
Controlled.
Stable.
That was the greatest change.
Before, his strength had relied on precision, body cultivation, perception, and endurance.
Now—
His Qi had finally begun catching up.
Fang Lin stood and attached his cracked black iron sword to his waist.
The sword would not last much longer.
But for now, it was enough.
He opened the door and stepped outside.
The outer sect was already lively.
The moment Fang Lin appeared, disciples nearby immediately noticed him.
Some bowed.
"Senior Brother Fang."
Fang Lin nodded calmly and walked toward the arena.
But as he moved, several sharper disciples frowned slightly.
Something was different.
His steps were the same.
His expression was the same.
But the feeling around him had changed.
Steadier.
Heavier.
More complete.
By the time Fang Lin arrived at the arena, Li Shan's group was already waiting.
Murong Yue was the first to notice.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You…"
Luo Chen blinked.
"No way."
Han Zhi stared at Fang Lin carefully.
Then his expression became serious.
"You broke through."
The group fell silent.
Fang Lin sat down calmly.
"Yes."
Murong Yue inhaled sharply.
"Late Qi Conjunction?"
Fang Lin nodded.
Luo Chen laughed after a moment.
"This is ridiculous."
Zhao Feng's gaze sharpened.
"You broke through after fighting Shen Ku?"
"I used the pressure from the fight," Fang Lin replied.
Li Shan stared at him for several breaths before smiling faintly.
"Then today will be different."
Bai Qing looked at Fang Lin quietly.
"Very different."
The arena bell rang.
The white-robed elder stepped forward.
"Today's ranking battles begin."
The floating stone board glowed.
Names appeared.
"Rank 9, Fang Lin."
"Rank 8, Luo Chen."
The crowd erupted immediately.
Luo Chen froze.
Then slowly turned toward Fang Lin.
Murong Yue burst into laughter.
"Oh, this is good."
Luo Chen glared at her.
"What are you laughing at?"
"You look like someone stole your food."
Luo Chen stood and sighed dramatically.
"I knew this day would come."
Fang Lin looked at him calmly.
"You can surrender."
Luo Chen's face twitched.
"You really know how to make people angry."
But there was no hostility in his eyes.
Only excitement.
The two stepped onto the stage.
The crowd was louder than usual.
Luo Chen was part of the alliance side, and many disciples liked his open personality. Fang Lin, meanwhile, had become the rising monster of the competition.
The referee elder raised his hand.
"Begin."
Luo Chen moved first.
His Qi erupted violently, and his body shot forward like a charging beast.
Unlike Sun Jie's precision or Shen Ku's viciousness, Luo Chen's style was direct.
Powerful.
Open.
His fist descended with heavy force.
Fang Lin stepped aside.
Flowing Wind Steps.
But this time, the movement was faster than before.
Much faster.
Luo Chen's eyes widened.
Fang Lin appeared at his side.
A palm struck lightly against Luo Chen's ribs.
Boom.
The force exploded.
Luo Chen was pushed back several steps.
He stared at Fang Lin.
Then laughed.
"You really did break through."
His aura rose again.
This time, he used both fists.
The stage trembled as Luo Chen attacked continuously, each strike carrying heavy Qi.
But Fang Lin moved through the attacks calmly.
No panic.
No wasted motion.
The Late Qi Conjunction breakthrough had changed everything.
His Flowing Wind Steps consumed less energy.
His Wind Break Palm condensed faster.
His body technique carried greater force.
Most importantly, his reaction speed had become even more terrifying.
After thirty exchanges, Fang Lin stepped through Luo Chen's guard.
His palm stopped an inch before Luo Chen's chest.
Compressed wind trembled silently.
Luo Chen froze.
Then he lowered his fists.
"I lose."
The crowd exploded.
"That fast?"
"Luo Chen lost?"
"Fang Lin did not even look pressured!"
Luo Chen stepped down from the stage and scratched his head.
"I hate fighting people who improve overnight."
Murong Yue grinned.
"You lasted longer than expected."
Luo Chen pointed at her.
"You are next someday."
"Dream on."
Fang Lin returned quietly.
His breathing had barely changed.
Han Zhi looked at him.
"You are stronger than Rank 8 now."
Fang Lin replied calmly, "Rankings will show that."
The next day, the board changed again.
Fang Lin's opponent was Han Zhi.
Rank 7.
The battle was quieter.
Han Zhi fought with control.
Every movement was measured.
Every attack tested Fang Lin's rhythm.
But Fang Lin had already changed.
The breakthrough gave him enough strength to meet Han Zhi's pressure directly.
For the first hundred breaths, Han Zhi forced Fang Lin to think carefully.
Then Fang Lin adapted.
A sudden shift in Flowing Wind Steps.
A restrained burst of Nine Nether Phantom Body.
A clean Wind Break Palm aimed at the gap between Han Zhi's defense and retreat.
Boom.
Han Zhi slid backward to the edge of the stage.
Fang Lin's cracked sword rested near his shoulder.
Han Zhi lowered his hand.
"I admit defeat."
The arena erupted again.
Rank 7 had fallen.
On the third day, Fang Lin faced Yue Fang.
Rank 6.
Unlike the others, Yue Fang did not speak much.
Her movements were graceful, but every attack carried hidden danger. Her technique shifted between softness and sharpness, making it difficult to judge whether she would retreat, bind, or strike.
For many disciples, she was terrifying.
But against Fang Lin's perception, her changes slowly became clear.
At Late Qi Conjunction, Fang Lin's divine sense had sharpened again.
Her feints could not fully deceive him.
After several exchanges, Fang Lin broke through her rhythm with a sudden close-range strike.
Yue Fang retreated.
Fang Lin followed.
Wind Break Palm exploded.
Her protective Qi shattered.
She landed outside the central combat circle, face pale.
The elder announced Fang Lin's victory.
The faction side became silent.
Very silent.
Chen Hao watched without expression.
But his fingers tightened slightly.
On the fourth day, Qiao Lei stepped onto the platform.
Rank 5.
A body cultivator.
His body was tall, heavy, and muscular. The moment he appeared, the entire stage seemed to sink under his pressure.
Qiao Lei looked at Fang Lin and spoke in a deep voice.
"I heard your body is strong."
Fang Lin replied calmly, "Somewhat."
Qiao Lei smiled.
"Then let us compare."
The battle began with a collision.
Fist against fist.
Boom!
The stage cracked beneath them.
The crowd gasped.
Fang Lin did not retreat.
Qiao Lei's eyes widened.
Then excitement filled his face.
"Good!"
He attacked again.
This battle was brutal.
No tricks.
No hidden threads.
No sword lights.
Only raw physical force.
Qiao Lei's body cultivation was the strongest Fang Lin had faced so far.
But the Nine Nether Phantom Body was not ordinary.
And after the Late Qi Conjunction breakthrough, Fang Lin could support his body technique with stronger Qi.
Their fists collided again and again.
The stage cracked.
Dust rose.
The crowd shouted wildly.
Finally, Fang Lin's grey glow deepened faintly beneath his skin.
He stepped forward.
A punch landed.
Qiao Lei crossed his arms to block.
Crack.
His defense broke.
His body slid backward across the stage and slammed into the barrier.
For a long moment, Qiao Lei stared at Fang Lin.
Then he laughed.
"I lose."
The arena shook with cheers.
Even Qiao Lei's defeat did not feel humiliating.
It felt like two mountains had collided.
And Fang Lin's mountain was heavier.
On the fifth day, Mo Yun finally opened his eyes.
Rank 4.
Illusion techniques.
The entire arena became quiet when he stepped onto the stage.
Mo Yun smiled faintly.
"Fang Lin, your body is strong."
His voice was soft.
"But can your mind endure?"
The moment the battle began, the world changed.
The arena disappeared.
Fang Lin found himself standing in a dark bamboo forest.
Mist surrounded him.
Whispers moved through the trees.
Uncle Wei's voice.
Xuo Mu's voice.
Feng Jiu'er's voice.
Even his own voice.
For ordinary cultivators, this would have been terrifying.
But Fang Lin's soul was far from ordinary.
His silver spiritual sea remained calm.
The Soul Metamorphosis Technique stirred silently.
Fang Lin did not release a soul attack.
He did not need to.
He simply looked forward.
His soul pressure condensed inward.
The illusion trembled.
Mo Yun's voice echoed around him.
"How?"
Fang Lin raised his hand.
"You chose the wrong battlefield."
His palm pressed forward.
Not with Soul Trasher.
Not openly.
Only with the natural pressure of his strengthened soul and divine sense.
Crack.
The illusion shattered.
The arena returned.
Mo Yun staggered backward, face pale.
Fang Lin appeared before him.
Wind Break Palm stopped before his chest.
Mo Yun stared at Fang Lin in disbelief.
Then he smiled bitterly.
"I admit defeat."
The entire arena was silent.
Then chaos erupted.
"Mo Yun lost?"
"His illusion was broken?"
"How strong is Fang Lin's mind?"
High above, several elders exchanged glances.
Even Elder Feng's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Sect Master smiled faintly.
"He hid it well."
Elder Feng said softly, "That boy's soul is not normal."
Below, Fang Lin withdrew his palm.
He had revealed only enough.
Not the Soul Metamorphosis Technique.
Not Soul Trasher.
Only resistance.
But even that had been enough to alarm some people.
He stepped down from the stage.
This time, no one joked.
Li Shan looked at him seriously.
"Rank 4."
Murong Yue swallowed.
"You are really about to reach Chen Hao."
Fang Lin looked toward the faction side.
Chen Hao stood slowly.
Their gazes met across the arena.
A silence spread.
It was not yet their match.
But everyone felt it.
The next wall had appeared.
Rank 3.
Chen Hao.
The disciple who had watched Fang Lin since the beginning.
The one who had sent pressure through others.
The one who had waited while Fang Lin climbed.
And now, Fang Lin stood before him.
Not as a newcomer.
Not as a surprise.
But as a challenger.
The floating stone board glowed above the arena.
Rank 4: Fang Lin.
Rank 3: Chen Hao.
The crowd gradually quieted.
Even the wind seemed to still.
Chen Hao looked at Fang Lin calmly.
"You climbed faster than expected."
Fang Lin replied, "You waited longer than expected."
A faint chill spread through the arena.
Chen Hao's eyes narrowed.
Then he smiled.
Cold.
Controlled.
"Tomorrow."
Fang Lin's expression did not change.
"Tomorrow."
No more words were needed.
The outer sect had watched Fang Lin rise.
From unknown newcomer.
To Rank 10.
To Rank 9.
To Rank 8.
To Rank 7.
To Rank 6.
To Rank 5.
To Rank 4.
And now—
Only Chen Hao stood between him and the true peak monsters of the outer sect.
That night, the entire Green Bamboo Sect spoke of one thing.
Fang Lin versus Chen Hao.
Rank 4 against Rank 3.
The rising monster against the faction's young commander.
Inside Room 53579, Fang Lin sat quietly beneath the moonlight.
His cracked black iron sword lay before him.
His Qi flowed steadily through his late-stage meridians.
The grey stone pulsed softly inside his spiritual sea.
Fang Lin closed his eyes.
Tomorrow would not be like the previous battles.
Chen Hao had watched him too long.
Studied him too carefully.
And unlike the others—
Chen Hao would not fight only to win.
He would fight to stop him.
Fang Lin's aura slowly settled.
Calm.
Cold.
Sharp.
"Then I will break through him too."