Mythical Cultivation

There was a slight commotion in the audience as soon as these words were spoken, but calm soon returned. After all, everyone understood that after a whole day of intense competition, both the contestants and the audience were already feeling somewhat exhausted.

As the Tenth Elder finished speaking, everyone rose and left the arena. Some walked in groups of three or five, whispering about the highlights of today's competition; others walked alone, silently pondering how to achieve better results in the upcoming competition. Those disciples who had yet to take the stage quickened their pace, eager to return to their residences and rest properly so they could be in top form for tomorrow's even more exciting challenges.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight shone across the vast martial arts training ground, a tense atmosphere permeated the air once again. Numerous outer disciples had already gathered, eager to try their hand.

Among the crowd, Wu Ming and several of his friends had arrived early. Among them, Wang Xiaohu, Zhao Xiaohai, and Shi Chuan, who hadn't competed the previous day, seemed particularly excited. They stretched their muscles and encouraged each other, their eyes gleaming with determination, clearly filled with confidence for the upcoming competition.

In the end, Zhao Xiaohai successfully won the competition and entered the second round. However, Wang Xiaohu encountered a disciple at the eighth level of Qi Refining and was defeated miserably, failing to enter the second round.

It was said that Ishikawa, whose strength was on par with Wang Xiaohu, had actually managed to make it to the second round! However, for Ishikawa, this competition was simply a nightmare-like struggle, and in the end it could only be considered a miserable victory.

It turned out that Ishikawa's opponent was a formidable figure who had already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. From the moment the match began, Ishikawa was immediately at a disadvantage, completely suppressed. After just a few rounds, Ishikawa was covered in wounds.

But what is truly admirable is that, despite such a difficult situation, Ishikawa never had the slightest thought of giving up. He gritted his teeth, persevered tenaciously, and vowed to fight his opponent to the bitter end. Even when his opponent believed victory was certain and thought Ishikawa was about to lose, Ishikawa remained proudly standing, refusing to give in.

Faced with Ishikawa's ferocious, mad-dog-like aura, his opponent couldn't help but feel intimidated. After all, no one wanted to risk their lives against a reckless opponent! Thus, the opponent, who had previously held an absolute advantage, began to retreat, no longer adopting that aggressive, desperate fighting style.

But as the saying goes, "hesitation will lead to defeat." In the moment when the opponent hesitated, Ishikawa, like a cheetah smelling the flaw of its prey, suddenly launched a fierce counterattack, turning the situation around in one fell swoop and achieving a shocking reversal!

By this time, Wu Ming and the others who had been watching the fight from the audience were already terrified, their hearts in their throats, and they were sweating profusely for Ishikawa. Although Ishikawa ultimately won this hard-earned victory, the price he paid was also extremely heavy—his injuries were even more severe than those of his defeated opponent.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, the inner sect senior brother who was responsible for treating the wounded on the sidelines took action quickly and used his superb medical skills to barely save Ishikawa's life.

When Ishikawa slowly opened his eyes, the first thing that caught his eye was three familiar and concerned faces - Wu Ming, Wang Xiaohu and Li Fei were gathered around his bed.

Wang Xiaohu was the first to speak with envy on his face: "Congratulations, Brother Ishikawa!"

Wu Mingze frowned and said worriedly, "Xiaochuan, you really risked your life this time! If anything happens to you, what will happen to your family? Don't take risks like this again in the future."

Li Fei, who was standing aside, quickly echoed, "That's right, Xiaochuan, no matter what, life always comes first."

Hearing his friends' heartfelt words of concern, Ishikawa felt a surge of warmth. After a brief pause, he softly replied, "Thank you all for your concern. I know full well that my talent is far inferior to yours. So, if I don't work harder, I'm afraid I'll soon be left far behind."

At this time, Wu Ming seemed to suddenly remember something, and then he said: "But having said that, although you have experienced hardships this time, it can be regarded as a blessing in disguise. Look, your cultivation has now successfully entered the late stage of Qi Refining!"

Ishikawa checked his body and felt his meridians were unobstructed, a powerful force surging through his body. He was surprised to discover that his cultivation had unexpectedly broken through a bottleneck! And he hadn't noticed it at all since he had just awakened.

No wonder Wang Xiaohu had envied him after waking up. So that was the reason. After all, before this, Ishikawa and he were on par in strength, but now Ishikawa had already achieved a breakthrough, leaving him behind. This sudden gap instantly ignited the burning competitive fire in Wang Xiaohu's heart. He secretly resolved to redouble his efforts in cultivation and never let Ishikawa fall behind again.

Among the four of them, Ishikawa and Wang Xiaohu initially had roughly equal cultivation levels, constantly competing and motivating each other. However, with Ishikawa's breakthrough, this balance was completely disrupted. Wang Xiaohu knew that if he didn't catch up, he would fall further and further behind. Consequently, an unprecedented sense of urgency surged within him, spurring him to even more resolute practice.

As the sun set and the sky gradually darkened, Wu Ming looked up at the sky, then turned to Ishikawa and said, "Xiaochuan, it's getting late. Let's go back first. You just made a breakthrough today, so you need to rest up and recharge your batteries, because you have an important competition waiting for you tomorrow!"

Ishikawa smiled and nodded, saying, "Brother Ming, I understand. Don't worry. Be careful on the way and rest early when you get back."

After that, Wu Mingren and his men each set off on their journey home, ready to face new challenges tomorrow.

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the clouds, bathing the entire Martial Arts Peak in a golden glow. When Wu Ming hurried to the peak, he found the arena already bustling with activity. Disciples gathered in groups of three or five, whispering about yesterday's intense competition and their speculations and anticipations for the second round, which would begin today.