dognovel Chapter 13 Road to Glory
Chapter 13 Road to Glory
As the days drew nearer, the long-awaited sect martial arts competition finally commenced today. Sunlight streamed onto the training ground, reflecting a dazzling light, and the disciples, each brimming with energy and eager to engage in this grand contest, were ready to face the challenge.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my slight nervousness. Recalling the arduous training I'd undergone and Coach Zheng's earnest teachings, I silently encouraged myself: Xiao Yao, you can do it!
In the first few rounds of the competition, I easily defeated my opponents thanks to my solid fundamentals and agile skills. Seeing their frustrated or unconvinced expressions, I remained unmoved, because I knew that the real challenge was yet to come.
Sure enough, in the finals, I encountered a formidable opponent—Senior Brother Liu. Senior Brother Liu was a senior disciple in the sect, with a cultivation level far superior to mine, and he also had rich practical experience.
"Junior sister, you're too kind," Senior Brother Liu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute, a confident smile on his face.
No sooner had he finished speaking than he launched his attack, a fierce palm strike accompanied by a whistling sound hurtling towards me. I dared not be careless, and quickly circulated my spiritual energy to dodge to the side.
With a loud "bang!", a deep crater appeared where I had just been standing, blasted open by Senior Brother Liu's palm strike.
"Junior sister, your skills are not bad!" Senior Brother Liu was not discouraged when his attack missed. Instead, he became even more excited. He condensed his spiritual energy in his hand, turning it into a sharp longsword, and thrust it at me.
I dared not take the attack head-on, so I could only keep dodging while looking for an opportunity to counterattack.
Senior Brother Liu's attacks grew increasingly fierce, and I gradually began to feel the strain. Just then, the words of Instructor Zheng suddenly flashed through my mind: "Use softness to overcome hardness, and use four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds."
A thought suddenly struck me: instead of confronting Senior Brother Liu head-on, I used my agility to dodge and weave, searching for his weaknesses.
Finally, the opportunity came! Senior Brother Liu's fierce attack missed, and he lost his balance. I seized the opportunity, quickly closing in, gathering my spiritual energy in my palm, and struck him in the chest with a palm strike.
"Pfft!" Senior Brother Liu spat out a mouthful of blood, looked at me in disbelief, swayed a few times, and finally collapsed to the ground.
I won! I defeated Senior Brother Liu!
The disciples around me erupted in enthusiastic cheers, but I felt that it was all somewhat unreal.
"Excellent! Brilliant!" A loud voice rang out, and Uncle Zhou stepped out from the crowd. He looked at me, his eyes filled with admiration. "Xiao Yao, your performance was outstanding. You have won the final victory in this martial arts competition!"
I took a deep breath, suppressing my excitement, and was about to step forward to receive the award when suddenly, a cold voice came from outside the crowd…
The surrounding noise seemed to be silenced by an invisible hand, and everyone's eyes turned to the source of the sound. A figure dressed in a black cloak, whose face was obscured, slowly walked into the arena. He exuded a chilling aura, as if he came from the deepest hell, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
"Wait a minute." His voice was deep and metallic, revealing no emotion whatsoever. "I want to challenge her."
A challenge to me? I was somewhat taken aback and turned to look at Uncle Zhou, only to see that he also had a solemn expression, clearly unaware of the identity of this uninvited guest.
"Who are you? Why are you challenging me?" I suppressed my unease and stepped forward to ask.
The man in black robes did not answer my question, but only gave a cold laugh: "You are not qualified to know."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he flashed forward, attacking me like a ghost. I was startled and quickly circulated my spiritual energy to defend myself.
With a loud "bang!", I was thrown back several steps by a powerful force before I could barely regain my footing. Such immense power! I was horrified. This person's cultivation was unfathomable; he was definitely not an opponent I could easily defeat.
The man in black robes gave me no chance to catch my breath, unleashing a barrage of attacks like a storm. I could barely parry, but was completely outmatched.
"Is that all you've got?" The man in black robes said, his tone revealing a hint of impatience as he couldn't break through the defenses.
His words were like a sharp thorn, piercing my pride. I gritted my teeth, suppressing the surging anger within me, a stubborn refusal rising in my heart.
I closed my eyes, recalling the key points of the techniques taught by Instructor Zheng, trying to calm myself down. Just then, a flash of inspiration struck me.
"Use softness to overcome hardness, use minimal force to deflect great force..." I murmured to myself, gradually realizing the truth. I had been trying to confront him head-on, but I had overlooked my greatest advantage—my agile movements.
With that in mind, I took a deep breath and stopped confronting him directly. Instead, I used my light and agile steps to dodge and move around, looking for his weaknesses.
The man in black robes seemed caught off guard by my sudden change of tactics, and for a moment he was held back, unable to unleash his full power. I seized the opportunity, gathered my spiritual energy in my palm, and struck his chest with my palm.
The man in black reacted quickly, dodging to the side, but my palm strike still grazed his arm, leaving a bloody mark.
“You…” The man in black robes clutched his injured arm, a look of shock flashing in his eyes. He seemed not to have expected that I could actually hurt him.
I was overjoyed, knowing that I had found a way to defeat my enemy, and thus I fought him with even greater confidence.
The disciples watching from the sidelines were captivated by the exciting competition, holding their breath and watching us intently, afraid of missing a single detail.
"Xiao Yao, keep going!" A familiar cheer suddenly came from the crowd. I turned around and saw Coach Zheng standing in the crowd, looking at me nervously with encouraging eyes.
A warmth filled my heart, a surge of comfort coursing through my entire body. Yes, I still have my mentor, I still have my friends, I cannot give up!
I took a deep breath, channeling my spiritual energy to its limit, unleashing my final strike… All eyes were fixed on that moment; the air seemed to freeze, so still you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly, the man in black moved. He abruptly raised his head, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. He gave me a deep look, and then…
...He actually turned and left, disappearing into the night in a few leaps.
I stood there, stunned, still reeling from the sudden turn of events. I won? I actually beat that unfathomable man in black?
"Xiao Yao wins!" Uncle Zhou's booming voice echoed throughout the martial arts arena, pulling me back to reality. Thunderous applause and cheers erupted around me, and I was enveloped by this sudden joy, my heart filled with indescribable excitement and pride.
I stepped down from the arena, and Uncle-Master Zhou personally presented me with my prize—a high-grade spirit stone and a Xuan-rank cultivation manual. He looked at me, his eyes filled with admiration: "Xiao Yao, your performance today far exceeded my expectations. Not only are you exceptionally talented, but more importantly, you possess an indomitable spirit. Given time, your achievements will be limitless."
I accepted the prize and bowed deeply: "Thank you for your praise, Uncle Zhou. I will definitely work harder in my cultivation and live up to your expectations."
As the crowd gradually dispersed, I was about to leave when I suddenly felt a burning gaze fixed on me from behind. I turned around and found an elderly man in a blue robe standing behind me. He had white hair but a youthful face, was vigorous, and had deep, kind eyes.
"Senior is..." I wondered, wondering who this old man was and why he was looking at me with such eyes.
"Child, don't you remember me?" The old man smiled slightly, his voice gentle and familiar.
I scrutinized him closely, and suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind, and I exclaimed, "You are...you are the long-lost Grandmaster Zhang?"
Grandmaster Zhang looked at me and nodded with satisfaction: "Child, you really do remember me."
"Grandmaster Uncle, where have you been all these years? We all thought..." I was too excited to speak. Back then, Grandmaster Uncle Zhang was the youngest and most promising elder in the sect, but he mysteriously disappeared during a training trip. I never expected to meet him here today.
"It's a long story. I've been cultivating in a secret realm for years, and I've only just been able to escape." Grandmaster Zhang waved his hand, indicating that I shouldn't ask any more questions. "Judging from your performance in today's competition, your aptitude and comprehension are extraordinary. Given time, you will surely achieve great things. I've decided to pass on all my knowledge to you. Are you willing?"
I was incredibly excited. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I immediately knelt down and respectfully said, "This disciple is willing. Thank you for your guidance, Grandmaster Uncle!"
Grandmaster Zhang helped me up, his eyes filled with expectation: "Good child, from today onwards, you will cultivate with me."
I nodded, my heart filled with anticipation for the future. I knew that my path to immortality had only just begun…
I bid farewell to Uncle-Master Zhou and, with immense excitement, followed Grandmaster-Master Zhang to his cave dwelling in the back mountains. The place was shrouded in spiritual energy, with breathtaking scenery, like a paradise on earth. Grandmaster-Master Zhang then imparted to me a completely new cultivation method—the *Tai Xu Xin Jing*—and meticulously explained its mysteries. Only then did I understand that I wasn't without spiritual roots, but rather possessed an extremely rare mutated spiritual root—the Chaos Spiritual Root. This spiritual root is not bound by the Five Elements; it can absorb all kinds of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, allowing for cultivation speed far exceeding that of ordinary people, but also making it far more difficult to control. It was precisely because of this that my previous master mistakenly judged me to lack cultivation talent.
Under the meticulous guidance of my Grandmaster Zhang, I devoted myself to cultivating the *Tai Xu Xin Jing*, supplemented by various elixirs and spiritual herbs, and my cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. In just three months, I broke through the Qi Refining stage and reached the early Foundation Establishment stage. My cultivation speed astonished the entire sect, and even the usually strict Grandmaster Zhou looked at me with new respect, often praising me as a cultivation prodigy rarely seen in a century.
I wasn't blinded by the sudden honor; instead, I became even more diligent and hardworking. I knew my goal wasn't just to become a top member of the sect, but to stand at the pinnacle of the cultivation world and explore its unknown mysteries. Besides my own cultivation, I also made time to help my fellow disciples, answering their questions and guiding them in their cultivation techniques. My kindness and sincerity won everyone's love and respect, and they affectionately called me "Junior Uncle."
"Junior Sister Xiao Yao, are you there?" That day, I was cultivating in my cave when I suddenly heard a familiar voice outside the door. I went out of the cave and saw Uncle Zhou standing outside the door, holding an ancient scroll in his hand.
"Uncle Zhou, what brings you here?" I asked.
Uncle Zhou looked at me with a serious expression and slowly said, "Xiao Yao, your first trial has begun..."