Chapter Sixty-One: Five Days Later, Atop Mount Ziyang!

Among the nine great True Meanings of the Fire Element, apart from the most fundamental and simplest “True Meaning of Control,” this so-called “True Meaning of Blazing Heat” is, like the “True Meaning of Frozen Concentration,” an understanding of temperature change—a most rudimentary level of True Meaning.

Naturally, this would not be something to astonish Liu Neng, a Yuan Dan Realm elder.

However, if one considers the matter of comprehending True Meaning in the context of a fifteen-year-old boy, it becomes truly dazzling. Add to that the fact that this fifteen-year-old reached the late stage of the Qi Condensation Realm from the peak of the Body Tempering Realm in less than three months, with a solid foundation in body refinement, successfully refining Fire Yuan Qi, and, during combat with an opponent, immediately grasped the True Meaning of Blazing Heat upon witnessing the True Meaning of Frozen Concentration—

Such a feat could only inspire awe, and an unparalleled awe at that.

To call Luo Tian a “genius” would, in Liu Neng’s opinion, be an insult to him.

Shen Lingfeng sensed the shift in Luo Tian’s aura; his pupils contracted sharply. The faint heat radiating from Luo Tian was glaringly obvious to a cultivator of Water Yuan Qi like Shen Lingfeng, as clear as a moth’s sensitivity to fire in the night.

Originally, after comprehending the True Meaning of Frozen Concentration, Shen Lingfeng intended to report to his clan and vie for the resources and authority he deserved. However, Luo Tian—the very fellow who once bullied him—had advanced at a frightening pace. With no one else suitable to stir up trouble, Shen Lingfeng had little choice but to confront Luo Tian himself, hoping to show him who truly held power.

He never expected that Luo Tian’s perception would be so monstrous—having witnessed his own True Meaning of Frozen Concentration, Luo Tian had actually grasped the True Meaning of Blazing Heat?

For a moment, the self-assured Shen Lingfeng, who had approached the fight with the ease of a cat toying with a mouse, felt a faint timidity creeping in.

Was he truly fit to make an enemy of someone like this?

“I’ve decided I’m going to have a talk with Senior Brother Luo after this,”

Tang Yu swallowed, his tone filled with helplessness.

“Are you going to ask him about cultivation? Comprehending True Meaning depends greatly on one’s perception, and besides, he cultivates Fire Yuan Qi; it’s not really compatible with your own practice,”

Chen Qingshan, noticing how quickly his friend had changed his tune, couldn’t help but feel the faintest tinge of jealousy toward Luo Tian. It was only natural—seeing someone who was once inferior suddenly surpass you would unsettle anyone’s heart.

Tang Yu sighed lightly. “What’s the point of asking? If Senior Brother Luo would just change his name to Tang Tian, then I could ask him every day.”

Luo Tian stretched his limbs, his joints cracking sharply. With a cold sneer, he charged straight toward Shen Lingfeng without another word.

Hadn’t Shen Lingfeng just enjoyed himself in the fight?

Now, the tables had turned!

The purple Yuan Qi swirling around Luo Tian showed no visible abnormality, but Shen Lingfeng, as his opponent, could sense its power distinctly.

“Take this!”

The energy radiating from Luo Tian’s arm grew ever more intense, surging like boiling water. With a piercing shout, his momentum soared; at this moment, he was like a tiger descending the mountain or a raging bull, carrying an unstoppable force intent on shattering all before him!

With a thunderous crash, Luo Tian’s heavy fist smashed into Shen Lingfeng’s defensive stance without mercy. The force met resistance, causing Luo Tian’s body to waver slightly—

—but Shen Lingfeng was sent stumbling back two steps!

“What has Senior Brother Luo taken? He suddenly seems like a completely different person!”

“Maybe Senior Brother Shen went easy on him—otherwise, how could the tables turn so abruptly?”

Luo Tian brimmed with confidence.

Though his cultivation progressed rapidly, Luo Tian had no concerns about his foundation, thanks to the purity and richness of his Yuan Qi. By now, he had long since moved past his initial breakthrough, and his understanding of the Nine Beast Fist of Form and Intent had deepened considerably.

This body refinement secret art was truly powerful.

With True Meaning matched and their Yuan Qi cultivation nearly equal, Luo Tian’s strength now clearly surpassed Shen Lingfeng’s—in addition to his overwhelming momentum.

The situation flipped in an instant.

Luo Tian’s relentless barrage of kicks and punches left him unstoppable; his assault came down on Shen Lingfeng like a raging storm. Whether his opponent dodged, blocked, or braced himself, Luo Tian always found a way to press his advantage.

Though water can extinguish fire, in cultivation, such elemental opposition cannot be judged so simplistically. On a narrow path, the courageous one prevails—the deeper the understanding, the mightier the cultivator.

Shen Lingfeng’s only original advantage was his grasp of True Meaning, but now, Luo Tian had caught up with him head-on, leaving Shen Lingfeng so shaken he barely had the courage to fight.

Tang Yueran’s cherry lips had remained agape ever since Luo Tian comprehended the True Meaning of Blazing Heat; she no longer knew what to make of Luo Tian, who seemed to indulge in the minor mischief of making others call him “senior brother.”

With a quiet sigh, Liu Neng could already foresee the outcome of this duel. He shook his head slightly and announced in a steady voice, “The match is over. Luo Tian is victorious!”

Although the four great families were hardly united and often schemed against each other, Liu Neng knew that Luo Tian was destined not to remain with the Divine Sun Sect. Seeing that Shen Lingfeng had decent perception, he felt a pang of appreciation for talent and feared further battle would shatter Shen Lingfeng’s confidence and hinder his future cultivation.

Hearing Elder Liu Neng speak, the referee immediately leapt onto the stage to separate the two. Although it was somewhat irregular for an elder to intervene so directly, in the world of cultivation, strength is the rule—in the Divine Sun Sect, status makes the rules—so it was of little consequence.

Shen Lingfeng clenched his fists, his whole body trembling. He wanted to utter a few words to save face for the Shen family, but could not bring himself to speak.

To continue would be to lose, without a doubt!

Shen Lingfeng understood this well.

“Clear the stage quickly and let the remaining disciples continue the competition! Do not disrupt the order!”

Seeing the awkwardness on stage, Liu Neng spoke again. Since Shen Lingfeng was clearly unable to end things gracefully, he chose to intervene completely and hurry the match to its conclusion.

With a resentful glance at Luo Tian, Shen Lingfeng left the stage without looking back.

Everyone knew Shen Lingfeng had lost face in a major way—having intended to give Senior Brother Luo a thorough thrashing, he had instead been trampled. Yet the outer disciples dared not speak openly, only quietly exchanging their opinions.

The matches continued, but none matched the excitement of the duel between Luo Tian and Shen Lingfeng, both of whom had comprehended True Meaning.

Disciples at the late stage of Qi Condensation who could comprehend True Meaning were rare talents—once discovered, their families would certainly support them wholeheartedly, and they would not need to compete in such tournaments for resources.

“The top ten disciples from this Eastern District competition are: Luo Tian, Chen Qingshan, and Tang Yu.”

Li Zijian, an outer disciple from an ordinary family, was fortunate to advance by default. Tang Yueran, less lucky, faced Chen Qingshan and, after a tough battle, conceded defeat.

“Five days from now, the ten disciples will gather here and ascend to the summit of Ziyang Mountain to vie for the top three!”

Liu Neng gave Luo Tian a deep, meaningful look, then, with these words, departed swiftly.

The summit of Ziyang Mountain—

Luo Tian clenched his fists. The path up Ziyang Mountain, to face the head senior brother, now revealed its end in the distance.