Chapter 4 — On Dan Dinh Peak

My final ranking match - the opponent is Trieu Hu, an outer sect disciple ranked third, Level 8 of Qi Refining, specializing in cultivating Earth system techniques, famous for his unparalleled defense. "To Tinh! I admit you are very strong, but this is it!" As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he immediately formed a seal, his body was covered with a thick layer of "Lava Armor", his voice was as deep as the sound of a drum. Without wasting words, I raised my hand to form a seal, and a Water Arrow broke through the wind and rushed straight. “Boom!” The Water Arrow collided with the stone armor and shattered instantly, leaving only a faint trail of moisture. A burst of discussion immediately rang out below the stage: "It's useless! Senior Brother Trieu's Rock Armor technique has been great for a long time, and in the Qi Refinement period, almost no one can break it!" "That's right, Water magic is inherently weak in attack and strong in defense. How can it penetrate the defense of a great city?" On the stage, Trieu Ho smiled proudly: "See? You can't do anything to me!" My face didn't change color, I just quietly raised my hand and made another seal. This time, there is no Water Arrow... Nor is it Water Dragon Phuc. It was — a thick fog! In an instant, the Water Spirit mist rose from nowhere, filling the entire arena, quickly obscuring everyone's sight. “Pretending to be a god and pretending to be a ghost!” Trieu Ho let out a low cry and turned around alertly, taking precautions in all directions. But he doesn't know — in a space filled with steam, my Water magic will be enhanced many times over! Most important of all — water, which has nowhere to go. “Stop.” A word as light as a breath, gently falling from my lips. In just a moment, the mist covering the entire arena suddenly condensed into countless ice needles, thin as buffalo silk, soundless and breathless, piercing the void, rushing straight from all directions toward Trieu Ho! Those ice needles could not penetrate the Lava Armor... But - they slipped through the small gaps of the lava armor and directly penetrated his body! “Aaaa!!!” A pitiful scream tore through the throat, echoing in the sea of mist. The Lava Stone Armor, which was as solid as a city wall, crumbled to pieces. Trieu Ho hugged his arms tightly, his body trembled, and he collapsed to the ground. His entire body's meridians were temporarily blocked by me using ice needles. The fog cleared, I stood straight in the middle of the stage, my robe without a wrinkle, as if I had never acted. As for Trieu Ho — he has completely lost his fighting ability. The whole school... was as quiet as death. After a while, the referee regained his composure and loudly announced: "To Tinh, win!" We successfully entered the top 3! At this moment, on the stage, an inner sect elder stood up and laughed loudly: "Good! Good Water element genius! To Tinh, are you... willing to worship me?" That is Elder Vuong of Thanh Moc Phong. Immediately, all eyes on the battlefield turned to me. There is fear, there is admiration, there is jealousy. Because, being openly accepted as a disciple by an inner sect elder is the ultimate glory, an opportunity that countless disciples cannot ask for. But I... just slightly lowered my eyelids, took a step forward, bowed deeply, my tone was neither arrogant nor flattering: "Thank you Elder Vuong for your favor. Disciple... please allow me to worship Dan Dinh Phong." As soon as the words ended - The whole school... was stunned! 8 Dan Dinh Phong - the gathering place of sect alchemists, supernatural status, so noble that it is inviolable. But at the same time, ask Accepting disciples is also extremely harsh. Furthermore, what I just demonstrated is clearly a fighting talent, and has nothing to do with the way of alchemy.

“Disturb!” Thanh Moc Phong's Elder Vuong's face darkened, his eyes were as sharp as a knife: "Do you know that Dan Dinh Phong has never accepted anyone without talent in Dan Dao? You abandoned the bright path of cultivation in front of you, why do you want to go there?" I bowed down, my voice was calm, each word clear: "I know. I would rather start with a small medicine bronze, just hoping to be able to worship Dan Dinh Peak and learn the way of alchemy." This one sentence caused a stir in the whole school, everyone couldn't understand it. Even on the grand stage, Luc Van Phi and Luu Thanh Nguyet both looked different. Luu Thanh Nguyet smiled coldly, her eyes filled with joy and glee - as if she was watching a stupid person ruin his future with his own hands. On the contrary, Luc Van Phi frowned tightly, doubts clearly visible in the bottom of his eyes, as if I had become a puzzle he could not solve. But... Of course I don't really want to be a little medicine man. The reason I chose Dan Dinh Phong — because I know a secret.

Din Dinh Phong is currently presided over by Luu Truong Phong - a fourth-grade alchemy master, his cultivation is profound and unpredictable, but his personality is strange, lonely, and not close to anyone. Many years ago, he suffered a serious injury that left a cold poison in his body. Every time it rained or was damp, the pain was intense and unbearable. But I know... In the world there is a type of elixir called Dragon Fire Ginseng, which is the absolute antidote to cold poison! What's more important - I know clearly that three months later, a hidden secret will open near the sect. Inside that secret realm, is where Long Hoa Sam grew. In the original work, male protagonist Tieu Tran accidentally entered the secret realm, picked up this Dragon Fire Ginseng root, used it to trade with Liu Truong Phong, in exchange for a large amount of medicinal pills and resources, which was the most important stepping stone to help him rise in the early stages. As for now — I will take this chance. To get it, we must first worship Liu Truong Phong. Only then can we be qualified to participate in the secret realm. My steadfastness made Elder Vuong feel awkward for a moment - he was rejected by me right in front of everyone, his face mixed with blue and white. The atmosphere suddenly became tense and extremely embarrassing. In the end, the sect leader had to personally step forward to relieve the siege: "Respect the disciple's choice. Let her temporarily join Dan Dinh Phong as an inner sect disciple, starting with the chores. If she can pass the test, then she will discuss the matter of worshiping a teacher again." I bowed my head and replied: "Disciple obeys." Coincidentally, this is the scenario we expected. The Outer Sect Conference is here to officially end. Tieu Tran, as in the original work, smoothly entered the top 10 and was accepted as a disciple by an elder who advocated actual combat. But we - the new inner disciples, will open a completely new page. When I left the martial arts arena, I clearly felt that there were several complicated eyes following me behind me. I won't turn back.{Read full page at Nguyet Hoa Cac} The game... has just begun. And our arena will not just be this small outer gate arena. Because now, I am no longer someone who sits still eat melons and watch plays... but have become a chess player, personally taking down each piece in this chess game. 9 Dan Dinh Phong, just like we imagined, but also far different from the original image. Here there is no noise and commotion like other mountains of the sect, no sound of swords whistling in the wind, no sound of spiritual energy fighting. All year round the air is filled with the strong scent of herbs, mixed with it is a kind of silence that makes people feel like they have entered another world - so quiet that you can clearly hear the wind rustling through the medicinal fields. But hidden beneath that stillness, is a layer of underground waves. Here, each disciple had a subtle trace of arrogance on their face, as if they were confident that they would become a future alchemy master. As for me - the one who relied on fighting power to get in here, their eyes only showed contempt, alienation, and rejection. I was assigned the most lowly job of all: washing and drying low-grade spiritual herbs, and cleaning the medicine jar. The person in charge of me was an inner sect brother named Tran Vu. His eyes looked at me coldly, like he was looking at a pile of entangled trash. “You are To Tinh, right?” He frowned and covered his nose, coldly pointing at a muddy basket of medicinal herbs: "Wash all of this, not even a leaf is damaged. If you don't do it well... pack your bags and go back to the outer gate!" I didn't say a word of explanation, I just nodded silently, rolled up my sleeves and started working. Half a month later. Every day we repeat this monotonous work, but do it extremely carefully, without a single mistake, without a single complaint. Tran Vu couldn't find a single point of criticism, his face was even more unsightly - because in his eyes, my silent patience was nothing more than a silent provocation. In the eyes of other Dan Dinh Phong disciples, my patience has turned into a joke. They whispered behind their backs: "For the sake of entering the inner sect, we don't even need dignity..." "Wait and see, sooner or later this kind of person will be kicked out!"