Chapter Five: The Conflict Begins

"Looking for trouble!" Uri shouted, striking Yang Xiao's chest with a palm. This blow was none other than the 'Gale Palm,' one of the two supreme techniques of the Giant Spirit Sect. The palm swept forth with a howling wind, fierce and domineering in its momentum.

Yang Xiao faced Uri’s attack with a grave expression, yet he managed to remain composed, his gaze fixed intently on Uri’s palm.

To He Ming’s eyes, Uri’s palm inspired considerable fear. Compared to the previous strike, its power was vastly greater; it was clear Uri meant to teach Yang Xiao a harsh lesson. If it landed, Yang Xiao might be bedridden for half a month, unable to rise.

But a miracle occurred. Uri’s seemingly unstoppable palm did not strike Yang Xiao. Yang Xiao’s form swayed twice, and he evaded the blow. This was thanks to a remarkable movement technique Yang Xiao had mastered in his previous life—the ‘Body Command Technique.’ No matter how formidable Uri was, he had only reached the fifth level of Spiritual Awareness. With the wisdom of his past life, Yang Xiao found such cultivation unremarkable.

Uri’s face darkened instantly when Yang Xiao dodged. Such an attack would be nearly impossible to avoid even for someone of equal cultivation, let alone Yang Xiao, who had only attained the second level of Spiritual Awareness. Uri refused to believe Yang Xiao possessed such ability; he assumed it was mere luck.

He Ming was likewise astonished by Yang Xiao’s ‘good fortune.’ Seizing the opportunity, he hurried forward to persuade Yang Xiao to apologize to Uri. After all, they were fellow disciples. If Yang Xiao admitted his mistake and apologized, Uri likely would not press further, and the matter would not escalate. As Yang Xiao’s friend, He Ming certainly did not want to see him gravely injured by Uri.

After urging Yang Xiao, He Ming pleaded with Uri, saying that Yang Xiao had recently recovered from a serious illness and acted rashly from confusion.

Uri seemed not to hear He Ming’s plea. His small eyes squinted, studying Yang Xiao as if searching for something—or perhaps waiting to see what Yang Xiao would do next.

Yet Yang Xiao did not heed He Ming’s words, showing no fear of offending Uri.

“Hmph! It seems Brother Yang’s movement skills have improved in these few days. But I used only thirty percent of my strength just now; now I’ll use fifty percent. Let’s see if you can still dodge.” With that, Uri struck again, his palm even swifter and more forceful than before.

Still, Uri’s palm missed its mark. Yang Xiao’s form flickered, dodging once more.

“Remarkable! Brother Yang is like a different person,” Uri exclaimed, scarcely believing what he saw. With such a disparity in cultivation, he should have easily overwhelmed his opponent, yet he could not touch him. It was a humiliating predicament. While praising Yang Xiao with his words, Uri placed his palm behind his back, silently gathering his killing move—the second stage of the Gale Palm. This advanced technique could only be used at the later stages of Spiritual Awareness. Uri’s mastery of airflow was impeccable; once unleashed, it could summon the power of wind far more destructive than an ordinary hurricane.

Few disciples in the Giant Spirit Sect could wield the second stage of the Gale Palm with proficiency; Uri was among them, and his skill with it had earned him a prominent position among his peers.

“No matter what powerful techniques Brother Yang has learned, if you can withstand my next blow, I’ll never trouble you again. From then on, you need not participate in any chores within the Giant Spirit Sect.” Having readied his secret technique, Uri spoke to Yang Xiao with a mocking smile.

“Agreed. Let’s see Brother Uri’s renowned skill,” Yang Xiao replied readily.

“Then be careful, Brother!” Uri swung his palm from behind his back, striking at Yang Xiao yet again. The force of this blow sent sand and stones flying, the air around them quaking violently, forming a hurricane of astonishing power that swept toward Yang Xiao.

Witnessing this, He Ming cried out inwardly in alarm. This was Uri’s ultimate move, one that ordinary disciples could not withstand. He could not believe Yang Xiao would survive such an attack; surely, this time, Yang Xiao’s fate would be worse than a fortnight in bed—his very life might be in jeopardy.

Yang Xiao saw Uri’s killing move and furrowed his brow. This time, he could not simply rely on his movement technique to evade. Uri’s strike conjured a hurricane enveloping his palm; even if he dodged the palm, the wind itself was perilous.

“It seems I must take it head-on,” Yang Xiao thought, mobilizing his spiritual energy to the utmost. Yet as he did so, he realized his body was in a dreadful state. With only the second level of Spiritual Awareness, even if he summoned all his energy, it was pitifully insufficient—nowhere near enough to withstand Uri’s assault.

At this moment, Yang Xiao silently cursed his predicament. Clearly, he had overestimated his own strength; his current body was woefully weak. No matter how formidable he had been in his previous life, those techniques were impossible to deploy with his present condition.

In the nine levels of Spiritual Awareness, each advancement doubled one’s usable spiritual energy. With a three-level gap between him and Uri, the difference was vast; if he tried to resist directly, he could not hope to withstand it.

Nonetheless, Yang Xiao had no choice but to confront it. His form flickered, dodging Uri’s palm, and at the same instant, he punched at the incoming hurricane. Employing a technique that momentarily amplified his spiritual energy, he barely managed to withstand Uri’s attack.

After receiving Uri’s blow, Yang Xiao staggered back seven or eight steps before regaining his footing. His face was pale; he had clearly exhausted his spiritual energy and would need time to recover.

When Yang Xiao truly endured Uri’s ultimate move, everyone was stunned. Except for Yang Xiao himself, neither Uri nor He Ming could believe what they had witnessed.

A second-level Spiritual Awareness cultivator had survived the killing move of someone at the fifth level. To them, this was utterly impossible. Yet the impossible had become reality before their eyes. For a moment, no one could speak.

Yang Xiao, however, understood the cost he had paid to withstand the attack. He had relied on a myriad of techniques and experiences from his previous life to succeed, and thus found the result unsurprising.

He remained silent for another reason: he had made a startling discovery. In his moment of peril, the lightning mark within his mind had suddenly stirred and split off a tiny arc, which now wound around his hand, flickering incessantly.