Chapter 5 Challenge

The bell of Azure Cloud Sect echoed through the mountains the next morning. Its sound rolled from peak to peak, drifting across the courtyards and training grounds where hundreds of outer disciples had already begun gathering for the morning session. 

For most of them, the bell signified nothing more than the start of another day of training. For Lu Tian, it marked the return of a life he had once lived long ago.

He stepped out of the narrow corridor that led from the outer disciple quarters and paused briefly at the edge of the training grounds. Before him stretched a wide plaza lined with weapon racks and stone practice pillars worn smooth from years of use. Groups of disciples were already circulating their qi beneath the watchful gaze of several instructors, their expressions tense as they attempted to refine the most basic techniques of cultivation.

The scene was so familiar that for a moment Lu Tian felt as though he had stepped directly into a memory. In his previous life, he had stood in this very place countless times.

Back then, he had been little more than an unnoticed figure at the edge of the crowd at fifteen. He was a disciple whose destroyed meridians made advancement painfully impossible. While others steadily improved, he had struggled simply to keep pace, enduring quiet ridicule and thinly veiled disappointment from the instructors who had once expected better results.

Those memories lingered now like distant echoes.

But Lu Tian’s gaze remained calm. He was no longer the same person who had once stood here at the age of fifteen.

He walked forward slowly and took his place among the assembled disciples, ignoring the curious glances that followed him. The moment he stepped into the training formation, the instructor standing near the front of the plaza raised his voice.

“Begin qi circulation.”

Dozens of disciples immediately closed their eyes and lowered themselves into meditative stances. The air of the courtyard grew still as threads of spiritual energy began to gather around them, drawn inward as they followed the cultivation method taught by the sect.

Lu Tian did the same. Yet the moment he attempted to guide qi through his meridians, the familiar instability returned.

Spiritual energy flowed into his body like a small stream entering a broken riverbed. Instead of circulating smoothly, it twisted erratically through the fractured channels of his meridian network.

Then the void appeared.

It was subtle at first, little more than a faint pull hidden beneath the chaotic movement of qi.

But once again, the energy vanished. It was devoured by the void core.

Lu Tian’s expression did not change, though his mind grew increasingly focused. Just as before, the qi had not scattered. It had simply disappeared the moment it reached the strange emptiness buried within his dantian.

Interesting.

He continued circulating the qi with the Void Meridian Art method for several moments before gradually opening his eyes again. Around him, the other disciples remained immersed in their training, unaware that something entirely unusual had just occurred beside them.

Except for one person.

A sharp voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Well, if it isn’t the cripple.”

Lu Tian turned his head slightly.

Wei Gu stood a short distance away, arms folded across his chest as he regarded Lu Tian with a faintly mocking smile. Several other disciples stood near him, their expressions shifting between amusement and curiosity as they followed his gaze.

Wei Gu had always been one of the more talented disciples within the outer sect. His cultivation had advanced quickly since joining Azure Cloud Sect, and his confidence had grown alongside his strength. In Lu Tian’s previous life, Wei Gu had often taken pleasure in reminding him of the gap between them and had been a strong contender for the position of Sect Master but had lost due to his lesser charisma.

His demeaning habit had clearly not changed.

“I was wondering when you would show your face again,” Wei Gu continued lazily. “After all, cultivating with broken meridians must be exhausting.”

A few nearby disciples chuckled quietly.

Lu Tian studied him for a moment without speaking.

The man standing before him was exactly as he remembered. Very proud, impatient, and far too eager to prove his superiority.

Yet the strange thing was that Lu Tian no longer felt any irritation toward him.

Compared to the betrayals and catastrophes he had witnessed in his previous life, Wei Gu’s arrogance seemed almost trivial.

Still, ignoring him entirely would only attract more attention.

So, Lu Tian simply replied, his tone calm. “Training is for everyone.”

Wei Gu raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

He stepped closer, stopping just within the boundary of Lu Tian’s practice area.

“That may be true,” he said slowly, “but most people who train here actually improve.”

The surrounding disciples shifted slightly, sensing the tension building between the two.

Wei Gu leaned forward just enough that his shadow fell across Lu Tian’s feet.

“Tell me something,” he said. “After your heroic play, have you successfully circulated a full cycle of qi?”

Lu Tian regarded him quietly. In the past, that question would have been humiliating, but now it felt almost irrelevant.

“Does it matter?” he asked.

Wei Gu’s smile widened.

“I suppose not,” he replied. “After all, no matter how hard you try, you’ll never leave the outer sect.”

Several disciples laughed more openly this time.

But before Lu Tian could respond, the instructor’s voice rang out across the plaza.

“Enough talking.”

The older cultivator stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the assembled disciples with clear impatience.

“If you have energy to waste on idle conversation, you can use it sparring instead.”

He pointed toward the central arena. “Pair up.”

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Sparring sessions were one of the few opportunities for outer disciples to demonstrate their progress. Victories during these matches were often reported to the sect elders, and strong performances could lead to valuable opportunities for advancement.

Wei Gu’s eyes gleamed slightly.

“Well,” he said, turning back toward Lu Tian, “that solves the problem nicely.”

He gestured toward the arena.

“Why don’t we test your progress?”

Several nearby disciples exchanged excited glances.

A match between Wei Gu and the sect’s most infamous cripple was bound to be entertaining.

Lu Tian remained silent for a moment.

In truth, he had little interest in such a pointless display.

But refusing outright would only draw further attention, and that was something he wished to avoid for now.

So, after a brief pause, he nodded.

“If the instructor allows it.”

Wei Gu’s grin widened.

“Oh, I’m sure he will.” The instructor glanced toward them briefly before giving a curt nod.