17: This amount is too big!

“He should be dead, right?” Yang Kai, hidden behind a sturdy earthen wall, cautiously peered out to assess the situation.

At this moment, the fierce flames gradually died down due to lack of combustibles. The center of the area was enveloped in smoke, making it impossible for Yang Kai to ascertain the outcome of the battle.

“Roar!!!” Just then, the Strange Wolf in the sky suddenly swooped down. Yang Kai only managed to see that the Strange Wolf seemed to have sustained no damage.

“Bang!!!” A violent collision sound rang out. The earthen wall that had enveloped Yang Kai earlier suddenly closed, firmly protecting him. The Strange Wolf landed heavily on it, continuously striking it, and the earthen wall quickly became precarious.

Under the Strange Wolf's relentless attacks, a gap was soon dug out of the earthen wall's dome. The Strange Wolf stuck its head in and began to tear and bite, acting extremely ferocious.

“Die! Fireball Technique Rapid Shot!” After the Strange Wolf poked its head into the earthen wall, it only saw Yang Kai enveloped by a golden Spiritual Bell, with over a dozen talismans flying around him. Then, huge Fireballs shot towards the Strange Wolf.

The attack of a single Fireball Technique naturally wouldn't cause any significant damage to the Strange Wolf, but it couldn't withstand the sheer number. The advantage of talismans lay here: they could instantly cast and continuously cast Spells. Even the weakest Spell, in the face of absolute numbers, would become incredibly ferocious.

Although the Strange Wolf lacked intelligence, its beastly instincts made him want to escape the area. Just as he tried to retract his head from the narrow opening, the earthen wall suddenly collapsed. The Strange Wolf lost its support and fell. Then, an even larger earthen wall rose from the ground, enveloping both Yang Kai and the Strange Wolf. Intense explosions echoed from within, only stopping after a long while.

When the sounds ceased, the earthen wall, which had borne the brunt of everything, collapsed again. Yang Kai, enveloped by the golden Spiritual Bell, reappeared, but the Strange Wolf was nowhere to be seen.

“This Strange Wolf originally had no Physical Body; it must have been an entity formed by some kind of energy. The Qinxu Tower's difficulty is truly high. The very first Demonic Beast made me use the trump card I've been pondering over this past while.” All the talismans floating around Yang Kai turned into ashes and dissipated, leaving only a single golden talisman, which Yang Kai carefully put away.

“I still have many Fireball Technique talismans, but I can't sustain this kind of usage for many rounds. More importantly, I only have one talisman for this small golden bell. Its defensive power is truly astonishing; even a hundred Fireball Techniques exploding together couldn't break its defense.”

Yang Kai began to review the battle. The Flame Tiger was already the strongest offensive Spell he could cast with his current cultivation, and the earthen wall couldn't withstand the Strange Wolf's attack. If not for these talismans, Yang Kai would have only faced defeat.

“I hope the rewards for passing the assessment are enough to make up for my losses, otherwise, I'll be at a huge disadvantage this time.” Yang Kai thought with a hint of pain. Not to mention the golden bell talisman, even the dozen Fireball Technique talismans were worth a dozen Spirit Stones. Yang Kai, relying solely on the subsidies from the Flowing Cloud Sect, wouldn't be able to save up such assets even if he left the sect after his term.

“I underestimated you. I didn't expect you, kid, to also have a background. That talisman you used for defense already has a hint of a Core Formation treasure. Even if it wasn't made by a Core Formation Cultivator, it was definitely crafted with full effort by a Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivator. It's been a long time since I've encountered such a rogue kid like you. Interesting!” Elder Qiu's figure slowly appeared before Yang Kai, clicking his tongue.

“Elder Qiu, this junior has completed the battle. Please issue the reward.” Yang Kai knew that Elder Qiu had a foul mouth, so he cut straight to the chase and didn't waste time bickering with him.

“Hmph! You don't understand an ounce of respect for your Elders! Get to the center of the area, meditate, and wait. Absorb as much as you can later. If your body feels a tearing sensation, you must stop Cultivating immediately, or your life will be in danger!” Elder Qiu huffed and puffed, glaring, and said unhappily.

Yang Kai quickly went to the center of the area. Listening to Elder Qiu's words, it seemed to be as he had expected; this was a place where he could improve his cultivation. After sitting down cross-legged, his heart was full of anticipation.

“Buzz!”

In the area, a Buddhist chant sounded, followed by a massive rush of Spiritual Qi that pressed down on Yang Kai, causing his shoulders to slump and making it difficult to breathe.

“Flowing Cloud Heart Sutra!” Yang Kai held his breath and concentrated, once again activating his Cultivation Technique, absorbing Spiritual Qi with all his might. The magical power within his body also rose steadily, climbing higher and higher!

“Hey, stinky kid, don't be too greedy. This Spiritual Qi can only increase your magical power, but you have to overcome the Bottleneck yourself. You haven't yet reached the opportune moment to Breakthrough the third level of the Qi Refinement Stage. Cultivate until you reach the Peak of the second level of the Qi Refinement Stage, then quickly withdraw, lest you injure yourself.” Elder Qiu, cold-faced but kind-hearted, saw Yang Kai begin to Cultivate and kindly advised him.

Elder Qiu was indeed a Cultivator with profound cultivation. He saw through Yang Kai's current predicament at a glance. The magical power within Yang Kai's body was already abundant again. Under Yang Kai's control, the surging magical power crashed against the invisible Bottleneck wave after wave, but this Bottleneck was impregnable. Instead, a large amount of Spiritual Qi was accumulating within Yang Kai's body, almost filling his Meridians. If he couldn't Breakthrough the Bottleneck and expand his Dantian capacity, then in a few breaths, the situation of excessive Spiritual Qi accumulation harming himself would occur.

“No! I paid such a huge price to win this round. How can absorbing such a small amount of Spiritual Qi make up for it? There must be another way!” Yang Kai carefully recalled the various Cultivation Techniques and Spells recorded in his mind, hoping to find a solution.

“This brat, if he keeps this up, he'll surely kill himself!” Elder Qiu watched from the side, somewhat anxious. Just as he was about to forcibly pull Yang Kai out, he didn't expect Yang Kai's body, which had been trembling violently from pain, to suddenly regain its calm. This stunned Elder Qiu as well; it seemed a turning point had appeared!

“It's this one, the Ninefold Mixed Origin Body Refining Art!” All sorts of content regarding the Ninefold Mixed Origin Body Refining Art continuously surged forth in Yang Kai's mind. Then, Yang Kai, following the records of this Body Refining technique, guided the Spiritual Qi to continuously flush a certain acupoint within his body. However, the vast amount of Spiritual Qi entered it, and the acupoint showed no reaction, remaining completely dark.

“Why is it gone?!!!” Just as Yang Kai was continuously refining the acupoint, the continuous Spiritual Qi from above began to dwindle, disappearing completely after a few breaths.

“Kid, in the Qinxu Tower, for every Yao Beast formed by Spiritual Qi you defeat, you can obtain its Spiritual Qi. The Qinxu Tower was originally only open to Inner Sect Disciples, precisely because the Yao Beasts here start with the combat power of the Early Stage Foundation Establishment. If you continue to challenge, it will be Yao Beasts of the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment. It's already your limit to win one round with talismans. I advise you to quit while you're ahead.” Just as Yang Kai was puzzled, Elder Qiu spoke up from the side to explain.

“The Qinxu Tower was originally only open to Inner Sect Disciples, precisely because the Yao Beasts here start with the combat power of the Early Stage Foundation Establishment. If you continue to challenge, it will be Yao Beasts of the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment. It's already your limit to win one round with talismans. I advise you to quit while you're ahead.”