"Even if it means hunting fewer Demon Beasts and earning fewer points, you must stay in peak condition. Don’t put yourself in danger for a momentary gain."
At this, he hesitated, his gaze drifting to the distant Ji Li, who was resting alone with his eyes closed. A flicker of worry crossed his face. "Especially Ji Li... I believe he’s very likely to seek a fight with you in the second round."
"Ji Li is an incredibly proud man."
Zhou Changkong sighed and continued his analysis. "He has always been at the top of the rankings, never outmatched by anyone. Today, he lost to you in a single exchange, right in front of everyone. Yes, it was because he was worn down from the melee beforehand, not a true defeat in combat, but his pride will never allow such a stain on his record."
"He might sacrifice some of his time for Demon Hunting in the second round just to find you. He’ll want a formal, head-to-head duel to erase this loss."
Chu Bai nodded upon hearing this.
This matched his assessment of Ji Li.
The man was proud to the bone. Even though he was graceful in defeat, that didn’t mean he would simply swallow his pride.
In fact... this was exactly what Chu Bai was hoping for.
"It doesn’t matter."
Chu Bai’s expression was placid. He casually straightened his slightly ruffled sleeves and said calmly, "If he comes for me, then we’ll fight."
He said it nonchalantly, but his words radiated an ineffable confidence.
Seeing Chu Bai’s confident demeanor, Zhou Changkong frowned. He thought the young man was letting himself be provoked and quickly advised, "No! Don’t be rash! You’re the biggest winner of the first round, holding three Upper Grade Dharma Artifacts. As long as you play it safe and steady, the Immortal Official position is practically in the bag."
"After all, Ji Li has a profound background. He’s from a Noble Family, and his methods are endless.
"If you clash with him head-on during the Demon Hunting round and you both end up badly injured, won’t that just let someone else reap the rewards?"
"Your talent is extraordinary, but you’ve only been cultivating for a year. There’s no shame in avoiding a direct confrontation with him for now."
Faced with Zhou Changkong’s earnest pleas, Chu Bai didn’t rush to argue. Instead, he suddenly looked up and asked a seemingly unrelated question:
"Master Zhou, you once said that Ji Li was strong enough to take the Immortal Official Examination back in his second year. Why did he give up a spot that was his for the taking, only to wait until this year?"
Zhou Changkong was taken aback for a moment and answered instinctively, "That’s because even though he could have passed, he couldn’t guarantee he’d take first place.
"He’s far too proud. He wanted to sweep through his peers with an air of absolute invincibility to cultivate an Unbeatable Dao Heart, so..."
Before he could finish, Zhou Changkong’s voice came to an abrupt halt.
He snapped his head toward Chu Bai, only to see a flame called ambition burning in the young man’s clear, dark eyes.
He finally understood.
Chu Bai wasn’t being impulsive, nor was he ignorant of when to press forward or pull back.
Rather... he had the very same idea!
What is a Dao Heart?
The path of cultivation is like rowing a boat upstream; one can only fight to move forward!
If he were to avoid Ji Li’s challenge today out of fear of losing or for the sake of playing it safe, that so-called "safety" would plant a seed called "fear" deep in his heart.
If he were to back down now, even if he ultimately secured a position as an Immortal Official and gained Official Status, how could he look back on this day without regret?
Even if his cultivation surpassed Ji Li’s in the future, the memory of avoiding this battle might not be so easily erased. Over time, it could even become a Heart Demon plaguing his path of cultivation.
Failure isn’t what’s frightening; what’s frightening is lacking the courage to even compete.
Ji Li dared to suppress his cultivation for a year for the sake of his Unbeatable Dao Heart. How could he, Chu Bai, break his own spine for a mere position?
"Fine."
A smile touched Chu Bai’s lips as he said softly, "If I lose and get eliminated early, the worst that can happen is I lose this spot. I’m only a first-year. There’s always next year..."
"So what is there to fear?"
That question struck Zhou Changkong’s heart like a temple bell at dawn.
He looked at the young man before him—so young, yet already showing his formidable edge. For a moment, it was as if he were seeing his own high-spirited younger self from years ago.
After a long moment, Zhou Changkong took a deep breath. The anxious, calculating look on his face vanished, replaced by a sense of relief and admiration.
"Excellent! Well said!"
Zhou Changkong stopped trying to persuade him. Instead, he gave a heavy nod and said in a solemn voice, "Since you’re so determined, I won’t waste any more words."
"However, while you can be disdainful of your opponent strategically, you must respect them tactically. Ji Li’s Power of Primordial Magnetism is quite bizarre. If you face him directly, you need to watch out for..."
For the rest of the time, Zhou Changkong no longer mentioned avoiding the fight. Instead, using his observations from the earlier battle, he began to meticulously break down the openings in Ji Li’s techniques and the ways to counter them for Chu Bai.
Instructor Lei chimed in from time to time, adding his own nuggets of wisdom on practical combat experience.
Chu Bai listened intently while circulating the Guiyuan Technique.
The Five Element Spiritual Energy surged through his meridians, and his depleted acupoints greedily absorbed the Spiritual Qi like a parched land after a long-awaited rain.
With the recovery speed of his current Perfection Level Technique, half a double-hour was more than enough time for him to return to his peak condition.
’Not only that, I still have enough time to apply a few Rejuvenation Seals before entering the Spirit Realm. They’re my own skills, so it’s not cheating.’
’Get ahead, stay ahead. I have to seize the initiative in the second round, too!’

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