On the Martial Arts Arena, the scattered wood splinters slowly settled.
Chu Bai had collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Cold sweat poured down his forehead like rain, soaking the hair at his temples and plastering a few black strands to his pale cheeks.
Although it wasn’t a true life-or-death Magical Combat, the intense mental focus had taken a significant toll on him.
That previous strike, however, had been a genuine moment of crisis.
"Using a killing move while ’guiding’ a junior brother? You brat, you’re clearly just here to cause trouble for me today!"
Lei Lie’s figure flashed, and he appeared on the stage. He grabbed Zhang Shan, whose face was just as pale and whose eyes were filled with terror and regret, and hauled him to his feet.
"In... Instructor, I... I didn’t mean to... I couldn’t pull back in time..." Zhang Shan’s voice trembled.
He never imagined that the move he’d unleashed in a moment of panic would spiral so far out of control.
Lei Lie tossed him aside and strode over to Chu Bai. He crouched down, placed a broad, heavy hand on his shoulder, and asked in a low voice, "You alright, kid?"
"Thank you, Instructor. I’m not seriously hurt."
Chu Bai shook his head, but his heart was still pounding wildly in his chest like a war drum.
However, amidst the violent pounding of his heart and the daze of having survived a close brush with death, the consciousness deep within his Sea of Consciousness suddenly began to tremble violently without any warning!
VWOOM—
An icy, sharp aura emerged, like a Fierce Beast awakening.
The aura carried a pure, emotionless intent to kill. Wherever it passed, the lingering fear of death from moments ago was washed completely clean.
In its place was an unprecedented, profound calm, as well as... a primal craving for battle, for slaughter!
With a thought, Chu Bai endured the exhaustion in his body and summoned his panel.
The third Fate Chart, which had been grayed out and inactive, was now activated.
[Acquired Fate Chart: Seven Kills Fate]
[Effect: Seize victory from peril, and be decisive in killing. You are wreathed in Evil Qi, creating a natural deterrent against enemies. Your combat intuition and explosive power are greatly enhanced. This effect grows stronger with each battle fought.]
It activated!
In that moment between life and death, this fierce and murderous Fate Chart, centered on slaughter, had finally been activated!
Chu Bai was both shocked and overjoyed. He never expected that this practical combat class, which had nearly cost him his life, would bring such an earth-shattering, unexpected reward.
’Why didn’t it activate when I was sparring with Zhao Xing before...’
A thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately understood.
’Of course, it’s a matter of intensity.’
Back at the Zhao Mansion, although Zhao Xing was stronger than him, he was ultimately just a sparring partner.
Zhao Xing only wanted to practice his proficiency with Magic Techniques and had no intention of hurting him; it was more like a drill with safety guarantees.
Besides, Zhao Xing only used the Fire Bomb Technique and no other Magic Techniques. After many days of sparring, Chu Bai had already grown familiar with his attacks.
Under those circumstances, there was no real danger to his life.
But today was different.
Zhang Shan’s final Cyan Wood Bone-Piercing Nail was an out-of-control killing move, unleashed when he panicked and lost his composure.
That moment had been a genuine, lethal accident—an uncontrollable, real threat.
Only an experience like this could be considered a recognized battle, and thus, the Fate Chart was activated.
This Fate Chart was a double-edged sword. To grow stronger, he would have to dance on a knife’s edge!
When Lei Lie saw that Chu Bai’s eyes had quickly regained their clarity, and had even gained a sharp edge they hadn’t possessed before, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He marveled inwardly, ’This kid’s mental fortitude is truly terrifyingly tough.’
He stood up, scanned the entire audience, and turned the heart-pounding battle that had just occurred into the most vivid and profound teaching material.
"Did you all see that clearly?!"
Lei Lie first pointed at Zhang Shan, who was standing aside, too ashamed to speak, and berated him sternly, "A high Cultivation doesn’t mean you have a stable mentality! You let a new student lead you by the nose, let his rhythm disrupt your focus, and finally got so flustered that you used a killing move you can’t even perfectly control. This is the number one taboo in actual combat!"
"If you were fighting an opponent of the same Realm, under these circumstances, they would have likely already seen through your intentions and broken your killing move."
Then, he turned to Chu Bai, who had already gotten to his feet.
"As for you."
"Your strengths are obvious. You’re calm, your predictions are precise, your Magical Power control is so perfect you don’t seem like a rookie, and your on-the-spot reactions far exceed your peers."
"But your foundations still need to be shored up."
Lei Lie pointed out bluntly, "You still have too few methods. If you had a few more Magic Techniques, the outcome of a fight with Zhang Shan at the same Realm would be uncertain."
"Remember, a battle isn’t about who has more Magical Power or whose moves look prettier. It’s about who can survive one breath longer than their opponent in the gap between life and death!"
These words, like the tolling of a great bell, struck heavily upon the heart of every new student.
Only then did they realize with a jolt that the seemingly spectacular battle from moments ago had concealed so many intricacies and life-or-death secrets.
The bell signaling the end of class rang out leisurely.
The practical combat class was over.
Although Chu Bai had lost, when he stepped down from the Martial Arts Arena, he was met with the gazes of all his classmates—a mixture of admiration, shock, and even a hint of fear.
To be able to force a second-year senior to use an out-of-control killing move with only a Qi Cultivation First Layer cultivation was, in itself, a supreme victory, a glorious defeat.
"Brother Chu, are you okay?" Jiang Kuo and the others immediately surrounded him, asking with concern.
"I’m fine."
Chu Bai waved his hand, signaling that he was alright.
Just then, Zhang Shan strode over.
His face was full of guilt. He gave Chu Bai a deep bow and said, "Junior Brother Chu Bai, I was reckless just now and nearly made a terrible mistake. Please, punish me as you see fit!"
As he spoke, he took an exquisite jade bottle from his Storage Bag and offered it over. "This is a bottle of Cyan Wood Breathing Pills. They can nourish the meridians and restore Qi and blood. Please consider it a small token of my apology. I implore you to accept it, Junior Brother."
Chu Bai looked at his sincere expression and felt the enhancement from his newly activated Fate Chart. The last vestiges of his fear had long since vanished into thin air.
The other party had indeed lost some control at the time, but fortunately, the Instructor was present, so no real crisis had occurred.
He accepted the jade bottle and said calmly, "If you hadn’t gone all out today, Senior, I wouldn’t have had this epiphany."
"Thank you for the Pills, Senior. If we have the chance in the future, let’s fight again."
"Of course, with Instructor Lei present."
Zhang Shan smiled, relieved. "With your talent, Junior Brother, it won’t be long before you can defeat me!"
Seeing that Chu Bai held no grudge, Zhang Shan let out a long sigh of relief.
Chu Bai, however, was already mulling over another matter in his mind.
’For me, advancing my Realm is just a Water Grinding Technique. My cultivation speed has already increased quite a bit. I can definitely break through to the Qi Cultivation Second Layer within a year.’
’And just as the Instructor said, I’m still lacking when it comes to my arsenal of Magic Techniques. I need to expand it.’
’I’ll have to pay more attention to that aspect...’

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