Chapter Four: The Sudden Emergence of the Talisman Treasure

Lei Family Fort, Martial Arena.

The annual competition at Lei Family Fort was underway. The oval arena stretched for hundreds of yards, encircled by over three hundred spectators—nearly every member of the Lei clan had gathered, for this was the time to assess the disciples’ progress in cultivation.

The martial arena covered more than fifty acres. Lei Xiang stood in the northeast corner, his gaze fixed on a transparent shield ten yards in diameter. The shield shimmered faintly with yellow light, resembling a giant orange from afar—this was the Yellow Light Formation, used for Lei Family Fort’s competitions.

Inside the formation, two men stood shirtless, their four arms fiercely entwined, resembling sumo wrestlers locked in battle.

The rules for this contest were simple: regardless of method, whoever could drive the opponent out of the Yellow Light Formation would be declared the victor. Yet it was no easy task—it demanded immense strength, not only to defeat the adversary but also to break through the formation itself.

Five such shields, five formations.

At this moment, the formation nearest Lei Xiang had already produced a winner—the tall, burly man had prevailed.

“Ma Yuan wins. Next: Zhao Xiaobo versus Lei Xiang.”

Lei Xiang stepped calmly towards the glowing circle. With a thud, a dark-skinned man leapt inside. The yellow ring on the ground flashed, automatically activating the formation and enclosing them both.

The hulking man, like a half-finished iron tower, curled his lip and cast a disdainful glance at Lei Xiang. It was hardly surprising; in the annual contests, Lei Xiang was always eliminated in the first round. Facing him was tantamount to seeking confidence.

The man extended his massive palm, slamming it toward Lei Xiang’s chest. He used only a third of his strength—against such a weak opponent, even that was generous.

Fortunately for him, he had only used a fraction of his power, or his arm would not have survived.

Lei Xiang stood motionless. He simply channeled the Dragon-Elephant Divine Art through his body, and with a muffled sound, the iron tower of a man was rebounded, crashing through the formation and flying over ten yards before landing, unable to rise.

The spectators in the northeast corner fell silent; even the chief referee forgot to announce the result.

At that instant, a powerful divine sense swept across Lei Xiang. His heart involuntarily tightened. For someone of Lei Xiang’s formidable composure to be shaken, the cultivator’s strength must be unfathomable. Lei Xiang thought, “At least much stronger than the master, but not Old Man Lei himself.”

Could there be another hidden expert in the estate?

The first day’s competition concluded. After three rounds of elimination, the top eight emerged.

Lei Xiang returned to his room and fell asleep immediately. The three rounds had been mere trifles for him, especially since his opponent in the second round forfeited outright, allowing him to advance without even setting foot in the arena.

But now he needed to conserve his energy, for greater trials awaited him, including his strongest rival—Lei Yunlong, at the eighth level of Qi Refinement.

Lei Xiang awaited tomorrow’s peak showdown.

The sun shone bright, windless.

Such weather lifted the spirit.

Inside the Yellow Light Formation, Lei Xiang’s mood soared. He had just breezed through the quarterfinals, defeating his opponent with ease. Next, he would face Lei Xiaowu.

At this moment, Lei Xiaowu’s face was darkened. He could clearly sense Lei Xiang’s formidable aura. “Lei Xiang, I won’t let you off for the Spirit Fruit incident. Today, we settle this.”

Though his words were fierce, his heart was in turmoil. “They said Lei Xiang broke through to the fifth level recently, but now his aura rivals that of my elder brother. Has he advanced again in just over ten days? The eighth level of Qi Refinement? It seems forcing him out of Lei Family Fort is impossible now, and who knows who will bully whom in the future.”

This speed of cultivation was nothing short of monstrous.

“Let’s do this!” Lei Xiaowu’s small eyes narrowed, his teeth clenched. He produced a rectangular green box, as if carved from a single piece of jade, flawless and gleaming—not some ordinary item.

Lei Xiang’s pupils contracted. He could feel the faint spiritual energy swirling around it. What treasure lay within?

Lei Xiang had no way of knowing that Lei Xiaowu had specially begged this item from his elder brother, Lei Yunlong, for the contest—there was only one such piece in the entire Lei Family Fort. This was his greatest trump card.

The calm decisiveness of a sniper settled in Lei Xiang’s mind. He must not let Lei Xiaowu succeed with his spell. Lei Xiang raised his right hand, five fingers pointed skyward, silently chanting an incantation. Three drops of clear liquid condensed on his fingertips.

Lei Xiaowu wasn’t foolish—he had already cast a protective shield around himself. He sat cross-legged, placing the jade box on his knees, chanting a complex and enigmatic spell.

“Go!”

With a loud shout, one drop of the transparent liquid shot towards Lei Xiaowu, transforming mid-flight into a triangular ice spike, striking the shield.

The shield flickered like a candle in the wind, on the verge of extinguishing. Lei Xiaowu was startled, hastily pressing his hands to the shield.

He had tested this treasure—it required at least five breaths to activate. Yet not even one breath had passed, and the shield was nearly breached. Panic gripped him.

“Swish, swish!”

Two more ice spikes struck. The shield shuddered violently, its light dimming further. Lei Xiaowu took a deep breath and poured spiritual power into it, stabilizing the shield at last.

Then Lei Xiaowu did something strange—he removed his hands from the shield entirely, his fingers dancing through a dazzling series of seals, his chanting accelerating like beans crackling in a hot pan.

“Break!”

Lei Xiang’s shout echoed. Without Lei Xiaowu’s control, the shield collapsed under the next wave of attacks, but Lei Xiaowu seemed unconcerned.

His pupils were bloodshot—he was all in. This was his last chance; if he failed to suppress Lei Xiang now, who knew how powerful Lei Xiang would become in the future, perhaps even riding roughshod over him.

He abandoned defense altogether, pouring his full spiritual strength into the jade box, striving to activate it as an attack.

Lei Xiang’s cold smile was unwavering. Five more bean-sized droplets condensed at his fingertips, hurled towards the defenseless Lei Xiaowu.

Suddenly, Lei Xiaowu shouted, “Kill!” The jade box lid opened automatically. A flash of red light met the incoming ice spikes.

At last, Lei Xiaowu sighed in relief—he had confidence in this treasure. Once released, defeat for Lei Xiang was certain.

“A talisman treasure!”

A wave of gasps swept through the crowd. Hundreds of eyes converged on the scene. Whispers of envy, jealousy, and malice abounded. Some worried for Lei Xiang, but most were astonished—after all, talisman treasures were invincible at the Qi Refinement stage.

Lei Xiang recognized it as a talisman treasure, but his expression remained calm, full of assurance.

“Look! Those ice spikes are strange—Lei Xiang has something up his sleeve.” The crowd’s attention returned to the ice spikes. Of the five Lei Xiang launched, three veered unexpectedly, bypassing the red light and attacking Lei Xiaowu from three different directions.

The red light collided with the other two spikes, shattering them with a boom. The red light then raced unimpeded toward Lei Xiang’s throat. Yet Lei Xiang showed no fear, as if everything was within his calculations. His right hand formed a spear with two fingers, pointing and twisting. “Sever!”

Now the red light was less than half an inch from Lei Xiang’s throat, its chill raising goosebumps on his neck.

Then, an unbelievable scene unfolded. Lei Xiang reached out, using the art of spatial shifting, and caught the red light.

Lei Xiaowu’s mouth hung open, speechless. “That’s a talisman treasure—how could he catch it?”

“Ah!” As the crowd cried out, Lei Xiaowu’s body suddenly flew through the air, landing heavily a yard outside the ring. A fingertip-sized wound gushed blood from his right thigh.

Lei Xiang finally breathed a silent sigh of relief—he knew he had gambled correctly this time.

Talisman treasures were legendary among lesser cultivators and supposedly impossible to intercept. But Lei Xiang understood that it all depended on the caster’s power. He had gambled boldly, splitting his five ice spikes into two groups: one feigned attack, while the other circumvented, severing the link between Lei Xiaowu and the talisman treasure. Without Lei Xiaowu’s control, the treasure naturally fell into Lei Xiang’s hands.

“How can Lei Xiang be so powerful? Did he have some extraordinary encounter?”

“Indeed, even a talisman treasure couldn’t stop him—his cultivation must be heaven-defying.”

Lei Xiang ignored the crowd’s chatter. He pinched the treasure between his hands, restoring it to its original form—a dull talisman paper, painted with a small knife in vermilion.

With a swish, a massive figure descended into the arena, staunching Lei Xiaowu’s bleeding wound, then turned to Lei Xiang with a peculiar gaze.

“Master,” Lei Xiang bowed deeply.

Lei Zhenan nodded. “Excellent. You have finally broken through—and not just one, but three levels at once. In a single night, you’ve become a genius.”

Lei Xiang grinned, showing his tigerish teeth. “It’s like a paper window—once pierced, the world outside opens up.”

Lei Long looked at him meaningfully. “Good child, keep striving. Your future achievements will surpass even ours. Go prepare for the final.”

Lei Xiang’s eyes darted. Why did Master not mention the talisman treasure? He held out the knife talisman with both hands. “Master, I return this to you.”

“Yes, this is the Lei Family Fort’s only treasure—the Red Luan Knife Talisman, personally handed down by Father to Lei Yunlong. You should return it to him directly.”