Second Place

The bull projection charged towards Mo Yuan Kai with indomitable might. Elder Gong's pupils constricted and he hurriedly moved, appearing in front of Mo Yuan Kai and putting up a barrier.

BOOM!

Dust and debris exploded everywhere, disrupting visibility even for the audience who viewed the arena through a formation. The crowd was thrown into an uproar as they saw the destructiveness of Bai Hu's last attack.

When the dust finally settled, everyone was shocked at what they saw. Shui Bing had defeated her opponent, which is of no surprise. What did surprise them however, was the huge section of the arena that had been completely obliterated, save for a small section of the ground where Elder Gong stood.

"Mo Yuan Kai is eliminated, placing him third. Bai Hu ran out of qi, unable to continue, second"

He then gestured towards Shui Bing "That means that disciple Shui Bing is the winner"

The elder then told them to show up in 3 days after they have recuperated to an extent on Brightsky Peak before flying off.

Mo Yuan Kai had a fearful expression on his face, but it quickly disappeared and was replaced with a murderous intent. Bai Hu glanced at him once and then closed his eyes. His qi had been over drafted and now he couldn't move an inch. He wasn't afraid of Mo Yuan Kai attacking as an elder is surely watching their every move.

Shui Bing looked in Bai Hu's direction with a bit of gratitude. She then sent him a voice transmission.

"I'll see you on your mountain peak later"

Bai Hu shook slightly and nodded his head. He would need to reach Foundation to be able to transmit his voice via divine sense.

After recovering some qi, Bai Hu stood up and looked around. The arena is empty and devoid of people. Everyone had left before him and no one congratulated any of them.

This is because everything is reserved till the rewards are handed out. This will allow people to form connections and see what rewards the top 10 get and in turn, motivate others to do better. Of course, this might also incur jealousy and hatred.

Bai Hu didn't really see the point in this, but he couldn't do anything about it anyways. He walked around Brightsky Peak until he reached an unregulated trading area. There is almost always a marketplace or the like on a public mountain peak and there is usually transportation services.

He hadn't forgotten that Zhong Xian had told him to find him once the competition was over and there would only be one place Zhong Xian could be at this time.

He stepped onto a senior's flying treasure and told him his destination.

"Arching Waters Peak"

The man gave him an odd look before taking off. It wasn't his job to ask questions so long as he got paid.

After a short 10 minutes, a vast mountain range came into view. It lived up to its name "Arching Waters" as waterfalls and rivers could be seen everywhere. This is also a place where alcoholics gather in drinking contests and gambling.

As he'd expected, he found Zhong Xian sitting under a fig tree drinking away. The place was secluded and away from the loud elders and disciples who drank in groups while gambling, only to wake up the next morning to find all their savings gone.

Bai Hu stopped a few steps away from him and got down on one knee, "Master"

"Hm..."

Zhong Xian turned to Bai Hu, "You performed quite well"

Bai Hu thanked him for his praise and went straight to the point. He asked why Zhong Xian wanted to see him after the competition.

Zhong Xian took a few moments to ponder what Bai Hu just said. After a few moments of silence, his expression turned to one of enlightenment.

"Ah, yes I recall now. I wanted to give you a list of things that I hoped you could get for me"

He took out a jade slip and gave it to Bai Hu.

"What do I need to get that even a Core Formation elder can't get?"

"Just look at the jade slip!"

Bai Hu pressed the jade slip against his forehead. Light flashed and information poured into his head.

A large map appeared along with information on dozens of medical herbs and materials. The map was given the intimidating name "Bloody Ascension Trial"

"Bloody Ascension Trial? What's that?"

"The information is given to you!"

Bai Hu scanned the contents and gleaned the most important parts. The Bloody Ascension Trial refers to a closed space reserved for rare materials. The materials are so rare and sought after that the ancients have nearly harvested them to extinction. The various powers came to an agreement to shut off the place where these materials reside. The space will be opened once every 10 years and the alliance will send in qi refining cultivators to gather the precious materials.

According to the jade slip, the next opening will be in 2 years. If he wants to enter and obtain the materials for Zhong Xian, he would have to hold off on his cultivation. With his breakthrough speed, it is very likely that he can break through and establish his Foundation in 2 years.

"I can concoct a few pills for you if you manage to get those things. I know your breakthrough speed is fast but the Foundation realm can't be rushed like that"

Bai Hu nodded in understanding, "I'll hold off establishing my Foundation until the trial is over"

Zhong Xian nodded and let him leave. After an hour, he made it back to Thunderwind Peak.

Exhausted, he opened the formation and tried to step in. Before he could however, a blue robed figure stepped in front of him.

"It's not nice to let a lady wait, you know?"

"Ah! I'm sorry I forgot. My master called for me and so I had to meet him"

"I see"

They walked together to the guest hosting area and sat down. Bai Hu took out some more tea from his spatial pouch and poured Shui Bing a cup.

"So, what is it you need"

Bai Hu wasn't delusional and knew that Shui Bing most likely wanted something from him. Otherwise, why else would she want to see him?

"Straight to the point I see. Well anyways, I wanted to ask you to help me procure a few items when the time comes"

She took out a jade slip and handed it to Bai Hu. Bai Hu looked inside and found the same exact map he had seen not too long ago. The map of the Bloody Ascension Trial. Along with it was a list of different herbs and materials.

"What a coincidence, my master also happened to call me for this matter as well"

Her expression changed, though Bai Hu's next few words reassured her.

"Thankfully, none of the materials are the same. I'll do my best to help"

"Thank you, I'll be sure to pay you back if you manage to get a few of these materials"

After talking for a while about various subjects such as cultivation or the current state of the sect, Shui Bing left Thunderwind Peak, leaving Bai Hu pondering his next move.

He had 2 years worth of time to get stronger. At first, he'd thought the trial would be a walk in the park once he advanced to the 10th level, but after a long talk with Shui Bing, he had learned that even 10th level qi refining cultivators get slaughtered like chickens in the Bloody Ascension Trial.

Not only will there be countless powerful cultivators at the 10th level, but there will also be rare beasts protecting the materials. Benefits are always fraught with danger and the Bloody Ascension Trial earned its name due to a whooping 70 percent death rate.

This, of course, has not deterred many, and thousands would participate in the hopes of soaring through the heavens.

"I guess I can continue practicing the 9 Beasts Spear Art, the Thousand Soulspirit Art, and the Basic Qi Nourishing Method"

He took out a book from his spatial pouch. This was the book containing the Basic Qi Nourishing Method.

"Let the worldly qi enter the body... What's the worldly qi?"

Thankfully, there was a set of circulation pathways and hand seals, allowing him to cultivate the method. If not then he would have to give up on this technique as comprehending the words can take years.

He made a peculiar hand seal with his right hand and then made a different one with his left. Then he moved his qi according to the book.

Whoosh!

Vast amounts of qi suddenly surged towards Bai Hu like a raging tide. It entered his body, making him cough up blood.

"W-what is this?!"

The sheer amount of qi almost caused his meridians to explode. If he hadn't suppressed that energy with his own, then most likely he would have exploded and died.

"It doesn't take my qi but the qi that has yet to be processed into cultivation?"

He continued to observe the peculiar things happening in his body. Never before had he heard of a technique that can directly influence and absorb qi that has yet to be processed by the body. Perhaps that is what the book meant by worldly qi, qi that has yet to be touched and changed by life.