CHAPTER 78: FAKE BREAKTHROUGH

"Yue’er?" Ji Haofei exclaimed in shock.

He wasn’t alone—he had come with two of his guards. Ming Yue had clearly witnessed the unfair and oppressive fight that Ji Haofei had just engaged in. With his overwhelming power, he had tried to kill another tournament participant.

All the contestants were well aware that physical or cultivation-based attacks against fellow participants were strictly forbidden. In this case, Ji Haofei was clearly in the wrong.

"No, Yue’er. It’s not what you think. Shen and I were just sparring," Ji Haofei said nervously, his face pale.

"Sparring?" Ming Yue’s voice was sharp. "I saw no sign of sparring here. Since when does training require someone to invoke a Dao Concept?"

Ji Haofei clicked his tongue and looked forward, only to see Li Shen seemingly unaffected by the attack he had unleashed with his Dao Concept. That, too, delivered a heavy blow to his pride.

He hadn’t expected someone like Li Shen to be able to withstand—much less nullify—the ultimate attack from a Soul Formation cultivator. Logically speaking, a Nascent Soul cultivator like Li Shen shouldn’t have been capable of such a feat.

"Shen Li isn’t injured. So I think we don’t need to escalate this further, Yue’er," Ji Haofei said, pressing his hands together in a respectful gesture.

"He may not be injured, but he had to risk his life to defend himself against you. That alone is enough to get you punished," Ming Yue said sternly.

Li Shen didn’t want the situation to worsen. He had no desire for Ji Haofei to be disqualified—it would only spark further resentment toward him. He needed to persuade Ming Yue to show leniency.

"Young Master Ji is right. We were only exchanging cultivation insights. I learned quite a bit, especially regarding the Dao Concept of a Soul Formation cultivator," Li Shen said firmly, surprising Ming Yue.

"Wait—weren’t you almost killed by him? Ji Haofei’s final strike was terrifying," she questioned.

"That’s true, but it was still a form of training. Perhaps Young Master Ji simply wanted to provide me with greater insight by unleashing that technique," Li Shen replied.

Ming Yue shifted her gaze toward Ji Haofei, as if to confirm whether Li Shen’s words were true.

Ji Haofei was torn. If he confirmed Li Shen’s statement, he would effectively be accepting a public humiliation. But if he denied it, he would risk being disqualified from the tournament.

"...That’s right," he finally said through clenched teeth.

Reluctantly, Ji Haofei went along with Li Shen’s version of events. He still needed this pill tournament—to uphold the prestige of the Ji Clan, and to win over Ming Yue. For now, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and protect his standing. But once the tournament was over, he swore to hunt down and kill Li Shen.

"Sigh... Very well. If both of you insist this was merely a sparring match, I won’t report this to Father," Ming Yue said.

Ji Haofei nodded and gave a formal bow—only to Ming Yue. He refused to lower himself before Li Shen.

"You may go, Young Master Ji," she said. Ji Haofei nodded again and took off into the sky, leaving the area. The oppressive illusion cast by his Dao Concept vanished as he departed, freeing Li Shen and the others.

Li Shen let out a deep breath, relieved the battle had ended. Still, he knew that summoning the Void Hall had greatly drained his qi reserves.

Ming Yue flew closer to him, wanting to confirm once more what he had said earlier.

"This is the first time I’ve seen Ji Haofei’s Dao Concept in action. He rarely reveals that power," she said.

"You seem quite close with Young Master Ji, Miss Ming Yue," Li Shen remarked.

She sighed, placing her hands on her hips. It was true—they had been friends since childhood, and she once saw Ji Haofei as a brother. But everything changed after Ming Yue successfully formed her soul, and Ji Haofei returned from the ancient ruins.

That was when Ji Haofei’s admiration turned into affection... and then into obsession. Now, his obsession was to win the pill tournament—and win Ming Yue’s hand.

’So that’s why he’s so determined to take first place in this tournament,’ Li Shen thought.

"And what about you?" Li Shen asked.

Ming Yue shook her head. Despite everything, she still saw Ji Haofei as a brother—albeit not by blood. But when it came to romance, she remained uncertain.

"I still see him as an older brother. But if he wins the pill tournament... then I’ll have no choice but to marry him," she said quietly.

’That’s a heavy burden to carry. I can’t imagine having your future decided by the final round of a tournament,’ Li Shen thought.

’But my goal remains Ming Yue. Winning her would open the path for me to challenge Ming Gong himself.’

Li Shen fell silent for a moment. Then, with a determined smile, he stepped forward and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I will fight with everything I have to win this tournament. If I become the champion, you’ll be free from Ji Haofei."

His words once again became a source of comfort and encouragement to Ming Yue. She now held genuine hope that Li Shen would triumph in the tournament.

Living with Li Shen would be far better than being bound to Ji Haofei. She longed for freedom—to enjoy the world outside and escape the shackles of palace rules. If she married Ji Haofei, her life would be even more restricted.

"Thank you, Shen Li. Your words truly ease my heart," she replied.

"You should head back. I don’t want Elder Ming to get the wrong idea about us," Li Shen added.

Ming Yue cleared her throat, bowed respectfully to him, and flew away after saying her farewells.

"You two, come here," Li Shen called out, turning to the two outer sect disciples guarding his island.

"Yes?" one of them asked.

"You must be tired. Go get some rest. You can return later tonight," Li Shen said, surprising them.

"But what about guarding your island?" they asked.

"You’re Core Formation cultivators, while I’m already Nascent Soul. I know how to protect this island better than you do," Li Shen answered.

They exchanged glances. What he said was true—it did seem odd for Core Formation disciples to be guarding someone of higher cultivation.

In the end, they agreed, nodded respectfully, and departed. There was a reason Li Shen had asked them to leave—he intended to fake a breakthrough.

Aside from that, he also needed to replenish his depleted qi after using the Dimensional Rift and summoning the Void Hall. If the guards remained, they might grow suspicious of the large spiritual fluctuations in the area.

Once everyone was gone, Li Shen tapped his storage pouch and summoned a celestial-grade spirit stone, which floated above his house. There, he would perform a fake breakthrough to Perfect Nascent Soul while replenishing his qi.

Inside the house, Li Shen sat in a lotus position above a water pool, levitating. Gradually, vast spiritual energy from the spirit stone was absorbed into his body, restoring his drained qi.

There was no turmoil—only a calm, cool, soothing sensation. To fully restore his spiritual energy, Li Shen estimated he would need three full days.

"Time to break through," Li Shen muttered.

He activated his hand seal, and a towering pillar of blue light shot into the sky—a signature moment for any cultivator attempting a breakthrough. The energy pierced the heavens, creating a thunderous roar accompanied by lightning. Sect disciples nearby could see and feel the lightning tribulation.

"That’s a heavenly tribulation! Someone’s breaking through!" they exclaimed.

"Is it a sect disciple or a tournament participant? Judging from the energy, it’s a breakthrough to Peak Nascent Soul!"

Not just them—the people in Oceanic Palace also felt the same spiritual tremor. Ming Gong stood on the palace balcony, observing the blue pillar rising from one of the tournament islands.

"Looks like a participant is breaking through," Ming Gong said.

Ming Yue, having returned, stood beside her father. She turned and was shocked to see the lightning-wreathed blue pillar above Li Shen’s island. She instantly knew what it meant.

"Shen Li is breaking through?" Ming Yue gasped.

"Oh? That’s his island?" Ming Gong asked. Ming Yue nodded.

"It seems this tournament has granted him quite a bit of enlightenment in his cultivation. That’s good to see," Ming Gong said.

"At this rate, he might be as strong as you, Yue’er."

Ming Gong never expected that a participant would break through the stages, let alone that it would be Shen Li. After what happened to him today and the potential for him to win the pill tournament, Ming Gong’s perception of Shen Li slowly began to change.

Now, he was simply waiting to see which of the 12 participants would emerge victorious in the pill tournament. If the winner was a male cultivator, he would have the opportunity to marry Ming Yue without concerning himself with the man’s background.

Ji Haofei and Li Shen had a strong chance of achieving that!

Ming Yue smiled and shook her head. "No. His strength... it’s beyond mine now."