Chapter 287: Physical Strength

Gu Bei sidled up to Nie Li, gave him a thumbs-up, and whispered in his ear, "Nie Li, you're the man! Haha, you actually stomped Long Yuyin into the ground! I've always wanted to put that woman in her place, but she's way too strong. Looks like you're the real deal."

"Just one competition on the Sacred Spirit Rankings, that's all." Nie Li shook his head, glanced at Gu Bei, and said meaningfully, "You could probably do it too, right?"

Gu Bei chuckled and shook his head. "I'm confident I won't lose to that woman, but putting her down? That's still too hard. You're the one person I really look up to!"

"The Sacred Spirit Rankings competition is nothing," Nie Li said, completely indifferent to everything that had happened. In his heart, Long Yuyin was just a passing stranger—his true enemy was the Sacred Emperor!

Gu Bei let out a mischievous laugh. "It's still a huge deal! The Sacred Spirit Rankings are a symbol of real strength! A woman as cold as ice like Long Yuyin—conquering her must feel amazing. I originally planned to make her one of my many concubines, but since you're interested, I'll just hand her over to you!"

Nie Li was practically speechless at Gu Bei's nonsense. But Gu Bei was notoriously libertine—even though he was only fourteen or fifteen, it was said that he already had over twenty wives back home, so hearing him talk like this wasn't exactly out of character. Nie Li couldn't tell if Gu Bei was putting on an act or if this was simply who he was.

"I'm not interested in her," Nie Li said flatly.

"Is there something wrong with you down there? A gorgeous woman like that, and you're not even tempted?" Gu Bei blinked in surprise and shot a glance toward Nie Li's crotch.

Nie Li was this close to losing it entirely. He thought of Ye Ziyun, thought of Ning'er—if he were to take a wife, she'd have to be at least on their level. A woman like Long Yuyin? He would never have the slightest interest.

If they kept talking about this, it would go on forever. Nie Li said, "Someone from your Gu clan named Gu Heng came to see us."

The moment he heard that, the lazy smirk vanished from Gu Bei's face. After a moment of silence, he said, "Nie Li, no matter what choice you and Lu Piao make— you're both my friends. That Gu Heng isn't a good guy. You'd better stay away from him. And if he tries to recruit you under his banner, I still hope you'll stay true to yourselves!"

"I already turned him down," Nie Li said calmly. "Not just him—we rejected a whole lot of people."

Gu Bei looked up at Nie Li in surprise. After a brief pause, he said, "Gu Heng is a narrow-minded man. If you refused him, you'd better watch your back—he might try something underhanded!"

"That I'm not worried about. Bring it on—I'll handle whatever comes," Nie Li said with a breezy smile.

Looking at Nie Li's expression, Gu Bei was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Nie Li, I really admire you for this. From now on, no matter what happens—if you need me, Gu Bei, just say the word. I won't hesitate for a second!"

"We'll see when the time comes," Nie Li waved his hand. Gu Bei was a decent person, and Nie Li didn't want to reduce their relationship to simple mutual exploitation.

In the distance, Han Jing, Wang Yang, and the others watched the retreating figures of Nie Li, Lu Piao, and Gu Bei. Deep jealousy flickered in their eyes, but they no longer dared to cause trouble for Nie Li. Their talent wasn't even on the same level—Nie Li's abilities inspired genuine fear in them. Going after him again would be courting death!

Nie Li had even dared to fight Long Yuyin!

Venerable Chimu walked in from outside, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

His eyes lingered on Nie Li for a moment before he said with a faint smile, "I've already heard that many of you have entered the Trial Grounds, and some of you have earned impressive rankings there. Your talent has exceeded my expectations—excellent! The rest of you need to work harder. There are only five spots to advance to the Eastern Hall. If you don't get one this year, you'll have to wait until next year. But next year, even more people will be coming up from the Southern and Northern Halls. This might very well be your last chance!"

Han Jing, Wang Yang, and the others clenched their fists tightly. Only five spots—the competition would be fierce. But Venerable Chimu's words filled them with even greater urgency. If they couldn't make it to the Eastern Hall this year, would they never make it at all? Their hearts burned with unwillingness. They were all geniuses with Heavenly Spirit Roots—why should they be crushed beneath someone else?

"Three days ago, we attempted to condense the Spirit Flame. I don't know if any of you practiced after returning home. If you've managed to condense a Spirit Flame, report it to me—that will be one of your qualifications for advancing to the Eastern Hall. In this lesson, I'm going to teach you how to temper physical strength. A powerful cultivator must first possess a strong enough body to house Demon Spirits several times more powerful than themselves! But improving physical strength is no simple matter!" Venerable Chimu explained at length. "Next, I will teach you how to train your body!"

With that, he pulled several armguards from his Space Ring. "These are called Xuan Heavy Armguards, filled with Xuan Heavy Sand. They come in five grades—five hundred jin, one thousand jin, fifteen hundred jin, two thousand jin, and twenty-five hundred jin. Choose one and put it on!"

Venerable Chimu set a pile of armguards on the ground before him. "You may not use the power of the Heavenly Dao—you can only rely on pure physical strength. Of course, choose according to your ability. Eighty percent of your maximum capacity is ideal. Now, come up and pick yours!"