I Can Add Points Infinitely - Chapter 16
“Damn, this bastard was holding back!”
Seeing Shen Lian’s effortless evasive moves, Cui Zheng immediately realized that Shen Lian had been hiding his true strength during the fight with Lian Hong.
Even the seemingly coincidental final strike that defeated Lian Hong was deliberately planned.
Cui Zheng felt like cursing but had no time to do so.
Shen Lian, having dodged his attack, moved forward instead of retreating, his sword thrusting from a tricky angle, aiming upward at Cui Zheng’s throat.
Cui Zheng hurriedly swung his sword to block.
Clang!
A dull clash of metal echoed.
In his haste, Cui Zheng barely managed to deflect Shen Lian’s blade.
But before he could even catch his breath—
Swish!
The tip of Shen Lian’s sword suddenly flared with half a foot of sword energy.
The blade, which had already been diverted, extended due to the sudden burst of energy, slashing across Cui Zheng’s side.
Blood spurted from the wound.
Cui Zheng, stunned by the sudden pain, staggered back three steps before regaining his balance.
Looking at Shen Lian, who calmly retracted his sword, Cui Zheng saw the energy vanish as if the earlier strike had been a mere illusion.
But the wound on his body was real, a constant reminder that it wasn’t a mistake.
It had only been two days since Shen Lian joined the Inner Sect, and he had already grasped the art of using sword energy—what kind of genius was this?
Cui Zheng’s gaze at Shen Lian turned serious.
At that moment, Shen Lian moved forward again, his sword sweeping in the air to form three blooming sword flowers targeting Cui Zheng’s upper, middle, and lower body.
Real and feigned strikes intertwined.
Unable to discern the true killing blow, Cui Zheng could only retreat further.
But Shen Lian stuck to him like a shadow, giving him no opportunity to counterattack or adjust his stance.
Finally, with his back against the edge of the platform and nowhere else to go, Cui Zheng gritted his teeth, preparing to retaliate despite his injuries.
However, Shen Lian’s sword tip suddenly gleamed, his movements accelerating without warning.
Before Cui Zheng could react, his chest was slashed open with a deep cut.
Bang!
Cui Zheng collapsed off the stage, no longer able to resist.
Blood oozed from his chest and side, soaking into his robes.
Standing at the edge of the platform, Shen Lian looked down at Cui Zheng and said, “Thank you for the match. Now, hand over the twenty lower-grade spirit stones.”
“You…”
“You bastard! You tricked me! You hid your strength on purpose!”
Cui Zheng roared at Shen Lian, his face flushed red with anger and frustration.
“Yes, I hid my strength to trick you. So what?”
Shen Lian admitted openly, then continued, “A bet is a bet; you can’t just take back what you’ve put out there.”
“You were the one who insisted on challenging me. I never begged you for a fight.”
“Of course, if any of you are dissatisfied, you can step up and challenge me. Same rules—let’s set the stakes first.”
As Shen Lian spoke, his calm gaze swept across the crowd.
The other True Disciples avoided his eyes, instinctively looking down.
After all, Cui Zheng was the strongest among them, and even he had been soundly defeated without putting up much of a fight.
They weren’t foolish enough to provoke Shen Lian at this point.
“Anyone else?”
Seeing the silence, Shen Lian’s gaze returned to Cui Zheng. “Hand over the spirit stones. I have limited time and no interest in wasting it here with idle chatter.”
“Fine, Shen Lian, remember this—you won’t get away with taking my spirit stones so easily. Someone will come for you.”
Gritting his teeth, Cui Zheng glared at Shen Lian, painfully retrieving twenty lower-grade spirit stones from his pouch and tossing them over.
He had barely over forty spirit stones in total, and now, including the previous bet, Shen Lian had taken four-fifths of his wealth. It was excruciating.
“Be my guest. Just make sure to bring some stakes next time. I’ll always be ready.”
Shen Lian pocketed the spirit stones, casually replying before turning his back and leaving, not bothering to engage further with the Third Elder’s disciples or the other inner disciples watching.
His confrontation with Cui Zheng wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment decision or an effort to stand up for the inner disciples.
He had already considered his position.
Now that he was a True Disciple, Shen Lian had temporarily reached the peak of his current path.
To continue gaining more sect resources, he needed to prove himself with strength.
His display of power was a deliberate strategy to catch the sect’s eye, especially his master, the Seventh Elder.
The goal was to build a reputation as an extraordinary genius, without revealing his true strength of being at the peak of Qi Refining.
Even if he couldn’t immediately obtain Foundation Establishment techniques, he could still acquire other martial arts, which could be incredibly valuable.
After all, every technique Shen Lian acquired turned into skill points, and he could never have too many of those.
As expected.
It didn’t take long for word of Shen Lian’s overwhelming victory over Cui Zheng, a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator, to spread throughout the Inner Sect, earning him the title of the Inner Sect’s top genius.
Soon after, Shen Lian was summoned by the Seventh Elder.
Entering the hall, Shen Lian respectfully paid his respects.
The Seventh Elder’s gaze was warm, a smile playing on his lips.
When he sensed the change in Shen Lian’s aura, his smile grew even wider.
“Not bad.”
“Just five days in, and you’ve already reached level two of Qi Refining. Remarkable progress.”
“It’s all thanks to the cultivation manual you provided, Master. Without it, I wouldn’t have advanced so quickly.”
Shen Lian bowed and spoke softly.
He currently displayed the strength of a recently advanced level two Qi Refining cultivator.
Thanks to the powerful Concealment Technique he obtained from the system’s lottery, not even the Seventh Elder, a Golden Core cultivator, could see through his true strength.
“Hahaha, you brat.”
The Seventh Elder laughed heartily, pointing at Shen Lian. “That manual I gave you focuses on combat techniques for the Qi Refining stage; it doesn’t directly aid in cultivation.”
“Master, I have to disagree. It cleared up many doubts I had, allowing me to make swift progress. How could it not be helpful?”
Shen Lian maintained his calm expression as he flattered his master with a straight face.
He’d only just begun showing his talent, yet his words were already enough to make the Seventh Elder beam with satisfaction.
The Seventh Elder chuckled, shaking his head. Though he knew Shen Lian was flattering him, he still felt immensely pleased.
After all, who wouldn’t want a highly talented, respectful disciple?
“Alright, I heard you’re skilled with the sword. Show me what you’ve got, so I can see for myself.”
“Yes, Master.”
Shen Lian respectfully bowed, then moved to the center of the hall, demonstrating the most widely practiced sword technique of the Azure Cloud Sect—the Azure Cloud Sword Technique.