Spells Grinding: From Basic Sparks to Divine Arts

Chapter 266: Feng Xi’s Defeat

To a Foundation Establishment cultivator, watching Qi Condensation disciples fight was akin to watching toddlers wrestle in a sandbox.

It took only a cursory glance for Qin Lu to predict the outcome. The moment Feng Xi stepped onto the stage to face her opponent, the verdict was already clear in his mind.

She was going to lose.

The gap in cultivation was simply too wide. Feng Xi was at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation, while her opponent stood firmly at the seventh. A difference of two small realms was a chasm difficult to bridge.

Moreover, it was painfully obvious that Feng Xi lacked combat proficiency. She was reactive, forced entirely into a defensive posture, barely managing to deflect attacks let alone mount a counter-offensive. Her defeat was a statistical inevitability.

“Fellow Daoist Qin, your disciple seems… rather inexperienced in the art of combat,” Wei Yongyuan remarked, his voice drifting over from the adjacent seat.

Qin Lu offered a polite, slightly sheepish smile. “Indeed. She rarely fights. Her nature is introverted, and she spends most of her days tending to the shop. She isn’t one to go out and stir up trouble.”

He wasn’t lying. Feng Xi’s combat résumé was incredibly thin, consisting mostly of a few minor ghost-hunting excursions. Even then, the spirits they encountered were usually so weak that Wu Zhengtian or Cao Mo dispatched them before Feng Xi even drew her weapon. She had almost no experience in a genuine life-or-death struggle.

“That won’t do, Fellow Daoist Qin,” Wei Yongyuan sighed, adopting the tone of a seasoned mentor. “In the cultivation world, strength is paramount. If a disciple has no combat experience, they will find it very difficult to survive in the wider world.”

“It’s fine, really,” Qin Lu chuckled softly. He paused for a beat, then added with a casual nonchalance, “She may not be a warrior, but she won’t struggle to survive. After all, she can support herself through Alchemy.”

“What?”

Wei Yongyuan’s expression froze. He whipped his head around, staring at the disheveled girl in the arena with wide eyes. “Your disciple… is an Alchemist?”

In the cultivation world, Alchemy was the golden goose. Alchemists were rare, pampered, and ridiculously wealthy. Raising an Alchemist to the Foundation Establishment stage was akin to securing a mint that printed Spirit Stones.

“Of course. Her talent is quite decent, wouldn’t you say?” Qin Lu asked breezily, hiding his amusement.

“Decent? That is… far more than decent,” Wei Yongyuan muttered, his tone shifting from critique to palpable envy.

…

While the elders chatted comfortably on the high platform, the fight below had turned desperate.

To Qin Lu’s surprise, Feng Xi was showing grit.

Knowing she was outmatched, she abandoned conservation. She slapped expensive defensive Talismans onto her body one after another and swallowed a pill that temporarily surged her spiritual power. She turned into a fortress of money, forcefully stabilizing her crumbling position and dragging the fight into a stalemate.

The spectators gasped.

Everyone had expected a quick blowout. No one anticipated that the petite girl would be so tenacious, holding her ground through sheer financial brute force.

Watching her struggle, Qin Lu felt a pang of nostalgia.

He remembered meeting Feng Xi three years ago. She had been a scrawny, fifteen-year-old mortal girl—timid, malnourished, and frail enough to be blown away by a stiff breeze.

Now, she was eighteen. She had blossomed into a graceful young woman, her features striking and her cultivation already at the fifth layer.

Her rapid progress was entirely due to her profession. She reinvested almost all her earnings into herbs, refining endless batches of [Qi Gathering Pills]. She ate them like candy. This pill-popping regimen had power-leveled her to the fifth layer in record time.

The downside, however, was evident now. Her foundation was unstable, her Spiritual Qi was airy and lacking density, and her actual combat ability was well below her rank.

Thud!

With a dull impact, Feng Xi’s defense finally shattered. A heavy kick sent her flying off the stage.

She hit the ground outside the boundary lines. Defeat.

Qin Lu sighed softly. There was nothing to be said. Inferior skill meant losing; that was the law of the arena.

However, the Foundation Establishment cultivator seated next to him—the master of the winning disciple—looked embarrassed. He quickly leaned over to apologize.

“Fellow Daoist Qin, I am truly sorry. That brat of mine has no sense of propriety! To treat a young lady so roughly… I will discipline him strictly when we return!”

Qin Lu waved his hand dismissively. “No need, no need. It is a martial competition; injuries are inevitable. Your disciple did well. Please, do not take it to heart.”

“Fellow Daoist Qin is truly magnanimous!”

Qin Lu smiled politely, turning his gaze back to the arena floor.

Feng Xi was looking up at the VIP platform. Their eyes met.

Hmm?

Qin Lu blinked.

Tears were streaming down Feng Xi’s face. Her expression wasn’t just one of pain—it was filled with a deep, biting frustration.

Why is she so devastated? Qin Lu wondered. It’s just a friendly spar.

Before he could analyze it further, Feng Xi aggressively wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned away, retreating to the participant waiting area. Wu Zhengtian and Cao Mo immediately rushed to her side, whispering frantically.

Qin Lu scratched his chin, baffled.

“What is going on with them?”

Following Feng Xi’s loss, the tournament continued.

Qin Lu lost interest. He sat on the high platform, casually scanning the fights while munching on spirit fruit. He had already made peace with the outcome. Since none of his disciples were at the late stage of Qi Condensation, getting a reward was impossible.

They were just here to participate.

As time passed, the remaining matches concluded as expected.

Wu Zhengtian and Cao Mo also lost. They were matched against opponents in the late stages of Qi Condensation and were soundly defeated.

However, like Feng Xi, they surprised the crowd with their “wealthy” fighting style. They threw out Talismans and disposable Magical Artifacts as if they cost nothing, forcing their superior opponents into awkward, scrambling fights.

They didn’t manage to pull off a miracle and “defy the heavens to change fate,” but their ferocity—and their deep pockets—left a lasting impression.

The buzz among the other sects was clear: The Qin Sect disciples were loaded. Their combat skills might be average, but their net worth was not to be trifled with.

Naturally, this gossip didn’t reach Qin Lu on the high platform.

After the finals, Zou Chang distributed the rewards, and the lively Sect Opening Ceremony officially came to a close.

The night transitioned into a grand banquet. Wine flowed freely, and the atmosphere turned boisterous.

Qin Lu, however, kept his intake in check. He returned to the guest quarters with a clear head. He spent some time comforting his three dejected disciples, assuring them that winning or losing today mattered little in the grand scheme of things.

The night passed peacefully.

Time flowed on, and soon, the sky began to brighten.