Elder Jiang pointed toward two more students."Zhou Qing, Zheng Yan—you join them as well."
The two stepped onto the stage. Zhou Qing was aligned with wood, Zheng Yan with earth. Together with Zhou Ping and the Lu brothers, their team now covered nearly all five elements.
"Looks evenly matched…"
"I'd say Lin Fei's side has the edge. He's already in the Qi Cultivation Realm—the others are still in the Awakened Spirit stage," the students at the sidelines murmured.
The ten participants split into two groups and exchanged respectful salutes.
At the edge of the field, Elder Chen raised his hand."Begin!"
The moment his voice fell, both sides moved at once.
"Wood Release · Wooden Guardian Technique!"
Lin Fei formed hand seals rapidly as spiritual energy surged. A wooden figure, equal to his height, burst from the ground. Its body bore rough wooden textures, its face indistinct, but its limbs fully formed.
With a thought from Lin Fei, the construct charged forward.
"Whoa!"
The crowd gasped—this was their first time seeing his new technique.
Li Chen and Liu Jinfa followed closely behind, advancing alongside the wooden guardian.
On the opposing side, a golden glow flickered across Lu Zhenhuan's body.
"Metal Release · Fortified Guard!"
A faint golden aura enveloped him as he stepped forward to meet them head-on.
"Metal Release · Cleaving Palm!"
A blade-like golden strike tore through the air, slicing the wooden guardian cleanly in half.
A smirk appeared on Lu Zhenhuan's face—
—but froze instantly.
The severed halves of the wooden guardian reconnected, as if nothing had happened.
At that same moment, Li Chen and Liu Jinfa attacked from both sides.
"Earth Release · Earthen Wall!"
Two walls of earth surged up beside Lu Zhenhuan, blocking their attacks.
Lu Zhenyu and Zheng Yan had acted simultaneously, buying him precious time.
Meanwhile, Lin Fei's wooden guardian did not linger—it plunged straight into the enemy formation.
Zhou Ping raised his hand, golden light flashing.
Another Cleaving Palm split the guardian apart again—
—but once more, it reformed.
Then—
A storm of flying leaves swept forward.
Lin Fei and Hu Mei had unleashed Leaf Dance together. Countless leaves transformed into razor-sharp blades, filling the sky.
Zhou Ping remained calm.
With both hands forming seals, he activated:
"Earth Release · Earthen Wall!""Metal Release · Fortified Guard!"
A shimmering golden earthen wall rose from the ground—an enhanced combination using elemental synergy.
The leaf blades struck it in rapid succession, thudding uselessly against its surface.
Behind him, Zhou Qing and Lu Zhenhuan counterattacked with fireballs and their own Leaf Dance. The burning leaves ignited the incoming ones, turning the battlefield into a storm of flaming projectiles.
Lin Fei's eyes sharpened.
He directed the wooden guardian forward while casting another technique.
"Wood Release · Binding Vines!"
Thick vines burst from the ground, instantly wrapping around Zheng Yan's legs.
"Ah—!" Zheng Yan panicked.
His earth techniques were useless against the vines. Before he could react, the wooden guardian reached him, spread its arms, and grabbed him tightly.
"Help—!"
He struggled, but thick roots extended from the guardian's body, binding him completely.
Then—
It carried him straight off the field.
Lu Zhenhuan and Zhou Ping were too occupied to intervene.
Elder Chen glanced over and raised his hand.
"Zheng Yan—eliminated."
"Damn it!" Lu Zhenhuan's expression darkened.
Losing a teammate so quickly was completely unexpected.
He immediately formed seals.
"Fire Release · Fireball Technique!"
The blazing attack forced Li Chen back, before Lu Zhenhuan turned his full focus toward Liu Jinfa.
Liu Jinfa, already weaker, couldn't withstand the assault.
After a few exchanges, his defense was shattered by Cleaving Palm. He stumbled backward, retreating to Lin Fei's side, panting heavily.
"Ow—this hurts… I'm done…"
Li Chen stepped in again, engaging Lu Zhenhuan in a fierce duel.
At the same time—
Two fireballs, mixed with countless leaves, surged toward Lin Fei's group.
Zhou Ping, Zhou Qing, and Lu Zhenyu had combined their attacks. The leaves ignited midair, transforming into a rain of flaming arrows.
Lin Fei, Hu Mei, and Sun Ting reacted immediately.
They released dense water mist to suppress the flames, weakening both fireballs and burning leaves. Then they countered with Leaf formations and Sun Ting's fire techniques.
Flames and leaves collided violently across the battlefield—techniques clashing in chaotic brilliance.
The spectators could barely keep up.
The battle dragged on.
When the mist finally cleared—
Only two figures remained standing.
Lin Fei… and Zhou Ping.
Lu Zhenhuan and Li Chen were both kneeling on one knee, breathing heavily—clearly a draw.
Hu Mei, Sun Ting, Lu Zhenyu, and Zhou Qing stood in the back, exhausted, unable to cast another technique.
Liu Jinfa lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious—or perhaps pretending to be.
Across the wreckage, Lin Fei and Zhou Ping faced each other.
Before Lin Fei stood a wall of burning vines, flames crackling.
Before Zhou Ping lay the wooden guardian, split in two and still burning.
Though Lin Fei's cultivation was higher, his wood and water techniques were heavily countered by the enemy's fire and metal.
Zhou Ping and Lu Zhenyu had deliberately dragged the fight into a battle of attrition, forcing him to spend half his energy on defense.
Lin Fei took a deep breath.
Forming seals, he activated:
"Water Release · Slowing Current!"
Water gathered around the wooden guardian, extinguishing the flames. The broken halves began to reconnect—soon restoring it completely.
Zhou Ping watched silently.
After a moment—
He raised his hand.
"I concede."
The crowd erupted in an uproar.
Then, applause followed.
At the sidelines, the three elders nodded slightly as they watched the young fighters.
Soon after, Lin Fei earned a title:
The Strongest First-Year.
But the title did not last long.
Within a month, Zhou Ping, Li Chen, the Lu brothers, and Hu Mei all broke through into the Qi Cultivation Realm.
Once again, they stood at the same starting line.
As winter deepened, frost and snow blanketed the academy and the surrounding mountains.
Classes shifted mostly indoors—except for technique training.
The cold weather gave water techniques a clear advantage. Simple mist could turn into snowfall, and slowing techniques could even freeze opponents solid.
Elder Jiang explained—
"This is the influence of the seasons on the Five Elements."
Then, before they knew it—
The New Year arrived.
The academy granted a half-month break.
Students packed their belongings and returned home.
Early one morning, Lin Fei and Li Chen arrived at the mountain gate, waiting for their families.
Li Chen was picked up first.
As he left, he patted Lin Fei on the shoulder.
"Happy New Year. See you after the break."
"See you," Lin Fei replied with a smile.
After watching him leave, Lin Fei remained at the gate, waiting.
His uncle Wan Li was always busy—he wasn't sure if he would come.
A hint of unease crept into his heart.
Then—
A familiar voice called out from the distance.
"Xiao Fei!"
Lin Fei looked up.
A man with graying hair, dressed in black, waved at him.
"Dong-ge!" Lin Fei's eyes lit up as he ran over.
Li Dong smiled, patting his shoulder.
"Qi Cultivation already? Not bad."
Lin Fei scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"Where's my uncle?"
"He's on his way to Kunlun Nation," Li Dong replied."He won't make it back for the New Year. I'll be spending it with you this year."
Lin Fei nodded.
Together, they boarded a spirit-drawn carriage and headed toward Senluo City.
When they arrived home, everything was already cleaned and decorated.
Red couplets hung on the door. Paper cuttings covered the windows.
Though quieter than before, the festive spirit remained.
On the table sat a letter… and a box.
"Your uncle left them for you," Li Dong said.
Lin Fei opened the box.
Inside was a dark brown belt, soft leather, embedded with dim jade stones etched with faint runes.
"What is this…?"
"A magical artifact," Li Dong said."A storage belt."
Lin Fei's eyes lit up.
He picked it up, noticing the engraved character "Lin" on the buckle.
Then he opened the letter.
Xiao Fei,
By the time you read this, I should already be on my way to Kunlun Nation. There's important business I must handle personally, and I likely won't return until spring.
I'm sorry I can't spend the New Year with you.
The belt in the box is a storage artifact I had specially made for you. It contains spatial runes and can hold many items—useful for your training and future travels.
The jade stones are spirit stones that power the runes. When they're depleted, you can replace them—or learn to do it yourself.
I've heard about your rapid progress. I'm proud—but remember, cultivation is a long journey. Stay humble. Stay diligent.
If you need anything urgent, find Li Dong.
Take care of yourself. Eat well.
When I return, I'll bring you something from Kunlun.
—Your Uncle, Wan Li
Lin Fei felt warmth fill his chest.
He folded the letter carefully and kept it close.
Then he replaced his old belt with the new one—it fit perfectly, as if tailor-made.
"Try it," Li Dong said with a smile.
Lin Fei nodded.
He picked up a teacup, channeled his energy—
—and it vanished.
Moments later, he sensed it resting inside the belt's space.
"It really works!"
He experimented repeatedly, storing and retrieving items with growing excitement.
Li Dong watched, a faint smile on his face.
"Alright, that's enough," he said."Go tidy up. Tonight, we make dumplings."
Lin Fei nodded.
He carefully stored everything—including the letter—into the storage belt.
Outside, the sound of firecrackers grew louder.
A new year was arriving.