Within the sect, there was one ironclad rule: every High Heaven disciple could be challenged once every five days.
A challenger could be at most three minor stages higher in cultivation; otherwise, the challenged party had the right to decline.
The winner would earn Contribution Points, while the loser would have theirs deducted.
Contribution Points were also known as Main Gate Contribution Points.
In High Heaven Pavilion, Contribution Points were the equivalent of hard currency.
With enough points, a disciple could exchange them at the Logistics Pavilion for almost anything: martial skills, secret arts, medicinal pills, or weapons.
They could even be traded for mortal gold and silver, though given how hard these points were to earn, most disciples were incredibly reluctant to waste them on something so mundane.
There were many ways to obtain them, such as hunting rare beasts, finding precious herbs, or completing sect missions.
However, the most common and direct method was through challenging others. These sanctioned duels allowed disciples to hone their strength against their peers while earning a steady income of points.
That was exactly why a crowd had gathered around Yang Kai so early in the morning.
Yang Kai's name was actually quite famous within the sect. Not only did he carry the shameful title of an experimental disciple, but his cultivation remained utterly stagnant. Furthermore, every single time someone challenged him, he lost.
Before he even fully opened his eyes, Yang Kai had already guessed what was happening. Drawing on the usual tropes from the cultivation novels he used to binge-read, he had a pretty clear inkling of the situation.
His mind was much clearer now.
Fragments of memory surfaced... memories that technically weren't his. The grueling routines of High Heaven Pavilion, the daily struggles, the countless humiliating defeats he had suffered. It was a strange sensation. He possessed these memories, but he felt entirely detached from them, as if he were just watching a movie of someone else's life.
So, this is what it feels like to be reborn? he mused silently.
The first thing he noticed was the state of his new body. It was incredibly weak, painfully thin, and severely malnourished. The lack of proper nutrition was obvious in his sluggish movements; his muscles simply felt hollow.
This body is in terrible shape, he realized. Even with my combat experience, I can't expect it to keep up.
He sighed inwardly. At least the martial arts experience he had picked up in his previous world was still intact.
If there was one thing his predecessor had done well, it was being unbelievably stubborn. Never refusing a fight. Never backing down. It had earned him nothing but bruises and broken bones, but at least the body had learned how to take a hit.
And today? Today, he would have to use everything he knew.
Dropping into a basic stance, Yang Kai shouted out the traditional greeting, "Please instruct!"
The surrounding crowd chuckled. They all already knew the outcome.
His opponent today was Zhou Ding Jun, a cultivator at the Tempered Body Fifth Stage. That was two full minor realms above him. Zhou Ding Jun was well-fed, far stronger, and didn't look the least bit worried... just mildly impatient.
The power gap is obvious, Yang Kai calculated silently. If I fight him head-on, I lose. It's as simple as that.
But he had no intention of backing down.
The fight began.
Yang Kai moved first, knowing it was always better to control the pace. He launched a punch straight at Zhou Ding Jun's chest. It was a basic move, predictable but fundamentally solid.
As expected, Zhou Ding Jun dodged it effortlessly.
Yang Kai observed his opponent closely. His reaction speed was good. He didn't even need to step back... he just shifted his torso slightly. It was the casual movement of someone used to fighting much weaker opponents.
Yang Kai followed up with a sweeping tiger fist. It was meant to be powerful and direct, but it lacked real force. Zhou Ding Jun dodged once again, and then immediately launched his counterattack.
A heavy fist came whistling straight toward his face.
Yang Kai barely had time to react, but he forced his body to move instinctively... twisting just enough to avoid a direct hit to his vitals.
Still, the glancing blow connected, and a sharp pain exploded in his ribs.
Even a glancing blow hurts this much? Yang Kai grimaced. He needed to be far more careful.
Suppressing the throbbing pain, Yang Kai quickly retreated, keeping his footwork steady and his stance balanced.
"Eh?" Zhou Ding Jun raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.
He didn't expect me to dodge at all, Yang Kai realized. He thought the old Yang Kai would just take the hit head-on like a punching bag.
That tiny moment of hesitation told Yang Kai everything he needed to know. Zhou Ding Jun relied purely on brute strength and wasn't used to adapting in a real fight.
But what did it matter right now? The sheer difference in physical strength was still too great. Even if Yang Kai saw a glaring opening, this malnourished body simply didn't have the power to take advantage of it.
I need to push my limits, he resolved. Even if I lose today, I need to figure out exactly how much this body can endure. I need to see how far I can go.
Again. And again. And again.
He stepped forward, forcing the engagement.
A low kick... blocked.
A swift punch... dodged.
Another heavy counterattack from Zhou Ding Jun... a direct hit.
Yang Kai was sent flying backwards, landing hard in the dirt.
The crowd burst into laughter. Someone muttered, "Here we go again, the daily trash beating."
He exhaled slowly, tasting copper in his mouth. The pain was very real. But to a man who had already died once, it wasn't unbearable.
He slowly got back up to his feet.
"Again."
Zhou Ding Jun frowned, his earlier amusement fading into annoyance. "You're seriously getting back up?"
Yang Kai didn't bother to answer. Instead, he charged forward once more.
Just three feet away, he shifted his center of gravity suddenly and swept his leg low in an unexpected, vicious leg whip.
Zhou Ding Jun reacted a split second too late, and his balance noticeably wobbled.
But that was all.
Yang Kai felt a sudden, heavy impact on his chest... he was the one sent flying again.
He clicked his tongue in frustration. His body was simply too weak. Even when he managed to land a clean hit, he couldn't generate enough force to actually do any damage.
"Again!" he shouted, standing up.
The brutal cycle continued.
Yang Kai attacked. He fell. He got up.
He attacked again. He fell again. He got up again.
Yet, the more he fought, the more he came to understand the limits of his new body.
His physical strength was severely lacking. His speed was barely acceptable. His endurance...
His endurance was somehow much better than expected.
Slowly, the murmurs in the watching crowd began to change.
"Why is he still standing?" one disciple whispered.
"Is he insane? He should have stayed down after the third hit."
Zhou Ding Jun sighed in visible frustration. "Are you crazy? Just stay down and give up before you actually break something!"
The burly teen was starting to feel genuinely bitter. He had just wanted some easy Contribution Points; he hadn't imagined that today's opponent would turn out to be such a resilient lunatic.
Yang Kai wiped a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth. His breathing was ragged and heavy, but his eyes were bright and his mind was perfectly clear.
He had already learned what he needed to from this one-sided beating.
I can't win today, he admitted to himself. But next time...
I'll be stronger.
He exhaled, rolling his aching shoulders. The pain throbbed throughout his entire frame, but he forced himself to ignore it.
Within the fierce internal struggles of the Pavilion disciples, it was not uncommon for people to actually die during "accidents" every year. Seeing this unflinching, seemingly fearless opponent continually rise from the dirt, Zhou Ding Jun couldn't help but feel a sudden trace of alarm.
Zhou Ding Jun knew deep down that he didn't possess that kind of terrifying willpower. If he were in Yang Kai's shoes, he would have surrendered long ago.
He realized that if he didn't put a decisive end to this match right now, this crazy bastard would just keep getting back up until one of them collapsed from exhaustion.
Determined to finish it, Zhou Ding Jun rushed forward with a fierce shout, executing a brutal palm strike aimed directly at the side of Yang Kai's neck to knock him out.
Recognizing the killing intent, Yang Kai didn't bother trying to block. With a calm, imposing focus, he swiftly sidestepped and let the momentum carry him out of range, before finally allowing his battered body to sink to the ground, signaling his defeat on his own terms.
Tens of feet above the courtyard, a female disciple sat quietly on a thick tree branch, hidden by the morning foliage.
She had watched the entire fight unfold with an impassive expression. Reaching into her robes, she calmly took out a small ledger and a brush.
Flipping to a fresh page, she gracefully wrote down the final record:
Experimental Disciple Yang Kai vs. Ordinary Disciple Zhou Ding Jun.
Outcome: Zhou Ding Jun wins.