Lin Wei made it exactly three steps into the outer sect training grounds before someone blocked his path.
"Trash Wei."
The voice was smug, aggressive, and unfortunately familiar.
Lin Wei looked up with a suppressed annoyance. It was Feng Zhao—a mid tier outer disciple, Foundation Establishment Early and one of Huo Liang's more persistent lackeys. The kind of guy who made bullying his entire personality because he had nothing else interesting about him.
"Feng Zhao," Lin Wei said flatly. "What do you want?"
"I want to know if you're actually a cultivator, or just a whore with a recording array."
Several nearby disciples stopped training to watch. Great, an audience was already forming.
[OH SHIT. Fight incoming! This is PERFECT! Accept the challenge!]
"Not helping," Lin Wei thought at the system.
"I don't have time for this," he said aloud, trying to step around Feng Zhao.
The bully moved to block him again, stepping deliberately into his personal space. "You've gotten real popular with your little... performances, everyone's talking about TrashPhoenix." He said the name like it was a slur. "I think you're just a fraud. All show, no substance."
More disciples were gathering now. Twenty something maybe more, this was turning into a spectacle.
[He's trying to humiliate you publicly. Classic dominance display. You should accept and turn this into CONTENT. Trust me!]
"What exactly do you want, Feng Zhao?" Lin Wei asked, keeping his voice level despite his heart starting to race.
"A physical cultivation comparison." Feng Zhao crossed his arms, smirking. "Right here, right now. Let's see if your 'alternative methods' actually work, or if you're just good at looking pretty for a camera."
The crowd murmured. A few people chuckled.
[ACCEPT! ACCEPT! This is FREE CONTENT! Plus, you can beat him! Your Qi control is better than his! I can see his cultivation... it's sloppy!]
Lin Wei hesitated. Fighting in public was risky. If he lost, his reputation would get even worse, If he won... well... Huo Liang's faction would escalate things.
But if he backed down, he'd look weak and weak cultivators got eaten alive in the sect hierarchy.
"Fine," Lin Wei said. "What kind of comparison?"
Feng Zhao's smirk widened. "Plank holding contest, pure physical cultivation. No Qi enhancement allowed, that would be cheating. First one to collapse loses, simple enough even for you."
The crowd whispering approval. Plank holding was a basic exercise that tested core strength and physical cultivation. It was fair, straightforward and highly visible.
Perfect for public humiliation.
Lin Wei pulled out his communication jade. "Give me two minutes to set up."
"What, you need to do your makeup first?" Feng Zhao laughed. "Going to make sure the camera catches your good side?"
[Ignore him, set up the recording array. We're livestreaming this shit!]
Lin Wei activated his recording array—a small jade slip he'd started carrying after the last "accidental" livestream, and positioned it to capture both him and Feng Zhao.
"What are you doing?" Feng Zhao asked, his smirk faltering slightly.
"You wanted to compare physical cultivation, right? I'm documenting it. For transparency." Lin Wei tapped the jade slip. "Unless you're afraid of having evidence of the results?"
Feng Zhao's face flushed. "I'm not afraid of anything! Stream it to the whole fucking sect for all I care!"
[Oh, he's going to regret saying that. Livestream activating NOW!]
A notification popped up on Lin Wei's communication jade:
[LIVESTREAM STARTED]
[TITLE: "Physical Cultivation Comparison - Feng Zhao vs TrashPhoenix"]
[CURRENT VIEWERS: 0]
[Sending notifications to 330 subscribers...]
Within seconds, the viewer count started climbing.
[VIEWERS: 23]
[VIEWERS: 67]
[VIEWERS: 134]
[@MorningDewDisciple: "Is this happening right now?"]
[@OuterSectGossip: "OH SHIT FIGHT CONTENT"]
[@RandomFan: "It's 9 AM and we're getting DRAMA"]
Lin Wei took a deep breath and addressed the camera. "For anyone just joining: Feng Zhao has challenged me to a plank holding contest. Pure physical cultivation, no Qi enhancement. We're about to find out if my 'alternative methods' actually work."
"Stop stalling and get into position," Feng Zhao snapped.
Both of them dropped into plank position—hands flat on the ground, body rigid and straight, core engaged. It was a deceptively simple pose, most cultivators could hold it for five minutes easily. Ten minutes was respectable, now fifteen was impressive even for outer disciples.
The real question was who would break first.
"Begin!" someone in the crowd shouted.
The timer started.
[VIEWERS: 289]
[@ThirstyDisciple: "Why is this attractive? It's just planking. Why am I aroused?"]
[@SeriousCultivator: "Watch their form. This is actually informative."]
[@HuoLiang: "Feng, crush this fraud."]
Lin Wei focused on his breathing and his core. The plank position engaged his entire body—arms, chest, core, legs. It was a test of endurance and physical cultivation.
His body was leaner than Feng Zhao's, less obviously muscular but flexibility and control mattered more than raw mass for this kind of exercise.
Two minutes in, both of them were holding steady.
[@RandomViewer: "They both look fine so far."]
[@OuterSectGossip: "Give it time, the collapse is always sudden."]
Three minutes, Feng Zhao's arms started to shake slightly.
Four minutes... Lin Wei felt the burn in his core and shoulders, but his breathing remained steady. The flexibility training from yesterday's mission was actually helping, his hip flexors weren't cramping like they would have before.
[Your form is better than his, he's starting to sag in the hips. You've got this!]
Five minutes... Feng Zhao was definitely struggling now, his hips were dipping, his arms trembling visibly.
"Getting tired, Trash Wei?" Feng Zhao gasped out, trying to sound confident but failing.
Lin Wei didn't respond. Talking wasted energy.
[@DefenderOfJustice: "Feng's form is breaking down. Look at his hips."]
[@SwordDisciple: "TrashPhoenix's form is actually perfect. How?"]
[@InnerSectJade: "The flexibility training pays off. His core control is impressive."]
Six minutes... The crowd was murmuring now, impressed that Lin Wei was not only keeping up but actually looking more stable than his challenger.
Seven minutes... Feng Zhao's face was red, sweat dripping onto the ground. His entire body was shaking.
Eight minutes... Lin Wei's muscles burned, but he'd spent six years trying to cultivate through pain. This was nothing compared to meridian damage.
[VIEWERS: 445]
[@ThirstyForDao: "Is the camera angle getting lower?"]
[@ConfusedViewer: "Why does this look different than before?"]
Lin Wei noticed it too, the camera angle was shifting. The array was supposed to be stationary, but it was slowly tilting downward, adjusting its framing.
[Oh. OH NO. The array is auto-adjusting for "optimal engagement." It's activating the content optimization protocol!]
"What does that mean?!" Lin Wei hissed under his breath.
[It means it's automatically reframing to maximize viewer engagement. Which means it's going to focus on whatever generates the most attention. Which in this case is probably...]
The camera angle dropped lower, focusing on their cores and... lower.
[@OuterSectGossip: "IS THE CAMERA FOCUSING ON THEIR DICKS"]
[@RandomFan: "I CANNOT UNSEE THIS"]
[@ThirstyDisciple: "I'm not complaining but WHAT"]
[@Anonymous69: "This is the best content I've ever seen"]
Lin Wei's face burned hot enough to ignite. The array had reframed to emphasize their lower bodies. Specifically, the way the plank position and their loose training pants created... visible outlines.
"TURN THAT OFF!" Feng Zhao shouted, his voice cracking.