"Uhh… Thank you for letting me fight here today. It was a wonderful experience." Yuan said to the microphone before handing it back to the announcer and walking off the stage.
"Yuan! What kind of technique was that?! I have never seen anyone dominate Li Jinxi in such a manner before!" Wang Ming approached him with a look of disbelief on his face.
"Technique? That wasn't a technique… At least I don't think so." Yuan said.
In fact, even he doesn't know what that power was. It came suddenly and disappeared as quickly.
And even though it gave him incredible strength, Yuan regretted that he wouldn't be able to fight Li Jinxi properly.
'Is there anyone out there that can push me to my limits?' Yuan sighed inwardly.
At this rate, he will have to play Cultivation Online if he wants to fight any worthy opponents.
After the tournament, Yuan regrouped with the others.
"Congratulations, Brother Yuan! You were very handsome on the stage!" Chu Liuxiang said to him.
"Thank you." Yuan nodded.
"Daoist Yuan, what was that golden aura around you? It felt kind of similar to Li Jinxi's technique at the end." Senior Li asked him.
"Sorry, but I don't know." Yuan shook his head.
The grand elders didn't say anything else, as they believed that Yuan wanted to keep his secrets to himself, which was a normal thing to do.
"Regardless, it was refreshing to see Li Jinxi being on the receiving end of the beatdown since she's usually the one beating her opponents." Senior Li laughed out loud despite talking about his own granddaughter.
"Daoist Yuan, it wasn't mentioned during the competition, but the winner is granted a free cultivation technique from either of our Six Spiritual Family." Senior Wang said to him a moment later.
"Now that you mention it, I have yet to take a look at the techniques," Yuan said, as he'd been too busy training.
"It's fine. You have plenty of time."
After talking for a few minutes, Yuan prepared to return to the immortal caves with the others.
However, right as they were about to leave, someone shouted, "I demand a rematch!"
Yuan turned around to see Li Jinxi, who had woken up just recently, standing behind them with an unsatisfied expression on her beautifully cold face, clearly not happy about the results of the match.
"I didn't even get the chance to fight you properly! I demand a rematch!" She repeated.
Yuan then said, "I also wasn't satisfied with the results, but the competition is already over. If you'd like, we can have our rematch on another day."
Li Jinxi remained silent for a moment before nodding her head, "Tomorrow!"
"How about the day after tomorrow? I plan on looking at the techniques tomorrow," he suggested.
"It's a promise!" she said.
"Yes."
Afterward, Yuan left the scene with the others, going straight to the Silver Restaurant for some food before returning to the immortal caves.
After they finished dinner, Yuan tried to activate the golden aura he'd experienced today during his fight with Li Jinxi, but he was unsuccessful.
'Just what was that? How do I activate such a power?' Yuan wondered to himself as he laid on the bed with Chu Liuxiang before falling asleep.
During his sleep, Yuan had a dream.
However, he was alone and surrounded by darkness, almost like he was in the middle of a black hole.
"Where am I?" He wondered out loud.
"Do you seek power?"
A deep voice suddenly resounded, causing Yuan to raise his eyebrows.
"Who's there?" He asked loudly.
"Why else would I be here?" Another voice answered, but it sounded like it was answering to the deep voice, and it sounded like the handsome man from Yuan's dreams.
"Are you willing to sacrifice everything— including your own life?" The deep voice continued.
"I am."
"Then follow me…"
The voices disappeared shortly after, and lights began flickering in the distance, resembling stars, quickly filling the void and turning it into the starry sky.
Yuan suddenly felt a presence behind him, causing him to turn around.
"It's been a while."
The handsome man reappeared before Yuan again.
"You're really random and confusing, you know that, right?" Yuan said to him.
"I have no control over my appearance, nor do I control your dreams."
After a moment of silence, Yuan asked, "Hey, do you know what that golden aura was today?"
"Of course." To Yuan's surprise, the handsome man immediately acknowledged it.
"What is that power? It filled my body with overwhelming strength, but at the same time, it also gave me an uncontrollable desire to fight. I was barely able to control myself today when I fought Li Jinxi, and that feeling lingered even after the fight, but the power was no longer there."
The handsome man smiled and said, "Do you like it? The feeling of power— the feeling of being invincible. You have just experienced true power today, but that is only a small fraction of its full power."
"That doesn't answer my question. Just what is that power?" Yuan asked again.
"That power is the reason for your existence— our existence. You will eventually remember, but that time is not now, so I cannot answer your question, as I do not know the answer."
"Then do you know how I can use that power again?"
"You're too weak to control that power. The fact you managed to use it today without facing any backlash is already a miracle. Don't worry, you'll eventually remember how to use it." The handsome man then turned around and disappeared into the void.
However, his voice resounded even after he disappeared, "You should prepare yourself. Your first tribulation will arrive soon."
"Tribulation? What are you talking about?"
"Everything comes with a price, especially power."
The dream ended with that sentence, and Yuan woke up the next moment.
'Tribulation… How am I supposed to prepare myself for something I know nothing about? That's impossible....' Yuan sighed to himself.