The words of the "Flower Boy" gave Li Yundong a sudden moment of clarity, as if someone had suddenly pointed out a direction in a dense fog. Although the path ahead remained unclear, he finally knew which way to proceed, no longer wandering like a lost soul without a destination.

The Flower Boy, having received the recipe for strengthening yang and tonifying the kidneys, along with methods for body conditioning, departed in high spirits. Li Yundong, in turn, grasped the direction he needed to take in the future from the Flower Boy’s words, and he, too, walked out of the library with joy in his heart.

Upon reaching the entrance, he saw the old man who managed the library, nodded and greeted him with a smile, and then stepped outside.

Yan Hua, who had been watching Li Yundong with a mixture of hatred and jealousy, approached the old man and asked in surprise, "Grandpa, you know him?"

Yan Hua’s grandfather chuckled, "That's the person I was telling you about on the phone. Well, are you convinced or not?"

Yan Hua’s face soured. He shouted loudly, "Convinced of what! What’s so great about him!"

With that, he stormed out in anger.

Yan Hua’s grandfather watched him, shaking his head secretly and sighing inwardly, "This boy has been arrogant since childhood, spoiled by praise. I fear this time he’s going to take a major tumble."

When Li Yundong returned along the same route with the Seven Treasures Spirit-Guiding Fan on his back, most of the freshmen on the sports field were already resting, many cooling off beneath the shade of trees. Only one class was still persevering with military boxing drills under the blazing sun.

Li Yundong glanced over as he passed by. He noticed that in this particular class, one student was sparring directly against the drill instructor, while the other students watched the action unfolding in front of them, a mixture of excitement and tension on their faces.

A student fighting an instructor—that was uncommon. Li Yundong couldn't help but pause to watch for a moment longer.

The instructor on the field wasn't particularly tall, perhaps around 1.7 meters, but he was lean and wiry, with dark skin and intensely bright eyes. It was clear at a glance that he was a seasoned martial artist. Standing opposite him was a freshman clad in camouflage fatigues. This student was quite tall, his sleeves rolled up high, revealing arms corded with muscles like steel cables—undoubtedly a practitioner of external martial arts.

Seeing Li Yundong pause nearby, a spark of excitement flashed in the eyes of this student. He took a deep breath, leaped forward, and threw a punch like a cannon blast, aimed straight at the instructor.

As soon as the student attacked, Li Yundong subtly frowned.

An expert reveals himself in the first move.

When ordinary people spar, they usually approach cautiously, observing minute weaknesses in stillness or constantly circling their opponent to gauge reaction time and footwork. If the opponent’s footwork is less nimble, one circles them, striving for the advantageous position where the opponent's back is exposed; if the opponent is more agile, one immediately closes the distance, engaging in close-quarters combat to prevent the opponent from escaping the range of attack or movement.

But this student, with his very first punch, didn't even bother with a probe; he charged directly for the instructor's chest. Furthermore, his leap was so large, his stance so broad, that he clearly held the instructor in utter contempt.

Yet, in Li Yundong’s estimation, the student dared this only because he possessed genuine skill. The punch was fierce and seasoned, the technique bold and unrestrained. If Li Yundong himself hadn't achieved Foundation Establishment, he might have found it difficult to counter.

The instructor practiced Military Boxing, which, although containing striking techniques, primarily focused on grappling to subdue an opponent. Seeing the student coming in aggressively, full of youthful vigor, the instructor calmly stepped back. He caught the incoming fist with one hand while seizing the student's arm with the other. He shifted his body to the side, not only evading the punch but also slipping his entire body into the student's embrace. He then drove his leg into the student's thigh, leveraging a press and a lean!

This maneuver was a beautiful combination of defense and attack. If the instructor had just spun his pivot foot, following the momentum, and circled behind the student, he would have instantly achieved the superior position with the student’s back exposed and could subdue him using the "Cross Lock" grappling technique.

However, just as his leg was about to push into the student’s body, he felt an incredibly powerful force surge back. The student suddenly roared—a sound like an air cannon exploding—which momentarily disrupted the instructor’s focus. His body trembled, and then, with a whoosh, he was thrown backward, flying five or six meters like a cannonball directly toward Li Yundong.

Li Yundong’s heart tightened. He hadn't expected that merely pausing to watch a few extra glances on the sidelines would land him in trouble. He reached out and pressed against the instructor’s back, releasing a gentle, yielding force that effortlessly intercepted the man, stopping him without fanfare.

The exchange between the student and the instructor was incredibly fast, described as swift as a bird flying up and a falcon diving down—like lightning. The surrounding students only registered a blur before the instructor flew out, resembling one of those wire-harnessed shots in kung fu movies.

"Whoa!" The freshmen erupted in an uproar. Those who recognized the student immediately shouted excitedly, "Feng Ji, you're awesome!"

In the freshmen's eyes, instructors were lofty, untouchable figures. Yet, Feng Ji, one of their own, had sent the instructor flying in such an exaggerated manner, instantly causing them to regard him as a deity.

Some students who knew a bit more about Feng Ji, perhaps his roommates, began bragging profusely, taking reflected glory: "See how strong Brother Feng is? You should know, Brother Feng is the National Martial Arts Champion!"

"Real or fake? Why would a National Martial Arts Champion come to our school? Why not the Sports Academy?"

"Uh, how would I know? But I think I heard he’s a special admission student!"

After regaining his footing, the thrown instructor looked back to see who had caught him. Seeing that it was another student from the same school, he froze, muttering to himself: It felt like I hit a wall just now. His hands were soft yet powerful, and I wasn't hurt at all. He's clearly a master too! When did Tiannan University become so full of hidden talents?

Thinking this, he let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Thank you. I didn't expect to make such a fool of myself today."

Li Yundong smiled faintly. "He’s a martial artist who has trained for many years. It’s normal for him to lose."

The instructor scrutinized Li Yundong. He saw that the young man stood like a pine tree. Although his aura was overwhelmingly powerful, it lacked the aggressive pressure exuded by Feng Ji, giving off a strongly positive impression. He asked curiously, "Are you also a martial artist?"

Since Li Yundong began cultivating his divine abilities after achieving Foundation Establishment, the powerful, sometimes uncontainable aura that previously surrounded him had been refined into internal golden core True Essence and stored in his lower Dantian below the abdomen.

Li Yundong's previously aggressive and sharp heroic spirit had now receded from the outside in, no longer causing him to inadvertently offend peers wherever he went.

Li Yundong smiled at the instructor and replied, "Relatively speaking, yes." As he spoke, he subconsciously glanced at Feng Ji. Feng Ji, surrounded by the freshmen like stars orbiting the moon, happened to look up at the exact same moment. Like an intruder stepping onto someone else's territory, he tilted his chin up and gave Li Yundong a challenging look.

The old Li Yundong, with his quick-to-anger temperament, would have surely met the challenge with a cold sneer. But now that Li Yundong had successfully established his Foundation and glimpsed his divine abilities, his temperament had also shifted, gradually becoming deeper and more inclusive.

To embrace all things, to contain the sea within a river!

A person doesn't kick or bite to death a dog barking aggressively at them by the roadside, because the person knows they operate on a higher plane than such a vicious dog; man is the pinnacle of all creation!

Cultivators are the same!

When Li Yundong faced Feng Ji’s provocation, he suddenly realized he felt neither agitated nor angry, neither impatient nor hasty. Instead, a feeling of looking down upon the multitude from a superior vantage point rose within him.

In that instant, Li Yundong knew that deep within his heart, he had begun to completely accept the reality that he was a cultivator. He was far more powerful and transcendent than the vast majority of people in this world.

Why should he, a cultivator who already possessed divine abilities, stoop to argue with a freshman?

Facing Feng Ji’s challenge, Li Yundong merely offered a faint smile, as soft as a breeze brushing the face. He turned and walked away with unburdened grace, his departing figure (xiāosǎ - elegant and unrestrained) and composed.

Li Yundong departed with dignity, but the freshmen did not see it that way. In their eyes, the celebrated Li Yundong of the school had clearly retreated in the face of a challenge from a younger student.

Freshmen always held a degree of reverence for upperclassmen. They arrived on the grounds of higher education filled with trepidation, fresh curiosity, and a measure of ambition and wild aspirations.

As first-year students newly released from the cage of high school, deep within their souls resided a yearning to express themselves. They longed to show off, to steal the spotlight, especially when they discovered that one of their peers—a freshman just like them—was powerful enough to challenge the authority of the most legendary figure on campus. Their inner restlessness and rebellion instantly exploded.

"Tch, what legendary figure? I think he’s a coward!"

"Exactly! And he walked away looking so smug, what's the big deal?"

"Hey, you don't get it! That’s called being smart! What good would it do him to fight you here? If he wins, they’ll say he bullied a freshman; if he loses, he loses everything! That’s called having depth, understand?"

"Hmph, I read the forum posts; they hyped him up like crazy. I thought he was really amazing, turns out he’s just an old fox. Disgusting!"

"Do you even have the right to despise him? Who do you think you are? Our Brother Feng is the one qualified!"

"Pfft, sycophant!"

The students murmured among themselves. Feng Ji, however, remained standing in place, staring intently at Li Yundong’s receding back. He looked like a young lion, his gaze sharp and piercing, his fists clenched so tightly that they cracked like popping beans, a chilling sound to hear.