Invincible Beyond Heavens: Cultivating With A Broken EXP System

“Hu Fu, shall we head to the Mist Spirit Pond?” Bai Xueqin turned her gaze toward him, her tone calm yet sharp.

“Of course!” Hu Fu let out a low laugh. “I’ve been waiting long enough. This pond’s been discovered for over ten days already, and no one has used it. Such a waste!” His words carried both mockery and impatience.

The two sides began to move.

The Mist Spirit Pond wasn’t far; within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, they arrived.

Li Yun’s eyes fell on the sealed area ahead. The pond itself was cloaked in a faint, misty glow, the spiritual energy within it condensed into rolling clouds of vapor, drifting lazily above the ground. This energy was born deep underground, slowly pressing upward until it finally broke through the earth.

If a Mist Spirit Pond was not discovered quickly enough, the energy would scatter into the world, vanishing completely in mere days or months. Only by artificially sealing the pond, forcing the mist back into its confines, could cultivators preserve it for longer use. Still, sealed or not, the energy would eventually dissipate, it was only a matter of time. Which was why Mist Spirit Ponds were always contested the moment they appeared.

This one, fortunately, was small. It could accommodate only a handful of cultivators, unlike the massive ponds that could host hundreds and would inevitably attract the full attention of Moonriver County’s great powers. For Azure Wind City and Water Cloud City, this was a treasure still within reach.

“Kun Long, come here!” Hu Fu suddenly called out, his voice ringing with authority.

From the Water Cloud City side, a middle-aged man in tight black robes stepped forward with measured strides. His face was sharp, his expression cold, and the aura surrounding him pressed down like a weight.

“City Lord,” the man bowed slightly to Hu Fu, then lifted his head. His dark eyes swept across Bai Xueqin’s side, briefly pausing on Li Yun and the others before returning to calm indifference.

“This is Kun Long,” Hu Fu announced, his lips curving into a proud smile. “The one chosen to represent my Water Cloud City in this battle.” His confidence was overflowing; his tone carried the certainty of victory.

“What? It’s him?”

A hushed gasp came from Guan Ling. Her pupils shrank as she stared at the man.

“Guan Ling, do you know him?” Guan Long asked immediately, his brows knitting as he caught the change in his daughter’s voice.

“Yes,” Guan Ling said with a solemn nod. “He was once a student of Purple Moon Academy… but he left long ago. Father, this Kun Long is infamous in Purple Moon Academy. His reputation is… terrifying.”

Guan Long turned to his daughter, puzzled.

“Father, you don’t know this, but Kun Long was once considered invincible at the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm. Back in Purple Moon Academy, no disciple at that level could withstand even a single exchange against him.” Guan Ling’s tone was solemn, her brows tightly knit. “But in the end, he was expelled, because despite his monstrous strength, he couldn’t break through to the seventh level of Body Tempering Realm even after five years at the academy.”

“Invincible at the sixth level… expelled?” Guan Long’s eyes widened in surprise. Titles like invincible weren’t given lightly. Even if someone claimed it arrogantly, for it to be acknowledged meant they truly possessed frightening ability.

As for expulsion, well, that part wasn’t strange.

Purple Moon Academy, one of the four great academies of Moonriver County, was powerful, but its resources weren’t limitless. They couldn’t afford to waste them on disciples with dim prospects.

Their rules were ruthless but clear: those who failed to reach the seventh level of Body Tempering Realm within five years were expelled. And those who couldn’t step into the Xiantian Realm within ten years were also expelled. The same was true for the other three academies.

“There must be plenty of practitioners expelled under such rules,” Guan Long muttered with a frown.

But then Guan Ling added something that made him stiffen.

“Father, I once fought him myself… and I couldn’t last ten moves.” Her words were heavy, her face dark.

“What?”

Even Guan Long’s body trembled slightly as his eyes widened at his daughter.

He knew her pride. Guan Ling had always been arrogant, refusing to bow her head before her peers. Among cultivators of the same realm, few could even match her for half a stick of incense. And yet she admitted she couldn’t last ten moves against Kun Long?

How terrifying was this man?

Their conversation wasn’t loud, but everyone nearby, Li Yun included, heard it clearly.

Bai Xueqin’s expression grew grave.

So Hu Fu had actually brought someone like this? A man who had spent a half a decade in Purple Moon Academy, defeating countless sixth-level Body Tempering Realm disciples and building a reputation for himself?

Her confidence in Li Yun wavered for the first time. She believed in his potential, yes, but compared to someone like Kun Long, who had trained for over five years, who had real battle-hardened experience, and who carried the title of invincible at his level… could Li Yun truly stand against him?

Suppressing the unease in her chest, Bai Xueqin’s voice cut through the tension.

“Hu Fu, you haven’t forgotten the restrictions we agreed upon, have you?” She fixed him with her gaze.

“Forget? Of course not.” Hu Fu laughed coldly. “Under thirty years of age. Below the seventh level of Body Tempering Realm. Kun Long is twenty-nine this year, and still at the sixth level of Body Tempering Realm. He meets both conditions perfectly. There’s no violation.” His tone brimmed with smugness.

“Kun Long isn’t from Water Cloud City, is he?” Bai Xueqin pressed, her eyes narrowing.

“Hahaha!” Hu Fu chuckled, his voice dripping with mockery. “Our agreement never said the representative had to be from our own city. If I can find someone more suitable, why shouldn’t I? Tell me, Bai Xueqin, are you anxious already?”

The gleam in his eyes showed that the more he saw her composure crack, the more delighted he became.

Hu Fu had gone to great lengths to secure Kun Long for this battle.

To find a practitioner who could guarantee victory for Water Cloud City, he had scoured far and wide, eventually tracking Kun Long down and persuading him to fight on his behalf. The price had been steep, but Hu Fu didn’t mind.

Because this wasn’t just about the Mist Spirit Pool anymore.

For him, this was a chance to trample Bai Xueqin’s pride and prove that Water Cloud City stood above Azure Wind City. Even if he had to bleed resources for it, seeing her lose here would make it worthwhile.

And in his mind, Bai Xueqin had already lost.

“Bai Xueqin, enough delay,” Hu Fu sneered. “Let’s begin right now. Which practitioner are you sending to represent Azure Wind City?” His tone was mocking, his eyes locking firmly on Guan Ling, certain that the daughter of Guan Long was the chosen one.

Bai Xueqin remained calm, though she was silently helpless. When the agreement was struck, there had indeed been no rule that said only cultivators native to each city could fight. On paper, Hu Fu had done nothing wrong.

“Li Yun, are you ready?” Bai Xueqin asked, ignoring Hu Fu’s taunts. Her voice softened slightly as she added, “Do what you can. It’s fine even if you lose.”

She would rather forfeit the Mist Spirit Pool than see Li Yun gravely injured.

“Ready.” Li Yun nodded, his expression calm.

“What?”

Hu Fu’s eyebrows twitched when he realized the one answering wasn’t Guan Ling or even Han Yun, but the youngest of the group, the boy who looked barely sixteen. For a brief moment, he was genuinely surprised. Then laughter erupted from his mouth.

“Hahaha! Bai Xueqin, are you serious? You send this child against Kun Long? You might as well hand me the Mist Spirit Pool now! Do you take this as a joke?” His laughter rang with arrogance.

“Joke?” Bai Xueqin’s tone turned icy. “Hu Fu, victory isn’t decided until the battle is over.”

“Hmph. Fine then.” Hu Fu’s smile curled into cruelty as he turned to Kun Long and whispered some words to him. “Kun Long, don’t hold back. Even if you kill the boy, Bai Xueqin has no right to complain. In battle, casualties are natural.”

“Understood.” Kun Long’s reply was short, cold, and without emotion.

The spectators quickly cleared the area, forming a wide ring.

Li Yun and Kun Long stepped into the center, facing one another. One young, calm, and unshaken. The other seasoned, expressionless, with a pressure that weighed heavily on the air.

“You’re Li Yun?” Kun Long’s voice was flat as his gaze locked on him.

“Yes.” Li Yun nodded lightly.

“You’re not my opponent.” Kun Long’s words were dismissive, his tone the same as if he were brushing away dust. “Just surrender. I’ve no interest in crushing someone beneath me, it’s meaningless. I take no satisfaction in victories against the weak.” He waved his hand lazily, as if ending the matter.

His battles had always been against cultivators at the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm or higher. Facing a boy of sixteen was beneath him.

Li Yun’s smile deepened, but his eyes sharpened. “If we don’t fight, how will you know I’m not your opponent?”

Kun Long’s gaze narrowed, a flash of irritation stirring in his eyes. “I told you, you are not my opponent. I don’t want to kill you. But if you insist, then don’t blame me when my blade takes your life.”