Chapter 54: Obstruction

Old Li stared at the door of the spiritual pressure chamber, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the wall.
The uneasy feeling never left him, enveloping his heart.
But what could he do at this moment?
He couldn’t just barge into the chamber and drag those two boys out, could he?
If something had truly happened, there would at least be something to discuss, but what if nothing had happened at all?
He couldn’t possibly tell them, “I had a bad feeling, so I brought you out.”
Ridiculous!
No, no—something was wrong from the very beginning.
What did he mean by “if something happened, it’d be easier”?
If something really did happen, it would be a disaster.
This was the territory of the Research Institute!
Even if the three of them stacked together, they weren’t a match for the people here.
He checked the time and found only a little over twenty minutes had passed.
“Too slow!”
...
“All right!”
The director glanced at the instrument before him, smiling faintly as he murmured, “Ten thousand pounds of pressure, the record set by the Martial Ancestor. Come now, little one, let me see if you can surpass the Martial Ancestor.”
“Click!”
With the director’s adjustment, the pressure inside the chamber began to rise once again.
Fang Qingyun, who had just raised his mental strength by one point, grunted, a savage gleam flashing in his eyes.
“I don’t know who you are, but don’t give me the chance!”
The director did not increase the pressure by much, only by a hundred pounds.
He believed Fang Qingyun must be approaching his limit.
At this point, any slight increase would bring immense pain.
He was not wrong; Fang Qingyun was nearly sprawling on the ground.
Yet, gritting his teeth, he managed to persevere.
After adding another hundred pounds, the director began collecting data on Fang Qingyun—his current strength, muscle tremor amplitude, breathing frequency.
After summarizing the results, he was stunned to find that Fang Qingyun had not yet reached his limit.
“How interesting, truly fascinating.”
The director took out his tea set, leisurely brewing tea as he watched Fang Qingyun through the monitor.
How long can you hold out?
I’m not in a hurry; I’ll take it slow, increasing bit by bit. The pressure can still be raised by another thousand pounds.
[Origin - 400]

[Spiritual Power +1]
[Spiritual Power: 97]
...
[Origin - 100]
[Strength +1]
[Strength: 20]
Fang Qingyun’s expression did not change; he remained seated on the ground, looking as if he were calmly cultivating.
But the director instantly sensed something was off.
He put down his tea and checked Fang Qingyun’s data again, amazed to find that all his attributes had shown slight improvement.
Strength had increased most noticeably.
“How interesting, truly fascinating!”
The director murmured, “Did he break through under pressure, or is it something else?”
“Haha, this is truly fascinating, truly fascinating!”
His eyes brimmed with excitement, even frenzy.
He repeated the phrase, increasing the pressure by another hundred pounds.
“Bastard!”
Fang Qingyun’s expression twisted with fury. “If I ever catch you, I’ll hang you with your own intestines!”
Finally, the hour was up.
Restless, Old Li almost sprang from his chair, his eyes fixed on the chamber door.
“Squeak!”
The door opened, and a head poked out.
Zhao Junhong!
He grinned at Old Li and said, “Old Li, a day without seeing you feels like three years. After an hour, did you miss me?”
“I did!” Old Li nodded. “My fists are itching. I’m missing the sandbag terribly. Come, let them have a close encounter.”
“Heh!” Zhao Junhong chuckled awkwardly, moving to Old Li’s side. “Old Fang hasn’t come out yet? I thought I was slow.”
Old Li frowned as well. “I don’t know, he should have come out by now.”
After another ten minutes, both men grew restless.
Zhao Junhong murmured, “Something’s wrong!”
“Even a fool can see that!” Old Li’s face darkened as he strode toward the chamber door.
“Tap, tap, tap!”
Over a dozen people appeared from nowhere, blocking Old Li’s path. “What do you intend to do?”
Old Li paused, his face growing even gloomier.
Had they been waiting for him all along?
“The Research Institute is bold indeed!” Old Li’s voice was chilling. “Fang Qingyun is the pride of First High, the top scorer in Aoki District’s college entrance exam. Even the district chief inquired about him. Do you dare lay a hand on him?”

One among those blocking him stepped forward, calmly saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. However, once a prospective martial artist enters the chamber to absorb spiritual power, no one may enter or disturb them.”
Old Li’s expression darkened further, the demon’s eye in his palm beginning to glow.
“Are you sure about that?”
The man’s expression changed slightly. He snapped, “What are you trying to do? This is the Research Institute!”
“I am a teacher. I must ensure my student’s safety,” Old Li replied in a deep, cold voice. “I will ask one last time: where is my student?”
The man answered coldly, “He is inside the chamber absorbing spiritual power.”
“It’s been over an hour!”
“So what? We set a maximum of one hour for entering the chamber, but if they exceed it, we don’t interfere.”
An endless power spread from Old Li’s palm.
His aura soared to its peak.
“You are actually a high-level martial artist? No—have you already...” The man stared at Old Li in surprise. “But this is the Research Institute. I advise you to calm yourself. If not for your own sake, then for your student’s.”
He shifted his gaze to Zhao Junhong.
But Zhao Junhong grinned, saying, “My name is Zhao Junhong, of noble birth. I wonder, if something happened to me here, how would my family react? How would the Council of Nobles respond? Perhaps what they want most is for me to die here.”
As he spoke, Zhao Junhong drew his beloved sword, clearly ready for combat.
The man’s expression turned cold and indifferent; those behind him drew their weapons as well.
“Cough, cough!”
Just as the confrontation was about to erupt, several coughs sounded.
An elderly man appeared between the two sides, his face serene and smiling.
He beamed, “Why so much hostility?”
“You...” Old Li’s face grew solemn.
“Ha ha!” The old man smiled warmly. “I am the guardian of the Research Institute. Young man, calm down, will you? Otherwise, I’ll have to throw you out.”
Old Li replied coldly, “Is this how the Research Institute conducts itself? Or are you openly targeting gifted young martial artists?”
“Such accusations are meaningless.” The old man smiled slightly. “What have we done? Right now, you’re the one trying to break into our chamber.”
“Fang Qingyun, he...”
“He refuses to come out!” the old man enunciated each word. “So you can only wait here. If you dare force your way in, I’ll kill you!”
His smile faded, replaced by a cold, merciless expression. Killing intent radiated without restraint.
“Hmph!” Old Li smiled faintly, suddenly drawing a spear and charging at the old man.
“Scoundrel!”
Seeing that Old Li truly dared to attack, the old man flew into a rage, meeting him head-on as they clashed.
“Boom!”
An enormous roar echoed throughout the entire Research Institute.