Ten Thousand Years in Seclusion
Chapter 20:Essence Finger... Damn it!

Chapter 20: Chapter 20:Essence Finger... Damn it!

Qi Tian had already calmed his mind, ready to receive an attack from a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.

To his surprise, Elder Xiao merely looked toward Zhao Bufan and said in a hoarse voice,

"Young Master, I only promised your father to ensure your safety."

"I never agreed to help you stir up trouble."

The teahouse fell deathly silent.

Qi Tian blinked.

He had prepared himself for a fierce battle.

He had not prepared himself for this.

But those even more stunned than he was were the people throughout the teahouse.

A servant.

Daring to openly defy Young Master Zhao’s command in front of so many people?

Whispers spread through the hall, hushed almost to nothing, yet unable to conceal the shock.

Every pair of eyes moved back and forth between Zhao Bufan and Elder Xiao.

Zhao Bufan’s face flushed red, then white.

His chest rose and fell violently. The veins on the back of the hand clutching his sleeve bulged, his knuckles turning pale.

He was the City Lord’s nephew.

Never in his life had a mere servant from his own household embarrassed him so publicly.

"...Good."

"Very good."

The words squeezed out from between clenched teeth, his voice trembling with rage.

"My father truly was blind to place his trust in you."

Elder Xiao frowned deeply.

His lips moved slightly.

In the end, he merely let out a long sigh without offering a single word in reply.

Suddenly, Zhao Bufan’s eyes lit up, as though he had found something to seize upon.

A mocking smile crept across his face.

"Or is it because you’re nothing but a useless old fool?"

"Are you afraid of a powerful foe, and that’s why you don’t even dare to act?"

Before the last word had fallen—

Elder Xiao’s brows shot upward.

The next instant—

A terrifying aura erupted from his body without warning.

The spiritual pressure of late Foundation Establishment burst forth without the slightest restraint.

It was as though an invisible giant hand had slammed down upon the entire teahouse.

The teacups on every table began to tremble on their own, ripples spreading across the tea inside them.

Those seated nearby felt their breathing seize.

Their chests tightened.

Their legs weakened so badly that many could barely remain standing.

Zhao Bufan’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

He stumbled backward two full steps.

The smug expression that had covered his face moments before shattered completely, leaving behind nothing but naked fear.

His lips parted.

Not a single word came out.

Elder Xiao looked at him steadily.

Each word that followed was as hard as iron.

"If you truly wish me to act..."

"Very well."

"But if I act today, the three-year agreement to protect you that I made with your father will be null and void."

"From that moment on, I owe the Zhao family nothing."

"Our paths shall never cross again."

"Young Master..."

"Do you accept those terms?"

The instant Zhao Bufan heard that, a flash of delight crossed his eyes.

So be it.

What was a mere three-year agreement compared to venting the fury in his heart?

Besides, with enough money, could he not simply hire an even stronger bodyguard afterward?

This stubborn old man had long since become an eyesore.

If today marked the end of their association, then so much the better.

Straightening his back, Zhao Bufan shouted without hesitation,

"Fine!"

"I accept!"

Elder Xiao did not move.

His clouded gaze slowly swept across the teahouse before returning to Zhao Bufan.

"Everyone here has heard your answer."

"When the time comes..."

"Do not regret it."

His voice remained calm.

Yet, for reasons Zhao Bufan himself could not explain, his heart suddenly tightened.

The feeling vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.

Soon enough, the thought of finally getting revenge drove it completely from his mind.

He was almost impatient now.

"Yes, yes. I heard you."

He waved his hand impatiently.

"So what are you waiting for?"

"Hit him!"

Elder Xiao nodded.

He spoke no further.

Turning around, he took a single step toward Qi Tian.

For the first time, genuine fighting spirit appeared in those aged eyes.

"Fellow Daoist."

His voice was low and steady.

"Please receive my palm."

"After this strike, my debt of gratitude to the Zhao family will be repaid."

"...Forgive the offense."

Qi Tian sighed inwardly.

How did things take another turn?

After all that, I still have to fight...

Elder Xiao raised his hand slowly, palm facing upward.

That hand was thin and withered, the joints large and twisted, resembling a claw carved from the roots of an ancient tree.

Upon his palm, True Essence surged wildly. Spiritual light churned and boiled like a raging tide.

The air throughout the entire second floor of the teahouse suddenly grew ten times heavier, pressing down on everyone’s chest until breathing itself became difficult.

Crack—!

The nearest Eight Immortals table could no longer withstand the invisible pressure.

It split apart down the middle, wooden fragments scattering in all directions.

"Back! Move back!"

Someone shouted.

The more than thirty tea guests on the second floor instantly erupted into chaos, surging toward the staircase like a crashing wave.

Everyone knew that when Foundation Establishment cultivators clashed, their spiritual pressure was like a mountain. The slightest mistake could cause innocent bystanders to suffer.

Yet strangely—

Not a single person actually went downstairs.

They all crowded around the staircase, packed together like fish stranded on a shore.

Those in front held their breath, their faces flushed with excitement.

Those behind stretched their necks and stood on tiptoe, their eyes wide, unwilling to miss even the slightest detail.

After all, a clash between a late Foundation Establishment cultivator was something ordinary cultivators might never witness even once in their entire lives.

A scene like this was truly a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

Who would willingly leave?

The storyteller father and daughter were the slowest to retreat.

The girl held her guqin in her arms while supporting her father with one hand. They had intended to go downstairs to avoid the fight, but the crowd had completely blocked their path.

They could not move even a single step.

Behind the counter, the innkeeper and several attendants huddled together.

The innkeeper kept muttering:

"Don’t collapse... please don’t collapse..."

Meanwhile, Zhao Bufan stood behind Elder Xiao, his expression shifting between dark and pale as he stared fixedly at Qi Tian.

Elder Xiao ignored the commotion around him.

His eyes narrowed slightly, his entire mind focused only on the True Essence gathering in his palm.

After only a moment, the True Essence in his palm had fully condensed.

It transformed into a dark-colored palm seal half a zhang in size.

Spiritual light flowed across its surface, faint patterns appearing within it.

A heavy pressure radiated outward, making everyone’s heart tremble.

Qi Tian’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight.

He dared not underestimate it.

Immediately, he focused his mind, calmed his breathing, and silently circulated his cultivation technique.

A deep and profound aura, clear and tranquil like a still lake, slowly rose from within his body.

"Foundation Establishment?!"

"He’s... he’s actually at the Foundation Establishment Realm?!"

"No wonder... no wonder he wasn’t afraid of Young Master Zhao..."

The staircase erupted into shocked whispers.

Everyone stared in disbelief.

The contempt they had held toward Qi Tian moments ago vanished instantly, replaced by complete astonishment.

"Daoist friend, receive my strike."

The moment Elder Xiao’s voice fell—

his palm moved.

Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Qi Tian’s lips.

For the first time in a long while, a trace of youthful pride surfaced within him.

He did not stand.

He did not form any hand seals.

He merely slowly raised his right hand and extended his index finger.

True Essence quietly circulated within him.

Whenever the Essence-Returning True Origin Scripture operated, it concealed all power and restrained every trace of aura.

The vast True Essence flowed through his meridians, finally gathering entirely at his fingertip, compressed yet unreleased.

In an instant, a strand of faint, pure radiance appeared at the tip of his finger.

Warm and gentle.

It showed no trace of sharpness.

Yet not a single wisp of spiritual energy leaked outward.

All power was condensed into one point.

This was the first divine ability of the Essence-Returning True Origin Scripture—

Essence Finger.

True Essence returned to one, gathered at the fingertip.

A single point could break through all forms.

Elder Xiao no longer hesitated.

With a deep shout:

"Go!"

He pressed his palm downward through the air.

The dark palm seal descended like a falling black cloud, carrying overwhelming force as it crashed toward Qi Tian’s head.

At that moment—

Qi Tian’s heart suddenly sank.

Damn it!

The faint radiance at his fingertip suddenly dimmed.

Then vanished completely.

Only now did he remember—

his True Essence had been heavily depleted the previous night and had yet to recover.

At best, he had regained only half of it.

And this divine ability, Essence Finger, consumed an enormous amount of True Essence.

At the very moment he was about to strike, his remaining True Essence could no longer sustain it.

The divine ability collapsed before it was even released.

He had intended to calmly make his move and look impressive.

Instead...

he had lost the initiative at the worst possible moment.

The dark palm seal was already above his head.

The force of the wind struck his face.

His white robes fluttered violently under the crushing pressure.