[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-sky-fell":3,"chapter-after-the-sky-fell-after-the-sky-fell-chapter-43":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After the Sky Fell",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2280899,4462,"Chapter 43","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-43",43,"\u003Cp>After opening the Spirit Medium channel, Li Yi clearly felt his body’s demand for cosmic energy—pure spiritual energy—had increased, while his cultivation speed had slowed; after a night of practice, he saw no noticeable progress, completely unlike before when he improved daily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was even after using the incomplete wonder-item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the wonder-item, Li Yi suspected a night of cultivation would be no different from a good night’s sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This change made Li Yi feel deeply uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a young man who craved progress every single day; being unable to advance was unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after drinking a ten-thousand-credit vial of nutrient solution, Li Yi felt after a night’s cultivation that his bodily injuries had healed seven or eight out of ten, his strength had returned, and his spirit had sharpened—clearly, the product was genuinely effective, not a hype-driven fake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A phone call jolted Li Yi out of his cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d forgotten to mute his phone after putting it down the night before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi frowned, picked up his phone, and saw the caller ID: Lin Yue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue’s voice came through the line: “Li Yi, where are you? I’m coming to see you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m cultivating at home, Sister Lin. What’s up?” Li Yi asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good, then that’s settled. I know your address—we’ll talk when I get there.” Lin Yue hung up immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This left Li Yi baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why such a sudden visit? What could be so urgent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Yi remembered: Lin Yue had once said she wanted to visit his home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, he stopped cultivating, got up, stretched his body, tidied his messy home, and cleaned up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, a guest was coming—he should take it seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he finished cleaning, a knock came at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Yi, it’s me, Lin Yue. Open up!” Lin Yue’s voice called out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Coming,” Li Yi said, immediately opening the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue smiled and said: “First time visiting, didn’t bring gifts—I bought you ten vials of nutrient solution; you’ll probably need them… Wait, what’s that on your dining table?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes flickered and caught a flash of gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, Lin Yue rushed in, staring at the golden nutrient solution on the table: “So you’re really extravagant, Li Yi! Just made a fortune and bought ten-thousand-credit vials? You don’t skimp on yourself. If I’d known that, I’d have just brought two pounds of apples to visit you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at Li Yi with obvious envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, you heard about my job?” Li Yi scratched his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue rolled her eyes: “The cultivation circle in Tianchang City is tiny—word spread fast. Yang Yi and Qin Qing teamed up to hunt a transcendent creature in the Danger Zone, and you, Li Yi, single-handedly killed a ferocious beast called Biao, which Yang Yi bought from you for twenty million. Any well-informed cultivator knows this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Probably Yang Yi leaked the news on purpose—only the good parts, hiding the bad. Many cultivators died in that Danger Zone,” Li Yi said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You knew it was dangerous, yet you went? I just introduced you to a guiding job—high pay, low risk. Instead, you charged right in. Don’t you want to live?” Lin Yue scanned Li Yi up and down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m fine—no limbs missing. Just some back injuries, but they’re mostly healed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She reached out, touched the bandaged wound on his back, confirmed no bone damage, then nodded slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To earn money, you’ve got to take risks. I’m used to being poor—cultivation costs money, my parents’ nutrient solution costs money. I barely got this chance—I couldn’t let it slip.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue rolled her eyes: “You’ve got to live to spend money. Even I won’t step lightly into the Danger Zone. You, a beginner with less than a month’s cultivation, just plunged right in. Lucky you survived—if you’d died there, how would I ever face Uncle Lin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, she glanced around, noticed the door was still open, shut it quickly, then leaned close to Li Yi’s ear and whispered: “Li Yi, others don’t know you, but I know you inside out—I was the one who brought you into cultivation. No ordinary person could reach Spirit Medium in under a month. You’ve got a huge secret. I’m tight-lipped—tell me what’s really going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was intensely curious, her mind itching like a cat’s claws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when she first heard the news, her immediate thought was: mistake—just someone with the same name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Li Yi had been an ordinary person, clueless about cultivation. How could he possibly reach Spirit Medium in under a month—and kill a ferocious beast?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after repeated verification, Lin Yue had no choice but to accept: this Li Yi was truly the same person she’d introduced to cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why she’d rushed over first thing this morning—to find out the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lin Yue also understood: such a drastic change in Li Yi must involve a secret. She dared not tell anyone about him, fearing trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi looked at Lin Yue’s wide-eyed, inquisitive gaze and didn’t know how to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary excuses might fool others, but not Lin Yue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, if Lao Ya found out about his current state, he’d almost certainly guess Li Yi possessed a wonder-item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lin Yue had said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this city, the cultivation circle was that small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, Li Yi broke into a cold sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood: his secret of the incomplete wonder-item was about to slip out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After killing the Biao, though he’d made money, he’d also become famous—and with Yang Yi deliberately stoking the flames… it seemed he’d made a mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should I tell her about the wonder-item or not?” Li Yi weighed his options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, a sudden insight flashed through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of two evils, choose the lesser.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t reveal the secret of the wonder-item—but he could reveal the fist technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Use the fist technique to mask the wonder-item. If he could make that stick, the wonder-item secret might still stay hidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this through,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi steadied himself and said: “My cultivation base alone couldn’t have gotten me to Spirit Medium so fast. But during that trip to the Danger Zone, I had a special opportunity—I gained strength and learned a fist technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He briefly recounted how he’d entered Ghost Street and learned the technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A fist technique from an unknown world? What kind of technique is so powerful it let you kill a ferocious beast bare-handed? Can you demonstrate it for me?” Lin Yue’s eyes lit up instantly, her interest piqued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But quickly, she realized her recklessness and added: “No—fist techniques are precious. Don’t demonstrate. I’m afraid I’ll sneakily learn it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine. Before I showed it to you, Yang Yi already saw it. You’re not the first person to witness this technique.” Li Yi revealed another detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue was stunned and furious: “Him? How could he? He actually targeted your fist technique? What happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given her knowledge of Yang Yi, she found it hard to believe he’d do such a thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi shook his head: “When I was leaving yesterday, the elevator was manipulated and dropped me alone into the underground training hall. Yang Yi was waiting there. If I hadn’t handed over the technique, I wouldn’t have walked out of that building. He offered to buy it, but I didn’t name a price—I performed it once for free, and only then did he let me go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? That actually happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue’s face flushed with anger: “Damn it, Yang Yi actually had the nerve to ask to buy it? He lured you alone to the underground hall—that’s pressure, coercion. He’s forcing you to sell, whether you want to or not. What’s his cultivation level? What’s yours? This isn’t a fair deal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Under those circumstances, who would dare name a price?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was blind—I thought Yang Yi was honorable, generous. But in front of a fist technique, he couldn’t control himself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, fine, very fine. He didn’t just bully you—he slapped my face, Lin Yue’s. Li Yi, I’m remembering this. I’m done with him. This grudge is settled.” Lin Yue was furious and regretful—she wished she’d never introduced Li Yi to that job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Yang Yi paid double for the Biao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, every cultivator in Tianchang City praises Yang Yi as generous, trustworthy, and righteous—but he never mentions he got a fist technique from Li Yi for free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi said: “A fist technique right in front of you, within reach—who wouldn’t be tempted? Honestly, I’m lucky I walked away unharmed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. Some people seem fine until a big enough profit exposes their true nature,” Lin Yue said. “You did the right thing, Li Yi. Under those conditions, naming a price would’ve been disastrous. You had to bow your head, give the technique away for free—then he’d save face and leave you alone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’d demanded hundreds of millions, he might’ve pretended to agree—but once he learned the technique, who knows what he’d do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You elevated him. Yang Yi is proud. After getting the technique, he’d naturally let you go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue held her breath for Li Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew Yang Yi’s nature. The moment Li Yi appeared in the underground hall, Yang Yi had already broken his own rules. If he’d truly wanted to buy, he’d have contacted Li Yi through her—openly, without coercion—not by meeting him alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would’ve been proper, without pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Yang Yi, having crossed the line, could do anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Li Yi was smart—he gave the technique away for free, completely blocking Yang Yi’s next move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But before I left, Yang Yi said he owed me a favor—that if I ever needed help, I could ask him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi added. He didn’t embellish—he simply recounted what happened, letting Lin Yue analyze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Owe you a favor? Pfft.” Lin Yue, a young woman, spat directly onto the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He got a fist technique—enough to pass down through generations. Even if he just opened a school, charging ten million per student, no, twenty million—people would line up. He’d easily make billions. Is his ‘favor’ worth that? He should piss on a mirror and look at himself. Qin Qing must’ve been blind to follow him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi stared at the spit on the floor, surprised Lin Yue was angrier than he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue paced back and forth, furious: “No, I can’t swallow this. I’m going to tell Qin Qing everything—and spread the word about Yang Yi’s coercion. I’ll ruin his reputation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Lin, you know that woman with the green vertical pupils?” Li Yi asked, startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know her. Why?” Lin Yue stopped, looking at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi said: “I heard from a security guard named Zheng Fei at Yang Yi’s company that Qin Qing was severely injured protecting Yang Yi—several vertebrae shattered. Her condition is critical. Yang Yi’s contacting top medical companies to treat her. I think now’s not the time to bother Qin Qing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? That happened? Why didn’t Yang Yi say anything?” Lin Yue’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi shrugged: “I don’t know. Maybe it’s being kept secret.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, that doesn’t make sense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue frowned, thinking aloud: “If that were all, Yang Yi wouldn’t hide Qin Qing’s injury or her treatment. Such a severe wound requires massive funds. The Yang family would publicize it—boost Yang Yi’s image, glorify the Yang name. After all, they already spread the news about him paying you twenty million. Qin Qing’s injury is far more significant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unless…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi suddenly understood: “Unless Yang Yi has no intention of spending heavily to heal Qin Qing. So he’s suppressing news of her injury, using my story to distract everyone—making people forget she’s hurt. After all, few people know about it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, impossible. Yang Yi wouldn’t do something like that,” Lin Yue’s face paled, shocked by her own conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who knows? Anyway, it’s none of my business,” Li Yi said. “And you’re just guessing—it might not be true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll wait a few days. If my guess is right, it’ll become clear soon,” Lin Yue said, her gaze shifting—she hadn’t expected so much to happen in just a few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She never expected so much to happen in these few days.\u003C\u002Fp>",2034,"2026-06-20T01:26:56.586Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","73fa23d8da41aec69525e32d839a48966b8b41d679528320feac64e4acf3d0ec","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-44","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-42",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-sky-fell-cover.jpg"]