Xie Tinglan ignored him completely, merely glancing back at Wen Li.
“Do you want him alive or dead?”
“Alive, I suppose.”
Wen Li served herself another plate of food and munched on a freshly prepared chicken leg from the kitchen. After all, they had devoured the previous food so quickly that other disciples had been left with nothing.
Seeing this, Xie Tinglan grew annoyed. “Save some for me!”
Wen Li didn't even look up as she chewed her meat. “Thirty seconds.”
The surrounding disciples stared with wide eyes, thinking these two were either stark raving mad or genuinely capable. But while Wen Li might be plausible, Xie Tinglan was only four years old—how could that be possible?
“You... How dare you, you insolent child!”
Feeling humiliated, Fifth Elder formed hand seals and struck directly at Xie Tinglan, no longer caring about his reputation for bullying a child.
Xie Tinglan lazily raised his head, spiritual energy swirling around his right hand. He didn't even use full power, afraid he might accidentally kill the man.
As Fifth Elder released a blade-like wave of force, Xie Tinglan casually waved his right hand, which had already gathered seventy percent of his spiritual energy.
BOOM!
The formidable forces of two Golden Core cultivators collided.
A violent shockwave burst forth, hurtling toward the surrounding tables, chairs, and disciples. As the onlookers widened their eyes, realizing they wouldn't be able to dodge the collateral damage in time—
—Wen Li, having just finished her chicken leg, tossed the bone aside with a casual flick.
BANG!
A barrier materialized outside Zhang Kui and Xie Tinglan, intercepting the stray attacks mere inches before they hit the disciples. Though the barrier shook violently for several seconds, it managed to hold firm.
As the surrounding glare gradually dissipated, the two figures shrouded in spiritual energy were revealed.
“What?!”
“Fifth Elder lost?! Is he... is he really just a four-year-old child?!”
An uproar broke out among the crowd, including the inner disciples, who were usually arrogant to a fault.
The aggressive Fifth Elder, Zhang Kui, was now lying on the ground, clutching his chest with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“You are no child! Who on earth are you people?!”
Just as everyone was at a loss, a powerful force suddenly descended from the sky, carrying a heavy wave of spiritual energy aimed directly at Xie Tinglan.
“Who dares to act rashly in my Zhaixing Sect!”
Wen Li, who had been relaxed a moment ago, flicked her eyes up, slapped the table, and launched herself into the air.
“Hold On!”
In an instant, Xie Tinglan transformed from a child into a young man. He and Wen Li struck simultaneously—one swinging a sword, the other throwing a punch—as two intense rays of purple and blue spiritual energy surged forward to meet the incoming attack.
BOOM!
The collision of the two forces instantly blew away the disciples who had managed to stay safe earlier.
“Ah!”
Yao Dai, Li Yangtian, and the other three were protected by a secondary barrier Wen Li had set up, which dampened the impact.
Wen Li and Xie Tinglan were forced back three steps, their hands trembling slightly from the strain.
BANG!
Before the remaining force could hit them, the two deftly dodged to the left and right with tacit understanding and flew forward. They got a clear look at the newcomer: a black-bearded old man, Second Elder Feng Yun of the Zhaixing Sect. He looked at them with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
The two of them, working together, had actually managed to withstand one of his moves.
He was at Mid-Stage Nascent Soul.
Wen Li quickly waved her hand. “Hey, we weren't acting rashly. Zhang Yuguang made rude remarks first, and Fifth Elder bullied the young as an elder second. We're just new disciples who recently entered the sect. We don't know the rules, but we also refuse to be bullied. We were merely giving an eye for an eye.”
Behind Second Elder Feng Yun stood a young cultivator—none other than Wang Xianlin, the standout disciple among the Zhaixing Sect's younger generation whom Li Yudi had mentioned earlier. He possessed a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.
He flew down to help Fifth Elder up, glanced at Wen Li, and then shifted his gaze to Xie Tinglan, his brow furrowing slightly.
Feng Yun landed slowly with his hands behind his back, his voice deep and solemn.
“Since you have joined the Zhaixing Sect, you must abide by the Zhaixing Sect's rules. Since no formal challenge token was issued, this constitutes a private fight. All of you, go to the Enforcement Hall to receive your punishment.”
Wen Li shrugged. “We can talk about punishment later. Why don't we have a private chat first?”
Feng Yun fixed his eyes on her and raised his hand, instantly creating a barrier to seal off everyone else, leaving only himself and Wen Li inside.
Yao Dai and the teenage Xie Tinglan stood almost back-to-back. Glancing cold-eyed at the surrounding cultivators who were eyeing them like prey, their expressions were icy.
In the distance, Li Yangtian stood up while clutching his chest, a frown on his face. He wanted to step forward, but his younger sister pulled him back and shook her head at him.
Li Yangtian froze, forced to remain where he was and watch.
Minutes and seconds ticked by, and no one outside had any idea what was being said inside the barrier.
Yao Dai gradually clenched her fists. Just as even Xie Tinglan was losing his patience, the barrier finally dispersed.
The onlookers didn't know what had transpired, but they could see that Second Elder Feng Yun's face was no longer as somber and stern as before.
Everyone watched in disbelief as Wen Li calmly turned around and walked off with Yao Dai and Xie Tinglan.
Even Fifth Elder Zhang Kui, who had been waiting for Feng Yun to punish the three, was incredulous. “Second Elder, you're just letting them go like this? What about the Zhaixing Sect's rules...”
“So you do remember that this is the Zhaixing Sect.”
Feng Yun interrupted him. A casual glance from him caused Zhang Kui's face to flush red, not daring to speak another word.
Evidently, Second Elder was already dissatisfied with how Zhang Kui's grandson had been abusing his status as an elder's relative to stir up trouble in the sect for a long time.
“Enough. Today's matter began with Zhang Yuguang's wrongdoing, but given his severe injuries, we will not pursue it further. Fifth Elder's eagerness to protect his grandson is understandable, but striking out directly was overly rash and unbecoming of an elder's stature. His punishment will be three days of quiet meditation in the Enforcement Hall. That is all.”
The remaining disciples hurriedly bowed. “Understood. We respectfully see off Second Elder!”
These punishments were minor slapped wrists. Everyone understood that at the end of the day, Second Elder was still protecting Fifth Elder. As for Zhang Yuguang, he had brought it entirely upon himself. They might not know the new disciples well, but they certainly knew him.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Fifth Elder said no more. “Understood.”
Afterward, Wang Xianlin departed alongside Second Elder.
...
“Master, what did you say to Second Elder? He actually dropped the matter! At first, he came at us so aggressively to settle accounts.”
Wen Li led the two to a pavilion and set up a barrier.
She looked at Yao Dai. “Earlier, Li Yangtian and his sister both mentioned that there have been a lot of new faces in the Zhaixing Sect recently. During our chat this morning, they also mentioned that the younger generation of both the Ziyang Sect and the Wulei Sect have cultivators at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, whereas the strongest in the Zhaixing Sect is only at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment. When Li Yangtian went to collect his sect robes, the registering disciple complained that robe production couldn't keep up with recruitment, to the point where even logistics disciples had to help sew them. What do you think the Zhaixing Sect wants to do?”
Yao Dai's eyes widened. “Are they afraid of losing in the trial realm competition, so they want to quickly find new disciples to fill the ranks?”
“But Li Yangtian mentioned that the last recruitment drive was only three months ago,” Xie Tinglan interjected. “Even if they wanted to cram at the last minute to pad their numbers, cultivation relies on talent and fortune. How could there be far more recruits than the logistics budget accounted for after just three months? Furthermore, new disciples usually mean they haven't officially embarked on the Dao, or even if they have, their cultivation would be low—certainly no higher than Foundation Establishment.”
Wen Li snapped her fingers.
“So, the Zhaixing Sect's recruitment drive isn't about finding novice cultivators at all, but rather...”
“Rogue cultivators!” Yao Dai and Xie Tinglan spoke in unison.
“What they want isn't quantity, but quality. That's why even if I had killed Zhang Yuguang, they wouldn't move against me for now.” Wen Li crossed her arms, leaning lazily against a pavilion pillar as she let out a yawn. “In the coming days, if anyone looking for death comes to provoke you, just beat them up. No need to hold back.”
Yao Dai realized what had happened. “So, Master, you used the offer of helping the Zhaixing Sect secure first place in the trial realm competition to shut Second Elder up?”
“Pretty much. I just told him that as a mere rogue cultivator, I only want to borrow the trial realm for cultivation. Either way, they were worrying about having disciples to participate in the trial.” What seemed like a simple competition between disciples was actually about allocating the cultivation resources within the Cangling Kingdom among the three major sects for the coming year.
Yao Dai wailed, “Then I'm only at the Sixth Level of Qi Refinement... Does that mean I can't go in?”
Although secret realms were fraught with danger, leaving her outside alone was even less safe. Who knew if those old codgers might capture Yao Dai to threaten her when she came out?
Wen Li reached out and ruffled her hair. “There are still half a month left before the trial. Hurry up and raise your cultivation. I'm going back to sleep—I've been feeling so sleepy these past few days.”
“Okay!” Hearing this, Yao Dai knew she could go. “Don't worry, Master, I'll study tirelessly and push myself to the limit!”
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