Dire News

A crowd had gathered in the plaza before Qingguang Grand Hall, whispering among themselves. More than a dozen disciples in the crowd were wrapped in bandages, clearly injured. Yue Qianchou, who had come running, shoved his way into the crowd, and everyone quickly made way for him.

Several injured elders sat cross-legged on the ground while people behind them treated their wounds. A person lay in the middle, covered by a white cloth. Having rushed into the crowd, Yue Qianchou instead calmed down. His cold gaze swept over the injured elders. His master was not among them. When his eyes fell upon the white cloth, the muscles in his face twitched, and he slowly walked over.

In an instant, the plaza became deathly silent. Hundreds of eyes silently followed his steps. Yue Qianchou crouched down. The hand reaching for the white cloth trembled uncontrollably, and the knuckles gripping one corner were abnormally pale. As though lifting a thousand-pound weight, he slowly pulled it back.

Old Fellow's familiar, unkempt face was revealed beneath the cloth. The past rose vividly before his eyes. That kind, approachable old man no longer breathed... "Heh! Your cultivation is advancing at breakneck speed. For this Newcomer Tournament, I pestered Sect Master Brother into letting me contribute as well. Tomorrow, I'll lead the team with several senior brothers. When Foundation Establishment Pills are handed out, I'll have the nerve to ask for one or two, so I can prepare for your Foundation Establishment."

His master's words at their parting seemed to still ring in his ears. Looking at Old Fellow's deathly pale face and the dried crimson blood at the corner of his mouth, Yue Qianchou felt as though his heart were bleeding. If it had not been for him, his master surely would not have attended that damned Newcomer Tournament, and would not have...

Without realizing it, Yue Qianchou had gone from crouching to kneeling. His trembling hands carefully covered the body again, as though afraid of disturbing an old man sleeping peacefully. Then he suddenly flung his arms wide and clenched his fists, raising his head to the sky in a soundless roar. Not a single cry escaped him. Yet his white teeth looked especially grim beneath the sunlight, and veins bulged across his neck.

Suddenly, before everyone's eyes, the kneeling Yue Qianchou spat out a mouthful of blood with a "pfft." Several elders treating the injured all turned at once, surprise in their eyes. Some female disciples could not help crying out. None had expected that in the cold and indifferent Cultivation World, there could be such deep affection between master and disciple. Then everyone thought of how this useless Qingguang Sect disciple, now stripped of his master's protection, would likely have difficult days ahead, and they could not help sighing.

Qu Ping'er, standing within the crowd, could no longer connect the peeping voyeur with the blood-spitting Yue Qianchou before her. Remembering that those two peerless songs had come from this man, tears welled in her eyes, and her gaze brimmed with pity.

"The Sect Master is here!" someone shouted. Sect Master Liu Changqing emerged from Qingguang Grand Hall, followed by a group of elders, all wearing iron-blue expressions. Liu Changqing stopped before Yue Qianchou. His gaze passed over the blood on the ground, then he looked at the bloodstain at Yue Qianchou's lips and sighed. "Now that it has happened, nephew-disciple, please restrain your grief."

Hearing the voice, the kneeling Yue Qianchou did not even raise his eyelids. His voice was frighteningly calm as he said, "I only want to know what happened."

Everyone was slightly startled. They had not expected him to show not the slightest respect even before the Sect Master. You useless fellow, without your master's protection, did you still intend to survive in Qingguang Sect?

A handsome young man stepped out from the crowd and walked toward Yue Qianchou with fury written across his face. Liu Changqing frowned at the kneeling man, then stopped the handsome youth with a look. Those who knew the youth knew he was the Sect Master's direct grandson, Liu Zhengguang, the outstanding talent among his generation. His appearance caused many female disciples' eyes to shine with a strange light as they gazed at him with tender affection. Qu Ping'er was no exception.

Sect Master Liu Changqing said gravely to an old man beside him, "Junior Brother! Tell everyone what happened!" The old man nodded and, with an iron-blue face, recounted the course of events.

It turned out that Qingguang Sect had discovered a spiritual herb on the road home after attending the Newcomer Tournament, called the Seven-Colored Spirit Ganoderma. What was the Seven-Colored Spirit Ganoderma? It was a spiritual herb of heaven and earth, a treasure coveted in the dreams of cultivators for advancing their cultivation. If added to a breakthrough pill, it could almost guarantee a cultivator's advancement. Could such a thing not be regarded as a priceless treasure by cultivators?

The one who had discovered it was Yue Qianchou's master, Hao Sansi. Just as Qingguang Sect was cheering with joy, they happened to encounter the Daluo Sect, who arrived afterward. The Cultivation World had always been a place where the strong preyed upon the weak. Seeing such a treasure, Daluo Sect immediately claimed that they had discovered the herb first. Conflict erupted at once. Daluo Sect ranked second in strength within the Huaxia Empire's Cultivation World, while Qingguang Sect could only barely rank sixth. Once the two sides fought, the latter naturally proved no match for the former. Hao Sansi, carrying the spiritual herb, bore the brunt of it. Not only were several Qingguang Sect elders injured, but some disciples who had competed were also wounded. Hao Sansi, desperate to protect the herb, was heavily injured when several Daluo Sect elders attacked together. In the end, Daluo Sect seized the spiritual herb, and Hao Sansi died before he could return to Qingguang Sect.

After hearing this, the Qingguang Sect disciples before the hall erupted in uproar, all condemning Daluo Sect. Yue Qianchou's face was even colder than ice.

Sect Master Liu Changqing swept his gaze across everyone before the hall and said in a deep voice, "Unfortunately, Qingguang Sect is inferior to Daluo Sect in strength. Sigh! This matter has already been reported to the senior figures cultivating in seclusion in the back mountain. Their instruction was to consider the greater picture, endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, and not act rashly. This matter will be handed over to the Cultivation Alliance to uphold justice."

The disciples, who had only just fallen silent, broke into an uproar again. Everyone knew the Cultivation Alliance was merely a puppet. Would it not simply speak for whichever side was stronger? What justice could there possibly be in handing the matter over to them?

The voices grew louder and louder. Liu Changqing frowned and snorted, sweeping a cold gaze over the crowd. The space before the hall immediately became so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Then a cold laugh suddenly rang out, and everyone looked over in astonishment.

"Heh heh! Daluo Sect!" Yue Qianchou rose from the ground and stared straight at Liu Changqing. Without the slightest respect, he asked, "Is this the sect's decision?" The moment those words left his mouth, not only Liu Changqing but all the elders changed expression.

The Qingguang Sect disciples all drew in a breath. They secretly thought this useless fellow had astonishing nerve, daring to speak to the Sect Master like that. He truly did not want to live. Concern also showed on Qu Ping'er's face.

"Impudent! How dare you disrespect the Sect Master!" Liu Zhengguang strode over in several steps and chopped a palm toward Yue Qianchou. Yet neither Sect Master Liu Changqing nor any of the elders before the hall made a move to stop him.

"Hmph!" Yue Qianchou gave a cold snort, pushing his Xuantian Art to its limit as he met the attack with his palm. Everyone was shocked. This useless fellow actually dared to fight Liu Zhengguang. Yue Qianchou knew this famous Qingguang Sect disciple, but he was not the sort to take a beating without striking back. Besides, his master was dead. What else was there left for him to worry about?

Bang! The two palms collided with a deafening boom. Both men were forced back, though Yue Qianchou clearly retreated several more steps.

Silence. Absolute silence. Not only the Qingguang Sect disciples, but the Sect Master and all the elders were dumbfounded. Even Liu Zhengguang, who had attacked, stared at his own palm in disbelief.

This useless fellow had hidden himself so deeply. Anyone could see that his strike had been far from that of an ordinary person; he possessed at least Qi Refining Level Four cultivation. The disciples all stood agape. What astonished the Sect Master and the elders was that, with their cultivation, they had failed to notice Yue Qianchou had already crossed the threshold into cultivation.

How was that possible? How could someone without cultivation roots enter the threshold of cultivation? This was an eternal, unchanging law, yet it had now been broken! In an instant, several elders' faces grew flushed with excitement. Many of them had families in the mortal world, but those relatives lacked cultivation roots and had long since died of old age. Before them was an opportunity to unravel the mystery.

Yue Qianchou had actually gained a slight advantage in that exchange. His Qi Refining Level Five cultivation was nearly comparable to Level Six, and he had struck with all his strength. Liu Zhengguang, meanwhile, had only intended to casually teach him a lesson and had not meant to injure him, especially under everyone's watchful eyes. Otherwise, how could Yue Qianchou, with Qi Refining Level Five cultivation, possibly have forced back Liu Zhengguang, who was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, with one palm? It was like how an unprepared adult who had not planted his feet firmly could still be shoved into a stagger by a child.

That palm strike had not been easy for Yue Qianchou to endure. His blood and qi churned within him, and it took a long while before they settled. Staring at Liu Zhengguang, he sneered. "You, a tenth-generation disciple, dared to attack your martial uncle. Heh heh! What nerve. Could it be that because your grandfather is the Sect Master, you do not place Qingguang Sect's rules in your eyes? I want to see whether these sect rules were written by your family! I want to see whether Qingguang Sect was opened by your family! I want to see how Qingguang Sect will deal with you!"

With that enormous hat forced onto his head, no one could bear it. The three successive "I want to see"s instantly turned Liu Zhengguang's face pale. Everyone looked toward Sect Master Liu Changqing. His expression shifted between dark and light. Two sharp beams suddenly flashed from his eyes as he stared at Yue Qianchou, then he glared at Liu Zhengguang and shouted, "Kneel!"

Thud! The grandson obediently knelt before his grandfather, whose chest rose and fell noticeably faster. At this point, an elder stepped forward and said, "Considering that Zhengguang is a first-time offender, and that he acted in haste to uphold the Sect Master's prestige, it was entirely unintentional. I ask the Sect Master to punish him lightly."

"I ask the Sect Master to punish him lightly!" Several more elders pleaded together.

Liu Changqing's expression finally eased little by little. Staring at his grandson, he said gravely, "According to the sect rules, your cultivation should be crippled and you should be expelled from the sect. In consideration of the elders' pleas, your spirit stones for ten years are confiscated, and you are punished to copy the sect rules ten thousand times. Do you accept?"

How could Liu Zhengguang dare have any other opinion? If his cultivation were truly crippled and he were driven from the sect, it would be worse than death. He hurriedly kowtowed. "This disciple is willing to accept the punishment!"

Sect Master Liu Changqing nodded, then said meaningfully to Yue Qianchou, "Disrespecting one's elders should also be punished according to sect rules. Nephew-disciple, do you consider my handling of this matter fair?" His meaning was plain: Yue Qianchou had also been suspected of disrespecting the Sect Master just now, but he had not punished him, so Yue Qianchou should stop clinging to his grandson's case.

"Heh heh!" Yue Qianchou gave a noncommittal cold laugh. He turned, picked up his master's body, and strode away. The crowd made a path for him. Liu Zhengguang watched his retreating back with venomous eyes.

Everyone secretly shook their heads and sighed inwardly. Yue Qianchou had thoroughly offended the Liu family today; there would be much to see in his days ahead! Little did they know that Yue Qianchou had already resolved to go all out. If he could not win, he would hide inside the golden pearl. What could they do, bite him?

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