Bad News

A crowd had gathered in the plaza in front of the Qingguang Grand Hall, whispering amongst themselves. About a dozen disciples in the crowd were bandaged, clearly injured. Yue Qianchou, running, pushed his way into the crowd, and everyone parted to make way for him upon seeing him.

Several injured Elders were sitting cross-legged on the ground, with people tending to their wounds behind them. A person lay in the center, covered by a white cloth. Yue Qianchou, having pushed through the crowd, suddenly calmed down. His gaze swept coldly over the injured Elders, none of whom were his Master. His eyes fell on the white cloth, his facial muscles twitched, and he slowly walked over.

In an instant, the plaza became utterly silent, hundreds of pairs of eyes silently following his steps. Yue Qianchou squatted down, his hand reaching for the white cloth trembling uncontrollably. The knuckles gripping a corner of the cloth were exceptionally pale, as if lifting something immensely heavy, he slowly unveiled it.

The familiar face of the disheveled old man came into view as the white cloth was lifted. Memories flooded back; the kind and amiable old man was now silent… Heh! Your cultivation speed was incredible. For this 'Newcomer Tournament,' I was planning to ask the Sect Master Brother for permission to help out, and I'll be leading the team with a few Senior Brothers tomorrow. When it comes time to distribute the Foundation Establishment Pills, I'll have the nerve to ask for one or two for you to prepare for your Foundation Establishment.

His Master's words upon parting seemed to echo in his ears. Gazing at the old man's pale face, the dried bloodstain at the corner of his mouth, Yue Qianchou felt his heart bleeding. If it weren't for him, his Master definitely wouldn't have participated in some damned 'Newcomer Tournament,' and wouldn't have…

Yue Qianchou, still squatting, unknowingly knelt down. His trembling hands carefully covered the white cloth again, his movements as if afraid of disturbing a sleeping elder. Suddenly, he spread his arms wide, clenched his fists, and tilted his head towards the sky, silently screaming without making a sound. His bared teeth, however, appeared abnormally ferocious under the sunlight, the veins on his neck bulging.

Suddenly, under the gaze of everyone present, Yue Qianchou, still kneeling, coughed up a mouthful of blood with a "噗" sound. The Elders tending to the injured heard the sound and turned to look in unison, their eyes filled with surprise. Some female disciples couldn't help but cry out in shock, all of them unable to believe that in this cold and indifferent cultivation world, such profound master-disciple affection existed. Everyone then thought that if this waste of the Qingguang Sect were to lose his Master's protection, his future days would likely not be easy, and they all sighed in lament.

Qu Ping'er, standing in the crowd, could no longer connect the person who had spied on her with the Yue Qianchou spitting blood before her. Recalling that two peerless songs had come from this person, she couldn't help but feel tears welling up in her eyes, her gaze filled with pity.

"The Sect Master is here!" someone shouted. Sect Master Liu Changqing emerged from the Qingguang Grand Hall, followed by a group of Elders, all with ashen faces. Liu Changqing stopped in front of Yue Qianchou, his gaze sweeping over the blood on the ground. He looked at the bloodstains at the corner of the latter's mouth and sighed, "Since things have already happened, Nephew Disciple, please accept my condolences!"

Yue Qianchou, still kneeling, heard the voice but didn't even lift his eyelids. He merely said in a chillingly calm voice, "I just want to know what exactly happened?"

Everyone was slightly startled, not expecting him to show no respect to the Sect Master. They wondered if this waste, without his Master's protection, still wanted to remain in the Qingguang Sect.

A handsome young man walked out of the crowd, his face full of anger, and approached Yue Qianchou. Liu Changqing frowned slightly as he looked at the kneeling figure, then used his gaze to stop the approaching handsome youth. Those who knew the youth knew he was the Sect Master's direct grandson and a prodigy among his peers, Liu Zheng Guang. His appearance caused many female disciples' eyes to shine with a different kind of light, their gazes becoming tenderly affectionate towards him. Qu Ping'er was no exception.

Sect Master Liu Changqing said in a deep voice to an Elder beside him, "Junior Brother! Please tell everyone the cause of this incident!" The Elder nodded and, with a grim expression, recounted the events.

It turned out that after the Qingguang Sect participated in the 'Newcomer Tournament,' they discovered a spiritual grass on their way back, named 'Seven-Colored Spirit Ganoderma.' What is the Seven-Colored Spirit Ganoderma? It is a heavenly spiritual grass, a treasure that cultivators dream of for advancement. If added to elixirs during advancement, it could help cultivators advance with almost a hundred percent certainty. Can you imagine such a thing not being treasured by cultivators?

The one who discovered this was precisely Yue Qianchou's Master, Hao Sansi. Just as the Qingguang Sect was cheering, they happened to encounter the Daluo Sect, which arrived later. The cultivation world is inherently a place where the strong prey on the weak. Upon seeing such a treasure, the Daluo Sect immediately claimed that they had discovered the spiritual grass first. Conflict immediately arose between the two sides. The Daluo Sect ranked second in strength in the Huaxia Empire's cultivation world, while the Qingguang Sect could barely rank sixth. Naturally, the latter was no match for the former in the ensuing fight. Hao Sansi, carrying the spiritual grass, bore the brunt of the attack. As a result, not only were several Elders of the Qingguang Sect injured, but some participating disciples were also wounded. Hao Sansi, eager to protect the medicine, was severely injured by the combined efforts of several Daluo Sect Elders. In the end, the spiritual grass was snatched by the Daluo Sect, and Hao Sansi died before he could return to the Qingguang Sect.

After hearing this, the Qingguang Sect disciples in front of the Grand Hall were in an uproar, all condemning the Daluo Sect. Yue Qianchou's face turned even colder, as if it could freeze.

Sect Master Liu Changqing's gaze swept over the crowd in front of the hall and he said solemnly, "Unfortunately, our Qingguang Sect's strength is inferior to the Daluo Sect. Alas! This matter has been reported to the senior who is cultivating in seclusion behind the mountain. The seniors' intention is to consider the overall situation and for us to bear the humiliation and not act impulsively. This matter will be handed over to the Cultivation Alliance to mediate justice."

The disciples, who had just quieted down, erupted in an uproar again. Everyone knew that the Cultivation Alliance was merely a puppet, only siding with whichever party was stronger. If they handled it, where would there be any justice?

The voices grew louder and louder. Liu Changqing frowned, snorted, and swept his cold gaze over the crowd. The area in front of the Grand Hall instantly became silent. Suddenly, a cold laugh rang out, and everyone looked in astonishment.

"Heh heh! Daluo Sect!" Yue Qianchou, who had been kneeling, stood up. His eyes were fixed directly on Liu Changqing, and he asked without any respect, "Is this the sect's decision?" As he spoke, not only Liu Changqing but also all the Elders' faces changed.

The Qingguang Sect disciples all took a sharp breath, thinking how audacious this waste was to speak to the Sect Master like that, truly not wanting to live. Qu Ping'er also showed worry on her face.

"Audacious! How dare you be disrespectful to the Sect Master!" Liu Zheng Guang, standing nearby, strode forward and struck Yue Qianchou with his palm. However, neither Sect Master Liu Changqing nor any of the Elders present stopped him.

"Hmph!" Yue Qianchou let out a cold snort, channeling his Mysterious Heaven Skill to its utmost, and met the palm strike. Everyone was shocked; this waste actually dared to fight Liu Zheng Guang. Yue Qianchou also recognized Liu Zheng Guang, a famous figure in the Qingguang Sect, but he wasn't someone who would just take a beating without retaliating. Moreover, his Master was dead; how could he care about so many things anymore?

"Bang!" The two palms met with a loud explosion, and both were repelled. However, Yue Qianchou clearly took several more steps back.

Silence. Absolute silence. Not only the Qingguang Sect disciples, but the Sect Master and all the Elders were dumbfounded. Even Liu Zheng Guang, who had attacked, looked at his palm in disbelief.

This waste was hiding his strength so deeply. Anyone could see that his move just now was not that of an ordinary person; he had at least the cultivation of Qi Refining Level Four. All the disciples' mouths hung open. What stunned the Sect Master and the Elders was that with their cultivation, they hadn't even noticed Yue Qianchou had crossed the threshold of cultivation.

How could this be? How could someone without cultivation roots step into the realm of cultivation? This was an immutable law of the universe, and now it had been broken! Instantly, some Elders' faces became fervent. Many of them had families in the mortal world, but their lack of cultivation roots meant they had aged and died early. This was an opportunity to unravel the mystery.

In fact, Yue Qianchou had gained a slight advantage in that palm strike. His Qi Refining Level Five was almost equivalent to Level Six, and he had attacked with full force. Liu Zheng Guang, on the other hand, had only intended to teach him a lesson and hadn't thought of injuring him, especially not in front of everyone. Otherwise, with Yue Qianchou's Qi Refining Level Five cultivation, how could he have repelled Liu Zheng Guang, who was at Mid Foundation Establishment, with a single palm? It was like an adult who hadn't braced himself being pushed off balance by a child.

Yue Qianchou did not receive that palm strike well. His internal blood and qi churned, and it took a long time to stabilize. He stared at Liu Zheng Guang and sneered, "You, a tenth-generation disciple, dare to attack your Martial Uncle? Heh heh! You have quite the nerve. Do you think you can disregard the Qingguang Sect's rules just because your grandfather is the Sect Master? I'd like to see if these sect rules are set by your family! I'd like to see if the Qingguang Sect is run by your family! I'd like to see how the Qingguang Sect will deal with you!"

With this heavy accusation, no one could stand it. The three consecutive "I'd like to see" made Liu Zheng Guang's face instantly turn pale, and everyone looked towards Sect Master Liu Changqing. The latter's expression was uncertain, and two sharp beams of light suddenly shot from his eyes, fixing on Yue Qianchou. He then glared at Liu Zheng Guang and shouted, "Kneel down!"

Plop! The grandson obediently knelt before his grandfather, whose chest was visibly heaving faster. At this moment, an Elder stepped forward and said, "Considering that Zheng Guang is a first-time offender and acted in a moment of urgency to uphold the Sect Master's authority, it was purely unintentional. I implore the Sect Master to show leniency!"

"I implore the Sect Master to show leniency!" Several other Elders also pleaded in unison.

Liu Changqing's expression finally softened. He stared at his grandson and said solemnly, "According to the sect rules, your cultivation should be crippled and you should be expelled from the sect. Considering the pleas of the Elders, you are fined ten years' worth of Spirit Stones and ordered to copy the sect rules ten thousand times. Do you accept this punishment?"

Liu Zheng Guang dared not have any other opinion. If his cultivation were truly crippled and he were expelled from the sect, it would truly be worse than death. He quickly kowtowed, "This disciple is willing to accept the punishment!"

Sect Master Liu Changqing nodded, then said meaningfully to Yue Qianchou, "Disrespecting elders is punishable according to sect rules. Nephew Disciple! Do you think my handling of this matter is fair?" His words clearly conveyed to Yue Qianchou that he had also shown disrespect to the Sect Master earlier, and since he hadn't punished him, he shouldn't continue to press the issue with his grandson.

"Heh heh!" Yue Qianchou gave a noncommittal cold laugh, turned around, picked up his Master's body, and strode away. The crowd parted to make way. Liu Zheng Guang glared at Yue Qianchou's retreating back with venomous eyes.

Everyone secretly shook their heads and sighed inwardly. Yue Qianchou had thoroughly offended the Liu family today, and his future days would be interesting to watch! Little did they know, Yue Qianchou had already decided to go all out, preparing to hide inside the golden bead if he couldn't win. What can you do to me!