Tian Buyi sat in the seat of honor, looking at Jiang Ming. It seemed that only today had he truly come to know his seventh disciple. In the past, he had only known that Jiang Ming was highly gifted and cultivated at an astonishing pace, having already trained the Taiji Xuanqing Dao to the eighth level. He had never expected that a casual strike from Jiang Ming today would possess such power. It truly shocked him beyond measure.
Seeing this, Jiang Ming did not think it was anything remarkable. He returned to his seat openly and sat down, meeting Tian Buyi's gaze.
Tian Buyi immediately rose to his feet, turning his eyes toward Qi Hao and Lin Jingyu. His face darkened, and no one needed to guess that he was in a terrible mood. They had dared to attack and injure his disciple and daughter on Da Zhu Peak—how could he possibly be pleased? He spoke to the two in a cold voice, "What impressive skills. What murderous intent. Is this how Cang Song teaches his disciples?"
Qi Hao's expression changed drastically when he saw Tian Buyi's face. He hurriedly pulled Lin Jingyu over and said, "Junior Brother, apologize at once."
Lin Jingyu was still a teenager, young and hot-blooded. Frowning deeply, he walked up to Zhang Xiao Fan and said, "Xiao Fan, I was wrong just now. We said we would test each other's cultivation, but I failed to control myself. I'm sorry. I truly didn't mean to hurt you!"
"It's nothing, Jingyu." Zhang Xiao Fan had not taken it to heart to begin with, and he immediately forgave Lin Jingyu upon hearing his apology.
Tian Buyi's face changed at once. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he suddenly stepped forward, a flash of crimson passing over his face as he prepared to strike.
Qi Hao's expression changed drastically. He knew Tian Buyi's strength. Just as he was about to step forward and explain, Su Ru suddenly grabbed Tian Buyi and said mildly, "At your age, what would it look like for you to make trouble with juniors from the same sect?"
When Qi Hao saw Su Ru speak up, he could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. He hurriedly stepped in front of Lin Jingyu, cupped his hands, and said, "Martial Uncle Tian is magnanimous. Please, for my master's sake, do not lower yourself to the level of juniors like us."
Seeing his master angry, Zhang Xiao Fan feared that Tian Buyi would strike and injure Lin Jingyu, the brother he had grown up with. He immediately walked before Tian Buyi and knelt, hoping to plead for Lin Jingyu.
Seeing Zhang Xiao Fan plead for Lin Jingyu, Jiang Ming sighed and shook his head. He knew that Zhang Xiao Fan valued loyalty and affection, preferring to suffer hardship and injustice himself rather than see those close to him hurt.
But in a situation like this, pleading before the face-conscious Tian Buyi for a disciple of Dragon Head Peak, his sworn rival—wasn't that a slap in Tian Buyi's face? You were Tian Buyi's disciple of Da Zhu Peak! Especially after Lin Jingyu had attacked Zhang Xiao Fan and Tian Ling'er, already provoking him to the brink of eruption. Yet Zhang Xiao Fan still chose such a moment to plead for a Dragon Head Peak disciple. If Tian Buyi did not hit him, who would he hit?
Sure enough, when Tian Buyi saw this useless disciple pleading for the person who had injured him, his anger finally became impossible to suppress. With a sweep of his sleeve, a tremendous force sent Zhang Xiao Fan flying into the wall, where he coughed up blood without end.
Seeing Zhang Xiao Fan sent flying by Tian Buyi, Jiang Ming thought, You're really asking for it! He knew the matter would not end so easily.
Sure enough, seeing Zhang Xiao Fan, who had pleaded for him, beaten bloody by Tian Buyi, Lin Jingyu blurted out, "Short fatso!" Tian Buyi, enraged, struck at once. He easily seized Lin Jingyu's Dragon Slaying Sword in his hand, then naturally proceeded to teach Qi Hao and Lin Jingyu a lesson while testing the extent of their cultivation.
Jiang Ming watched it unfold without any intention of intervening. After all, he did not like Qi Hao either. More importantly, he could see that although Tian Buyi had been enraged, he had always held back and had never intended to injure the two. He merely wanted to take the opportunity to assess their strength.
After all, he was the head of Da Zhu Peak and their elder. Attacking juniors was hardly a glorious matter. Lin Jingyu's rudeness had merely given Tian Buyi an excuse to act and teach the two a lesson in passing.
That evening, after Qi Hao and Lin Jingyu had left, in the Inner Hall,
Tian Buyi suddenly asked Su Ru, "How far do you think Qi Hao has reached?"
Su Ru replied, "Judging from the way he cast his technique, he has at least reached the eighth level of the Jade Clarity Realm."
Tian Buyi's lips moved as though he wanted to speak but stopped himself. Su Ru continued for him, "Among the disciples of Da Zhu Peak, other than the seventh, none are his match."
"What did you think of the seventh's casual sword strike?" Tian Buyi suddenly asked Su Ru.
Su Ru said, "It was incredibly fast and devastatingly powerful. Below the Supreme Clarity Realm, no one is his match."
Tian Buyi looked at Su Ru. After a long silence, he said, "For Da Zhu Peak now, we can only rely on the seventh. Thankfully Shui Yue sent Jiang Ming here. Otherwise..."
Su Ru covered her mouth and smiled. "Then you must stop bickering with Senior Sister in the future."
Tian Buyi did not answer directly. Instead, he said, "Tonight, take a Great Yellow Pill to the eighth. Don't let him play dead tomorrow and leave us with no food."
Seeing Tian Buyi stubbornly preserve his pride, Su Ru merely smiled without a word.
The next day, at noon, in the dining hall,
Song Daren and the others took their seats one after another. Tian Buyi was the last to arrive.
After sitting down, Tian Buyi swept his gaze over everyone before fixing it on Zhang Xiao Fan. He then said, "You all saw what happened yesterday, didn't you?"
Everyone remained silent. Jiang Ming was too embarrassed to praise himself, while the others had no face to speak. Seeing that no one said anything, Song Daren could only smile bitterly and say, "Master displayed divine might and punished the two..."
"Bullshit!" Tian Buyi suddenly roared, his voice shaking the entire hall. Everyone fell silent in fright, while Jiang Ming simply continued looking at the delicious food Zhang Xiao Fan had prepared.
Tian Buyi suddenly said angrily, "You all saw what happened yesterday. Forget Qi Hao—even Lin Jingyu, who began at the same time as the eighth, surpasses most of you. They came all the way to Da Zhu Peak to cause trouble. Do you understand? If the seventh had not suddenly struck with his sword, you would have disgraced Da Zhu Peak completely."
Song Daren and the others were so frightened by Tian Buyi that they did not dare make a sound. They knew their own limitations; there was nothing they could do about their talent. Only when Tian Buyi mentioned Lin Jingyu did Zhang Xiao Fan involuntarily raise his head.
The meal passed in silence. When Tian Buyi and Su Ru rose and walked out through the doors,
Tian Buyi's voice rang out once more, "From now on, aside from the eighth being responsible for meals and the seventh cultivating on his own, the rest of you are forbidden from leaving for the next year and a half. Enter seclusion and cultivate. Do you hear me?"
And so time passed swiftly. A tense atmosphere blanketed Da Zhu Peak, and a year and a half slipped by amid everyone's intensive cultivation.
During that year and a half, Jiang Ming finally obtained the Supreme Clarity Realm cultivation method of the Taiji Xuanqing Dao and was also taught the divine technique, Divine Sword Lightning Control True Art. Yet Jiang Ming had not used it even once and had no idea how powerful it truly was.
After all, Jiang Ming possessed lightning techniques of his own, such as Emperor Heaven Mad Lightning and Thunder God's Wrath, but they were somewhat different from this. The Divine Sword Lightning Control True Art was, after all, a pure Daoist divine technique that used a divine weapon to draw down the divine lightning of the Nine Heavens for attack. It was also the first Daoist divine ability Jiang Ming had encountered. Jiang Ming vaguely remembered that the original work had said Qingyun Sect possessed Four Great Techniques, but when he asked Tian Buyi, Tian Buyi merely said they had been lost. Jiang Ming found that difficult to believe. Could a sect as vast as Qingyun Sect truly have no copies?
Thinking of this, Jiang Ming could only assume that his status had not yet reached that level. Otherwise, would Qingyun Sect's Daoist arts not be his to learn as he pleased? What manner should he use to defeat his opponents in the coming Seven Peaks Tournament? Should he destroy them with a laugh, sending their forces to ashes? Or... What a headache!
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