Judgment of Obedience

"My Lord!"

Zhu Xi's face turned pale. How could he cultivate without resources? This was a year's worth of cultivation resources! Including the Qi Strength Pills, it was equivalent to a full 72 Spirit Crystals. Even though Yang Chen didn't seem to lack resources, it didn't mean these 72 Spirit Crystals weren't important!

Perhaps because of these 72 Spirit Crystals, the time for him to break through to the Blood Martial Realm would be postponed significantly, and it would also affect his ranking on the board. If his ranking was unstable, the resources he should have received would be further reduced.

With this loss, the damage was far more than 72 Spirit Crystals!

This punishment was too severe!

Wu Menglan's heart also trembled. Losing so many resources for no reason, wouldn't Yang Chen hate them to death?

Senior Brother Lei and the others, however, felt a sense of satisfaction. Although he wasn't expelled from the sect, at least he had taken a big fall.

"My Lord sees all with clarity. Ji Ran has no objections!"

Yang Chen gritted his teeth and said, "I... I accept the judgment."

Even though he was extremely unconvinced, since Lin Chuan had announced the result, there was no room for rebuttal.

Fortunately, none of this was enough to cripple him. The loss of 6 Spirit Crystals each month was still within his acceptable range.

After announcing the result, Lin Chuan got up and left. Senior Brother Lei and the others also left with Ji Ran.

"Yang Chen, I..."

Zhu Xi was extremely ashamed. He never expected something like this to happen. Wu Menglan, standing beside him, also had a face full of apology.

"This isn't your fault,"

Yang Chen said stiffly, leaving them with those words before heading down the mountain alone.

Zhu Xi glanced at Wu Menglan. He wanted to vent his anger but had no words to say, as she had also been kept in the dark.

Upon returning to his residence, Yang Chen reviewed the entire incident. Without a doubt, this was definitely Zhou Han's doing. The opponent's first move was a thunderous one, causing him to suffer a great loss.

This incident once again taught him a lesson: he needed to be cautious in his actions, maintain a proper distance, and never give others a handle to use against him.

"Ji Ran! Zhou Han!" Cold light flickered in his eyes. "We'll see!"

He couldn't do anything to them now, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to in the future. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

That night, he uncharacteristically did not cultivate. He slept until dawn before heading towards the spirit field.

He became more cautious and careful than ever before, completely rejecting all meaningless social interactions. He only did two things every day: eating, cultivating, and sleeping.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another month ended. By now, Yang Chen had been in the sect for a full half-year.

The rankings board saw constant changes. The disciples in the top five had all reached the Qi Martial Ninth Level, while the top twenty disciples were all at the Qi Martial Eighth Level.

Among the people Yang Chen knew, Huang Tianyu was still ranked third, Wei Xiao had climbed to fifteenth place, while Xue Cang had regressed, slipping to tenth place.

Xu Qingqing's progress had also slowed down. She was now ranked twenty-second, her cultivation still at the Qi Martial Seventh Level. As for Meng Shijun, he hovered around the eightieth spot on the board.

In addition, Zhu Xi had also entered the rankings, now at ninety-seventh place.

Yang Chen's strength continued to improve at a rapid pace. He had jumped from forty-third place to thirty-second place.

[Realm: Qi Martial Seventh Level, Punching Force: 10963 kg]

His strength was not far from the Qi Martial Eighth Level. The cultivation rankings had been ongoing, and the number of people who could maintain high-speed progress was decreasing. Although Yang Chen was now ranked thirty-second, the gap between him and the twenty-first ranked disciple was not that large.

His progress had once again sparked heated discussions. It was obvious to everyone that Yang Chen's monthly progress was incredibly fast. From being unknown initially to continuously improving his ranking, it had only taken him a few months.

The speculation about him was no less than that of the top ten disciples, and there were even discussions about him in other districts.

Lin Chuan, as usual, praised all the disciples who made it onto the board. However, unfortunately, Area 8 was still ranked third. Although there were many disciples from Area 8 on the board, the impact of the top ten positions was ultimately insufficient.

This time, Yang Chen did not receive his resources for the next month. Wang Kui already knew the reason and could only sigh helplessly.

Although he was responsible for resource distribution, every single Spirit Crystal was recorded. He didn't dare to engage in any under-the-table dealings. If this were to get out, expulsion from the sect would be the least of it; he would likely be executed on the spot.

On the surface, Yang Chen put on a show of being very upset, but in reality, he didn't care too much.

With his current ranking, he could receive 10 Spirit Crystals as a reward. Compared to last month, the overall difference was only a reduction of 1 Spirit Crystal.

"Well done, thirty-second on the board!"

On the mine, Zhou Han's expression turned grim upon hearing the news. "I don't believe your resources are infinite!"

In the following days, Yang Chen paid no attention to external affairs, maintaining his diligent cultivation. Eight days passed in the blink of an eye.

[Realm: Qi Martial Eighth Level, Punching Force: 11523 kg]

After eight days, his cultivation broke through again, successfully advancing to the Qi Martial Eighth Level.

The breakthrough in cultivation was just a minor event. Yang Chen did not focus on improving his ranking; for him, it was enough to verify his strength before the monthly summary.

After finishing his cultivation, Yang Chen walked out of the wooden house and onto the ridge of the field.

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, he now patrolled the spirit field an extra time each day.

After more than four months, the spirit field was a golden expanse. The Spirit Rice was less than two months away from ripening again.

"Next month, that Hemp-Clad Society will inevitably appear again. Another troublesome matter."

Walking along the ridge, Yang Chen patrolled the area while contemplating the Hemp-Clad Society.

The Hemp-Clad Society was very mysterious. They seemed to only appear when the Spirit Rice was ripe. He had been paying attention to any news about them, but he didn't know much.

They only knew about the existence of the Hemp-Clad Society, and it was tacitly approved by the stewards of each district and even Steward Han.

This was based on the Hemp-Clad Society not causing trouble normally. Even when the spirit rice was ripe, they knew their limits and didn't go too far.

Therefore, most of the disciples patrolling the spirit fields endured it with gritted teeth.

Yang Chen secretly guessed that for Steward Han to tacitly approve the existence of the Hemp-Clad Society, there must be the influence of an inner sect uncle or even a true disciple uncle behind it.

"You broke through?"

Just as Yang Chen was patrolling the spirit fields, Xu Qingqing's unique, cool voice rang out.

"Mm, I just broke through."

Yang Chen looked at the beauty in the upper left corner. Compared to half a year ago, Xu Qingqing had become even more graceful and elegant. The ethereal aura she exuded was even more pronounced, coupled with a youthful yet slightly mature charm, enough to make countless people fall at her feet.

Although Xu Qingqing was beautiful when she first joined the sect, she lacked a certain something compared to now. Yang Chen felt like he was witnessing the growth of a neighbor's daughter.

Xu Qingqing said, "Congratulations."

She had sensed the hidden aura emanating from Yang Chen just now, which prompted her question. Recalling everything from the past half-year, Yang Chen had become increasingly mysterious to her.

She vividly remembered when Yang Chen first ascended to the second floor of the mess hall, he wasn't even a martial artist. Yet, in just half a year, he had soared to reach the same level as her.

She herself had only broken through to the Qi Martial Eighth Level five days ago. This meant that the gap between them was rapidly closing. This feeling gave her an indescribable sense of urgency, but hidden behind this urgency was a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Thank you, you are also very outstanding."

Yang Chen replied briefly. After the incident with Ji Ran, he maintained a distant attitude towards women. Even though Xu Qingqing had the foundation of unparalleled beauty, he still viewed her as a flood or a fierce beast.

He walked away into the distance. Xu Qingqing watched his departing back, lost in thought for a moment.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.