Du Busi Disputes! Elder's Trial!

At this moment, after hearing Ning Feng's confusion...

Mu Xue shook her head, her expression somewhat blank.

She replied, "I don't know. The senior brother responsible for delivering the message didn't go into detail; he only said the Sect Master summoned us and that we should go immediately."

After hearing this, although Vina had her doubts, she did not intend to linger here.

She made a prompt decision, saying, "In any case, we'll know once we go and see. We won't figure anything out by guessing here."

Ning Feng nodded, not asking further questions.

He stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and signaled for the two of them to set off.

Subsequently, the three of them left their residence, walked quickly along the mountain path, and hurried toward the direction of the Sect Master Hall.

Meanwhile, inside the Sect Master Hall, the atmosphere was not calm.

The light inside the hall was dim, with only a few torches on the stone walls emitting faint crackling sounds.

The air was permeated with a stale smell of lime and a faint chill.

In the center of the Main Hall, Du Busi stood with his hands on his hips.

Opposite him stood a sect elder. This elder's expression was extremely ugly; his brows were tightly furrowed as he stared fixedly at Du Busi.

The two were currently engaged in an argument.

"Sect Master, your decision is too rash."

The elder's voice echoed in the hall; due to his anger, his speech was somewhat hurried.

"To have Vina, Mu Xue, and Ning Feng form a team to go to the Heaven Dou Empire to carry out a mission right now—the risk is simply too great."

"I firmly object."

Du Busi glared at him: "They are disciples of the sect; do you expect them to be locked up in the sect practicing their skills for their entire lives?"

The elder was not overwhelmed by his imposing manner; instead, he stepped forward, his tone even more resolute: "Although Vina and Mu Xue are sect disciples, they are also members of the royal family, and Vina is even the honorable princess of the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Since joining the Body Sect a few years ago, they have never truly stepped out of the sect to carry out an external mission. Without any actual combat experience, how can they be allowed to risk themselves so easily?"

"And then there is that Ning Feng. Although his talent is indeed outstanding, the time he has spent in the Body Sect is too short. He lacks knowledge of the sect's mission procedures and has had no practical combat training."

"With a team composed of three such members facing Evil Soul Masters, if something goes wrong, who can bear the consequences?"

Du Busi snorted coldly: "You say the risk is high? Does that mean we stop training just because the risk is high? If we never let them go on missions, they will only ever be flowers in a greenhouse, never able to shed that layer of naivety."

"Only by experiencing real blood and crisis can they learn how to survive in this world."

Upon hearing this, the elder appeared even more anxious: "If they must be trained, at least equip them with another experienced elder to accompany them."

"If you are unwilling to assign an elder, then replace Ning Feng with those veteran disciples who have rich mission experience. You could even wait for Long Aotian to return from his mission and have him lead the team."

"Long Aotian has always been steady in handling these matters; with him leading, at least their safety would be guaranteed."

After listening, Du Busi flicked his sleeve violently, his voice rising a few notches: "Then that's not training at all!"

"If we arrange it according to what you say, what kind of training would that be? We might as well just let them continue staying in the Body Sect to cultivate!"

Du Busi continued:

"The mission I selected this time is very suitable for them."

"Although there are quite a few Evil Soul Masters, most of those Evil Soul Masters only have cultivation levels between the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth rank."

"Even if the methods of the Evil Soul Masters are strange, Vina, Mu Xue, and Ning Feng have all already broken through the thirtieth rank. They have an advantage in terms of soul power levels."

"Therefore, even if it is their first mission, I believe they can overcome these difficulties."

The elder remained unhappy; he even adopted a tone of entreaty: "Sect Master, Vina is a princess after all! You know the stakes involved better than I do."

"If something really goes wrong, how are we supposed to answer to the royal family? We must think twice before acting!"

Du Busi's expression also sank, and he said word by word: "So what if she is a princess? Since she has joined the Body Sect, she is a disciple of the Body Sect within these walls."

"I already told the Emperor long ago that although Vina is a princess, in the Body Sect, she must act according to the rules of the Body Sect."

"As long as they are disciples of the sect, they have an obligation to fulfill missions; there is no special treatment."

Seeing that Du Busi's mind was made up, the elder let out a helpless, long sigh, his shoulders seeming to grow a bit heavier.

After a moment of silence, the elder finally made a concession: "How about this, Sect Master."

"Before sending them on the mission, I will test them. You can watch from here."

"If they demonstrate sufficient strength and adaptability after the test, then I will say no more and let them go."

"But if the test results are not ideal, or if Ning Feng simply lacks the ability to protect Vina, then I ask the Sect Master to retract the order and not treat the lives of the disciples as a joke."

Du Busi glanced at the elder, knowing that if he did not agree, this stubborn old man would not give up.

He could only respond irritably: "Fine, fine, fine. You really are a stubborn old thing; then we shall do as you say!"

Just at this moment, footsteps came from outside the Main Hall.

Ning Feng, Vina, and Mu Xue had finally arrived outside the Sect Master Hall.

They first looked at the two disciples guarding the entrance and asked if they could enter.

The two disciples glanced at Vina, nodded to signal their permission, and then pushed open the two heavy stone doors.

Thump, thump...

Ning Feng, Vina, and Mu Xue walked into the Main Hall.

At this moment, the light inside the Main Hall was somewhat dim, but they still spotted Du Busi and that sect elder standing in the center at a single glance.

The three of them walked with steady steps until they reached Du Busi and the elder.

Vina was the first to break the silence; she looked at Du Busi and asked respectfully, "Sect Master, may I ask what the reason is for summoning us here?"

Du Busi glanced at them, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. This smile made him look less stern than before, appearing instead somewhat inscrutable:

"Nothing special, I just wanted to have you come over to see how your recent cultivation progress has been."

As he spoke, he glanced at the elder beside him and continued, "How about this: in a moment, the elder will act as your opponent. The three of you attack together, use your full strength to deal with him, do not hold back, and you should even attack with the intent to kill him."

As soon as these words were spoken, Vina froze in place.

She was somewhat confused, thinking she had misheard, and opened her mouth to confirm, "Sect Master, what do you mean by this?"

Du Busi did not give her any chance to ask further, simply waving his hand to urge them on:

"Just do as you're told, hurry up! If any of you dare to slack off, there will be consequences!"