Su Yun raced back to the Azure Cloud Sect at breakneck speed, arriving in less than the time it took an incense stick to burn.
It was afternoon, and many outer-sect disciples had finished their daily lessons and gathered in small groups on the plaza.
Su Yun was about to return to Heavenly Pivot Peak when he glanced around and furrowed his brow.
A large crowd had gathered at one side of the plaza. The atmosphere was oppressive, and something was clearly wrong.
He changed course and headed straight toward them.
In the middle of the plaza, three cultivators stood on the steps, radiating menace.
Two wore the blue robes of inner-sect disciples, with inner-sect tokens hanging at their waists.
The man at the front wore a moon-white brocade robe of the finest quality, its chest embroidered with the distinctive cloud pattern reserved for direct disciples.
This was Lin Hao, the direct disciple of the Fourth Elder.
Behind him, a sharp-featured inner-sect disciple was shouting at the dozens of outer-sect disciples below, spittle flying.
He struck an arrogant pose, looking every bit the toady.
"Listen up, all of you!"
"The man standing before you is Senior Brother Lin Hao, a disciple of our sect's Fourth Elder!"
"He's a true direct disciple, with lofty status and a limitless future!"
The toady raised his chin, his voice brimming with boastful pride.
"Senior Brother Lin has just founded the 'Mutual Aid Alliance,' and he's recruiting new members."
"If you're willing to join, then from now on, whenever someone in the sect dares bully you, just give them Senior Brother Lin's name. That'll take care of everything!"
The outer-sect disciples below kept their heads down, their faces grim. They were furious, but didn't dare speak up.
What Mutual Aid Alliance?
It was just a protection racket.
Lin Hao was using his status as a direct disciple to gather a group of inner-sect disciples, then squeeze the outer-sect disciples at the bottom.
Every month, they had to hand over spirit stones, pills, and spiritual materials, all euphemistically called alliance dues.
Those who paid more would receive protection. Those who refused would be harassed at every turn, have their missions stolen, and see their cultivation resources withheld.
Even direct disciples received only a limited monthly stipend from the sect.
Lin Hao had simply realized there were so many outer-sect disciples that their small contributions would add up to a hefty haul.
Besides, this was a chance to build up his own influence and gather a pack of underlings.
The Azure Cloud Sect had lax rules and didn't forbid disciples from forming private cliques.
As long as they didn't cross the sect's bottom line, the higher-ups usually turned a blind eye.
That only made Lin Hao more brazen.
Outer-sect disciples were already at the very bottom of the sect. Their monthly stipends were pitiful, barely enough to sustain their cultivation.
Now they were being bled dry on top of that, making a bad situation even worse.
When the toady saw that no one was answering, his expression darkened. He raised his voice, making the threat unmistakable.
"I'm telling you, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"Senior Brother Lin is willing to take you in. That's an honor!"
"Don't mistake kindness for weakness! Don't be so ungrateful!"
"Once you're in the alliance, if you run into trouble among the outer-sect disciples, just give them Senior Brother Lin's name. No one will dare lay a finger on you!"
At that moment, Lin Hao slowly stepped forward.
His face was fair and clean, but there was a trace of arrogance in his eyes.
He swept his gaze over the outer-sect disciples. His voice was quiet, yet carried an invisible pressure.
"Junior brothers."
"Whether you join the alliance is entirely up to you."
"But let me make one thing clear."
"The sect's resources are limited. If you want to cultivate in peace, you'll have to pay a price."
"With my protection, you can avoid a lot of detours."
"If you insist on going your own way, then if something happens to you in the sect later, don't expect anyone to help."
His words sounded polite, but everyone could hear the threat behind them.
The meaning was simple: refuse to pay protection money, and you'd suffer for it.
The outer-sect disciples felt a chill in their hearts.
Most of them were newcomers who had joined only recently. They'd thought the Azure Cloud Sect was a sacred place of cultivation, where everyone lived in harmony and fairness ruled.
They hadn't expected to stumble into such a filthy, underhanded scheme as soon as they arrived.
They were afraid and furious, but didn't dare fight back in the slightest.
Just as the oppressive atmosphere reached its breaking point,
a calm voice came from behind the crowd.
"Hey."
"As a direct disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, openly extorting the outer-sect disciples beneath you..."
"Isn't that a little beneath you?"
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears.
In an instant, the entire plaza fell silent.
Lin Hao's expression changed abruptly, turning dark.
He was used to throwing his weight around in this area. When had anyone ever dared to call him out in public?
The two inner-sect lackeys scowled and whipped around, ready to shout down and teach the speaker a lesson.
But when they saw Su Yun's face and the direct disciple's robes he wore,
both of them froze, the aggression on their faces replaced by fear.
Their legs trembled slightly as they hurriedly bowed and paid their respects.
"G-Greetings, Senior Brother Su!"
Their voices quavered.
As the sect master's direct disciple, Su Yun outranked the elders' direct disciples by a whole level. They wouldn't dare offend him.
The moment Lin Hao heard the words "Senior Brother Su," his heart lurched.
He whipped around and saw Su Yun standing there in his snow-white direct disciple's robe. His pupils constricted slightly.
He forced the arrogance from his face and put on a show of respect.
Even though fury churned inside him, he didn't dare let it show.
He stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"This disciple pays his respects to Senior Brother."
He had no choice.
The sect's rules were strict. The sect master's direct disciple outranked the elders' direct disciples.
By seniority, he had to call Su Yun Senior Brother.
It didn't matter if his cultivation was higher than Su Yun's, or if he was a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator. The rules couldn't be broken.
The dozens of outer-sect disciples behind them saw Su Yun as though he were their savior. They all bowed in greeting.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Su!"
Su Yun walked up to Lin Hao and stopped, calmly looking him over before speaking.
"Who are you?"
Suppressing his anger, Lin Hao lowered his head and answered.
"Answering Senior Brother, I'm Lin Hao, the Fourth Elder's direct disciple."
"Oh."
Su Yun nodded slightly.
"So you're Junior Brother Lin."
"The Fourth Elder is an elder in charge of the sect's internal affairs, rules, and discipline."
"Yet the direct disciple he raised isn't busy cultivating. Instead, he's come to the sect gate to bully his junior brothers and invent an excuse to extort protection money."
"What you're doing brings shame to the Fourth Elder and to the Azure Cloud Sect."
"These outer-sect disciples have only just joined. They're unsteady in their foundations and short on resources. They have it hard enough already."
"As their senior brother, you could at least lend them a hand. Instead, you're taking advantage of their hardship and squeezing those at the bottom."
"If word gets out, people will say that the Azure Cloud Sect's direct disciples are nothing but scoundrels who bully their fellow disciples."
"Cultivation begins with the heart. If your heart is crooked, then no matter how high your cultivation gets, you won't go far."
He hadn't cursed once, yet every word cut to the bone. In front of everyone, he laid out Lin Hao's misdeeds in no uncertain terms.
Lin Hao's face flushed red, then turned pale. He was mortified.
The outer-sect disciples kept their heads bowed, but inwardly they cheered, savoring every word.
Su Yun couldn't be bothered to waste more time on him. He turned and headed deeper into the sect.
Only after Su Yun had vanished completely beyond the end of the stone steps did the respect on Lin Hao's face disappear, replaced by venom and murderous intent.
He glared after Su Yun, gritting his teeth as he cursed under his breath.
"Hmph! He's just a Qi Refining cultivator, and he thinks he can lecture me?"
"Damn it, Su Yun. Just you wait!"
"You dared ruin my plans. I'll remember this!"
"So what if he has a Heavenly Spirit Root? No matter how talented he is, he's still only at Qi Refining!"
The two inner-sect lackeys hurried over, their faces anxious. They lowered their voices to advise him.
"Senior Brother Lin, think this through!"
"He's the sect master's direct disciple. We... we'd better not provoke him."
"With a Heavenly Spirit Root, he cultivates at an astonishing pace, and he has the sect master backing him. Going after him would be too risky."
Lin Hao glanced coldly at them, the corner of his mouth curling into a sinister smile.
"Relax."
"I'm not stupid enough to go head-to-head with him."
A calculating glint flashed through his eyes.
"In three months, the sect will hold its grand competition."
"No matter how quickly Su Yun cultivates, three months will only get him to the sixth Qi Refining layer at most."
"When the time comes, I'll secretly egg a few junior brothers at the ninth Qi Refining layer on to challenge him."
"If he refuses, he'll be accused of cowardice, and the sect master will lose face."
"If he accepts and gets beaten, his reputation will be ruined."
The two lackeys brightened at once, their faces full of fawning admiration.
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant! Senior Brother Lin, what a clever move!"
"You won't even have to act personally, and you'll still crush Su Yun's arrogance. Two birds with one stone!"
Lin Hao gave a cold laugh, his gaze venomous.
The sect's grand competition would be the perfect stage for his revenge on Su Yun.
"Enough talking. Let's go."
Lin Hao whipped his sleeve and walked away with his two lackeys, his face dark.
On the plaza, the outer-sect disciples watched the three of them leave and let out a long breath of relief.