Witnessing Injustice on the Road!

Su Yun traveled at lightning speed, returning to the Azure Cloud Sect in less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn.

It was the afternoon, and many outer sect disciples had finished their daily lessons, gathering in groups of two or three on the plaza.

Su Yun was preparing to return to Heavenly Pivot Peak when his gaze swept across the area, and his brows furrowed slightly.

To one side of the plaza, a large crowd had gathered; the atmosphere was oppressive, and something was clearly wrong.

He changed his course and walked straight toward the crowd.

In the center of the plaza, three cultivators stood on the higher steps, exuding an aggressive aura.

Two of them wore the blue robes of inner sect disciples, with inner sect tokens hanging from their waists.

The man in the lead wore a moon-white brocade robe of excellent material, with the exclusive cloud pattern of a personal disciple embroidered on his chest.

This man was none other than Lin Hao, the personal disciple of the Fourth Elder.

Behind him, an inner sect disciple with a sharp, monkey-like face was shouting at the dozens of outer sect disciples below, spittle flying from his mouth.

His posture was arrogant, the very picture of a lackey.

"Listen up, all of you!"

"The man standing before you is Senior Brother Lin Hao, under the tutelage of our sect's Fourth Elder!"

"A genuine personal disciple with a lofty status and a boundless future!"

The lackey lifted his chin, his tone filled with boastfulness.

"Senior Brother Lin has established a 'Mutual Aid Alliance' and is currently recruiting new members."

"As long as you are willing to join, if anyone in the sect dares to bully you in the future, just mention Senior Brother Lin's name—it is absolutely effective!"

The outer sect disciples below all kept their heads down, their expressions grim; they dared to be angry but dared not speak.

A Mutual Aid Alliance, indeed.

To put it plainly, it was just collecting protection money.

Lin Hao used his status as a personal disciple to gather a group of inner sect disciples, then squeezed these bottom-tier outer sect disciples.

Every month, they had to hand over spirit stones, pills, and spirit materials, euphemistically calling it an alliance fee.

Those who handed over more would receive protection; those who didn't would be harassed at every turn, have their missions stolen, and see their cultivation resources withheld.

Even for a personal disciple, the monthly sect stipend was limited.

Lin Hao had set his sights on the large number of outer sect disciples, knowing that many small contributions would add up to a significant profit.

Furthermore, he could use this to cultivate his own influence and gather a group of underlings.

The rules of the Azure Cloud Sect were loose, and disciples were not forbidden from forming private cliques.

As long as they did not cross the sect's bottom line, the higher-ups mostly turned a blind eye.

This only made Lin Hao more unscrupulous.

Outer sect disciples were already at the very bottom of the sect, their monthly stipends pitifully small, barely enough to maintain their cultivation.

Now, being squeezed for another layer was like adding frost to snow.

Seeing that no one spoke, the lackey's face darkened, and he intensified his tone with an obvious threat.

"I'm telling you! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"Senior Brother Lin is willing to take you in; he is giving you face!"

"Don't be ungrateful! Don't be so ignorant of what's good for you!"

"As long as you join the alliance, if you run into trouble in the outer sect, just report Senior Brother Lin's name, and no one will dare touch a hair on your heads!"

At this moment, Lin Hao slowly stepped forward.

His face was fair, but his eyes held a trace of arrogance.

His gaze swept over the outer sect disciples, and his voice was not loud, yet it carried an invisible sense of oppression.

"Junior brothers."

"Whether you join the alliance or not is entirely voluntary."

"But I will say this plainly beforehand."

"Sect resources are limited; if you want to cultivate in peace, you must pay a price."

"With my protection, you can avoid many detours."

"If you insist on going your own way, and something happens to you in the sect later, no one will be there to help you."

The words sounded polite, but everyone could hear the threat beneath them.

The meaning was simple: if you don't pay the protection money, you will suffer for it later.

The hearts of the outer sect disciples turned cold.

Most of them were newcomers who hadn't been in the sect for long, and they had expected the Azure Cloud Sect to be a sacred place of cultivation where everyone was harmonious, fair, and just.

They never expected to encounter such dirty, sordid business the moment they stepped through the door.

They were terrified and furious, yet they dared not resist in the slightest.

Just as the atmosphere grew stifling to the breaking point, a calm voice rang out from behind the crowd.

"Hey."

"As a personal disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, to blatantly extort the outer sect disciples below you..."

"Isn't that a bit beneath you?"

The voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.

In an instant, the entire scene fell silent.

Lin Hao's expression shifted violently, darkening in a heartbeat.

He was accustomed to throwing his weight around in this area; when had anyone ever dared to undermine him in public?

His two inner sect lackeys turned around with fierce expressions, ready to bark orders and teach the speaker a lesson.

But when they saw Su Yun's appearance and the personal disciple robes he wore, their bodies stiffened. The ferocity on their faces froze, replaced instantly by terror.

Their legs trembled slightly, and they hurriedly bowed in respectful salute.

"G-Greetings, Senior Brother Su!"

Their voices were shaking.

A personal disciple of the Sect Master held a status even higher than a personal disciple of an elder; they dared not offend him under any circumstances.

When Lin Hao heard the words "Senior Brother Su," his heart skipped a beat.

He whipped his head around, and upon seeing Su Yun's snow-white personal disciple robes, his pupils constricted slightly.

He forced the arrogant look off his face, replacing it with a mask of feigned respect.

Even though his heart churned with rage, he dared not show the slightest hint of it.

He stepped forward and offered a slight bow.

"This disciple greets Senior Brother."

There was no other way.

The sect's rules were strict; a Sect Master's personal disciple held a higher status than an elder's personal disciple.

In terms of seniority, he had to address Su Yun as Senior Brother.

Even if his cultivation was higher than Su Yun's, even if he was a Foundation Establishment master, this rule could not be broken.

Seeing Su Yun, the dozens of outer sect disciples behind them acted as if they had seen their savior, bowing in unison.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Su!"

Su Yun walked up to Lin Hao and stopped, surveying him with a calm gaze before speaking indifferently.

"Who are you?"

Lin Hao suppressed his fury and lowered his head to reply.

"Reporting to Senior Brother, this disciple is the Fourth Elder's personal disciple, Lin Hao."

"Oh."

Su Yun nodded slightly.

"So, it is Junior Brother Lin."

"The Fourth Elder, as the elder in charge of internal affairs, oversees the sect's rules and discipline."

"Yet the personal disciple he raised doesn't focus on cultivation, but instead runs to the mountain gate to bully outer sect juniors and invent excuses to collect protection money."

"By doing this, you are losing face for the Fourth Elder, and for the Azure Cloud Sect as well."

"Outer sect disciples have just entered the sect; their foundations are unstable and their resources are scarce. It is already difficult enough for them."

"As their senior, you don't help them, yet you choose to rob them while they are down and exploit those at the bottom."

"If word gets out, people will only say that the Azure Cloud Sect's personal disciples are nothing but scum who bully their own."

"To cultivate, one must first cultivate the heart. If your heart is crooked, no matter how high your cultivation goes in the future, you won't get far."

He did not resort to shouting, yet every word struck at the heart, criticizing Lin Hao's actions clearly and plainly in front of everyone.

Lin Hao's face turned from green to white, his embarrassment reaching its peak.

The surrounding outer sect disciples kept their heads down, but inwardly, they cheered, feeling a sense of great satisfaction.

Su Yun could not be bothered to waste any more breath on him; he turned and walked straight toward the depths of the sect.

Not until Su Yun's figure had completely vanished at the end of the stone steps did the respect on Lin Hao's face vanish, replaced instantly by deep malice and murderous intent.

He stared fixedly at Su Yun's retreating back, gritting his teeth as he cursed under his breath.

"Hmph! A mere Qi Refining stage cultivator dares to lecture me?"

"Damn it, Su Yun, you just wait!"

"You dare ruin my plans? I've marked this debt down today!"

"So what if you have a Heavenly Spirit Root? No matter how strong your talent is, aren't you still just in the Qi Refining stage?"

The two inner sect lackeys beside him looked panicked and hurriedly stepped forward, lowering their voices to persuade him.

"Senior Brother Lin, think twice!"

"That's the Sect Master's personal disciple; we... we really shouldn't provoke him."

"With a Heavenly Spirit Root, his cultivation speed is heaven-defying, and he has the Sect Master backing him. The risk of actually going against him is too great."

Lin Hao shot the two of them a cold glance, a sinister smile curling his lips.

"Rest assured."

"I'm not stupid enough to go head-to-head directly."

A glimmer of calculation flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"In three months, it will be the Sect Grand Competition."

"No matter how fast Su Yun cultivates, in three months, he'll be at most at the sixth level of Qi Refining."

"When the time comes, I'll secretly incite a few junior brothers at the ninth level of Qi Refining to challenge him."

"If he doesn't dare to accept, it's cowardice, and he'll lose face for the Sect Master."

"If he does accept and gets defeated, his reputation will be ruined."

Upon hearing this, the two lackeys' eyes lit up instantly, their faces filled with sycophancy.

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant! Senior Brother Lin's plan is masterful!"

"You don't have to get your own hands dirty, yet you can ruthlessly suppress Su Yun's arrogance. It kills two birds with one stone!"

Lin Hao sneered, his eyes malicious.

The Sect Grand Competition was the perfect stage for him to take revenge on Su Yun.

"Enough, stop the chatter. Let's go."

Lin Hao flicked his sleeves violently and turned to leave with his two lackeys, his expression dark.

On the plaza, the crowd of outer sect disciples watched the three figures depart and let out a long sigh of relief.