Direct Disciple

Chen Tianyu trembled all over.

He could tell Qin Yuan wasn't joking. This young man, who looked only seventeen or eighteen, had a coldness and decisiveness in his eyes far beyond his years.

"It... it was me," he finally lowered his head, his voice hoarse. "I told Sun Xing and Wang Meng to arrange people to pretend there was a misunderstanding, capture Lin Qing'er, and take her to the back mountain. Then... then I'd use it as an opportunity to threaten you, force you to hand over your fortuitous encounter..."

"Fortuitous encounter?" Qin Yuan narrowed his eyes.

"You went from Level 7 Qi Condensation to Level 6 Foundation Establishment in three days, you must have gotten a huge fortuitous encounter..." Chen Tianyu gritted his teeth. "I've been stuck at Level 7 Foundation Establishment for three years, and I need a fortuitous encounter to break through..."

Qin Yuan fell silent.

He looked at the disheveled "Senior Brother" before him and suddenly felt a sense of pity.

On the path of cultivation, how many people resorted to unscrupulous means for a sliver of a fortuitous encounter, only to end up in such a state.

"So, you used such despicable methods?" Qin Yuan stood up, looking down at him. "The Senior Brother of Fifth Peak, is that all you're capable of?"

Chen Tianyu's face turned red, but he had no reply.

Just then, an angry roar came from outside the hall:

"Insolent!"

A figure shot into the hall like lightning. It was an elder with white hair and beard, his face grim. It was the Enforcement Elder of Fifth Peak, Chen Changqing—Chen Tianyu's grandfather.

After landing and seeing his grandson's miserable state, his eyes instantly blazed with anger. "You little beast! How dare you injure my grandson!"

Saying that, he raised his hand and struck Qin Yuan with a palm!

This palm strike, fueled by rage, transformed into a massive azure hand of spiritual energy, blotting out the sky. It carried the terrifying pressure of an early Golden Core stage cultivator, intending to suppress Qin Yuan on the spot!

Qin Yuan's pupils contracted.

Golden Core stage! He couldn't possibly contend with that right now!

At this critical moment—

"Stop!"

Another voice rang out. Elder Xu appeared in the hall, waved his sleeve, and a gentle yet firm barrier of spiritual energy blocked Qin Yuan.

"Boom—!!"

The azure hand struck the barrier, causing ripples to spread, but it couldn't advance an inch.

Chen Changqing glared at Elder Xu. "Senior Brother Xu! Are you going to protect this little beast?!"

"Junior Brother Chen, the matter hasn't been clarified yet, why the rush to act?" Elder Xu said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the scene in the hall. He paused particularly at the wounds on Lin Qing'er and the miserable state of Wang Hu and Li Bao, his brow furrowing slightly.

"What's there to ask!" Chen Changqing pointed at Qin Yuan. "This little beast, barely joining Fifth Peak, dares to strike fellow disciples so heavily in the main hall! If he's not severely punished, what rules will Fifth Peak have left!"

"Rules?" Qin Yuan suddenly spoke, his voice calm. "Elder Chen might as well ask your good grandson what he did, and then we can talk about rules."

Chen Changqing froze and looked at Chen Tianyu.

Chen Tianyu's face paled, and he lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Elder Xu sighed. "Junior Brother Chen, I heard everything outside the hall just now. This child Tianyu... is truly disappointing."

He briefly recounted the events.

Chen Changqing's expression grew uglier with each word, turning ashen by the end.

"You... you unfilial son!" He pointed at Chen Tianyu, trembling with rage. "I told you to cultivate properly, and you dare to use such methods?!"

"Grandfather... I..." Chen Tianyu tried to argue.

"Silence!" Chen Changqing roared, then turned to Qin Yuan, his expression complicated.

He was silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Qin Yuan, Tianyu was in the wrong first. But he is your Senior Brother after all. Your methods were perhaps a bit too heavy."

"Heavy?" Qin Yuan looked at him. "If I hadn't arrived in time, Qing'er would have already been taken to the back mountain, her fate uncertain. At that time, would Elder Chen still think I was too heavy-handed?"

Chen Changqing was speechless.

Of course, he knew that if Lin Qing'er had truly been captured, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Although the competition within Third Peak was brutal, they were extremely protective of their own disciples externally. If they knew one of their disciples was kidnapped in Fifth Peak, they would absolutely come seeking retribution.

At that point, let alone Chen Tianyu, even he, the Enforcement Elder, wouldn't be able to escape responsibility.

"This matter..." Chen Changqing took a deep breath. "I will severely punish Tianyu. As for you injuring a fellow disciple, given the circumstances, I will not pursue it."

"Not pursue it?" Qin Yuan chuckled. "Elder Chen is truly magnanimous."

The sarcasm in his words was evident to everyone.

Chen Changqing's face flickered between green and white, but he couldn't retaliate—they were in the wrong in this matter.

Elder Xu spoke at the opportune moment. "Alright, this matter ends here. Junior Brother Chen, take Tianyu to treat his injuries and confine yourself for three months of reflection."

He then looked at Wang Hu and Li Bao. "You two, for aiding and abetting, you are punished with a year of service in the back mountain mine."

Finally, he looked at Qin Yuan, a glint of admiration in his eyes. "Qin Yuan, although your methods were a bit heavy, there were reasons for it, and you stood up for a fellow disciple. Your courage is commendable. From today onwards, you are a Direct Disciple of Fifth Peak."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was shocked.

Direct Disciple!

The Fifth Peak only had three Direct Disciple spots in total. The first two were already taken by two senior brothers. This third spot had actually been given to Qin Yuan, who had just joined the sect yesterday?!

Chen Tianyu's head shot up, his eyes filled with unwillingness and malice.

Direct Disciple... that was a position he had dreamed of! He had cultivated diligently for ten years for this position, yet he had never been able to break through to Foundation Establishment Layer 8. Now, Qin Yuan, who had only been here for a day, had received it!

Why?!

Chen Changqing's expression also changed. "Senior Brother Xu, this... isn't this too hasty? Although Qin Yuan's talent is outstanding, he has only just joined the sect and hasn't accomplished anything yet. Directly promoting him to a Direct Disciple might cause other disciples to be unconvinced..."

"Unconvinced?" Elder Xu said calmly, "Anyone who is unconvinced can come and argue with me."

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He scanned the hall, his voice soft but carrying unquestionable authority. "Qin Yuan, with his Foundation Establishment Layer 6 cultivation, defeated Liu Feng, who was at Foundation Establishment Layer 4, with a single punch, bringing glory to our Fifth Peak in yesterday's competition. Today, he exposed a fellow disciple's scheme and protected his fellow townsfolk. Do these capabilities and responsibilities not deserve the position of Direct Disciple?"

Chen Changqing was speechless.

Elder Xu continued, "Moreover, the Nine Peaks Direct Disciple Competition will be held in three days. Our Fifth Peak has been at the bottom for three consecutive sessions. If we are at the bottom again this time, our resource allocation for the next ten years will be reduced by thirty percent. Qin Yuan is our Fifth Peak's only hope."

He looked at Qin Yuan and said solemnly, "Qin Yuan, are you willing to represent the Fifth Peak in the Direct Disciple Competition?"

Qin Yuan cupped his hands. "This disciple is willing."

"Good!" Elder Xu nodded with satisfaction. "Then prepare yourself well. In the competition three days from now, all the Direct Disciples from the Nine Peaks will gather. Most of them are at Foundation Establishment Layer 9, 10, or even peak Foundation Establishment. You... do you have confidence?"

Foundation Establishment Layer 9, 10, peak?

A glint flashed in Qin Yuan's eyes.

Three days was enough time for him to break through again.

"Yes," he replied with a single word, yet it carried immense confidence.

Elder Xu laughed heartily. "Excellent! This is the spirit our Fifth Peak disciples should have!"

He took out a golden token and handed it to Qin Yuan. "This is the Direct Disciple token. With this token, you can enter the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion, receive double resources, and freely enter and exit the Xuan Yuan Secret Realm. Additionally, I will personally give you a bottle of 'Core Condensing Pills' to help you consolidate your cultivation."

Qin Yuan took the token and the pills. "Thank you, Elder."

"Go, prepare well," Elder Xu waved his hand.

Qin Yuan nodded and, supporting Lin Qing'er, left the main hall.

Behind him, Chen Tianyu stared intently at his retreating figure, his fingernails digging deeply into his palms, drawing blood.

"Qin Yuan... you just wait..."

Back at the Listening Bamboo Garden, Qin Yuan had Lin Qing'er sit down and took out healing pills for her.

"Brother Qin Yuan, thank you," Lin Qing'er said, her voice choked with emotion as she lowered her head. "If it weren't for you, I might have..."

"Don't say it," Qin Yuan interrupted her. "I implicated you. They were targeting me, and you were just caught up in it."

Lin Qing'er shook her head. "It's not your fault. Those people are too wicked."

She paused, then suddenly said, "Brother Qin Yuan, I... I want to come to the Fifth Peak."

Qin Yuan was surprised. "Isn't the Third Peak good?"

"No," Lin Qing'er said, her eyes slightly red. "The atmosphere on the Third Peak is too bad. Everyone is scheming against each other, doing whatever it takes for resources. Someone like me, with a Single Spiritual Root, is supposedly a key talent, but in reality... they just see me as a chess piece that might be useful in the future and don't genuinely train me."

She looked up, her eyes filled with disappointment. "Do you know? I've been on the Third Peak for three years, and my master has only seen me three times.

I usually cultivate on my own, and I have to complete missions to exchange for resources. They say this is the Third Peak's training method – let you fight and scramble on your own. If you're truly valuable, only then will they truly train you."

Qin Yuan fell silent.

He hadn't expected that Lin Qing'er's talent wouldn't be considered "valuable" in the eyes of the Third Peak.

"Then their Direct Disciples..." he asked.

"Direct Disciples?" Lin Qing'er gave a bitter smile. "The Third Peak has three Direct Disciples, and each one is a monster. The senior disciple, Chu Feng, is at peak Foundation Establishment and is said to have already touched the threshold of Golden Core. The second senior sister, Su Yu, is at Foundation Establishment Layer 10 and is skilled in formations. The third senior brother, Lu Yun, is at Foundation Establishment Layer 9 and is a sword genius."

"Those three are the ones the Third Peak truly invests in cultivating. As for us ordinary Inner Sect disciples... we're just supporting characters."

Qin Yuan nodded, gaining a clearer understanding of the Third Peak's strength.

Peak Foundation Establishment, Layer 10, Layer 9...

They were indeed very strong.

But, not enough.

"If you want to come to the Fifth Peak, will Elder Xu agree?" Qin Yuan asked.

"He probably will," Lin Qing'er said uncertainly. "After all, I have a Single Spiritual Root. Although the Third Peak doesn't value it, it's still considered good talent on the Fifth Peak. And..."

She glanced at Qin Yuan slyly. "And now that you're a Direct Disciple of the Fifth Peak, you should have some influence, right?"

Qin Yuan chuckled. "I'll try."

He took out a communication talisman and informed Elder Xu of Lin Qing'er's situation.

A moment later, the communication talisman lit up, and Elder Xu's voice came through. "Let her stay. A genius with a Single Spiritual Root that the Third Peak doesn't want, we want."

Lin Qing'er was overjoyed. "Thank you, Elder Xu! Thank you, Brother Qin Yuan!"

"No need to thank me," Qin Yuan said. "However, the Fifth Peak is lacking in resources, so you might need to be mentally prepared."

"I'm not afraid!" Lin Qing'er's eyes sparkled. "As long as I can cultivate in peace, that's better than anything."

Qin Yuan nodded and took out another bottle of pills for her. "These are Qi Gathering Pills. Use them for now. I'll have someone arrange your accommodation."

"Okay!"

After Lin Qing'er left, Qin Yuan sat alone in the courtyard, gazing at the setting sun on the horizon.

Three days later was the Direct Disciple competition.

The Direct Disciples from the Nine Peaks gathered, the lowest being at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment.

And he was currently only at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.

The gap seemed significant, but Qin Yuan had a plan.

He had forty years of cultivation stored in the System, plus the twenty years he could extract today, making it sixty years. If he combined that with the time acceleration of the Xuan Yuan Secret Realm...

"Three days," he murmured to himself, "is enough for me to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment."

He took out the Xuan Yuan Token, a determined glint in his eyes.

This time, he would let everyone know that the Fifth Peak was no longer the weakest.

And the name Qin Yuan would resound throughout the Nine Peaks!

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