"Hehe, Senior Sister taught me everything. Otherwise, how could I possibly understand Master's unfathomably profound words?"
Well, he had finally found the culprit.
A cold gleam flashed through Li Shouyi's eyes as he looked at Lin Shuishui.
Lin Shuishui: ??
"All right. Since you've both signed up, work hard and get a good ranking. I have something to attend to outside."
"Take good care of your senior sister. Don't let her sleep herself to death."
By the end, Li Shouyi was gritting his teeth and glaring fiercely at that wretched disciple, Lin Shuishui.
Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that this "sleep goddess" was stabbing him in the back.
"Yes, Master, don't worry!"
"I'll take good care of Senior Sister and won't let anyone disturb her cultivation."
Su Wan'er patted her flat chest and solemnly gave her assurance.
The corner of Li Shouyi's mouth twitched. Then he summoned his flying sword and flew straight toward the main hall.
He had to find out, and quickly, exactly what ranking his two "genius" disciples needed to achieve in the tournament for him to remain in the Cloud Cliff Sect.
Meanwhile, after leaving Li Shouyi's residence, Zhou Kangyong had gone straight to the main hall to report back.
"Greetings, Sect Master. Greetings, Master."
"Haha, you're too polite, Fourth Prince."
Tang Que looked at Zhou Kangyong with evident delight. This was the fourth son of the Great Zhou Royal Clan. His joining the Cloud Cliff Sect would greatly boost the sect's reputation and attract more people.
Shi Yaoqian also stroked his beard, smiling happily.
No, he was positively over the moon.
With the title of the Fourth Prince's master, he might have a chance to receive guidance from that great senior of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"Sect Master, I've already conveyed your wishes to Li Shouyi. If he knows what's good for him, he'll leave the sect within a few days."
"A useless wretch who's cultivated for decades without making any progress is nothing short of a disgrace to the sect."
Tang Que first nodded silently, then continued with a smile. "Exactly. To keep him from dragging the Cloud Cliff Sect down in future sect rankings, we'll have to ask Elder Li to suffer this injustice."
"Ah, Sect Master, you truly understand the greater good. Even now, you're still defending Li Shouyi. If it were me, I'd have told him to get lost long ago."
Shi Yaoqian promptly delivered a dose of flattery. After all, a thousand things might slip through, but flattery never failed to find its mark!
"May I ask how you intend to manipulate this tournament, Sect Master?"
Zhou Kangyong asked the question he most wanted answered. Then his efforts in staging that scene in the dining hall wouldn't have been wasted.
Indeed, that day in the dining hall, he had deliberately arranged for people to stir up public opinion and attack Li Shouyi together.
His goal was to blacken Li Shouyi's reputation, then kick him out of the sect.
That fellow had only himself to blame for insulting him.
He would rather accept that useless gambling addict, Su Wan'er, than take Zhou Kangyong as his disciple.
"Isn't that simple? Hit him hard. If his disciples can't take first place, tell him to get lost."
Shi Yaoqian's sudden suggestion delighted Zhou Kangyong, but Tang Que said, "That would be too obvious. He's still an elder of the Cloud Cliff Sect, after all. Let's make it the top three."
"We can always arrange for his disciples to face stronger opponents anyway."
"Brilliant! Just what we'd expect from our sect master."
After hearing this, both men raised their thumbs.
"Sect Master, Elder Li requests an audience."
A disciple ran in from outside to deliver the report.
The three exchanged glances, then revealed knowing smiles.
"Let him in."
"Yes."
A moment later, Li Shouyi walked in, composed.
Seeing Zhou Kangyong there too, Li Shouyi frowned at him. "Why are you everywhere I go?"
His words instantly darkened Shi Yaoqian's expression, and he snapped, "Li Shouyi, how dare you speak to His Highness the Fourth Prince like that?"
"Prince or no prince, he's a junior here. Am I wrong?"
"You..."
Seeing the two about to quarrel over him, Zhou Kangyong quickly stepped forward to stop them, smiling. "Master, Elder Li isn't wrong."
"Elder Li, I just came back to report to the sect master!"
"If you have something to report to the sect master that requires my absence, I'll take my leave."
Zhou Kangyong's words were flawless, leaving nothing for anyone to fault.
"Since you know that, why haven't you hurried out already?"
"Uh..."
Zhou Kangyong hadn't expected Li Shouyi to show so little respect for a member of the Great Zhou Royal Clan. Swallowing his anger, he walked out without another word.
"Hey, my disciple, wait for me!"
Shi Yaoqian hurried after him, shooting Li Shouyi a fierce glare before leaving.
Only after both men had gone did Li Shouyi smile at Tang Que. "Sect Master, is there really no way to change my disciples' participation in the Freshman Tournament?"
Tang Que had watched everything Li Shouyi had just done and felt that the man truly had no sense of how to read the room.
Here in this hall, even he, the mighty sect master of the Cloud Cliff Sect, hadn't said a word about making anyone leave!
Yet a mere elder had driven them out. Li Shouyi clearly had no respect for him as sect master.
At that thought, Tang Que said gravely, "Elder Li, you've cultivated in the Cloud Cliff Sect for decades. You should know the rules."
"Once disciples sign up for any competition, they cannot withdraw. Otherwise, they and their master will be expelled together."
"Uh, it's that serious?"
"Am I worth so little as a Golden Core elder?"
Tang Que laughed at Li Shouyi's words.
He looked at Li Shouyi coldly. "A Golden Core cultivator is certainly valuable. But a Golden Core cultivator whose cultivation hasn't advanced in over a decade is defective goods."
"Hehe, surely you don't mean that, Sect Master."
Li Shouyi knew he was in trouble this time. These people clearly harbored ill intentions toward him, and the thought of his two disciples made him especially anxious.
Unless he came up with something, he would definitely lose the Cloud Cliff Sect's protective umbrella.
With that in mind, he could only thicken his skin and continue. "Sect Master, may I ask what I can exchange my Merit Points for in the sect?"
"Heh, Elder Li, you've only acted on behalf of the Cloud Cliff Sect once in the past ten years. That was a life-or-death crisis for our sect, so the previous sect master rewarded you with a hundred thousand Merit Points.
"But since then, you haven't undertaken a single mission for the Cloud Cliff Sect, and you've long since squandered those hundred thousand Merit Points."
"I've checked. Your Merit Points will only get you two pieces of the most basic Low-Grade Armor.
"Let me remind you as well, Elder Li: first place in this Freshman Tournament earns ten thousand Merit Points. Sect rules require cultivators holding an elder's position to complete three missions for the sect within twelve years, contributing no fewer than ten thousand Merit Points.
"Failure to do so will be considered a voluntary relinquishment of the elder's position."
A faint sneer appeared on Tang Que's face. He had already considered this. To prevent Li Shouyi from shamelessly refusing to leave, he had deliberately made his intention to drive him out clear.
"Uh."
Li Shouyi had nothing to say.
There was nothing he could do. His predecessor had spent all his Merit Points to improve his cultivation!
Most importantly, that idiot had spent the last of them on the very day Li Shouyi arrived.
What were you thinking?
Don't you have a little too much faith in me, Big Bear?
He wanted to say something else, but Tang Que waved a hand, dismissing him.
With a miserable expression, Li Shouyi could only head to the Treasure Pavilion and exchange his points for one piece of armor each for Su Wan'er and Lin Shuishui.
Something was better than nothing!
On the way back, Li Shouyi's face darkened as he thought.
I've been forced into a dead corner!
Those damned Tang Que and Shi Yaoqian are really slick, one working in the open and the other in the shadows.
First, they lured my disciples into entering the Freshman Tournament, stripping me of my authority in the sect.
Then they gave me formal notice.
If you don't complete your sect missions, you can get ready to get lost!
Thinking about all this, Li Shouyi couldn't help sighing.
"Now I've really got wolves ahead and tigers behind!"
He returned to his residence in a gloomy mood, just in time to see Su Wan'er and Lin Shuishui eating.
The table was laden with fine food and wine.
"Master, you're back!"
"Would you like something to eat?"
Lin Shuishui was gnawing on a chicken drumstick. She picked up another from the table and held it out to Li Shouyi.
But her eyes were wide. Even as she ate, her gaze stayed fixed on the drumstick she was offering, as though she was terrified Li Shouyi would actually reach out and take it.
Li Shouyi's face darkened with exasperation.
"I don't want a drumstick. Keep it and eat it yourself!"
Before you continue