My fate is mine to command, not Heaven's!

The boy's furious roar caused a stir.

Ouyang spoke with interest. "Come on, Old Sun, let's go take a look!"

Steward Sun wore a smile, but a flash of anger crossed his eyes. He felt he had lost face in front of Ouyang, making it seem as though he couldn't keep the Outer Disciples in line.

When Ouyang and Steward Sun approached, they saw a shirtless Xiao Feng pointing at a young man drinking tea at a table and roaring at him.

The people nearby were whispering among themselves.

Ouyang stopped an Outer Disciple who was watching the commotion with an anxious expression. "Senior brother, what happened?"

"You didn't see it? Xiao Feng came to register just now, and that senior brother drinking tea not only refused to let him sign up, he even mocked him!" The Outer Disciple Ouyang had stopped answered without turning his head, still watching the spectacle.

Watching drama unfold was human nature, and Ouyang was a master of the art.

Ouyang quickly asked, "What's going on? Does Xiao Feng have a grudge against that senior brother?"

"Oh, what grudge? He just thinks Junior Brother Xiao has been climbing the mountain day after day for five years to draw attention and get into the Inner Sect. But five whole years without fail! Even if he was just trying to draw attention, I'd give him credit. I certainly couldn't do it," the Outer Disciple said with a sigh.

"Oh? That really does take perseverance!" Ouyang looked at the boy with growing appreciation.

"Doesn't it just? Ah, but what good is perseverance? His Root Bone was dug out, his Dantian crippled. He's doomed to never cultivate toward immortality. Ah, a former genius reduced to this. What a shame!" the Outer Disciple added.

Now Ouyang understood why the system had classified him as a trash-to-triumph protagonist. Why did this character template sound so familiar?

Wasn't this precisely the sort of novel protagonist that had been written to death in his previous life?

By now, the atmosphere had grown even tenser. Xiao Feng stared with bloodshot eyes at the senior brother leisurely drinking tea before him, his fists clenched and veins bulging.

I finally made it to the Azure Cloud Sect after so much hardship. I spent five years doing the same thing every single day, just waiting for this one chance. And all I got in return was humiliation!

Defiance, humiliation, anger-all those emotions surged into his heart at once.

"Aaargh!" Xiao Feng roared and slammed a fist into the iron-gold wood behind him.

The iron-gold wood, weighing ten thousand jin, immediately gave a dull crack, then broke in two!

An uproar erupted all around him.

"That's iron-gold wood, harder than steel! He actually broke it with one punch!"

"Hiss! This boy is terrifying indeed!"

"Hey, don't tell me he sawed it beforehand! Is he putting on a show for us?"

A trace of disdain flashed through the eyes of the senior brother leisurely drinking tea across from him. Does breaking a piece of iron-gold wood with one punch make him so impressive? His hand is even bleeding. I could handle that with a single wind blade. What sort of ability is that?

But faced with the murmuring crowd, he still stood up and cleared his throat. "Junior Brother Xiao, it's not that I won't let you register. There really is a cultivation requirement. You haven't even reached Qi Refining. How can you enter the Outer Sect tournament?"

The senior brother was right. This was indeed a prerequisite for the Outer Sect tournament, and it also served to stop fools who overestimated themselves from throwing their lives away before they had even reached Qi Refining.

Contests between the Outer Sect were far bloodier and more savage than those between disciples of the Inner Sect.

Wounding opponents and accidentally killing them were already commonplace in the Outer Sect tournament.

Xiao Feng's fierce eyes were crimson. Without a word, he turned to hoist the iron-gold wood onto his back and leave.

Since there was no place for him in the Azure Cloud Sect, he certainly wouldn't stay. The world was vast; somewhere, there had to be a place that suited him.

"Wait!" Ouyang felt it was finally time for him to make his entrance and immediately called out.

Ouyang's shout instantly drew everyone's attention. Xiao Feng also turned to look at him, his face expressionless.

Ouyang smiled. "Everyone saw this junior brother's strength just now. I think we should give him a chance."

The man who had just persuaded the crowd immediately grew displeased. I finally got everyone to accept my explanation, and now some troublemaker has to contradict me?

Seeing that Ouyang was only at the ninth level of Qi Refining, far below a powerhouse like himself at the third level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he instinctively moved to rebuke him-only to notice Steward Sun behind Ouyang.

Passing-by A immediately stood up and bowed to Steward Sun behind Ouyang. "Senior Brother Sun, I didn't notice you had arrived. Please forgive me."

Steward Sun nodded. According to the rules, Passing-by A hadn't done anything wrong. But since Ouyang had spoken up, he couldn't very well deny him that courtesy.

What difference would it make if a useless fellow who couldn't even reach Qi Refining managed to register?

Steward Sun said, "Our Azure Cloud Sect teaches all without distinction. I saw this junior brother's strength just now as well. He's strong enough to enter the Outer Sect tournament. Register him!"

Hearing Steward Sun's words, Passing-by A immediately nodded in agreement.

Supporting the iron-gold wood, Xiao Feng looked at the smiling Ouyang and gave a firm nod. He cupped his fist toward Ouyang and said gratefully, "Thank you, senior brother!"

"It's nothing. I only helped you register. Whether you make it into the top ten among the Outer Sect still depends on your own strength!" Ouyang said with a smile.

"Don't worry, senior brother. If I can't make it into the top ten, it'll be because I, Xiao Feng, lack the ability. I won't blame anyone else!" Xiao Feng said.

Ouyang nodded and watched Xiao Feng slowly leave with the two sections of iron-gold wood on his back.

"Senior Brother Ouyang seems quite invested in that boy!" Steward Sun said, sounding somewhat displeased. Ouyang had just claimed he was merely going through the motions, yet less than two minutes later, he had stepped in to interfere. He really said one thing and did another.

Ouyang smiled, flipped his hand over, and slipped a high-grade spirit stone into Steward Sun's hand. "I was a little presumptuous just now. Don't take it to heart, Old Sun!" he said apologetically.

Feeling the rich energy in the spirit stone, Steward Sun immediately beamed. He discreetly put it away and said, "Senior Brother Ouyang is simply eager to nurture talent. It's no trouble."

After exchanging compliments for a while, Steward Sun took Ouyang to eat.

At the dining hall, they happened to run into Xiao Feng, who was also having a meal.

Steward Sun also noticed Xiao Feng eating silently and said with some curiosity, "Senior Brother Ouyang seems especially interested in this junior brother."

Ouyang shook his head. "Old Sun, care to make a bet?"

"What are we betting on?" Steward Sun asked curiously.

Ouyang turned toward Steward Sun with a faint, knowing smile. "We'll bet on whether he'll say a certain line. As for the stakes, two high-grade spirit stones."

Steward Sun looked at Ouyang, unsure whether to laugh or cry. So this was what he had been setting him up for. Still, he accepted the wager.

Steward Sun asked, "What do you think he'll say, Senior Brother Ouyang?"

An old cliché, worn threadbare in countless novels, surfaced in Ouyang's mind, and he said meaningfully:

"My fate is mine to command, not Heaven's!"