"What! You're saying that kid only joined three years ago? And he was still at the Qi Refining first layer a month ago?"
Grabbing Xu Li by the front of his robe, Hu Yi asked in disbelief.
"Yes. I asked plenty of people, including some who joined the sect with Ye Xuan. The information definitely isn't wrong."
He had joined the sect three years ago with a Five Elements Defective Spirit Root. A month ago, he had expressed his displeasure with Wang Liang and been severely injured by a single punch.
Xu Li had not believed it at first either. How could a piece of trash who had been at the Qi Refining first layer a month ago easily crush and kill a Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivator like himself after just one month?
"Heh, looks like he had a fortuitous encounter this past month, and his strength soared. But he should still be in the Qi Refining realm."
Greed surfaced in Hu Yi's eyes. Fortuitous opportunities could only be encountered, not sought. If he could obtain Ye Xuan's fortuitous opportunity...
"But yesterday, I felt the presence of someone in the Foundation Establishment realm..."
Remembering the presence Ye Xuan had exuded yesterday, Xu Li could not help shuddering.
"Hmph, it was just a Law Artifact that could imitate a Foundation Establishment realm presence. I thought Ye Xuan's Foundation Establishment presence felt familiar before. I visited the Law Enforcement Hall today, and sure enough, it was exactly the same as one of the senior brothers there."
At the thought of having been deceived yesterday, fury blazed in Hu Yi's heart. He set out from the pavilion with eyes that seemed to spit fire, swearing to teach Ye Xuan a lesson.
Having broken through to Foundation Establishment, Ye Xuan now had some ability to protect himself. His status as a servant disciple posed many inconveniences, leaving him unable to enter many peaks.
Thus, Ye Xuan planned to register as an outer disciple, then find a few good check-in locations.
"Time to leave."
Ye Xuan returned to his residence, packed his belongings briefly, and prepared to leave.
Outer disciples had better residences, where the concentration of Spiritual Qi was several times that of the servant disciples' quarters. After becoming a servant disciple, Ye Xuan had no intention of returning.
"Heh, trying to run away?"
Just as Ye Xuan was locking his door, Hu Yi arrived, dragging Xu Li along.
Looking at the two of them, Ye Xuan knew his earlier trick of intimidating them with a Foundation Establishment presence had been exposed.
Yet Ye Xuan did not panic in the slightest, for he was now a genuine Foundation Establishment realm expert, only a step away from the Foundation Establishment realm middle stage.
"Need something?"
Ye Xuan spoke calmly.
"You little brat, still putting on an act!"
Seeing Ye Xuan's manner, Hu Yi immediately flew into a rage. His longsword left its sheath, aiming straight for the vital acupoints all over Ye Xuan's body.
Ye Xuan could not help frowning at the viciousness of Hu Yi's attack.
Had his cultivation been insufficient, that single strike would likely have left him crippled.
Ye Xuan snorted coldly. Under Hu Yi's incredulous gaze, his hand shot out like lightning and caught the longsword between his fingers. With a slight exertion of force, he snapped Hu Yi's Law Artifact longsword in two.
"Spare me, senior brother!"
Hu Yi's expression changed drastically. He immediately discarded the longsword in his hand, flung out two hundred low-grade Spirit Stones, and fled frantically backward.
Hu Yi's furious strike just now had already used his full strength. Yet Ye Xuan had neutralized it with ease and even snapped his Law Artifact longsword, chilling him to the bone.
The Azure Feather Dao Sect's rules forbade elders from intervening in disputes between peers.
Thus, whenever he caused trouble in the sect, he relied on his own strength and never provoked senior brothers or sisters he could not defeat. Every time he caused trouble, he could retreat unscathed, and even if he broke the sect's rules, his master could protect him.
But this time, he had attacked first. Even if he was taught a lesson, he had nowhere to seek redress.
Ignoring the Spirit Stones scattered before him, Ye Xuan executed Wind Thunder Step, appearing behind Hu Yi in a single stride. He sent out a seemingly weightless punch straight at the center of Hu Yi's back.
Unstoppable!
Hu Yi was scared out of his wits, his heart filled with horror. He had sparred with Foundation Establishment realm senior brothers before, but Ye Xuan's attack was even more formidable than that of his Foundation Establishment middle-stage senior brother.
If that punch landed, he would probably spend at least half a year bedridden, and even his progress toward Foundation Establishment would be delayed.
"Ah!"
Hu Yi roared, his eyes bloodshot. A jade pendant at his chest suddenly lit up, forming a shield behind him.
"Senior brother, I was wrong before! Please be magnanimous and forgive me. My master refined this jade pendant. It can block attacks from a Foundation Establishment Realm Late Stage Cultivator."
Hu Yi's heart bled. It was true that this jade pendant could withstand attacks from a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator, but only three times. Each was a chance to save his life, yet he had never expected to waste one here.
Ye Xuan turned a deaf ear to Hu Yi's words, driving his fist hard into the center of Hu Yi's back.
Bang!
Hu Yi felt an overwhelming force strike his back, and his body shot into the distance like a sandbag.
At the same time, a faint crack appeared in the jade pendant at his chest.
"Senior brother!"
Blood seeped from the corner of Hu Yi's mouth as he cried out urgently.
Ye Xuan stepped forward, instantly appearing behind Hu Yi as a tiger's roar rang out.
Bang!
Cracks covered the jade pendant. It looked as though the slightest touch would shatter it.
Bang!
The jade pendant turned straight to powder, and Ye Xuan's fist slammed unhindered into the center of Hu Yi's back.
Bang!
Hu Yi crashed straight into the mountainside, embedded himself in it, and lost consciousness. His bones were shattered throughout his body; he would not recover without half a year.
Ye Xuan withdrew his hand, looking with satisfaction at the results of his attacks.
If Hu Yi had not lied earlier, then he was now somewhat stronger than an ordinary Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator.
"Hmm, I'll visit the Scripture Repository again later and see if I can get an offensive cultivation method from checking in. My means of attack are a little limited right now."
"Tell Hu Yi not to reveal my cultivation to anyone, or he'll bear the consequences."
Ye Xuan drew the Spirit Stones on the ground into his grasp and left without so much as looking at Xu Li.
Becoming an inner disciple was difficult, but becoming an outer disciple was simple.
Ye Xuan merely revealed cultivation at the Qi Refining fourth layer, and the outer sect steward certified his status as an outer disciple. Then he took out a map and let Ye Xuan choose a residence.
"The green peaks on the map indicate places with vacant residences. You can choose whichever one you like."
Taking the blue-green robes of an outer disciple and an outer disciple token, Ye Xuan casually selected a quiet location and left.
After changing into his outer disciple robes, Ye Xuan walked along the mountain path. The servant disciples passing by all stopped to bow to him when they saw him.
"Sure enough, the concentration of Spiritual Qi in an outer disciple's residence is several times higher than before."
Arriving at his residence, Ye Xuan tidied the room briefly, then sat cross-legged and began planning for the future.
"The cultivation world is full of deceit and endless slaughter. Without powerful strength, everything is empty talk."
"Even the Dao Sect's outer sect follows the law of the jungle. It's hard to imagine what the disciples of those called Demon Sects face."
"It seems I still need to raise my cultivation as quickly as possible and achieve Core Formation soon. Only then will my safety in the Dao Sect's outer sect be assured."
"I can visit pretty much all the outer sect peaks. For now, I'll tour the thirty nearby peaks and claim the first-time check-in rewards."