" Senior Brother Yun..."
Lang Ping's pupils widened slightly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes, and she instinctively addressed him.
But in return, Yun Zhi narrowed his eyes, palms facing each other, and rejected all the rest of his words.
He stared coldly at Lang Ping, his tone calm yet filled with an undeniable air of authority.
"Don't call me that."
"Not just today, but from now on, you don't need to call me 'Senior Brother' anymore."
"I told you, I, Longevity Star Peak, don't welcome good-for-nothings like you."
The word "useless" was uttered lightly, but it struck Lang Ping's heart heavily, causing his hand to tremble violently and his eyes to widen in disbelief as he looked over.
But when he met Yun Zhi's gaze, he saw only disgust and dislike in the other's eyes.
The others were also somewhat taken aback, not expecting Yun Zhi to say such a thing.
after all...
This is tantamount to being expelled from the top.
Isn't this... a bit too serious?
Some people scoffed dismissively, completely unsurprised by this turn of events. They held their heads high, watching the spectacle unfold, finding the hurt in Lang Ping's eyes even more amusing.
Lang Ping, however, paid no attention to the others. She simply took a deep breath and clenched her fists.
"What do you mean by that, Senior Brother? Expelling me from Longevity Star Peak... what about our Master...?"
But before he could finish speaking, Yun Zhi waved his hand again, decisively interrupting him.
That's enough.
"You dare mention Master?"
Yun Zhi sneered repeatedly, showing no politeness whatsoever.
"Don't you understand?"
" Lang Ping, you've been at Longevity Star Peak for so many years now, but look at yourself. You're still only at the Heavenly Venerable Realm; you haven't even broken through to the Thearch Realm."
"Furthermore, your talent in Sword Dao is mediocre, and Dao of Alchemy have absolutely no talent in alchemy. Every month you receive the inner disciple allowance of Longevity Star Peak, and occasionally you take on a few simple tasks to exchange for Contribution Points, all of which you spend in the spirit pool. Is this how you waste the resources of Longevity Star Peak?"
"Although Longevity Star Peak isn't Upper Six Peaks, in terms of combat strength, it definitely ranks among the top in the sect. Keeping trash like you on Longevity Star Peak is a disgrace, especially since you dared to speak ill of the sect's seniors..."
"I didn't!" Lang Ping roared, barely containing her anger. "If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason. I never spoke ill of the sect's seniors. It was you..."
But he didn't finish his sentence.
Yun Zhi didn't even intend to argue with him; he simply looked at him and casually uttered a sentence.
"This is also Master's intention."
With a single sentence, Lang Ping choked off all her remaining words.
Even though he already knew and felt it, when the truth was exposed and laid bare before him, the bitterness overflowing from his gallbladder overwhelmed him, making it impossible for him to utter a single word.
Master...
Lang Ping gave a wry smile.
One sentence completely shattered his spirits.
Although her mentor had long since stopped paying attention to her, Lang Ping still felt grateful for her mentor's kindness.
Over the years, even though Longevity Star Peak has been constantly bullied, teased, and ridiculed, he has never thought of retaliating. He simply endures it, diligently does his job, and treats everyone with kindness and gentleness.
Because he considered this place his home.
He was an orphan.
The hundreds of villagers in the village were all slaughtered by demons. It was his master who saved him and brought him back to Longevity Star Peak.
It was also his master who led him onto the path of cultivation.
From that moment on, he decided that this was his home.
But now...
He has no home anymore.
A bittersweet feeling welled up in her heart, but Lang Ping forcibly forced it back.
He stood even straighter, his back even more rigid, and forced out a sentence from his throat.
"I want to see my master."
In response, Yun Zhi shook his head and tossed him a token.
He spoke from his elevated position.
"Master doesn't want to see you."
" Lang Ping, we've been fellow disciples for many years, and I don't want to be too ungrateful. Although you've been expelled from Longevity Star Peak, you're still a disciple of the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect."
" Ximu Peak is short-handed right now. Pack your things and go."
After saying that, he immediately turned and left, never looking at Lang Ping again.
Originally, Lang Ping was eager to listen to Lin Xuan's last free lecture, but now, he had no interest in it at all.
Holding the token in his hand, he took a deep breath and turned back to Longevity Star Peak.
At first, he didn't know what the token was for.
However, when he returned to his original residence and discovered that his Spiritual Power imprint had been erased, he suddenly understood.
The disciples of the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect all live on the auxiliary peaks. Ordinary disciples like him live in groups of several on one peak in one courtyard. The courtyard is large, so they do not interfere with each other. They all have Spiritual Power imprints to make it easy for each other to come and go.
But now...
The courtyard where he lived had already erased his Spiritual Power imprint.
This token is a one-time use entry and exit device.
So... were you prepared all along?
Lang Ping gave another wry smile.
He felt completely drained of strength, weak and powerless. He had no desire to turn back and argue with anyone, nor did he have any thought of seeing his master again.
Even Yun Zhi couldn't directly remove the Spiritual Power imprint; one would need to obtain a special magical Law Artifact from their master.
Yun Zhi did indeed obtain permission from his master... no, it should be said, from Elder Liu.
He should leave.
Using the token, Lang Ping opened the courtyard's array and returned to her residence, silently packing her belongings.
He didn't have much stuff; a single Storage Bag didn't even take up a corner, and he easily carried everything away.
When he came out, he found that the other disciples who lived in the same courtyard had returned at some point, and they were all looking at him with unspeakable expressions, whispering among themselves.
"So, Senior Brother Stone really got kicked out..."
"Really? I thought Senior Brother was just joking the other day."
"How could this be fake? The Spiritual Power imprint is gone."
"That really is..."
"So, he's no longer a member of our Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect?"
"That's not the case. You should go stay on one of the weaker peaks in the lower six... like Ximu Peak, they're pretty short of people there."
" Ximu Peak, that's not a peak only good-for-nothings go to. It's said that not a single Great Saint has appeared on Ximu Peak in a thousand years. If it weren't for the sect leader showing mercy, Ximu Peak would have disbanded long ago."
"If you ask me, this kind of trash should have left long ago. Trash should stick together with other trash. He's been clinging to our Longevity Star Peak for so many years; he's got some nerve."
"Exactly, if it were me, I would have voluntarily stepped down from the peak long ago."
Each word was like being slowly tortured with needles.
It pierced Lang Ping's heart, leaving it bleeding.
He tried to force a smile, but found he didn't even have the strength to laugh.
A few days ago...
What a day ago!
So...
Everyone else on Longevity Star Peak knew they were going to be expelled, but he was still clueless and kept in the dark.
ha...
ha!
He silently endured the mocking looks he received from the others on his way down from Longevity Star Peak. He was used to it, but at this moment, he couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in his mouth. He bit his tongue and relied on the pain to straighten his back and walk the rest of the way down the mountain.
Looking back, Longevity Star Peak is still verdant, but it has nothing to do with him anymore.
He stood there, silent for a long time, but ultimately did not act as decisively and carefree as he had when he left. Instead, he knelt down silently in the direction of the main peak of Shouxing, facing the strange looks from the people on Longevity Star Peak.
One kneel, three kowtows.
I express my deepest gratitude to my Master for his past kindness.
I also extend my gratitude to Elder Liu.