Inside the Clear Sky Sect's council hall, upon hearing that several core disciples had been kidnapped by a gray-haired girl wielding a baseball bat, the Seventh Elder slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
"Damn it! The Spirit Hall has gone too far! How dare they humiliate my Clear Sky Sect like this! Sect Master, in my opinion, we shouldn't continue to close the mountain. In recent years, the Spirit Hall has become increasingly arrogant, and now they even dare to arrest my Clear Sky Sect disciples at will!"
Tang Xiao frowned, ignoring the Seventh Elder's angry curses, and instead looked at the young disciple kneeling in the center of the hall.
"Get up first and explain yourself. What is that gray-haired girl's cultivation level? And what kind of Martial Soul is she using?"
The young disciple turned pale and stammered, "Sect Master, this disciple... this disciple doesn't know."
"You don't know?" The Seventh Elder raised an eyebrow. "You are all Soul Emperor and Soul Saint, and you couldn't even tell what kind of Martial Soul the opponent has?"
"Seventh Elder, that woman didn't release her Martial Soul at all, nor did she display Soul Ring. The moment Grandmaster engaged her, she grabbed his wrist, and no matter how hard Grandmaster tried, he couldn't break free. Finally... finally, she knocked him unconscious with a single punch."
Upon hearing this, the council hall fell silent.
Tang Xiao looked up. "What did you say? A punch?"
"Yes... yes."
The young disciple swallowed hard and continued, "Later, the woman pulled out a baseball bat, and the senior brothers couldn't withstand her attacks at all; almost all of them were knocked down with a single blow. The last senior brother desperately held her back, telling me to come back and report, which is how I managed to escape."
The Seventh Elder was dumbfounded.
He knew his Grandmaster's strength better than anyone else. He was one of the most outstanding disciples of the previous generation, and his Soul Power had reached the Soul Saint realm. Ordinary Soul Master of the same level were no match for him.
With such strength, how could he not even withstand a single punch from his opponent?
"Bullshit! Your Grandmaster is a Soul Saint, after all. Even if he encountered Soul Douluo, he wouldn't be so easily defeated! Could it be that you guys offended some powerful figure outside and are making up an excuse to come back?"
The young disciple was so frightened that he immediately knelt down. "Seventh Elder, everything I said is true! That woman really only used one punch, Grandmaster fell asleep on the spot!"
Tang Xiao raised his hand to stop the Seventh Elder from continuing to scold him.
"Don't argue. You've come here to investigate Artificial Martial Soul, so why did you clash with the Spirit Hall?"
The young disciple's face grew even uglier.
He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
Seeing this, the Second Elder said in a deep voice, "The Sect Master is asking you a question! What exactly happened? Tell me the truth!"
The young disciple dared not hide it any longer and had no choice but to recount their experiences after arriving in Spirit City.
They originally planned to enter Spirit City discreetly, but the Grandmaster found queuing at the city gate troublesome, so he led the group directly inside. As a result, the staff on duty asked them to verify their identity, but the Grandmaster refused to cooperate and instead revealed the name of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Seeing that the city guards still refused to give way, the Grandmaster, in a fit of anger, released his Soul Saint aura, which attracted the gray-haired girl with the baseball bat.
After listening, Tang Xiao fell silent.
"So, your group went down the mountain to investigate the Spirit Hall, but you couldn't even get through the gates of Spirit City?"
The young disciple lowered his head and answered softly, "Yes..."
The veins on Tang Xiao's forehead throbbed slightly.
"If it's a secret investigation, why cause trouble at the city gate? And who gave you permission to impersonate disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
The young disciple stammered, " Grandmaster thinks... he thinks the names of the Upper Three Sects are more useful. The ordinary guards shouldn't make things difficult for us after hearing that."
"Outrageous!" The Second Elder slammed his hand on the armrest in anger. "You're using the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's name to cause trouble at the gates of Spirit City, as if you're afraid others won't know you have something going on?"
The Seventh Elder was speechless.
He had just been thinking about how the Spirit Hall had arrested the Clear Sky Sect disciples for no reason, but after hearing what had happened, even he felt that these guys were truly shameful.
Tang Xiao rubbed his temples, and after a while said, "Alright, you can go and rest now. As for the matters concerning your senior brothers, the sect will handle them."
The young disciple, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly bowed and withdrew.
Tang Xiao watched his departing figure and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
They failed to gather any information about the Artificial Martial Soul, and instead, several core disciples were captured.
It will be difficult for the Clear Sky Sect to maintain a low profile now.
Meanwhile, inside the Holy Son's Hall of Spirit City.
Xing was lying on Lin Yuan's desk, scribbling on a piece of paper while muttering something to himself.
"Damaged floorboards at the city gate, pay compensation... Disturbing Order, pay compensation... Staff members who were frightened, also pay compensation..."
Lin Yuan sat opposite her, watching her with great interest.
What are you calculating?
"The bill!" Xing replied without looking up. "Those guys from the Clear Sky Sect made a mess of the city gate. We can't just let it go like that, can we? I went through all the trouble of capturing them, so of course I have to settle the score."
Lin Yuan reached out and picked up the paper she had written on, glanced at it a few times, and immediately laughed.
"Floor repair costs, Order maintenance costs, compensation for staff's emotional distress... those are all reasonable. But what's with the appearance fee you mentioned later for the Galactic Baseballer?"
Xing replied confidently, "Acts of bravery deserve rewards! Besides, that Soul Saint was incredibly troublesome; it took me a lot of effort to capture him."
Lin Yuan glanced at her and couldn't help but laugh, "Didn't you knock someone out with one punch?"
"That doesn't negate the hard work I've put in!"
Xing reached out and snatched the bill back, even drawing two circles after the appearance fee.
Lin Yuan shook his head and smiled, not bothering to tease her any further.
Several disciples of the Clear Sky Sect have been handed over to the Spirit Hall's law enforcement department, and their identities have been confirmed. Since they are from the Clear Sky Sect, let the Clear Sky Sect handle the matter personally.
He had his staff retrieve the surveillance footage from the city gate, compiling a complete record of the group impersonating the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, actively releasing their Soul Power pressure, and attacking the star.
Subsequently, the law enforcement department prepared a formal notice, including the repair costs for the damaged facilities and related compensation claims, and sent it to the Clear Sky Sect.
Xing perked up immediately upon hearing that he was to send a message to the Clear Sky Sect.
" Lin Yuan, do you think they might send someone to ransom them?"
"Of course we will. They are, after all, core disciples; we can't just leave them here unattended, can we?"
"That's good!"
Xing nodded in satisfaction, then glanced down at her bill.
Lin Yuan couldn't help but tease, "Are you planning to have the Clear Sky Sect rebuild the entire city gate?"
"The parts they damaged definitely need to be fixed!"
Xing spoke with conviction, adding, "However, I wouldn't object if they wanted to pay directly with Credits."
Several days later, the Clear Sky Sect received another message from Spirit City.
This time, however, what was delivered was not secret intelligence from spies, but a formal notification from the Spirit Hall's law enforcement department.
Tang Xiao opened the letter, and after reading it carefully, his expression immediately turned grim.
The letter clearly stated that several disciples of the Clear Sky Sect impersonated members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan at the gate of Spirit City, refused to cooperate with identity checks, and even attacked the officers on duty. As a result, they were detained in accordance with the law.
If the Clear Sky Sect wants to retrieve its disciples, it needs to send someone to Spirit City to explain the situation and bear the relevant compensation.
A detailed expense list was also attached to the letter.
The Seventh Elder took it and glanced at it, then became so angry that his beard bristled.
"Outrageous! They captured people from my Clear Sky Sect and now they dare to demand money from us! The Spirit Hall is becoming increasingly lawless! And what the hell is this Galactic Baseballer's appearance fee?!"
The Second Elder did not rush to express his opinion, but instead noticed the video recordings that were sent with the letter.
It was a small playback device; once turned on, the events that occurred at the city gate were clearly displayed before everyone.
From the moment several disciples cut in line to the moment the Grandmaster released his Soul Power and pressure, and finally took the initiative to attack Xing, the entire process was recorded.
The Seventh Elder originally wanted to continue his angry rant, but when he saw his Grandmaster attack the gray-haired girl first, he suddenly couldn't finish his sentence.
Especially the scene where the Grandmaster's wrist was grabbed, he struggled with all his might, and was finally knocked unconscious by a punch, made his face turn pale and then red.
The Second Elder snorted coldly.
"See that? They were told to line up for inspection, but they insisted on causing trouble because of their cultivation level. Now that they've been arrested, what else can they say?"
The Seventh Elder gritted his teeth. "But they are, after all, disciples of my Clear Sky Sect! Are we just going to let the Spirit Hall keep them locked up like this?"
"Of course not."
Tang Xiao put down the notice and said in a deep voice, "We definitely need to bring them back, but we can't act as recklessly as they have. The Spirit Hall and the Interastral Peace Corporation have close ties now, and there are many things we don't understand yet. Starting a conflict rashly will not benefit the sect at all."
The Seventh Elder immediately stood up.
"Sect Master, let me go! I want to see for myself just how skilled that gray-haired girl with the baseball bat really is!"
Tang Xiao frowned, but before he could answer, the Second Elder said, "Seventh Brother, with your temper, I'm not comfortable letting you go alone."
The Seventh Elder looked at him defiantly.
"Second brother, what do you mean by this?"
"It's nothing." The Second Elder slowly stood up. "This time, I'll go myself. You'll come with me. Since the sect leader wants us to clarify things first, let's not create any more complications."
Tang Xiao pondered for a moment, then finally nodded.
Having the Second Elder go is indeed much safer than sending the Seventh Elder to Spirit City alone.
"Then I'll have to trouble the Second Elder. Besides bringing back a few disciples, this trip also requires us to find out information about the Artificial Clear Sky Hammer. However, we must be cautious in everything we do, and if a conflict does occur, we should try to avoid fighting."
At this point, Tang Xiao added a special reminder: "Especially that gray-haired girl. To defeat Soul Saint with a single punch without releasing her Martial Soul, she's no ordinary person; don't underestimate her."
The Second Elder nodded in agreement.
Although the Seventh Elder was unwilling, he could only agree.
After discussing their departure arrangements, the two went back to prepare.
Meanwhile, the message quickly reached Spirit City.
When Lin Yuan received the notification, Xing was sitting next to him, munching on snacks.
"Xing, I have good news for you. The Clear Sky Sect is preparing to send people over."
Xing immediately put down what she was holding.
"Really? Who will you send?"
"I heard they are two elders from the Clear Sky Sect."
"Elder?"
Xing paused for a moment, then her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
" Lin Yuan, is the elder richer than this disciple?"
Lin Yuan's lips twitched.
Why are you only thinking about this little thing?
Xing had already stood up, excitedly picked up his baseball bat, found a clean cloth, and began to wipe it carefully.
Watching her actions, Lin Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Why are you wiping the baseball bat?"
Xing looked up and gave a bright smile.
"It's nothing, just some preparation in advance."
She slung the meticulously clean baseball bat over her shoulder and said very seriously:
"I hope that the two elders who came this time are reasonable people!"