Chapter 8: One Day, You Will Apologize to My Master!

“Alright, alright! Your wild guesses are futile.”

“Even if Jiang Yueli truly possesses extraordinary talent, countless rare spiritual treasures from heaven and earth are needed to compensate for her innate shortcomings. You greedy fellows, even if you have such treasures, I doubt you’d part with them so easily.”

A faint smile curved the corners of Master Du’e’s lips as he continued, “Moreover, you had the chance to take that girl as your disciple before, but you looked down on her because she was half-disabled.”

“Now that she has joined Lingyun Sword Peak, you suddenly have your eyes on her again. Tsk, tsk, shameless!”

His words struck a nerve, and the faces of the gathered men flushed with embarrassment, as if Master Du’e had exposed their secret thoughts.

“Enough, enough. Let’s not dwell on it. Maybe Li Tianyuan simply sympathizes with someone like himself—a fellow half-disabled soul,” one elder stubbornly waved his hand.

He knew Li Tianyuan’s situation all too well—a once-promising figure whose foundation was damaged by an accident, causing his cultivation to stagnate and fading from former glory.

Seeing someone who shared his plight naturally stirred his compassion.

The other elders nodded in agreement, unwilling to admit they had misjudged him.

Meanwhile, Li Tianyuan was unaware of the heated debate among the top-tier elites from the sacred lands in the plaza after he left.

At this moment, he and Jiang Yueli had arrived at the Sacred Academy to register their identities, where the heads of each peak were already gathered.

Han Fengchen of the Upper Purity Peak stood prominently among them.

Behind him followed a dozen newly admitted disciples, all handpicked during the recent grand disciple selection ceremony.

Several among them were evidently exceptional talents, despite their youth, already reaching the tenth level of Qi Refinement.

Upon seeing Li Tianyuan arrive with only Jiang Yueli at his side, Han Fengchen narrowed his eyes and smirked arrogantly as he approached.

“Chairman Li, is this the new disciple you just took? Only one? Looks rather meager.”

Having left the Sacred Academy plaza early, he was unaware of the earlier events.

“Oh?” Li Tianyuan cast a half-smile at Han Fengchen and retorted, “What do you think?”

This braggart seemed to appear wherever he went.

Li Tianyuan could already guess what he was about to say and decided to let him put on a show.

As expected, Han Fengchen played right into it, sneering coldly as he looked Li Tianyuan over.

“If you ask me, it’s because your Lingyun Sword Peak is too weak. Everyone knows your lineage is about to be cut off, so no one wants to join you!”

“Look at me—I’ve harvested quite a bounty this time: several direct disciples and even someone with a Five Elements constitution who came seeking to join Upper Purity Peak.”

“Hahaha.”

Han Fengchen laughed heartily, his expression brimming with pride.

Li Tianyuan wanted to laugh too. It was just a Five Elements constitution, not even ranked on the constitution leaderboard—was it really worth boasting about?

Still, he smiled and said, “Congratulations, Chairman Han, for recruiting so many gifted disciples and even a Five Elements body. Your future prospects are limitless! Perhaps someday you’ll lead Upper Purity Peak into the top ten of the lower thirty-six peaks!”

“Of course.”

Han Fengchen was unapologetically arrogant, missing the sarcasm in Li Tianyuan’s tone entirely.

He turned to the dozen disciples behind him, beaming as he said, “Come, let me introduce you.”

“This is Chairman Li of Lingyun Sword Peak from the Lingxiao Sacred Land. Show respect when you see him and call him Chairman Li... Haha, almost forgot—Lingyun Sword Peak’s legacy won’t last much longer. By this time next year, Chairman Li will probably be demoted to an outer disciple.”

Han Fengchen mocked without restraint. Though the disciples respectfully bowed to Li Tianyuan, their eyes betrayed their glee.

Li Tianyuan paid no mind; after all, life would be dull without the antics of clowns like Han Fengchen.

Though he was unbothered, Jiang Yueli behind him frowned slightly, clenching her fists with burning anger in her eyes.

“What’s the matter, little girl? Going to defend your master?”

Han Fengchen sneered at Jiang Yueli’s fierce expression.

“Heh, little girl, you probably don’t know, but the Lingyun Sword Peak you joined ranks last among the sacred lands and is about to be eliminated. Your master’s cultivation is only at the Yin-Yang Realm—he can’t teach you.”

“As for you, before you register, I advise you to join another peak early, lest you waste your precious time.”

“Hmph!”

Jiang Yueli snorted coldly. “My affairs are none of your concern! And don’t you dare speak ill of my master!”

To her, her master was the best—no one could insult him.

“Tsk, tsk, little girl, quite fiery, aren’t you?”

Han Fengchen laughed at Jiang Yueli’s angry stance.

“Since you insist on joining Lingyun Sword Peak, then just so happens, I have a wager with your master.”

“At next year’s sect competition, our disciples will face off. If you want to defend your master’s honor, you’ll have to defeat our Upper Purity Peak disciples.”

“Otherwise, you’ll be demoted alongside him to outer disciples.”

Without hesitation, Jiang Yueli blurted, “Hmph, don’t worry. I’ll make sure your Upper Purity Peak disciples are battered and begging for mercy! You’ll apologize to my master for your behavior today!”

“Hahaha, such an inexperienced little girl, clueless.”

Han Fengchen laughed loudly, his gaze mocking Jiang Yueli.

“If that’s the case, I hope you work hard so your master doesn’t lose too disgracefully.”

Saying no more, he strode away, ignoring Li Tianyuan entirely, leading his disciples with a flourish.

His goal was to humiliate Li Tianyuan, making him lose face before the new disciples. Having achieved this, there was no need to waste time on a little girl.