The loud noise caused by Yun Shu cracking the stele had garnered many people's attention, including those who were in the sect.
Several hundred miles away, on top of the highest mountain in the sect, that chatty old man, whom Yun Shu had once encountered, pushed open the heavy, thick gate of the palace. Before crossing the doorstep, though, he looked in the direction of the Valley of Crime, his eyes full of excitement.
Meanwhile, several gusts of wind arrived from different directions, and four people showed up in front of the palace.
"Senior Brother, that was…?" asked the long-bearded old man.
"Right! According to the record of the sect, someone just cracked a stele left by the founder!" answered that chatty old man excitedly.
"No one has ever done it in the past few thousand years! I even thought it was just a joke!" said a short, slender man in a hoarse voice.
"Senior Brothers, Senior Sister, I've never found an ideal student in the past many years. Please don't snatch this disciple away from me. I want him!" said a fat old man with his cheerful face.
"Hai Wuchang, I can't agree with you on this. You actually have a number of good students. In fact, I'm the one who's short on them," said the only female among them.
"But Senior Sister Cao, I thought you only accepted female students?" Hai Wuchang retorted.
"We don't know whether the disciple is a male or female yet. If the disciple is a male, I can make an exception for him!" The woman slightly lifted her chin.
The two seniors in the sect started bickering over Yun Shu right off the bat.
That long-bearded old man lightly coughed. "We don't even know the kid yet. This might be too early."
Hearing that, both of them turned to the chatty old man and asked, "Senior Brother, you say something!"
The chatty old man was the one most familiar with the Valley of Crime. He remained silent for a few seconds and then slowly said, "Both of you are so respected in the sect. How come you two still don't know any manners?"
Scolded by the chatty old man, they both felt ashamed. It was indeed disgraceful for two senior masters in the sect to argue over a young disciple.
"So I got ignored just now? I should be the one to accept a new disciple if there's a chance!" said the chatty old man aloud.
Everyone present became speechless. A few moments later, that short old man shook his head. "Senior Brother, calm down. Comprehending a stele isn't such a big deal."
The long-bearded old man also nodded and echoed, "Right. The three steles were indeed left by the founder of the sect, but no one knows how powerful they can be. It says little about that kid."
Hearing that, even Hai Wuchang started getting a bit more hesitant.
"Right. We know nothing about that disciple. Male? Female? Old? Young?" Hai Wuchang fired a few questions in a low voice.
"Be patient. We'll know very soon," said the chatty old man with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.
He knew that it was Yun Shu who had comprehended the stele. He appreciated his talent, but it never occurred to him that Yun Shu could really do the job.
After all, no one had achieved the feat in the past few thousand years.
Yun Shu had just given him a big surprise.
At this time, a gust of wind approached them at a breakneck speed. Another man showed up on the square in front of the palace.
"Disciple Du Hailang pays respect to Masters and Uncle-Masters!"
It was Old Du, but in front of the five seniors, he was only a junior.
"You're fast, boy. Tell us about the disciple who cracked the stele. All details included!" asked Hai Wuchang.
"Right! The disciple's name is Yun Shu. He was expelled from the sect and sent to the valley a few months ago. He's fifteen and has reached the third level of the Aqua Sky Realm…" introduced Old Du seriously.
"Fifteen, the third level of the Aqua Sky Realm? Impressive. He's no inferior to the disciples in the inner sect. Why was he sent to the valley?" Hai Wuchang frowned.
That short, slender old man also copied his expression. "Yun Shu? Where does he come from?"
"He's born in the sect, son of Yun Wanli," replied Old Du. Obviously, he had come prepared.
Surprisingly, as soon as Old Du explained his origins, the atmosphere on the square suddenly changed.
"Yun Wanli's son?" That old, slender man's tone suddenly raised an octave. He suddenly turned around and said, "Senior Brother, for the sake of the entire sect, we cannot let him grow any stronger! He should be kept in the valley until he dies there!"
Old Du's heart suddenly sank. He realized that he just said something wrong.
However, Hai Wuchang sighed at this time. "What's past is in the past; let bygones be bygones. We keep Yun Wanli in the sect, why not his son?"
"Junior Brother Hai, the sect decided to keep Yun Wanli because of his contributions and also because he's disabled! His son is different! If he grabs too much attention in the sect, who knows whether some people will start acting up again. If a riot happens again in the sect, who's gonna be responsible for that?" warned the long-bearded old man. Obviously, he was throwing a grave accusation at anyone who tried to stand against him.
"Lin Rulie, Yun Shu wasn't born at the time when that happened! He's not responsible for something he didn't do," said the only woman present coldly.
"Cao Qingying, it's always easy to talk. If what I said really happens in the future, are you going to handle it?" The long-bearded old man, whose name was Lin Rulie, disputed.
"I will! What's the big deal?" Cao Qingying wouldn't yield.
Lin Rulie snorted and turned to the chatty old man. "Senior Brother, what do you say?"
That chatty old man grinned. "Whoever cracks the steles should be pardoned and released from the Valley of Crime. This is an old rule set by the founder, so there's no point in discussing it. What we should really focus on right now is to decide how we're gonna deal with the kid after he gets out."
Lin Rulie's face turned pale, but Cao Qingying and Hai Wuchang were greatly encouraged.
"Senior Brother, it's best for me to teach the kid," Hai Wuchang hurriedly made himself available.
"Nonsense. I should be the one!" Cao Qingying yelled.
At this time, that short old man suddenly said, "Senior Brother, if we are going to allow that boy to come out, we have to keep him in the outer sect and watch him closely!"
The chatty old man smiled. "I've met the kid before. He's good, both talented and upright. If he's taught properly, he will surely be able to make the sect thrive. There's no way that we are going to leave him in the outer sect."
However, the other party still insisted, "But don't forget that the Snow Peak hates Yun Wanli. If they catch wind of this, we might be in trouble!"
That chatty old man suddenly frowned coldly. "Chen Buran, do you still remember that you're in the Fire Mystic Sect?"
Knowing that he had just pissed off the chatty old man, the short man quickly bowed. "Senior Brother…"
The chatty old man said in an extremely unhappy tone, "No matter what, Yun Shu is a disciple of the Fire Mystic Sect. If we crack him down just because the Snow Peak doesn't like him, we'd better just take the entire sect to them!"
"You're right, Senior Brother… My, my bad…" Chen Buran hurriedly apologized and bowed again.
At this time, another beam of light shot to the sky from the direction of the Valley of Crime.
"This is…"
They were all shocked.
A second person had just done the impossible?