Returning to the Disciple Peak from the Qingfeng Valley, Yang Ye entered the cafeteria. As soon as he stepped in, he noticed that half of the disciples' gaze was on him. Some wore friendly smiles while others had expressions of malicious delight.
Nodding at the disciples who smiled at him, Yang Ye was about to go get his food when a stern voice sounded from behind him.
"Yang Ye, stop right there!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Yang Ye furrowed his brow. It was Xu Guanshi's voice. Trouble had found him once again.
Turning around to face Xu Guanshi, who was in his forties with a fat body and a face covered in layers of flesh, Yang Ye estimated that he couldn't even see his own eyes if he stood a bit farther. Xu Guanshi wore an oversized disciple's robe, but it was still bulging due to his abundant flesh. His shoulders and back were a rosy shade from the fat.
At the Sword Sect, Xu Guanshi had a nickname—Xu the Flayer. Once a disciple offended him, they would at least be "flayed" metaphorically.
Standing beside Xu Guanshi were Du Xiu and two others, their lips curved with cold smiles.
Seeing the four of them, a deep sense of fear and resentment appeared in the eyes of some disciples in the cafeteria. These four individuals had exploited them countless times, but they never dared to voice their grievances.
"I knew it! Yang Ye dared to attack Du Xiu. How could Xu the Flayer let him off? Yang Ye is done for..."
"Yes, back then, someone opposed Xu the Flayer and was beaten to death right on the spot. Ai, why didn't Yang Ye understand the importance of restraint? Young people are impulsive, and that impulsiveness can be fatal..."
"Hush, don't talk about it. If Xu the Flayer hears, you'll definitely get whipped."
Xu Guanshi and his companions approached Yang Ye. When they stood in front of him, Xu Guanshi already had a whip in his hand. Looking at Yang Ye, who remained calm, Xu Guanshi grinned hideously and said, "Yang Ye, you need to understand the reality. You used to be an Outer Disciple, but not anymore. Since you've come to my territory, you have to abide by my rules. You attacked my nephew. Tell me, how should we resolve this?"
"Uncle, why waste words on him? Just kill him!" Du Xiu, standing next to Xu Guanshi, looked at Yang Ye and spoke in a harsh tone. Today, he had lost face, and he couldn't tolerate it.
Yang Ye coldly glanced at Du Xiu, then turned his gaze to Xu Guanshi. "Tell me, how should we resolve this?"
Upon hearing Yang Ye's words, Xu Guanshi suddenly burst into laughter. He took an envelope from his pocket, and its seal had already been torn, indicating that someone had read it before. Xu Guanshi retrieved a letter from inside and smiled. "Yang Ye, I heard you have a younger sister, only in her teens, right? It seems she's not married yet. What do you think if she becomes my concubine? I really adore young girls like her. Then, we can make Du Xiu kneel down and apologize..."
Suddenly, Xu Guanshi's voice came to a halt because a massive fist was already hurtling towards him.
Hearing Xu Guanshi insult his sister, Yang Ye's face suddenly turned fierce, and he threw a punch. His sister and mother were sensitive issues for him—no oneexpected to get involved.
"Boom!"
Xu Guanshi never expected that Yang Ye would suddenly take action. Caught off guard, his face met Yang Ye's fist intimately. A scream escaped his lips as his body collapsed to the ground, blood flowing from his nose and mouth.
Yang Ye didn't stop there. He dashed forward, swiftly closing the distance between him and Xu Guanshi. Evading Xu Guanshi's whip, he unleashed a furious onslaught, striking the obese man's body.
"You trash! Who do you think you are, deserving of my sister? I'll fucking kill you!" Yang Ye's face contorted with rage. The whip relentlessly lashed at Xu Guanshi's bloated figure.
"Ah... Ah..."
Within the cafeteria, everyone was dumbfounded, not expecting Yang Ye to dare to attack Xu the Flayer. After all, Xu Guanshi was an appointed steward of the Sword Sect. However, their astonishment quickly turned into excitement. They had the sensation of witnessing something satisfying—the retribution they had desired.
"Stop!"
Just then, an elderly man in a blue and white robe appeared in the cafeteria. His voice carried a hint of profound qi, causing a buzzing sensation in the ears of those present.
Upon hearing this cold snort, Yang Ye's heart skipped a beat. When he turned to face the old man, a complex expression flashed across his eyes. He took a deep breath and discarded the whip to the side. Disregarding Xu Guanshi, who was barely clinging to life, Yang Ye walked up to the old man, bowing deeply. "Elder Qian!"
The old man before him was the one who had accepted him as an outer disciple in Annan City. It was this old man who had changed his fate. If it hadn't been for this old man's warning to the Liu family in Annan City, his sister and mother would likely have fallen into the hands of the Liu family.
Although he had been demoted to a menial disciple by this old man, he never harbored any resentment. On the contrary, he had always felt grateful to the old man. The reason he worked so hard was also because of this old man. When he failed to absorb profound qi for a whole year, this old man had been mocked by the outer sect elders as well.
He wanted to prove to the people of the Sword Sect that he, Yang Ye, was not worthless!
Seeing Yang Ye, Elder Qian also had a complex expression in his eyes. He knew better than anyone about Yang Ye's talent. However, for some reason, Yang Ye hadn't absorbed any profound qi for a whole year, which resulted in his demotion to a menial disciple. Now seeing Yang Ye again, Elder Qian's feelings were mixed.
At this moment, Du Xiu knelt before Elder Qian with a "thud" and pointed at Yang Ye, saying, "Elder Qian, please help us. Yang Ye severely injured me earlier and even forced me to do his work. When my uncle came to reason with him, he unexpectedly beat my uncle to a pulp. Elder Qian, please be fair to me and my uncle!"
Hearing Du Xiu distorting the truth, Yang Ye frowned, but he remained silent.
The other menial disciples beside them were filled with anger at Du Xiu's shameless lies.
Elder Qian glanced at the barely conscious Xu Guanshi lying on the ground and suddenly showed a look of surprise. Then he looked at Yang Ye and projected his divine sense towards him. After a moment, Elder Qian's eyes brightened and he exclaimed, "You... You've already reached the fourth rank of the Profound Realm?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Ye nodded. He then stirred the profound qi within his body, and a faint golden light appeared on his palm. "Elder Qian, I can now absorb profound qi!" Speaking these words, Yang Ye suddenly felt a sense of relief. He had pushed himself to cultivate relentlessly in order not to disappoint the old man, but in the end, he had disappointed him. Now that he could absorb profound qi, the person he most wanted to inform was the old man before him.
Seeing the faint golden light on Yang Ye's hand, Elder Qian widened his eyes as if he had seen something extraordinary. He couldn't help but clench his hands tightly.
Seeing Elder Qian's solemn expression, Yang Ye hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Perhaps his profound qi wasn't of the gold attribute, but it shouldn't be inferior to the so-called gold attribute profound qi.
"Hahaha..."
After seeing Yang Ye nod, Elder Qian burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, he seemed to realize something and suppressed his excitement. He patted Yang Ye's shoulder with his right hand and said, "Good, very good. The Five Elements Profound Qi appears only once among millions of people, and you not only possess the Five Elements Profound Qi, but it's also the strongest gold attribute among them. How could I not be excited?"
Upon hearing Elder Qian's words, Du Xiu suddenly had a bad feeling. However, when he saw Xu Guanshi lying on the ground, barely alive, he took a deep breath and mustered the courage to kneel before Elder Qian, pleading, "Please spare our
lives, Elder! We won't dare to do it again, we won't dare..."
At this moment, Du Xiu and the other two regretted provoking Yang Ye. Even if they were given a hundred times more courage, they wouldn't dare to provoke him now that they knew he had already reached the Profound Realm.
Elder Qian snorted coldly and said, "From now on, Xu Guanshi is no longer the manager of the menial disciples. The four of you will be sent to the Star Mine to mine for ten years, and everything you obtain will be handed over to the sect. After ten years, you will be expelled from the Sword Sect and never allowed to return." After finishing his words, Elder Qian nodded at Yang Ye, grabbed his shoulder, and in an instant, both of them disappeared from the hall.
Upon hearing Elder Qian's decision, the other menial disciples cheered, while Du Xiu and the other two fainted.
They would be working as slaves for the Sword Sect for the next ten years.