The next day, a curious sight unfolded amidst the opulent grandeur of the Inner Palace. While other disciples dedicated themselves to solitary cultivation, a group of ten young men stood out like a sore thumb. They were on a tour. A boisterous, unashamedly awestruck tour of their new surroundings.
Their unrefined enthusiasm, coupled with their relatively low cultivation levels (mostly High-rank Wu Shi), drew snickers and disdainful glances from the more seasoned Inner Palace disciples.
"Brother Xing Jue, this place is incredible!" Xiao San exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder as he trailed behind Xing Jue. "Even the paving stones sparkle!" He gaped at the ornate buildings, his excitement bordering on comical.
Xing Jue couldn't help but smile at Xiao San's unabashed joy. He turned to his friend, a playful glint in his eyes. "So easily impressed, Xiao San? Is this all it takes to satisfy you?"
"Brother, just being here… it's a dream come true!" Xiao San beamed, his face radiating genuine happiness.
Xing Jue shook his head, affectionately. He couldn't fault Xiao San for his simple pleasures.
They spent the day exploring every nook and cranny of the Inner Palace, marveling at its splendor. Their tour concluded at the Inner Palace Cultivation Hall. It was time to get down to business.
As impressive as their surroundings were, Xing Jue knew they couldn't afford to be complacent. They might have been top dogs in the Outer Palace, but here in the Inner Palace… they were small fish in a very large pond. He needed to ensure he and his brothers rose to the challenge. Their future, their very survival in this cutthroat environment, depended on it.
Xing Jue had expected the Inner Palace Cultivation Hall to be a place of imposing grandeur and unparalleled resources. He was disappointed.
It was… smaller than he'd imagined. And while the architecture was undeniably more refined than its Outer Palace counterpart, the layout was nearly identical. Three levels. The first two dedicated to sparring and beast combat. The third reserved for cultivating martial skills.
The only noticeable difference… the beasts available for combat were far more formidable. The weakest among them were late stage third-rank demonic beasts, possessing strength on par with a High-rank Wu Shi. Clearly, the Inner Palace didn't believe in babying its disciples.
Xing Jue led his group directly to the third floor. They browsed the martial skills collection, and Xing Jue used his remaining savings to purchase several early-stage Xuan-rank techniques for his companions. He also decided to impart the Wind Devouring Palm and Aura Control Technique that Old Feng had gifted him.
These ten men were his responsibility now. He would nurture their talent, hone their skills, and forge them into a force to be reckoned with, ensuring their place in the Inner Palace, and bolstering his own position within this complex web of power.
He also craved improvement. He was determined to reach the Mid-rank Wu Zong realm. And he yearned to master the Earth-rank skill, the Soul Slayer Sword. With such power at his command, he would no longer be prey to the whims of others, especially not in a place as treacherous as the Inner Palace.
As Xing Jue and his companions stepped onto the third floor, their attention was drawn to a disturbance unfolding near the center of the hall.
A young man, clearly an Inner Palace disciple, lay sprawled on the ground. His cultivation was that of an early-stage Wu Shi. Hovering over him was another disciple, older, his face set in a cruel sneer. This one was a Mid-rank Wu Zong, his cultivation significantly higher than his victim.
The Mid-rank Wu Zong landed blow after blow, his hand connecting with the young man's face with a sickening thud. Behind him stood a handful of other disciples, their smirks making it clear they enjoyed the spectacle. Each of them possessed the cultivation of an early-stage Wu Zong.
"Brother Xing Jue, isn't that…" Si Yan began, his voice a mix of shock and anger. He pointed to the young man on the ground. "The disciple… the one who entered the Inner Palace with us?"
"Stop it!" Xing Jue roared.
He hadn't intended to get involved in the petty squabbles of the Inner Palace, at least not so soon. But seeing a fellow newcomer, someone who had traversed the same path as him, being so ruthlessly bullied… he couldn't stand idly by. They were connected, however tenuously, by their shared experience.
Xing Jue's shout cut through the air, startling the bully, a young man with thick, arched eyebrows, mid-cultivation. The bully whirled around, expecting to face a senior disciple, someone whose wrath he couldn't afford to incur. But when he saw the group of newcomers… boys really… his expression twisted into a mask of contempt.
"What did you just say, brat?", he snorted. "You're asking for a beating!"
"What's it to you?" Xing Jue shot back, unafraid. This Mid-rank Wu Zong might intimidate others, but Xing Jue had faced far deadlier opponents.
The bully's eyes narrowed. He couldn't believe this newcomer dared to talk back to him. "You looking for trouble, kid?" he seethed. "You know who you're talking to?"
"Yeah, who are you talking to?", another disciple chimed in, flanking Xing Jue. This one was an early-stage Wu Zong, his cultivation barely worth noting. He jabbed a finger into Xing Jue's chest, a smug grin on his face.
Xing Jue had no tolerance for disrespect. Lightning-fast, he seized the bully's finger in a grip of iron. A sharp twist of his wrist, a sickening crack, and the bully's finger bent at an unnatural angle.
"Aahhh!" the disciple screamed, clutching his broken finger. He hadn't even seen Xing Jue move.
Xing Jue smiled coldly. "Now… who are you calling kid?"
The sudden display of strength shocked the group of bullies into silence. They had underestimated these newcomers. Even the arched-eyebrow bully seemed to reconsider his aggression, his voice losing some of its menace.
"Who… who are you?", he asked, his eyes darting to Xing Jue's hand, still gripped around his friend's broken finger.
Before Xing Jue could respond, Xiao San puffed out his chest and announced proudly, "This is Brother Xing Jue, the strongest newcomer in the Inner Palace!"
Xing Jue couldn't help but laugh. "Xiao San, when did I get that title?"
Xiao San's expression remained serious. "Brother, we may be new here, but you earned the top spot in the entrance exams! That makes you the strongest newcomer, by default!"
The tension dissipated, replaced by a wave of laughter from the onlooking disciples. Who were these newbies, making such bold proclamations?
The arched-eyebrow bully, however, felt his irritation return. He had momentarily considered that Xing Jue might have powerful backers within the Inner Palace, but this… this was too much.
"You little punks…" he spat, his fear replaced by fury. "You think you can come here and challenge me? You have no idea what you've gotten yourselves into!"
Xing Jue sighed, affecting an air of disappointment. "Honestly… I expected better from the Inner Palace. Look, I don't care who you are, but apologize to him," he said, gesturing to the injured disciple. "And we'll forget this ever happened. Otherwise…" He let the threat hang in the air, pointing to his previous victim.
"Or else what?", the bully roared, his face flushing with rage.
"You'll join your friend," Xing Jue said calmly, his gaze hardening.
The arched-eyebrow bully's face contorted in a mask of pure hatred. "You… you… teach him a lesson, boys!" he screeched.
That was all the encouragement the bullies needed. They lunged at Xing Jue, a torrent of fists and feet aimed at crushing the insolent newcomer. The battle had begun.