At that moment, Qian Haowen recalled the sword that Zhang Xiaoming had wielded before. That sword was undoubtedly a fine weapon, though he couldn't have imagined that the Demon Slaying Sword possessed such extraordinary abilities.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Lin San."
Qian Haowen respectfully greeted a man who was approaching.
"Hello."
Lin San nodded slightly.
The Sky Peak Sect was very particular about ranks. Even if there was a significant difference in strength, an outer disciple like Qian Haowen still had to show respect to an inner disciple like Lin San.
Lin San continued to ascend the long stone steps.
"What a pity for Lin San."
Qian Haowen sighed as he watched Lin San's figure disappear up the stairs.
Everyone in the Sky Peak Sect knew about Lin San's situation. He had once been a genius, but if his cultivation hadn't gone awry, he might have been a high-ranking warrior by now.
"Where's he headed?"
Qian Haowen squinted at Lin San's back. He noticed that Lin San was carrying a sword in his left hand. The scabbard was black with intricate patterns, clearly not an ordinary sword.
"Made of obsidian? No, it looks like it's forged from an even more precious mineral."
Qian Haowen's eyes were filled with envy.
In the Sky Peak Sect, known for its swordsmen, having a good sword and scabbard was something everyone desired.
"Tomorrow is the sect's grand competition. Lin San will probably embarrass himself again."
Qian Haowen shook his head in pity, then resumed sweeping the ground with his broom.
"I'd better hurry and recruit new disciples. It's ridiculous that a senior disciple like me is stuck sweeping the floor."
...
As Lin San climbed the stone steps, he felt that everything had changed.
He was no longer the person he used to be.
Tomorrow, he would wash away four years of humiliation!
He headed directly toward his residence.
"Hmm!?"
As Lin San reached the entrance, his brows furrowed.
Looking ahead, he saw that all his belongings had been thrown out of his house, scattered across the ground.
Several men dressed in Sky Peak Sect robes were there.
"Why did you throw out my things?"
Lin San walked up to them, his face darkening as he addressed the group.
"Oh? Lin San is back?"
Hearing his voice, the men turned to look at him, their faces lighting up with mocking smiles.
Even though they were new inner disciples, they had all heard about Lin San's past. A mere second-tier peak "failure" wasn't worthy of respect.
While there was a significant difference in status between outer and inner disciples, within the inner disciples, there was no such disparity—whether one joined earlier or later didn't matter.
Boom—
At that moment, a cabinet was thrown out of the house, crashing loudly at the entrance and shattering into pieces.
"A cabinet that old breaks with just one hit."
Two figures emerged from the room: Feng Wutian and a larger, more imposing man.
Lin San's face darkened further as he stared at the shattered cabinet. He had used it for many years, and now it had been destroyed.
"Feng Wutian."
Lin San coldly addressed the man standing beside Feng Wutian.
"Oh, Lin San, you're back."
Feng Wutian glanced at Lin San and spoke nonchalantly, showing no concern for Lin San's return.
Feng Wutian looked at Lin San with a smirk, clearly mocking him. When he had first arrived, he had been somewhat wary of Lin San's rumored hidden strength. But now, with his cousin Feng Wuqiang, a fourth-tier warrior, present, he had nothing to fear.
"What do you mean by this?"
Lin San narrowed his eyes.
"The sect's grand competition is about to begin, and living quarters are being reassigned. This house no longer belongs to you," Feng Wuqiang said in a flat tone, as if stating something trivial.
"No longer mine?"
"But the grand competition doesn't start until tomorrow, so why doesn't this house belong to me now?"
Lin San sneered.
Even the most patient person has their limits, and Lin San was now filled with anger.
"This is truly pathetic."
"A mere fourth-tier warrior is nothing. With me around, Lin San should be able to easily take them down," Ye Fan remarked.
"But fighting them here might not be the best move."
"Let's see how Lin San handles this."
Ye Fan observed the situation from his perspective, curious to see how Lin San would respond.
"I'm the senior disciple, and what I say goes."
Feng Wuqiang dismissed Lin San's words, speaking with an air of authority.
"Also, take your things and get out, or I'll have them all thrown out."
Hearing Feng Wuqiang's words, Lin San laughed.
"The time hasn't come yet, so why should I move?"
"And are you going to compensate me for the things you've broken?"
Lin San retorted, standing his ground.
"Lin San! Don't push your luck!"
Feng Wutian shouted angrily, pointing at Lin San.
"Do you still think you're something special? You're nothing but a failure, so stop acting tough!"
"Get lost!"
The others around them smirked, amused by Feng Wutian's outburst.
"Who are you telling to get lost?"
Lin San's right hand gripped the hilt of his sword as he stared at Feng Wutian.
The moment his hand touched the sword, the effect of [Aura of Righteousness] activated.
A powerful aura emanated from Lin San, radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression.
It was directed straight at Feng Wutian!
Feng Wutian's body began to tremble.
As he looked at Lin San, his vision blurred, and it felt as if he was staring at a terrifying, indescribable demon instead of a person!
His legs began to shake uncontrollably.
Thud—
In the next instant, Feng Wutian collapsed to the ground, kneeling.
The faces of the others turned pale.
"Suppression!?"
Feng Wuqiang's pupils contracted at the sight.
Suppression was a unique aura that only high-level warriors could release. Top-tier warriors could use it to incapacitate or even kill lower-level opponents.
The aura Lin San just released was very similar to Suppression.
But if he wasn't a high-level warrior, how could he have released it?
Could it be that Lin San was also a high-level warrior?
The thought caused Feng Wuqiang's expression to change dramatically.