Whoosh!
The surrounding cultivators stood agape, utterly shocked. No one had expected Ye Tian, a Martial Disciple 1st Layer cultivator, to strike down someone at the Ninth Layer.
They wondered what kind of formidable background such a fierce fighter came from. If he wasn't cut down prematurely, he was bound to leave his name in the history of the Tianwu Continent forever!
"Ye Tian, you and I have no mortal grudge. Let's call it a truce and shake on it, how about that?" Guan Jie was terrified, his voice trembling as he nearly stumbled. He felt certain his cultivation hadn't really been crippled.
A trace of a cold sneer appeared on Ye Tian's handsome face. Letting him go now would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains—and he wouldn't do that!
He was also puzzled as to how the other man had found out so quickly. Could Li Cheng have tipped him off?
He moved, swirling like a gust of wild wind, radiating a brilliant light from his entire body. With the momentum of a fierce tiger lunging forward, a majestic force burst from his palms, and a cyan beam of immeasurable power blasted toward his target.
"Damn it...!"
Guan Jie's expression tightened. Ye Tian's speed had reached the absolute limit. Forced to defend himself, he instantly channeled the spiritual energy within his body, turning it a blood-wolf crimson. His hands transformed into the massive, savage claws of a fiend as he counterattacked, killing intent raging in his eyes.
With a loud *bang*, the two forces collided, producing a muffled sound accompanied by the unmistakable crunch of fracturing bones.
Guan Jie was struck with terror as a sensation like countless blade qi burrowed into his tendons and bones shot up his arm. His bones were cracking, causing him excruciating pain and sending spasms through his entire body.
Then, Ye Tian's power surged forward like rolling waves of a mighty river, making him feel as though a great mountain was crushing down upon him, threatening to tear his body apart at any second.
*Whoosh!*
Guan Jie was swept away like a kite caught in a gale, sent flying mercilessly before crashing hard onto the blue stone pavement of the street, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaving an indented crater.
"Blech...!"
Guan Jie coughed up a massive mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale. His aura withered away, and he stammered in panic, "Ye Tian..."
Before he could finish, Ye Tian closed in like a shadow. His attack came with the unstoppable fury of a tsunami, and with a single leap, he slammed heavily into Guan Jie's chest.
Guan Jie's eyes widened as he fell back to the ground for good, dying with eternal regret. What if he hadn't harbored hostility toward Ye Tian? What if he hadn't tried to block and kill him? What would the outcome have been then?
Unfortunately, many things, once done, cannot be undone. Even with remorse, the scars remain.
"Good heavens, what kind of monster is this?!"
The surrounding cultivators exclaimed in awe, having never witnessed such battle prowess before. Still, they knew that by committing murder in broad daylight like this, enmities had been sealed, even though the major sects were constantly hunting their targets down anyway.
Today, Ye Tian had begun to show his true edge, appearing even more formidable and domineering than before. He swiftly looted the opponent's storage bag and left Qingyun City at top speed.
"This kid... well, that saved me the trouble of making a move. But how is it that his battle strength is even more heaven-defying after his cultivation dropped? It's like he's been reborn!"
"Still, that Chu girl doesn't seem like the type who would betray him." Pan, the manager of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, narrowed his eyes slightly as he stood not far away, watching the direction of Ye Tian's departure and murmuring to himself.
Ye Tian wasted no time galloping back toward the Luoyun Sect.
Endless mountain ranges pierced the clouds, magnificent and awe-inspiring with their majestic aura. Ancient trees towered into the sky, the landscape shimmering with spiritual energy and veiled in drifting mists. Row upon row of well-arranged palaces gleamed brilliantly under the scorching sun, radiating a grand and imposing atmosphere.
"This Ye Tian really is plagued by misfortune. He's barely become a handyman before he's targeted for trouble again."
"Xu Xinran has been looking all over for him."
"Hey, look, Ye Tian's cultivation has returned to the Martial Disciple Realm!"
"What... what kind of miraculous pill did he swallow to recover to this realm in less than twenty days?"
As soon as Ye Tian arrived at the sect, the disciples he passed buzzed with mixed reactions, though he paid them no mind.
He merely frowned slightly. He had met Xu Xinran before, but they weren't close. She seemed a bit unusual—rumored to be quite a fiery little spitfire.
He shook his head, unable to understand why she would be looking for him.
"Ye-zi, you're back! I've already heard about what happened to you!"
Just as the voice fell, Ruan Fei trotted over with his chubby frame, wearing a resolute expression. He had just emerged from secluded cultivation when he heard about Ye Tian's exploits.
"Fatty, you've broken through to the Ninth Layer too? Looks like you've got a good shot at becoming an inner sect disciple," Ye Tian said with a faint smile.
Ruan Fei was his ride-or-die buddy in the outer sect, the kind who would stick by him through thick and thin. Even though he had lost that cheap woman Chu Mengyao, he still had his brother, didn't he?
"Let's forget about me for a moment—your situation is serious! If people were just secretly gleeful about the Chu Mengyao business, now that you're no longer holding the top spot in the outer sect, plenty of folks are probably ready to jump out of the woodwork." Ruan Fei was tall and heavy-set, brimming with a physical strength so formidable he could easily crush an ox.
"Those people are nothing to fear. Push me too far, and I'll just wipe them out," Ye Tian said, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, his tone filled with confidence and determination.
Besides, he had his cheat System, even if it hadn't given out any decent rewards yet!
"Still, now that I've recovered to the Martial Disciple Realm, I should go verify my outer sect disciple status," Ye Tian said slowly after a moment of thought.
He had previously been demoted to a handyman by Elder Qi, but now that his cultivation had partially recovered, that old man had no jurisdiction over him.
"Rightly so!" Ruan Fei nodded.
Outer sect disciples received a corresponding monthly stipend of spirit stones.
With that, the two of them walked away amidst the chatter of the surrounding disciples.
Before long, they arrived at a jade-platform-like area beside a weathered, gigantic stone pillar reinforced by magical formations. The pillar was grand and imposing, thick enough that five people holding hands could barely encircle it.
This was the place where outer sect disciples tested their strength. Anyone with special circumstances—those who lacked the cultivation of a Martial Disciple yet possessed equivalent combat strength—could come here to test themselves or qualify for special sect missions.
"Isn't that Ye Tian? Didn't they say his cultivation was crippled? How is he back in the Martial Disciple Realm?" The disciples coming and going spotted him instantly, as everyone had heard about his plight.
"Elder Feng, I've come to reinstate my status as an outer disciple," Ye Tian said, cupping his fists respectfully.
Elder Feng stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a stern expression. Though his aura was restrained, waves of mighty energy naturally radiated from him. His sharp gaze locked onto Ye Tian as if trying to see right through him.
"Even though you've reached the Martial Disciple Realm, you still have to go through the proper procedures," the elder said at last.
Ye Tian nodded. He took a deep breath, circulated his spiritual power internally until brilliant light enveloped his body and gathered in his fist, and then whipped his arm around in a punch carrying the momentum to shatter any obstacle in its path.
*Bang!* A deafening roar echoed out as a shockwave swept across the surroundings.
Whoosh!
The huge stone pillar before them burst into dazzling light, illuminating four distinct stripes to prove that Ye Tian possessed the strength of the Fourth Layer of Martial Disciple. He had consciously held back a portion of his power.
"Mm, not bad. You're a good seedling—keep up the diligent cultivation," Elder Feng praised with a nod. He had always viewed Ye Tian favorably in the past.
"Take your token and go collect your new outer sect disciple robes," Elder Feng added, pointing toward a cyan token nearby.
Ye Tian picked up the token. He had held back a lot of his combat power this time, but since he had previously displayed four stripes of light in the past, nobody found it strange.
"Congratulations, Ye-zi, on getting your outer disciple status back," Ruan Fei laughed, convinced that with Ye Tian's talent, he would make another breakthrough very soon.
Ye Tian smiled as well and slowly replied, "I accepted a mission earlier; I need to go turn it in first."
Today was the final deadline for the mission!
"Ye Tian, you've got some nerve!"
The two of them had barely walked far when they heard a young woman's shrill shout. Though pleasing to the ear, it was dripping with fury!