"Elder Qi, you are a dignified Outer Sect Elder, yet you grovel before external cultivators and turn a blind eye as they attack a fellow sect disciple...!" Li Mengwei's expression turned displeased. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes were filled with profound disappointment.
As one of the most stunning beauties of the Outer Sect, her words still carried a certain weight.
The surrounding disciples cast strange glances, but no one dared to speak up.
"Know your place! You are merely a disciple. How dare you speak to this Elder like this? Are you trying to be expelled from the sect?" Elder Qi threatened, his expression instantly turning cold. How dare a mere disciple question him in such a tone?
"Junior Sister Li, you are wrong about this. This Ye Tian is like a toad trying to eat swan meat. He provoked the other party, and getting off without being killed on the spot is already showing him immense mercy."
Li Cheng said in a deep voice, his eyes burning with intense greed. He had long coveted her gorgeous physique, and the mere thought of it made his heart ripple with desire.
"And you, Ye Tian, your cultivation has regressed, and you are no longer qualified to live in the outer quarters."
"From this moment on, you will return to the life of a menial laborer." Elder Qi spoke in the tone of one bestowing charity, hands clasped behind his back as he held his head high.
"On what grounds...?" "This is a residence assigned by the sect." Ye Tian's tone was sharp and stern, intense anger surging within his eyes.
Menial laborers were the lowest of the low—those who tended to the daily lives of sect disciples, doing whatever they were told whenever they were ordered!
He had struggled so hard to rise above that position, and now, with just a single word, he was to be demoted back to doing such coarse labor. How could he not be furious?
Hiss!
The surrounding disciples could not help but draw in sharp breaths. The saying went: if you are a cripple, you should have the self-awareness of a cripple.
Li Cheng, Zhang Li, and the others reveled in his misfortune. This was the best possible outcome.
"Hmph, I am an Outer Sect Elder, and my word is the law." Elder Qi said coldly, implying that failure to comply would result in immediate expulsion from the Luoyun Sect.
Ye Tian's eyes shot out like sharp swords. Burning with rage, he ground his teeth like a waking beast as he glared around at the crowd.
"Junior Brother, let's leave first." Li Mengwei was also filled with irritation. Fearing that Ye Tian might do something rash, she hurriedly pulled him away.
"Bitch, sooner or later I'll get my hands on you and make you beg beneath me." A fierce, vicious look flashed in Li Cheng's eyes as he stared like a poisonous snake at the retreating figure of Li Mengwei.
"Elder Qi, I recently hunted down some delicacies out in the wilderness. If you don't mind, I'd be honored to have you share a meal." Li Cheng immediately switched to a flattering tone, hunching his back slightly.
"Hmph, always playing these useless games." Elder Qi showed a look of dissatisfaction, though he walked past with his hands clasped behind his back anyway.
Li Cheng gave a flattering chuckle and hurriedly stepped forward to lead the way. It was obvious that the two of them were cut from the same cloth.
Along the way;
"Junior Brother, how did your cultivation drop by so much?" Li Mengwei asked, looking as fresh as a lotus rising from the water. Her voice was filled with concern, a trace of pity, and a hint of other, more complicated emotions.
"A gift from that bitch. Sooner or later, I'll kill her." Aside from hatred, there was only more hatred in Ye Tian's eyes.
Li Mengwei glanced sideways, as if thinking: *She's already at the Martial General realm, and you still dare talk big like that?* Then, as if a sudden thought crossed her mind, her pretty face flushed red, and she secretly mused: *Does that mean I might have a chance?*
Ding!
【System】: Detected that the other party's affection has reached 52%.
"The host has received a reward!"
"Do you wish to claim it?"
Bai Yu was instantly overjoyed. *Even this works?*
Without a second thought, he claimed it.
Whoosh!
A Body Tempering pill materialized in his sea of consciousness, its quality having already reached the perfect tier.
"Junior Brother, this is a healing pill. You must take good care of yourself over in the menial quarters!"
"I believe that with your talent, you will break through very quickly. Your original foundation is still there."
Li Mengwei retrieved a pale-colored Qi Restoration Pill from her storage bag. It was the size of a soybean, a first-grade pill.
Pill classifications ranged from the first to the ninth grade, with each grade subdivided from first to ninth tier, ultimately reaching the perfect grade. As for whether there were higher grades beyond that, Ye Tian had no idea.
Filled with deep emotion, Ye Tian gazed at her lovely face. Because of his past shamelessness, his relationship with her had always been quite good.
"Senior Sister, thank you. I'm prepared to offer myself to you in return." Ye Tian curved his lips into a wicked, smiling expression.
He was naturally handsome to begin with, and though he looked a bit battered at the moment, his charming smile still radiated charisma.
"Junior... Brother! You'd better hurry up and recover. I'm leaving!" Li Mengwei's cheeks instantly flushed crimson with intense shyness, her heartbeat accelerating quite a bit. Coupled with her underlying crush on Ye Tian, being spoken to so directly caught her off guard.
As for offering himself—well, it was just mutual discussion of the "Kun" technique, a skill that was both enduring and quite relaxing.
"She's quite shy. In the end, isn't it just slapping each other's hands anyway!"
Ye Tian wore a smile as he watched Li Mengwei depart, greedily breathing in the lingering fragrance she left in the air.
He quickly returned to his former residence. There was nothing special to pack.
Luoyun Gate;
Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and majestic, cloud-piercing peaks stretched endlessly into the distance. The aura was grand and imposing, like crouching giant dragons, brimming with spiritual energy and natural beauty.
The living quarters for the menial laborers were at the very bottom, a place where one's status was predestined. Some people spent decades there without ever setting foot in the magnificent, imposing palaces of the Inner Sect.
Standing in the area designated for menial residences, Ye Tian experienced a swirling mixture of emotions. What was called a residence before him was nothing more than a thatched hut.
"With the System, what is there to fear? I'll lay low here for now, slowly recover, and then slaughter my way back." Ye Tian strode forward, psyching himself up, and his mood instantly rebounded.
"Well, if it isn't the great genius Ye!"
"Didn't you used to look down on the life of a menial? What's going on with you now?"
"Ha, what else could it be? Once he got outside, he thought the world was his oyster. Look at him now—not only did a woman dump him, but his cultivation is also half-crippled."
Suddenly, his path was blocked by several youths in coarse clothing, each casting mocking and disdainful glances his way.
A cold sneer flashed across Ye Tian's face. These jumping clowns had also given him a hard time when he first arrived. But they were mere Body Tempering trash; he could deal with them in a couple of moves.
"Great Genius Ye, since you're here, you have to follow the rules here. First, offer up the good things you have on you as tribute to us, and then today's task of feeding the spirit beasts and cleaning the outhouses is yours."
Zhao De was throwing his weight around again, looking down at Ye Tian with his nose in the air, speaking in a tone that brooked no refusal.
"Asshole!" Ye Tian spat out coldly. What kind of clown was this?
Indeed, the life of a menial laborer often involved doing such coarse work. Low-tier cultivators could not avoid the mundane chores of the mortal world. During this time, if menial disciples performed well, they might be called upon to hold the stirrups and lead the horses for sect disciples, occasionally earning some pill rewards as a result. Some children from ordinary families even felt proud of entering the sect through this route, completely unaware that without innate spiritual roots, they could only start as menial laborers.
"Ye Tian, you are already a half-crippled piece of trash, yet you still dare to ignore us! Get him! Beat him to a pulp and make him eat shit!" Zhao De flew into a furious rage, his eyes welling up with the bloodthirsty savagery of a wild beast.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
At his command, several of his lackeys stamped the ground and dashed forward like wild dogs, charging straight for Ye Tian's vital points.