"Ah, when did you get here, girl?" The White-bearded Elder was so absorbed in admiring his intended disciple that his mind wandered, and for a moment he didn't realize it was his beloved apprentice speaking to him.
"Hmph, always eager for the new and tired of the old. I'm afraid you've completely forgotten about me, your disciple," the young woman feigned anger, though her tone carried a playful, spoiled hint.
"Hahaha... You, girl. If you hadn't come now, your master really would have forgotten you," the White-by-bearded Elder bantered.
"Master, haven't I come to see you now?" Knowing she was in the wrong and unable to outtalk him, the woman softened, her tone taking on a touch of grievance.
"Oh dear, looking aggrieved now, hahaha..."
"You still remember your master, so your master is very happy. Even though I am your master, it's only in name..."
"It's enough that you have this kind heart," the White-bearded Elder paused and continued.
"Master, you are my master, and I couldn't care less what gossip others spread!" The woman said with a firm tone, her face radiant with a confident, breezy expression that made others envious.
Just as the two were about to say more, a commotion and the sounds of fighting drifted up from the mountain gate.
"Xiruo, it's inconvenient for you to show your face. Wait here while I go take a look..." The White-bearded Elder gestured for the woman to sit, then stepped onto a cloud and headed down the mountain.
As it turned out, the fight at the mountain gate had broken out because of a complaint made by a disciple of the Fenghua Sect. The Fenghua disciple had grumbled that these rogue cultivators could effortlessly obtain two bottles of top-grade Marrow Cleansing Fluid, whereas his own sect only issued two bottles of top-grade Marrow Cleansing Fluid a year—and if the sect happened to face a spiritual liquid crisis, those top-grade fluids became completely out of reach.
Yet the benefits now being handed to rogue cultivators matched an entire year's allotment for sect disciples. How could they not complain? Furthermore, these rogue cultivators were a mixed bag, full of rough-looking misfits; giving them top-grade Marrow Cleansing Fluid was simply feeding glossy ganoderma to pigs—a total waste.
These words happened to be overheard by some passing rogue cultivators, who naturally felt displeased. The two sides began to bicker back and forth, and the dispute soon escalated into a full-scale brawl.
A fierce-looking rogue cultivator of the Fourth Realm of Illusion Power, a burly man, said nothing in his anger and struck out directly. With an arm as thick as an elephant's leg, he threw a punch at the insolent Fenghua disciple, sending the disciple flying several meters away, wincing and grimacing in pain.
Seeing this, the other Fenghua disciples all rushed in to avenge their fellow sect brother. However, their Illusion Power fell short of the burly man's, and they were tossed aside one by one like little piglets.
The rogue cultivators immediately burst into laughter, applauding the burly man one after another. Inside, they felt thoroughly gratified, thinking: let's see who dares look down on rogue cultivators now. But aside from clapping and running their mouths, none of them stepped forward to lend the burly man a hand; adopting a mindset of avoiding trouble and offense, they simply stood back leisurely to watch the show.
Feeling that their sect had lost face, the Fenghua disciples summoned a senior brother who possessed Sixth Realm Phantom Power. This senior brother did not look like a good person either; with fierce, upturned eyebrows and a wicked smirk at the corner of his mouth, he was widely known by the nickname Juejuezi.
Juejuezi struck ruthlessly, holding nothing back with his Sixth Realm Phantom Power as he directly crushed the rogue cultivator. A gap of two realms was simply not something the burly man's innate physical build could bridge.
With a flying kick, the burly man was sent crashing heavily into the stone monument at the mountain gate with a loud bang. If not for his thick skin and sturdy flesh, it likely would have been his bones that shattered instead. Even so, he was heavily injured, spitting a mouthful of fresh blood and clutching his chest as he struggled to get back up.
Juejuezi showed no intention of stopping. He leapt up into the air, as if aiming to deliver another kick with the clear message: let's see you act arrogant now.
"Hold on..." A voice called out to stop him from the crowd.