Chapter 50 - 25: Jinxed

Meng Yifei turned his head to look at Master Lingxu.

Master Lingxu’s expression changed slightly, a sudden sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

"Ling Xu," Meng Yifei said slowly, "your disciple has made baseless, malicious accusations. The nature of this offense is indeed quite severe."

Master Lingxu couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

He thought angrily, "Whether the offense is severe or not is entirely up to you, Sect Leader!"

To put it bluntly, Meng Yifei had simply seen Li Shuang’s value and intentionally wanted to win her over.

"Master Pang, what do the sect rules say about false accusations?" Meng Yifei looked at Pang Zhixue.

Pang Zhixue instantly understood Meng Yifei’s intention. He said earnestly, "False accusations primarily violate the sect rule that disciples must help and support one another instead of suppressing each other. Secondly, it violates the rule against slander and perjury when reporting to the Law Enforcement Hall. Since he violated two sect rules simultaneously, I believe a heavy penalty is warranted this time."

Meng Yifei asked, "Oh? How heavy of a penalty?"

Pang Zhixue’s eyes darted around before he said, "Deducting Chang Le’an’s resource allocation for a year, and at the same time..."

Master Lingxu was stunned, wondering how there could be more when a year’s worth of resources was already being deducted. He immediately grew anxious and quickly interjected. "Wait!"

He looked at Meng Yifei. "Sect Leader, ordinary disciples have no knowledge of the Sword Domain, so it is entirely normal for Chang Le’an to have such doubts. Now that the truth has been brought to light and Chang Le’an’s doubts have been cleared, this matter can be concluded. Why drag other things into it?"

Master Lingxu knew this argument wouldn’t sway Meng Yifei at all, so he quickly added, "Moreover, Sect Leader, have you forgotten? Chang Le’an possesses astonishing luck. In the previous Langya Secret Realm, the amount of Spirit Grass and Spiritual Ore he brought out ranked first among the Six Sects!"

Meng Yifei’s expression flickered.

Chang Le’an was usually unassuming, and his progress in Cultivation and Swordsmanship was quite average. However, after he entered the Secret Realm, his luck was indeed astonishing.

The Langya Secret Realm was about to open soon. This opening was also a competition among the disciples of the Six Sects; the more Spirit Grass and Spiritual Ore the disciples brought out, the more prestige the sect would gain. Furthermore, luck was an intangible thing. It was entirely possible that Chang Le’an’s luck would explode, allowing him to pull ahead from behind.

Meng Yifei pondered for a moment.

"Chang Le’an securing first place last time indeed brought honor to the sect," he said slowly. "Let’s do this: the penalty of deducting a year’s resources will remain, but any further punishment will be suspended. We will deal with it after he comes out of the Secret Realm."

Lin Qingling couldn’t help but sneer. "Truly a fair and just Sect Leader."

A smile still hung on Meng Yifei’s face. "Peak Master Lin, the big picture is what matters. Once they exit the Secret Realm, we will discuss the rest."

"Then we shall discuss it after the Secret Realm!" Lin Qingling said expressionlessly.

Master Lingxu sat to the side, his expression slightly gloomy. Deducting a year’s worth of resources was already a heavy enough punishment. However, if Chang Le’an could bring out a massive amount of Spirit Grass and Spiritual Ore from the Secret Realm like last time, this loss would be easily compensated for in minutes.

Meng Yifei’s intention was actually quite clear. If Chang Le’an’s luck remained the same and he continued to bring out vast amounts of resources from the Secret Realm, ranking first among the Six Sects once more, then there would be no further consequences for this matter. But if Chang Le’an failed to show enough value this time, Meng Yifei would completely side with Li Shuang.

Their Sect Leader had always been an opportunist who sailed with the wind! To gain his favor, one had to prove their worth. Meng Yifei’s style had always been criticized within the sect, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of changing it.

Master Lingxu took a deep breath. Overall, he was still able to keep his composure for now. Chang Le’an’s luck had always been good. He had returned fully loaded last time, and with Zhaozhao accompanying him this time, their harvest should only be even greater. Once Chang Le’an and Ye Zhaozhao teamed up to secure first place among the Six Sects, the gossip and rumors currently targeting Lingxu Peak within the sect would surely die down. The Sect Leader would also look at them in a better light.

As if unable to see the expressions of Lin Qingling and Ling Xu, Meng Yifei smiled and said, "Alright, alright, this matter has been resolved with Perfection. The first round of the round-robin tournament is over, right? Get ready, let’s proceed with drawing lots for the next round."

While they were talking, the battles on the various arenas had gradually come to an end. Taking a look at the victors, they were basically all disciples at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment or High-level stages. Only one Mid-stage Foundation Establishment disciple had won, and that was because his opponent was also at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. This proved that on the path of Cultivation, the level of one’s Cultivation was the decisive factor in determining victory or defeat in most cases.

With only one exception.

Meng Yifei’s gaze lingered on Li Shuang for a moment.

Li Shuang: Qi Refining Ninth Level.

No, that wasn’t right. During the match, she was indeed at the Qi Refining Ninth Level. However, Meng Yifei had been keeping a close eye on Li Shuang. He knew that after the battle ended, her Cultivation had achieved another breakthrough, and she was now at the Qi Refining Tenth Level! After the Qi Refining Tenth Level, the next step would be Foundation Establishment!

Meng Yifei suddenly glanced at Lin Qingling. "Peak Master Lin, since your disciple’s reincarnation, her Cultivation has been advancing by leaps and bounds. Can her Spiritual Power remain stable? If she is relying on Elixir Pills, her Spiritual Power might become quite unstable. After taking Elixir Pills once, it’s best to wait a month before taking the next dose."

Lin Qingling said calmly, "Rest assured, Sect Leader. Since Little Frost’s reincarnation up until now, she hasn’t used a single Elixir Pill to increase her Spiritual Power Cultivation. As for whether her Spiritual Power is unstable or not, couldn’t you tell from the arena just now? Does the esteemed Sect Leader possess such little foresight?"

Lin Qingling spoke quite bluntly, but Meng Yifei didn’t mind. He smiled and said, "Her Spiritual Power is indeed condensed and extremely solid. This Supreme Forget Emotion Technique is far more powerful than anyone could have imagined."

If her Cultivation hadn’t improved by taking Elixir Pills, then it could only be the miraculous effect of the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique. It had been less than half a month since her reincarnation, yet Li Shuang was already starting to push toward the Foundation Establishment Stage. Such speed was truly astonishing. Legend had it that the founding ancestor’s Cultivation speed was also shocking, taking less than a century to dominate an entire era. If Li Shuang could break through the hurdle of the Nascent Soul Stage, she would likely become another era-suppressing powerhouse.

Meng Yifei lowered his eyes, hiding all his thoughts. He needed to wait. He still needed to watch a bit longer.

He no longer dwelled on Li Shuang’s Cultivation realm. He sent down the order, having the hundred disciples in the round-robin tournament draw lots for their opponents tomorrow.

Down in the arena.

The hundred disciples gathered together nervously. Among them, fifty would earn the opportunity to enter the Langya Secret Realm. If anyone secured three victories, they would directly claim a spot. At this moment, everyone couldn’t help but pray that they would draw a weaker opponent.

"Junior Sister," Chang Le’an lowered his voice, saying with a hint of resentment, "I don’t know what underhanded tricks she used, but she actually won again! It would be great if I could draw her this time. I would definitely teach her a lesson for you with my own hands."

Chang Le’an appeared angry on the surface, but inwardly, he was muttering to himself. He knew that if his Cultivation was suppressed to the Foundation Establishment Stage, he might not be a match for Duan Ziyu in a real fight. Yet Li Shuang had actually defeated Duan Ziyu? He wondered if it was possible that she had bribed Duan Ziyu this time too. This Eldest Senior Sister had suddenly become incredibly bizarre!

Ye Zhaozhao forced a smile onto her face. According to her persona, she was supposed to put on a fake show of stopping Chang Le’an, but right now, she wasn’t even in the mood for that.