Chapter 27: No Objections Allowed

"Trash! Don’t think you’re safe just because you’re hiding behind a woman!" Wu Yubai’s thunderous roar echoed as he charged forward.

Sensing Wu Yubai’s imposing aura, Mo Qianqian didn’t idle. Clenching his fists, he channeled his surging inner strength and instantly darted in front of Shi Muyao, throwing a punch directly at Wu Yubai.

Wu Yubai was somewhat surprised. He had thought he would need to blast Shi Muyao away before he could attack Mo Qianqian. He never expected the trash to still possess such incredible speed, allowing him to dash in front of the girl. It seemed the former rank one of the Hidden Dragon List truly had some skills left; even after being crippled, his combat instincts remained astonishingly sharp.

He hadn’t put his full power into this strike, as he never intended to kill Shi Muyao with a single blow. However, it was more than enough to deal with a crippled piece of trash. He didn’t want to kill Mo Qianqian instantly anyway. Instead, he wanted to force this former number one on the Hidden Dragon List to kneel before him and call him ’Granddaddy’.

"Hah!" Wu Yubai roared, meeting Mo Qianqian’s punch head-on with his own.

BAM!

A loud collision echoed out. The overwhelming force left Wu Yubai’s fist completely numb, violently blasting him several yards back. Mo Qianqian, on the other hand, stood rooted to the spot, completely unfazed.

"You..." Shock colored Wu Yubai’s face, quickly morphing into sheer disbelief. "How is this possible? How can your combat instincts be this strong?"

The other disciples were equally horrified. Was Senior Yubai really knocked back by a piece of trash? How could this be?

"You call me trash, yet you can’t even defeat a piece of trash. Still refuse to admit that ranking one hundredth on the Hidden Dragon List makes you nothing but the bottom of the barrel?" Mo Qianqian mocked.

"Hmph! Do you really think a bit of combat instinct is enough to stop me, Mo Qianqian? I was holding back just now!" Wu Yubai flew into a humiliated rage. "Today, I will make the former number one of the Hidden Dragon List kneel before me!"

With that, an even more powerful aura erupted from Wu Yubai’s body as he charged at Mo Qianqian once again.

"Come call me your granddaddy!"

Inside Mo Qianqian’s body, the World-Destroying Heaven-Shattering Technique was already circulating. His physical form appeared perfectly calm, but his blood was boiling as explosive power surged within him.

"Stop!"

Just as they were about to clash, a thunderous shout interrupted them. An elderly figure sprinted rapidly toward the center of the conflict.

"Elder Tan!" Wu Yubai gasped, hastily halting his momentum and aborting his attack on Mo Qianqian.

Seeing that Wu Yubai was no longer charging, Mo Qianqian stood his ground. He didn’t rush to strike, instead shifting his gaze to the approaching Elder. The newcomer was a gray-haired old man with a grim, heavy expression. He looked at the two of them.

"It’s not entirely impossible for the Yuling Sect to recruit the two of you," the gray-haired Elder said. "However, the Yuling Sect does not accept trash. You may join, but Mo Qianqian..."

Hearing this, Shi Muyao’s face lit up with joy. She quickly interjected, "Mo Qianqian isn’t trash! He is now a Body Cultivator, a First Realm Fourth Level Body Cultivator."

"A Body Cultivator? First Realm Fourth Level?" The gray-haired Elder was genuinely stunned.

Body cultivation was notoriously difficult; those who succeeded were geniuses among geniuses. Even the entire Yuling Sect didn’t have a single Body Cultivator. Could it be that Mo Qianqian, whose crippling by the Ling Family had been the talk of the town recently, had actually become a Body Cultivator?

It wasn’t just the gray-haired Elder who was shocked; Wu Yubai, Sun Yuerong, and the rest of the disciples also wore expressions of absolute astonishment.

Mo Qianqian hadn’t relied on mere combat instincts just now? He had actually become a Body Cultivator, a First Realm Fourth Level Body Cultivator capable of matching someone with a Spirit Vein Realm Eighth-Layer Cultivation?

"Very well. You may join our Yuling Sect," the gray-haired Elder said, his gaze shifting to Mo Qianqian with an inexplicable gleam. "However, there is one condition.

"And that condition is turning Mo Qianqian over to the Ling Family.

"I imagine the Ling Family would be extremely interested in a crippled Mo Qianqian who has managed to resume his cultivation. They would gladly pay a heavy price to reward the Yuling Sect."

"You..." Shi Muyao froze, disbelief washing over her face. Hadn’t everything been fine just a moment ago? Hadn’t he just invited her to join the Yuling Sect? Shouldn’t knowing that Mo Qianqian was a Body Cultivator make them value him even more and allow him to enter the sect as well? Why would discovering his identity as a Body Cultivator suddenly prompt them to use him as a bargaining chip and hand him over to the Ling Family?

"No! I don’t agree to this. If it comes down to it, we just won’t join the Yuling Sect!" Shi Muyao retorted.

The gray-haired Elder sneered. "Heh, I’m afraid you don’t have a say in the matter. Now that he’s here, there’s no escaping!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a formidable aura surged from the gray-haired Elder’s body, its oppressive weight enveloping both Shi Muyao and Mo Qianqian.

Shi Muyao’s expression drastically changed. Mo Qianqian narrowed his eyes.

He thought to himself, "Want to use me to extort benefits from the Ling Family? This Yuling Sect Elder is quite greedy."

At the same time, he sighed inwardly. Shi Muyao was simply too naive, exposing his trump card without a second thought. The Yuling Sect Elder had clearly been fishing for information, but Shi Muyao had spoken far too quickly for him to do anything about it.

At this moment, Mo Qianqian was already prepared to activate his Spirit Body for a surprise attack. This Yuling Sect Elder was at the advanced stages of the Spirit Profound Realm and posed a massive threat. In a head-on fight, neither his Body Cultivator abilities nor his Spirit Body could possibly match the old man. His only hope lay in launching a successful sneak attack using his Spirit Body. He would only have a single opportunity to strike.

"Qianqian, I’m so sorry..." Deeply regretful, Shi Muyao unleashed her own aura as she glared at the gray-haired Elder. With a look of absolute determination, she shouted, "You go first!"

"Hahaha! Now that Elder Tan is making a move, do you really think you have any chance of escaping?" Wu Yubai burst into laughter, his face dripping with thick sarcasm.

They were merely in the Spirit Vein Realm. Trying to flee from an expert in the Spirit Profound Realm? It was an absolute joke!

"Heh. It would be laughable if I actually let you escape my grasp!" The gray-haired Elder was just about to strike.

Shi Muyao immediately pulled out a certain Token and shouted sharply, "This is the Token of the Yuling Sect’s former Sect Leader! Do you dare lay a hand on us?"

"You think a mere Token is enough to frighten me?" The gray-haired Elder paid it absolutely no heed.

But right at that moment, an authoritative and mature female voice echoed through the air. "Stop!"

Following the command, a middle-aged woman dressed in white glided through the air and landed nearby. She possessed striking facial features and an otherworldly elegance, radiating an inviolable aura of absolute authority just by standing there.