Ding—
Only then did the spirit stone finally hit the ground, rolling to a stop beside Chu Feng’s foot.
“Haha… Looks like I had the upper hand after all…”
Chu Feng said weakly, leaning on his sword as he slowly bent down to pick up the spirit stone and put it into his storage pouch.
A spirit stone was still a spirit stone. Every bit counts, no need to waste it.
Struggling to stand up, Chu Feng watched as the dust before him gradually settled.
Don’t tell me… it’s that “No-injury vs. heavy-injury” trope.
A trace of unease crept into Chu Feng’s heart. That was his strongest move….if it hadn’t done enough damage to Lin Ruo, he was screwed.
“Heh… very good.”
Lin Ruo’s voice rang out.
As the dust fully cleared, although Lin Ruo looked a bit disheveled, his aura wasn’t nearly as depleted as Chu Feng’s. It merely fluctuated slightly.
Faint layers of glowing halos surrounded Lin Ruo’s body, and in his hand was a dirt-colored bead.
Shit!
Chu Feng had failed to land a heavy blow. Just as expected, protagonists are tough to deal with.
“That move just now must’ve drained all your true qi. Now… it’s my turn!”
A cold glint flashed in Lin Ruo’s eyes. He gripped his trident tightly and was about to strike at Chu Feng when—
“Stop! Private duels are forbidden inside the Martial Arts Pavilion!”
A booming voice rang out, and in the next instant, five disciples dressed in identical uniforms appeared one after another.
“Disciplinary Hall’s here! Tsk tsk, that was fast.”
“Hah, now I’m curious to see if the most notorious troublemaker among the new disciples can walk out of this one unscathed.”
“Can’t blame them. This is the first time the Disciplinary Hall has been alarmed by this guy’s antics.”
“Well, think about where we are. This is the Martial Arts Pavilion. If a fight breaks a disciple’s meditation, it’s a serious offense.”
Lin Ruo’s expression darkened. The Disciplinary Hall had arrived far too quickly, and all five enforcers were at least at the third rank. One of them was even fourth rank.
Seeing them, Chu Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
Looks like my luck’s not too bad after all. Hmph, so much for the great protagonist!
Chu Feng wanted to put his hands on his hips in defiance, but at the moment, he was so weak he looked like he had one foot in the grave. If it weren’t for Little Bai acting as a crutch, he’d already be lying flat on the ground.
“You two engaged in an unauthorized duel inside the Martial Arts Pavilion. This is a direct violation of sect rules. Both of you will be taken in to await disciplinary action!”
As the highest-ranked disciple from the Disciplinary Hall gave the order, the other four split into two pairs and escorted Chu Feng and Lin Ruo away.
“Let’s go, let’s go! We have to watch this!”
“Yeah, I want to see if Lin Ruo’s luck still holds out!”
In an instant, a crowd of disciples from the Martial Arts Pavilion started heading toward the Disciplinary Hall, eager to watch the show.
***
At the Disciplinary Hall, besides the five enforcers who had brought Chu Feng and Lin Ruo in, there were also two elders present.
On the way there, Chu Feng managed to recover about 40% of his true qi. He could walk without aching legs or a sore back now!
From the disciples’ whispers, Chu Feng learned the names of the two elders. The one in yellow robes was Elder Mo, and the one in white robes was Elder Qiu.
Pa!
A wooden gavel slammed down with a sharp crack as Elder Mo began the inquiry.
“Name.”
“Lin Ruo.”
“Chu Feng.”
At the mention of Lin Ruo’s name, Elder Mo raised an eyebrow. Among the new disciples this year, Lin Ruo was the most outstanding. Or rather, he was the most exceptional disciple the Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect had seen in the past hundred years.
As for Chu Feng? Never heard of him. Probably just another ordinary disciple.
“It is strictly forbidden to duel inside the Martial Arts Pavilion. This is clearly stated in the sect rules. Both of you have violated the regulations. You are to spend one month reflecting at Broken Blade Cliff and each pay a fine of 100 spirit stones. However…”
As Elder Mo spoke, his gaze shifted to Lin Ruo. At that moment, Lin Ruo “accidentally” revealed the token that the Ninth Elder had given him the night before. Elder Mo’s eyes widened slightly. Then, as if on cue, his tone changed.
“However, since you’re both newcomers to the Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect and may not yet be familiar with all the rules… Lin Ruo, you are exempt from the reflection punishment. A fine of 50 spirit stones will suffice.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Feng thought,
Okay, Elder Mo isn’t too bad. Fifty spirit stones. I can grit my teeth and pay that. From now on, whenever I see Lin Ruo, I’m saying nothing and running!
“…As for you, Chu Feng. One month of reflection at Broken Blade Cliff still stands. On top of that, you’ll pay an additional 50 spirit stones as moral compensation to Lin Ruo.”
As soon as Elder Mo finished, Chu Feng was dumbfounded.
“Wait! I object! I don’t accept this verdict!”
Chu Feng immediately exploded. What the hell? So the protagonist really does have plot armor everywhere he goes?! I’m not buying it!
His eyes turned to Elder Qiu, looking for support. But Elder Qiu averted his gaze. He had also seen Lin Ruo flash the Ninth Elder’s token just now. As an ordinary elder, how could he dare to cross someone backed by the Ninth Elder?
“Objection overruled. Take him away!”
Pa!
Elder Mo slammed the gavel once more, signaling the two Disciplinary Hall disciples to step forward and take Chu Feng away.
Seeing such blatant injustice, Chu Feng decided there was no point in pretending anymore.
Fine. I tried to live like an ordinary disciple, and this is the thanks I get….bias, unfairness, and bullying. Alright then, cards on the table… My master is none other than the Moonlight Sword Fairy!
The next moment, Chu Feng pulled out the token his master had given him upon accepting him as a disciple.
Swish!
As soon as the token appeared, Elder Mo’s eyes locked onto it.
This token… looks awfully familiar.
Wait a second…that’s the personal token of a direct disciple of the Moonlight Sword Fairy!
In a flash, Elder Qiu who had been doing his best impression of a background character sprang to his feet. Clearly, he too recognized the unmistakable symbol that belonged solely to the famed direct disciples of the Moonlight Sword Fairy.
“Hold on!”
Elder Mo quickly stopped the two enforcers who were about to seize Chu Feng.
He then hastily cast a sound blocking formation, followed by a visual concealment formation, shielding the area from prying eyes and ears.
“The Moonlight Sword Fairy… what is she to you?”
Elder Mo asked cautiously, his voice tight with nervousness. Though he had already guessed the answer, he couldn’t help hoping he was wrong.
Because if it was true… this was bad. Very bad.
One of them was backed by the Ninth Elder.
The other… by the Moonlight Sword Fairy.
And between those two?
Neither was someone you could afford to offend.
After Chu Feng took out the token and saw Elder Mo’s attitude suddenly change, he said, “Since you’re asking so directly, I’ll be honest. Moonlight Sword Fairy is my master.”
Upon hearing this, Elder Mo and Elder Qiu felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in their minds.
The Moonlight Sword Fairy really is his master!
“Hehe, young friend, about earlier….I’ve been a bit irritable lately, and I’ve lost my temper a little. I hope you won’t take it to heart,” Elder Mo quickly explained.
At the same time, in Elder Mo’s mind, This is bad. Everyone knows the Moonlight Sword Fairy is fiercely protective of her disciples. If she finds out how I treated him just now, won’t I be…?
No! I can’t just sit here and wait for doom!
That’s it! I just have to keep this under wraps!
As long as Chu Feng doesn’t leave the Disciplinary Hall, everything will be fine!
While offering his explanation, Elder Mo quietly began circulating his qi.
Seeing Elder Mo’s new attitude, Chu Feng smiled and said, “Actually, I preferred the arrogant version of you from a moment ago.”
Just as Chu Feng finished speaking—
Boom!
Suddenly, Elder Mo struck. His qi condensed into a giant hand, reaching toward Chu Feng.
Chu Feng couldn’t believe it. He had already revealed his identity, and the other party still dared to make a move!
You’re not playing by the rules at all!
Caught completely off guard, Chu Feng had no time to react. Just as the giant hand was about to grab him, Little Bai suddenly flew out from his storage pouch.
Little Bai’s blade positioned itself in front of Chu Feng, blocking Elder Mo’s attack.
And of course, Little Bai was instantly recognized. It was the personal sword of the Moonlight Sword Fairy!
That single strike shattered both the sound and visual concealment formations.
Moments later, a terrifying aura descended upon the Disciplinary Hall.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In an instant, numerous elders of the Disciplinary Hall flew out.
At that moment, a stunningly beautiful woman appeared in everyone’s line of sight.
As they gazed at her elegant figure, some were shocked, some mesmerized, some fearful, and others deeply wary.
But in that moment, everyone shared the same thought—
The Moonlight Sword Fairy!
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