Chapter 24: The Eve Before Dawn

Amidst Ji-ji’s cheers, Jing Yue forced his way violently through to the Law Enforcement Hall.

Sure enough, the person on duty belonged to the Primary faction. If Jing Yue remembered correctly, his surname was Chen.

Warden Chen seemed to be quite old. The post of warden was usually held by elderly core disciples of the Golden Core stage that had no hope of advancing in their cultivation. He slowly said, “Who is there? What is it?”

Jing Yue did not believe that he did not hear the commotion outside, but the other party feigned ignorance.

“This disciple is Jing Shan. I want to report the Gu family of Credence City for seizing the spirit mine of another sect under the banner of Frostcloud Sect.”

Warden Chen, “You’re Jing Shan?”

“Yes, I am.”

Warden Chen’s gaze fell on him and Jing Shan bore his scrutiny. After a moment, Warden Chen said, “Tell me the details.”

Jing Yue told him everything that had happened, and finally said, “I don’t know if there is any hidden information about this matter, so the Law Enforcement Hall needs to investigate and verify the details.”

Warden Chen did not reveal his thoughts but merely said, “Mm, I understand.”

However, Jing Yue noticed that his little finger tapped on the armrest of his chair unconsciously, which showed that his heart was in turmoil.

“This disciple will take his leave.”

Not long after Jing Yue had left, Warden Chen came out from the Law Enforcement Hall.

Liu Tianhao limped as he walked forward. He dared not interrupt the discussion between Jing Shan and the warden just now, but he could not help but lodge a complaint now.

Without even waiting for him to get closer, Warden Chen waved his sleeves and slammed Liu Tianhao against the wall. The blood in his body surged and Liu Tianhao spat a mouthful of blood.

Liu Tianhao was startled as he heard Warden Chen said, “Stupid fool! How can you afford to obstruct such a major event?”

He then left in a great hurry.

Liu Tianhao stared at the warden’s back, emotions full of fright, confusion and despair, and he hated Jing Shan even more.

In the next few days, many gossips started circulating within the sect.

Some said the Sect Leader was very angry that the disciples lost to Mauve Aurora Sect, others said the defeated core disciples were severely punished and sent to the spirit mine for hard labor. Whether the news was true or false, it was very eye-catching. The one that attracted everyone’s attention the most was the fact that a few warden positions in the inner gates belonging to the Noble faction were dismissed by the Primary faction, and even the Civilian faction had benefitted from this event.

Upon hearing this, Jing Yue immediately understood that Warden Chen did not follow the books, but instead, exchanged interests with the other two factions.

Everyone else in the dormitory was happy with this outcome and no one thought that it was wrong. In their hearts, consolidating the interests of the factions was far better than safeguarding the sect system.

This situation should have made Jing Yue angry, but he remained calm. He already had a plan that could only be executed once the Patriarch Initiation Ceremony was over.

Of course, the Gu family that caused heavy losses to the Noble faction was the most unfortunate. According to rumors, not only were they forced to return the spirit mine to Ministone Gate, but they also had to fork out most of the family property as compensation. The members of the clan were also held in contempt by the Noble faction, and even Gu Xia, whom everyone had high hopes for, was sent to the Schism Ocean to fight against the Yao tribe.

The Gu family had already ended up in such a sorry state, so could Liu Xiaoxiao, who instigated everything in the first place, be unscathed? Both she and her Shixiong were stripped of their cultivation, but the Gu family did not drive them away, merely allowed them to stay as slaves, doing the dirtiest and most disgusting jobs, and anyone could bully them.

Liu Xiaoxiao had struggled to find ways and means to achieve the path of Dao, but in the end, it was nothing but a dream.

Blue phoenix was the one that found out about the Gu family when it went down the mountains, but Jing Yue was not concerned at all. A month later, the grand ceremony drew closer, and Frostcloud Sect opened its door to welcome the guests who came here for the celebration.

The gossips that circulated among the disciples changed every day. Today, it was about which fairy had the most unparalleled beauty; tomorrow, about which Zhenren had the most distinguished presence, or about some small sects that had never seen the world and embarrassed themselves, or which big sects with animosity had bumped into each other and created opportunities to compete with one another.

In the morning class today, the lecturer imparted knowledge about cultivation as usual, but the minds of many disciples already drifted out to the sky. Jing Yue occasionally glanced at the unfocused Yu Xiaobao and wondered what he was thinking about.

At the end of the class, one disciple suddenly approached Jing Yue. “Jing-shidi, I’d like to have a spar with you again, still using the basic sword technique of Frostcloud Sect.”

Jing Yue turned around. Looked familiar…

Oh! It was Mu Feng whom he had defeated the last time. The other party glared at him scorchingly, seemingly very confident that he would pick up where he left off.

At this moment, everyone at the scene looked at them, and even the lecturer’s face was filled with glee as if he was ready to lecture Jing Yue if he refused. With that, Jing Yue knew that he came prepared and would not take no for an answer.

Of course, he was not going to decline either. He also wanted to see what tricks these people had up their sleeves.

“Okay.”

Mu Feng was taken aback. He did not expect the other party to agree so readily. The speech he had prepared was jammed in his throat, and he felt very uncomfortable for a long while.

Just when Jing Yue stood up, the hem of his clothes was lightly tugged. He turned around and saw Yu Xiaobao with an uneasy expression. “Be careful.”

Jing Yue paused for a moment before nodding slightly.

The two stepped on the arena one after another and paid their greetings to each other.

Mu Feng scrutinized his opponent. After a few months, the other party did not seem to have changed much, but his heart trembled. He could not forget the stunning purple sword glare which had almost become his heart demon, always flashing before his eyes unexpectedly.

He was taken into Frostcloud Sect at the age of seven and devoted himself to cultivation since then. In the past two decades, he never slacked for a single day, and to fortify his foundation at the Absolute level, he deliberately remained at level-3 Qi Refining stage for several years.

Everyone praised his steadfast determination and never eager for quick success. He had thought so too. However, after that day, when he saw the sword glare, he knew that his heart was shaken for the first time.

That strike was too perfect, a skill he could never achieve, and the person who unleashed this technique was only a pint-sized boy at level-1 Qi Refining stage.

Since then, Mu Feng had practiced fiercely, but the result was abysmal as if he could not be as good as his opponent no matter how much he practiced.

He knew that his state of mind had been severely affected, so his cultivation had not improved even one bit in this duration. He must break free of this curse!

And his only way out was to defeat Jing Shan, by hook or by crook!

Hence, he launched his attack.

Mu Feng did not hold back when he made his move, but Jing Yue did not give him any respite like the last time. Instead, he calmly responded to each move. Jing Yue felt that today’s match was not so simple, and the opponent in front of him also seemed a little off.

Mu Feng pressed harder but Jing Yue never backed down. The spectators in the audience could clearly see that Mu Feng had tried his best but the opponent just held his ground calmly.

“What’s wrong with Mu-shixiong? Was he trying to humiliate himself?”

“I don’t know. I thought he had some big tricks to show, but there seems to be no difference?”

“Jing Shan is very strong. If I went up against Mu-shixiong, I estimate that I can’t even last one strike.”

Everyone discussed endlessly, but Jing Yue suddenly faltered. Mu Feng’s eyes had turned blood red at some point, and the spiritual energy in the surrounding area surged like a dense cloud and formed little spiritual vortexes around him.

“Ah! Is Mu-shixiong going to advance?”

Everyone stared at Mu Feng unblinkingly. They could see the spiritual energy rushing into Mu Feng’s body, and driven by the spiritual current, Jing Shan’s swordplay gradually became slower, obviously facing great obstructions.

There were sudden loud bursts like beans popping. It was Mu Feng’s bones undergoing tempering. The muscles on his arms bulged and his sleeves ripped apart from the pressure, revealing the wheat-colored skin underneath.

At this moment, the spiritual energy absorbed by Mu Feng’s body had reached a critical level, and he even felt a slight pain in his Dantian as if it was about to explode. With a loud roar, the spiritual energy that centered on him erupted, and waves of golden light rippled through the air.

Oh no! Mu Feng had advanced!

Jing Yue felt that the spiritual energy had turned into thousands of sharp weapons, shooting towards him with a bitter chill, trying to pierce his skin! The Purple Wood Sword in his hand danced unceasingly to counter the attacks, but there were still a few that slipped through his defense and cut wounds on him.

Just at this time, Mu Feng had finally reached level-4 Qi Refining. From the low-level to the mid-level, the spiritual power in his body had more than doubled. He was filled with confidence and launched a strike at his opponent!

Clang!

Jing Yue blocked his attack and sparks flew when the two swords collided. He felt that his opponent had become infinitely powerful. The back of Jing Yue’s hand suffered the brunt of the impact and blood flowed, dyeing his palm red, and he almost lost control of his sword.

No way! This was not the strength that should be displayed by a level-4 Qi Refining cultivator!

Jing Yue’s face was solemn as he observed Mu Feng carefully. Now, the opponent’s offensive was several times more aggressive, but suddenly, he seemed to be ignorant of basic swordsmanship. There was no flow between the moves and no logic behind each strike, completely different from his previous style.

Mu Feng moved faster and his momentum became more vigorous, firmly suppressing his opponent. But his breathing became more labored, his face turned from red to green, and he looked like a zombie.

“Die!”

His voice was hoarse, eyes wide and bulging. The corners of his eyes burst suddenly, leaving two trails of bloody tears, his blood vessels protruded under his exposed skin, as if it might rupture into exploding fireworks at any time.

Jing Yue’s heart thumped heavily. He did not know why Mu Feng became like this, but he did know if Mu Feng continued, his body would explode within 15 minutes!

A cloud of lightning gathered in his palm, constantly shrinking and contracting until it became the size of a baby’s fist. Then, he flipped his palm and with a thrust, the Palm Lightning technique hit Mu Feng squarely in the chest with a loud bang.

Mu Feng was already at his limit. Under the impact of the lightning strike, he immediately fell into a dead faint, his skin blasted open with a burnt smell.

“What are you doing?!”

The disciples of the Primary faction swarmed the stage and surrounded Jing Yue. The lecturer also pounced and grabbed Jing Yue’s wrist.

“You! How dare you kill your fellow disciple! So vicious!”

Jing Yue skillfully broke free from that hold, brandished his Purple Wood Sword horizontally, and the people blocking in front of him fell one after another. Jing Yue walked up to Mu Feng to check on his condition.

At this moment, Mu Feng’s breathing was weak as if he could die at any time.

Jing Yue found remnants of a very potent drug that still remained effective in the opponent’s body. Even more frightening was, Mu Feng’s meridians in his entire body had been severed, and his Dantian had been destroyed!