Liu Wuxie's words rolled outward like a heavy wave, sweeping across the courtyard with undeniable force.

Xiang Rulong and the other students nearly stumbled flat on their faces when they heard him.

After spending the past several days with Liu Wuxie, they had gradually come to understand his temperament. Liu Wuxie handled matters with decisive efficiency and never wasted words on needless pleasantries. He neither skirted around issues nor hid behind ambiguous answers. If the answer was yes, he said yes. If the answer was no, he said no. There was no middle ground and no room for compromise.

Che Yangrong froze on the spot as blood rushed to his face. His expression darkened so quickly that he was on the verge of erupting at any moment. Had Ye Linghan not been standing there, he likely would have already lost control.

Even Ye Linghan was momentarily taken aback. Liu Wuxie hadn't given her any face at all, nor had he bothered to offer so much as a token explanation.

Then again, Che Yangrong had mocked Liu Wuxie first. Otherwise, Liu Wuxie would never have responded so bluntly.

After speaking, Liu Wuxie turned and walked back to his room. He had neither the interest nor the patience to continue wasting time on the two of them.

"Hold it right there!" Che Yangrong snapped as his voice rang through the courtyard.

"Was I not clear enough? I don't need anyone to teach him talisman art, and you can leave if you have nothing else to do here. Don't disrupt their cultivation," Liu Wuxie warned. He had already shown more courtesy than necessary. The students needed to cultivate, and there was no reason for Che Yangrong to remain there any longer.

"A mere assistant mentor like you dares to defy a mentor's order?" Che Yangrong demanded, deliberately wielding his position as an official mentor to pressure Liu Wuxie. After all, assistant mentors held little status within the Azure Flame Dao Hall.

Many students even looked down on assistant mentors, as their duties rarely involved teaching. Most spent their days handling miscellaneous tasks, from transporting supplies and recording information to running errands. Guiding students had always been the responsibility of full-fledged mentors.

However, things worked differently on Ye Linghan's side. The division between mentor and assistant had never been so rigid here, and the two had already discussed those matters long ago.

"Did I defy your order?" Liu Wuxie asked as he turned his gaze toward Ye Linghan.

Without him, Ye Linghan would still have only three students. How could her class possibly have grown to its current scale?

"Mentor Che, please go back for now. I'll discuss this with him and give you an answer later," Ye Linghan said as she turned toward Che Yangrong. She realized that not discussing the matter with Liu Wuxie beforehand had been a mistake.

"No, I can't stand by and watch a mere High Immortal bully you," Che Yangrong replied firmly. How could he possibly leave at a time like this? In his eyes, Liu Wuxie was the one openly bullying Ye Linghan.

A trace of murderous intent flickered across Liu Wuxie's eyes. Nothing disgusted him more than people who judged others solely by their cultivation.

Did possessing lower cultivation mean someone deserved humiliation? Who hadn't climbed step by step upward along the cultivation path? Who in this world had been born an Immortal Emperor? Which supreme expert hadn't once started as an ordinary mortal?

The celestial realm merely offered a far higher starting point than the mortal world. As long as one's talent wasn't too bad, reaching the High Immortal Realm and earning a living was hardly difficult.

"Brat, apologize to Mentor Ye immediately!" Che Yangrong demanded, making it clear that he had no intention of letting the matter end there.

"Why should I apologize when she's being foolish? Since she has made a mistake, she will be the one to bear the consequences," Liu Wuxie shot back without hesitation. Not only did he refuse to apologize, but he also openly criticized Ye Linghan in front of her students.

Ye Linghan was already an adult. She should have thought things through before inviting Che Yangrong. Liu Wuxie had already told her that he would handle Shi Wa's matter.

Had Che Yangrong arrived without ulterior motives, Liu Wuxie might even have appreciated the gesture.

But that clearly wasn't the case.

"What exactly has she done to deserve you speaking to her like this? I will throw you out of the Azure Flame Dao Hall right now," Che Yangrong roared. The moment he saw the grievance in Ye Linghan's expression, he immediately sensed an opportunity to step forward and intervene.

Several students happened to pass by the courtyard at that moment. Hearing the commotion, they stopped in their tracks and turned toward the source of the noise. Evening was approaching, and many students had already finished their classes.

The news spread through the Azure Flame Dao Hall with astonishing speed, like wildfire. Before long, another large crowd gathered outside the courtyard. Barely two days had passed since the previous incident, yet Ye Linghan's courtyard had once again become the center of attention.

Ever since Liu Wuxie had joined the Azure Flame Dao Hall, disturbances seemed to erupt around him every few days. Matters had escalated to the point that if a single day passed without a spectacle involving him, many people would inexplicably feel a sense of emptiness.

"Make me leave the Azure Flame Dao Hall? Someone like you?" Liu Wuxie laughed coldly as he stepped down the stone stairs, a chill gleaming in his eyes.

He hadn't shown hostility toward Che Yangrong from the very beginning, and none of this would have happened had the latter not repeatedly provoked him.

After all, he had already offended quite a few people over the past two days, which was precisely why he had kept such a low profile recently. Whenever he needed to go out and handle matters, he deliberately chose times when the crowds were thinner.

Yet who could have expected trouble to fall from the sky while he was quietly sitting at home?

Bai Jingye stalked him like a tiger waiting to pounce, Tu Zhengbao lingered nearby in search of an opening, and Wei Wenbin continued scheming against him alongside Nangong Shan and the others. Enemies surrounded him.

He did not doubt that if he walked out of the Azure Flame Dao Hall right now, he would very well become a corpse before a single day passed.

That was precisely why he still needed to rely on the Azure Flame Dao Hall for protection while he steadily increased his strength.

The two stood facing one another, neither willing to retreat even half a step.

Che Yangrong intended to teach Liu Wuxie a lesson on Ye Linghan's behalf, while Liu Wuxie naturally had no intention of sitting still and accepting it.

"Assistant Liu, considering that you're only in the High Immortal Realm, I won't bully you. As long as you can walk out of my Three Purity Divine Thunder Talisman, I'll let it go," Che Yangrong said.

With so many spectators gathered around, he had to consider his reputation. If he relied solely on martial strength to suppress Liu Wuxie, people would only say he was bullying the weak.

Liu Wuxie was ultimately Ye Linghan's assistant. If he injured Liu Wuxie, where would that leave Ye Linghan's dignity? Teaching Liu Wuxie a lesson was the most suitable option. He could vent his anger while displaying the strength of his talisman art and showing Shi Wa exactly whose guidance deserved respect.

Before Ye Linghan could stop him, Che Yangrong had already taken out a talisman and unfurled it.

The massive talisman hovered above Liu Wuxie's head as the power of the Three Purity circulated through it, rapidly transforming into divine thunder. This was the Three Purity Divine Thunder Talisman. If Liu Wuxie failed to evade it, he would have no choice but to withstand the attack head-on.

Then again, the strike would not kill Liu Wuxie. At most, it would leave him with minor injuries.

The power of the three purity accelerated as bolts of thunder began descending from the heavens.

Xiang Rulong and the others found their palms damp with sweat on Liu Wuxie's behalf. The instant Shi Wa saw Liu Wuxie in danger because of him, he drew his dagger and prepared to strike.

In Shi Wa's heart, Liu Wuxie had already become his master. Because of that, he trusted Liu Wuxie without the slightest hesitation.

Yet a strange scene unfolded before everyone's eyes. Not a single thunderbolt struck Liu Wuxie after descending. The sight shifted Che Yangrong's expression as the power of the talisman appeared noticeably weaker than before.

Just as Ye Linghan prepared to intervene, Liu Wuxie's voice rang through the courtyard. "Don't bother taking out such garbage to embarrass yourself."

Liu Wuxie calmly walked out of the Three Purity Divine Thunder Talisman without suffering the slightest injury. His composure never wavered from beginning to end, leaving everyone present utterly bewildered.

Ye Linghan narrowed her eyes as she watched the scene unfold, doubt stirring within her heart. Had she completely misjudged Liu Wuxie? Was he also proficient in talisman art? Just what kind of monster was this man? He excelled in martial cultivation, spiritual arrays, and alchemy, yet now he appeared equally accomplished in talisman art. Could such a heaven-defying genius truly exist in this world? For a fleeting moment, she even wondered whether Liu Wuxie was human at all, or if he had come from somewhere beyond the celestial realm.

The Three Purity Divine Thunder Talisman gradually lost its radiance as its energy slowly drained away.

Logically speaking, the Three Purity Divine Thunder Talisman should not have exhausted its power so quickly. Something had clearly happened behind the scenes, something that even Che Yangrong himself failed to notice.

"You actually broke my Three Purity Divine Thunder Talisman?!" Che Yangrong spat out each word through clenched teeth.

For a spiritualist, having a talisman shattered by another person was no different from receiving a loud slap across the face.

"Is there a problem?" Liu Wuxie asked, a faint trace of ridicule lingering at the corners of his lips. Since Che Yangrong had gone out of his way to seek humiliation, Liu Wuxie naturally saw no reason to show him any courtesy.

How could Che Yangrong possibly miss the sarcasm woven into those words? His expression darkened at once, becoming as gloomy as a brewing storm.

Regret quietly surfaced in Ye Linghan's heart. Had she known that Liu Wuxie possessed such attainments in talisman art, she would never have gone through the trouble of seeking out Che Yangrong. Unfortunately, regrets served no purpose now.

"Both of you, that's enough. I'll treat everyone to dinner at the Drunken Fragrance House tonight and settle this matter peacefully," Ye Linghan said. At this point, she only wanted to calm the conflict before it escalated any further.

"Linghan, say no more. I'll teach this arrogant fool a lesson today, no matter what," Che Yangrong declared, completely rejecting her attempt at mediation. The moment he had learned that Ye Linghan had recruited a young man as her assistant mentor, dissatisfaction had already taken root in his heart. He had merely been waiting for an opportunity to come over during the past few days.

Had Liu Wuxie treated him with respect from the start, he might have chosen to overlook everything. However, that hadn't happened. Since Che Yangrong had mocked Liu Wuxie, the latter had openly struck back. As a mentor, Che Yangrong had never suffered such humiliation.

The instant Liu Wuxie heard those words, a flicker of killing intent flashed through his eyes. It seemed that every stray cat and dog within the Azure Flame Dao Hall believed they could step on him.

Che Yangrong immediately produced several talismans. They unfurled in midair and swiftly surrounded Liu Wuxie from every direction.

Ye Linghan knew little about talisman art and had no way of dismantling the talismans to free Liu Wuxie. With no other choice, she could only stop Che Yangrong directly. Without the slightest hesitation, she struck out with a palm, determined to bring the farce to an end.

"Linghan, you're attacking me for the sake of an outsider?" Che Yangrong snapped. He had supposedly stepped forward on her behalf to teach Liu Wuxie a lesson, yet she was siding with Liu Wuxie. The sight completely ignited the fury in his chest. Without hesitation, he raised his palm and neutralized Ye Linghan's attack.

Ye Linghan had never intended to kill him. She merely wanted to stop the conflict. She knew a fight between them would only end in mutual losses. After all, the mentors understood each other's abilities well, and defeating one another was never easy.

The moment the talismans unfolded, a crushing force erupted from them and descended toward Liu Wuxie.

Che Yangrong immediately retreated to one side to avoid any further interference from Ye Linghan. Murderous intent blazed in his eyes as he resolved to kill Liu Wuxie right then and there. In his mind, everything had started because of this brat. Even the relationship he had painstakingly cultivated with Ye Linghan now seemed ruined because of him.

The three talismans occupied three separate positions as violent waves of energy roared outward. Shi Wa and the others stood too close to the battlefield and were instantly blasted away by the released force, crashing heavily into the surrounding wall.

Ye Linghan's expression turned icy. She had never expected Che Yangrong to be the kind of person willing to stop at nothing to achieve his objective.

Liu Wuxie lifted his head and looked toward the three talismans with unconcealed disdain and mocked, "You think these three talismans are enough to kill me? What a joke!" He casually traced a strange rune through the air with his fingertip before flicking it toward the three talismans.