Those who do not reach Foundation Establishment are but ants!

Feeling the unfathomable power of a Foundation Establishment Master’s intervention up close once more, Qi Yun’s craving for the Foundation Establishment Realm grew even more fierce.

However, just then, the sudden feeling of being watched made Qi Yun uneasy.

He looked in the direction of the sensation.

To his surprise, the Outer Mansion Disciples below—who should have been in a frenzy from the Six Desires Enchanting Powder—were all staring intently at him.

’Hm? How are they all clear-headed now?’

’A five-fold dose should have lasted for at least several hours...’

’It was Black Mountain Master!’

Qi Yun instantly understood. It had to be that damned Black Mountain Master who had double-crossed him again. While rescuing Yue Rong, he had also casually neutralized the Six Desires Enchanting Powder within the other Outer Mansion Disciples.

’You son of a...’

Qi Yun almost cursed aloud, clenching his fists as his mind raced, trying to figure out how to escape.

But then, he happened to notice the expressions in the eyes of the lucid Outer Mansion Disciples.

There was no hatred, no rage. Instead, the eyes of nearly every disciple held a mixture of awe and apprehension...

Slightly taken aback, Qi Yun instantly realized what was happening.

’I see. The Six Desires Enchanting Powder only amplified their desires; it didn’t cloud their consciousness.’

’So these Outer Mansion Disciples clearly saw me fight a grueling battle against Yue Rong and utterly defeat him.’

’They’re... afraid of me?!’

Who was Yue Rong?

A Foundation Establishment Heir!

He cultivated a Master’s Dharma Lineage. During the last examination, his tyrannical and unstoppable presence, like a force sweeping through an army, had left an indelible scar on many of those present. He had personally "eliminated" quite a few of them from the competition!

And just moments ago, this arrogant and tyrannical Foundation Establishment Heir had been defeated, head-on, by the very person they had all dismissed as an incompetent Champion Scholar who’d just gotten incredibly lucky.

What more proof did they need?

After a brief silence, the bald-headed, bald-eyebrowed disciple who had been the first to leap into the Old Dragon Pool cupped his fists in salute to Qi Yun and roared in a thunderous voice:

"Champion Scholar!"

That single cry was like a boulder dropped into a placid lake. The expressions on the faces of the other disciples shifted, and the last traces of hesitation in their eyes vanished.

Gazing at the bald disciple bowing before him, Qi Yun’s eyes flickered. He forced the meager amount of Innate True Qi he had recovered to circulate and demanded in a deep voice:

"What did you call me? I can’t hear you!"

His resonant challenge, carrying the residual might from his victory over a powerful foe, was utterly soul-stirring!

In an instant!

It was as if an invisible force shoved the Outer Mansion Disciples who were still hesitating. They all bowed their heads and offered a solemn, cupped-fist salute. Their scattered shouts quickly synchronized, merging into a roaring wave:

"Champion Scholar!"

"Champion Scholar!"

"Champion Scholar!"

The chain reaction was complete. One after another, the Outer Mansion Disciples bowed in submission. In that moment, a mysterious aura seemed to descend and settle upon Qi Yun, making him radiate a heavy, awe-inspiring majesty.

"Hahaha, good!

Take these, a reward for you all!"

Qi Yun took the Enlightenment Bells he’d retrieved from his Storage Pouch, and with a grand wave of his hand, he tossed out twenty of them.

Seeing the handfuls of Enlightenment Bells tossed out, the Outer Mansion Disciples scrambled to grab them. Wasn’t this the very thing they had traveled thousands of miles, fought life-and-death battles, and risked everything for?!

The scene instantly descended back into chaos. A mad scramble erupted, even more fierce and chaotic than their earlier search for the bells beneath the water.

The crowd, which had only just settled down, was on the verge of fighting again over the bells.

By the time the disciples finally stopped their squabbling—some grinning, others grumbling and cursing—they looked back up to where Qi Yun had been.

But the spot was empty.

Only the whistling of the mountain wind and the drizzle of falling rain remained.

...

Moving like a clear wind, Qi Yun painstakingly circulated the little Innate True Qi he had recovered, infusing it into his legs to hasten his steps.

The Disciples of the Holy Sect were not to be trifled with.

Although he had temporarily intimidated them with his feat of defeating Yue Rong in a direct confrontation...

...once those young wolves came to their senses, they would surely realize that after such a battle, he must be at his limit.

At that point... it wouldn’t matter if he was the Champion Scholar; not even his own father showing up could save him.

That was why he had to use the Enlightenment Bells to distract them and make a safe escape.

’You only need one Enlightenment Bell to enter the Hall of All Laws. Any more are useless...’ Qi Yun patted his chest, trying to console himself, but a throbbing vein on his forehead betrayed his true feelings.

’Damn it! Twenty whole Enlightenment Bells.’

’If I took those back to the Holy Sect, I could’ve named my price and extorted a fortune from them!’

After holding it in for a good while, Qi Yun finally couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He gritted his teeth and cursed bitterly.

In the little black book of grudges he kept in his mind, he added another mark next to Black Mountain Master’s name.

Traveling at top speed, Qi Yun didn’t take the direct route back to the Wuji Holy Sect. Instead, he headed in a completely different direction, arriving at a bustling mortal town.

’I have to go back to the Holy Sect, of course.’

’But I absolutely can’t go back in this exhausted state.’

’As a Holy Sect Disciple, it doesn’t take a genius to know that countless old vultures are lurking around the Holy Sect Mountain Gate, waiting to play the oriole. They’re just waiting for those of us who won Enlightenment Bells to walk right into their traps so they can ambush us.’

’I have plenty of time. I’ll head back to the Holy Sect once I’ve fully recovered.’ Alighting beside a stream just outside of town, Qi Yun swapped his blood-stained white robes for a set of simple, gray-blue clothes from his Storage Pouch.

He changed his clothes, tied up his hair, and washed his face. After he was done, the formidable Holy Sect Champion Scholar with his menacing aura was gone.

In his place stood a young, wealthy scholar with gentle features and a bookish air.

Gazing down at his reflection in the stream, Qi Yun nodded in satisfaction.

’Honestly, my looks in this life are quite outstanding.’

’Gentle bone structure, yet sharp, well-defined features.’

’Coupled with the fact that this was his second life, his eyes held a composure far beyond his years. And after so long in the Holy Sect, a hint of wickedness would occasionally flash in them.’

’Out in the secular world, I’d probably charm countless beautiful maidens.’

"A great hermit hides in the city, a lesser hermit hides in the forest.

This place is next to a major county. People from the Sects won’t cause trouble here. It’s the perfect place for me to recover my cultivation in peace."

Qi Yun hadn’t chosen this resting spot on a whim. He had already planned it out on his way to the Old Dragon Pool.

The Court was currently in its golden age.

The Dynasty’s fortune was at its zenith.

Its power extended to the furthest corners of the world!

Even a Demon Dao behemoth like the Wuji Holy Sect would not provoke the Court for no reason.

So, compared to the desolate wilderness where few people tread, this town was a far better place to hide.

With everything in order, Qi Yun was about to walk toward the town when an extremely faint, yet strangely familiar, aura drifted into his senses on the wind.

"This is..."

A flicker of surprise crossed his face. Qi Yun snapped his head up to gaze at the town in the distance and whispered uncertainly:

"Demon Qi?"

...