Chapter 5

【Third update! Merry Christmas Eve! Please give me red tickets!】

In the blink of an eye, several months had passed, and now there was only one month left until the Outer Sect Competition.

Since choosing a cultivation technique in the Scripture Hall, several geniuses had emerged among the Outer Sect disciples, making rapid progress. For example, Murong Zhen, who had the fastest cultivation speed in the Outer Sect, was now at the peak of the Seventh Stage of Battle Qi, and could break through to the Eighth Stage at any time.

As for those who had reached the Seventh Stage of Battle Qi, there were more than a dozen, including Yun Ao, who always followed Murong Zhen.

And those who had reached the Sixth and Fifth Stages of Battle Qi were too numerous to count.

To make such great progress in just a few months made many of the high-ranking officials in the Xuanjian Sect exclaim that this generation of Outer Sect disciples was worth focusing on for cultivation.

As for Bai Yang, since he chose the Dream Entering Sutra in the Scripture Hall a few months ago, no one had paid attention to him anymore.

A genius with withered bloodlines was not worth much attention.

Bai Yang, however, was happy to be ignored. He woke up from his dream as usual, completed his morning cultivation, felt the increasing Battle Qi in his body, and smiled slightly before getting up to cook in the kitchen.

Compared to a few months ago, he was now a different person, but he still went to the kitchen to cook every day. More importantly, he wanted to help Old Liu with some of the work.

When he arrived at the kitchen, Old Liu saw Bai Yang from afar and rushed over to him, lowering his voice to ask, "Kid, have you broken through yet?"

Bai Yang smiled and extended his hand, making a gesture that everything was fine.

Old Liu was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed with joy, "Great, you must be at the Seventh Stage of Battle Qi now, right?"

Bai Yang nodded, then walked to his position to wash and cut vegetables, which made Old Liu furious. He grabbed Bai Yang, "You're at the Seventh Stage of Battle Qi, why are you still cooking? You should hurry up and prepare for the Outer Sect Competition!"

"I'm not interested in the sect competition," Bai Yang shook his head. Since his bloodlines had withered, his personality had changed, making him less competitive and ambitious than a typical young man.

"But why do you cultivate then? Don't forget, cultivation is about competing with others and challenging the heavens. If you don't have the fighting spirit, how will you advance on the path of cultivation?" Old Liu scolded him.

Bai Yang paused for a moment, his eyes showing a hint of passion, but after a while, he said, "Even if I participate, I can't defeat those geniuses with family support."

"Hehe, don't forget, you used to be a better genius than them!" Old Liu patted Bai Yang's shoulder, about to continue comforting him, but at that moment, a laborer ran over and whispered a few words in his ear, making Old Liu's face change. He said to Bai Yang, "Wait here, I'll be back soon."

With that, he hurriedly rushed out.

Bai Yang didn't think much about it and continued cooking quietly.

Now, with the Seventh Stage of Battle Qi, his physical condition was far better than before. Tasks that were once difficult for him were now easy and effortless.

It wasn't until the last dish was taken away by a laborer that Bai Yang noticed Old Liu hadn't returned. Feeling a bit puzzled, he slowly walked out.

"Manager Zhao, please give me a few more days. I really can't afford the tribute."

At the back door of the kitchen, Old Liu stood in front of a middle-aged man with a cold expression, bowing and begging for mercy.

And behind the middle-aged man were none other than Murong Zhen and Yun Ao!

"Old man, it's not that I'm unreasonable, but look, the Outer Sect Competition is about to start. If you delay Murong Young Master's cultivation, do you think your life is enough to compensate?" The middle-aged man with a cold expression said sharply and sarcastically, "Cultivation also requires money. You useless people who can't cultivate, we only look at your meager monthly tribute because you still have some value. If one day you have no value, you will be swept out of the sect like garbage!"

"This, Manager Zhao, Young Master Murong, if you only want my monthly tribute, it's fine, but if you want the tribute of everyone in the kitchen, I really can't make that decision!" Old Liu bit his lip and said in a low voice, "Manager Zhao, can you give me a few more days? I will definitely gather enough tribute to pay."

"Give you a few more days? The sect competition is about to start, and you still want me to give you a few more days?" Manager Zhao kicked Old Liu away, then kicked him in the face, making Old Liu groan in pain, his eyes blackening as he curled up on the ground.

Manager Zhao still felt unsatisfied and kicked Old Liu several more times, making the poor Old Liu, an ordinary person who couldn't cultivate, almost faint from the kicks of Manager Zhao, who was already at the Fifth Stage of Battle Qi. He had no ability to resist and could only curl up on the ground, begging for mercy.

After a while, Manager Zhao stopped kicking and pointed at the curled-up Old Liu, shouting, "You dog-like thing, I see that being the kitchen manager has made you arrogant! Tomorrow, I will suggest to Elder Zhao that you be expelled from the sect. I want to see who dares not pay tribute without you, this old dog, blocking the way!"

Old Liu's face turned pale, filled with sorrow.

Murong Zhen and Yun Ao, standing behind Manager Zhao, maintained a look of indifference, not even speaking to stop the beating of Old Liu, who was being kicked like a stray dog.

To them, a mere kitchen manager who couldn't cultivate was no better than a slave. A slave, a lower-class person, what difference would it make if he were kicked or even killed?

Murong Zhen stared at the trembling Old Liu and smiled slightly, "Old man, I'm not unreasonable. It's just one month's tribute, it won't cost those people their lives. They eat and drink well in the sect, where do they need money and resources? They just send it home to support those who can't cultivate and are useless. Instead of wasting the tribute, why not give it to me? Don't you think so?"

At this moment, Yun Ao also sneered, "Old man, if you keep stalling, we don't know what Manager Zhao will do next."

"Please, give me a few more days, I beg you, just a few more days!" Old Liu suddenly got up, knelt on the ground, and bowed repeatedly to the three men.

The people in the kitchen were all Outer Sect disciples who had no hope of cultivation. Most of their families were not wealthy, and their families had gone to great lengths to send them to the Xuanjian Sect, hoping for a better future.

The higher-ups in the Xuanjian Sect knew this, so they did not send all the disciples who couldn't cultivate back to their hometowns. Places like the kitchen were where these disciples without cultivation talent were accommodated.

The Xuanjian Sect was not short of money, so the monthly tribute of these disciples was not meager. The silver they could send home each month was quite substantial, and those who had to support their elderly parents at home relied on it for a living, working diligently for the Xuanjian Sect.

But now, because the Xuanjian Sect had explicitly forbidden family support in the Outer Sect Competition, Murong Zhen, in order to buy a spirit medicine to break through his Battle Qi, had set his sights on these Outer Sect laborers who had no ability to resist.

Old Liu was so insistent because most of the people in the kitchen came from poor families, and many relied on their monthly tribute to treat their seriously ill relatives at home. If Murong Zhen took away their tribute, it would be no different from murder.

Therefore, Old Liu would rather be kicked, insulted, and forced to kneel and bow, than to take this step.

Old Liu's head hit the ground again, scraping off a layer of skin, and blood and tears flowed down his wrinkled face, a scene of extreme sorrow.

"Stop it!"

Manager Zhao sneered, raised his foot to stomp on Old Liu's head, but a roar from a distance interrupted his action.

Manager Zhao glanced over and saw a young man in the uniform of an Outer Sect disciple, and his sneer deepened, "Kid, you want to meddle in other people's affairs?"

But before he could finish his sneer, the young man in his peripheral vision suddenly disappeared and then a gust of wind hit his face. When Manager Zhao focused, he saw a fist gradually enlarging in front of him!

Bang!

The fist hit Manager Zhao's face with a dull sound, followed by a slight crack from his face. Then, Manager Zhao, who was already at the Fifth Stage of Battle Qi, was sent flying like a discarded bag.

Bai Yang retracted his fist, his face full of anger!

He helped Old Liu up and stared intently at Murong Zhen and Yun Ao.

Murong Zhen and Yun Ao exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

"How could he become so strong?" Murong Zhen's mind was almost screaming in madness.

A few months ago, Bai Yang was the waste that everyone mocked, but now he could knock out a Fifth Stage Battle Qi Manager Zhao with one punch. Who would believe he was a waste?

"At least, at least, I can break through to the Eighth Stage at any time. If I advance to the Ninth Stage before the competition, this guy won't be a variable."

Thinking of his trump card, Murong Zhen's panic gradually subsided.

"Old Liu, are you okay?" Bai Yang asked softly after helping Old Liu up.

Old Liu shook his head and said in a tragic voice, "It's my fault, I've dragged everyone down. Bai Yang, quickly, go apologize to Manager Zhao!"

At this moment, the beaten Manager Zhao had already scrambled to his feet. Bai Yang's punch had flattened his nose, and now his face was covered in blood, making him look both comical and pitiful.

"Apologize?!" Hearing Old Liu's words, he ignored the pain on his face, making a fierce expression and shouting, "Too late! I will tell my uncle and make this little beast suffer worse than death!"

"Manager Zhao! The child doesn't know any better, please don't take it to heart!" Old Liu, ignoring his own injuries, tried to kneel and beg for mercy, but Bai Yang stopped him and stared at Manager Zhao like a wild beast.

He was truly angry now.

"Little beast, I'll kill you!" Manager Zhao, meeting Bai Yang's gaze, was equally enraged, ignoring the strength gap between them, and forcibly activated his Battle Qi. His hands glowed faintly, and he slapped them towards Bai Yang.

Bai Yang, seeing this, did not dodge. He also activated his Battle Qi and kicked Manager Zhao with a hard strike!

There seemed to be a chasm between the Fifth Stage and the Seventh Stage of Battle Qi. Bai Yang, with his cultivation level, could easily suppress Manager Zhao, who had never trained hard!

When the two collided, a crisp crack was heard. Manager Zhao's right arm was directly broken by Bai Yang's kick, and the force continued, breaking his left arm as well. He was spun around by the kick, screaming like a pig being slaughtered.

After kicking, Bai Yang's face became even darker, as if he wanted to finish the man off, but Old Liu grabbed him and shook his head, "Don't kill him, his distant cousin is Elder Zhao of the Punishment Hall. If he dies, you'll have big trouble!"

At this moment, Old Liu was still thinking of Bai Yang.

Bai Yang had been in the Xuanjian Sect for half a year, and Old Liu was the only one who had treated him sincerely, so he listened to Old Liu.

As for Manager Zhao, who had both arms broken, he fainted from the pain, lying on the ground, twitching, unconscious.

"Junior Bai, your cultivation is so high, and your skills are so impressive," Murong Zhen stepped forward, clapping and smiling, staring at Bai Yang's red eyes and saying lightly, "But your actions are so cruel, it goes against the natural order. And where is the discipline of our Xuanjian Sect? Your actions are no different from those of the demon path."

Bai Yang looked at him, not answering, but asked, "Is this man your dog?"

Murong Zhen's expression changed slightly. He was also a young man with pride, and Bai Yang's direct words were like a slap in the face, making him lose face.

After several changes in expression, Murong Zhen forced a smile and said, "Manager Zhao has some connection with my father, so he takes care of me, but..."

Before he could finish, Bai Yang, without saying more, bent his body and pounced like a leopard, raising his fist and smashing it into Murong Zhen's face!

Murong Zhen had been on guard against Bai Yang's sudden attack. Seeing this, he activated his Battle Qi and kicked Bai Yang!