Chapter 3

Elder Xingyun knew that it was no longer possible to carry out the original plan to destroy Su Chen’s dantian and expel him from the sect.

However, he still had ways to create some obstacles on Su Chen’s cultivation path, so that Su Chen would not surpass his beloved disciple, Lu Yuan.

"Although Su Chen has escaped the fate of having his dantian destroyed, the punishment of being a laborer is not light either. Working for a year without the chance to cultivate is no small matter."

"The gap between a former genius and a laborer is not something an ordinary person can bear."

"Deserved! Who made him keep secrets, advancing so quickly in cultivation, even learning alchemy, and not helping us fellow disciples. Tsk."

Many disciples had long been jealous of Su Chen’s outstanding talent, and now that they had the chance to kick him when he was down, they naturally didn’t mind giving him a push.

Su Chen sneered. He had long expected that Elder Xingyun, with no background, couldn’t be so easily overthrown by a mere disciple.

If a powerful elder who could command the elements could be so easily overthrown, then the Zhengyi Sect wouldn’t be the largest sect within a thousand miles.

"Alright, Su Chen, pack your things and go down the mountain to the laborers’ quarters!"

Elder Xingyun sneered, as a powerful elder of the Zhengyi Sect, it wasn’t difficult to suppress a small disciple like Su Chen with a suitable pretext.

Su Chen’s attempt to challenge him was still too naive!

However, just as Elder Xingyun was inwardly gloating, he heard Su Chen’s calm voice again, and the content of what he said shocked everyone once more.

"From today on, I will leave the Zhengyi Sect."

What!

Everyone couldn’t believe their ears.

Su Chen was leaving the Zhengyi Sect?

The sect that so many people dreamed of joining, he was casually saying goodbye to?

Elder Xingyun was also stunned, and angrily said, "Su Chen, what did you say?"

"You went to great lengths to frame me, wasn’t it to make me leave the Zhengyi Sect? Well, I don’t even care about the Zhengyi Sect."

"Such a minor sect, I leave."

Su Chen gave a cold look at everyone in the hall, put away the Qi Gathering Pill he had refined, and then turned and left.

It wasn’t until Su Chen had completely left the hall that everyone was still immersed in shock.

Today, they not only witnessed Su Chen’s hidden alchemy skills but also saw him leave the Zhengyi Sect!

The identity of a Zhengyi Sect disciple, which others envied, seemed to Su Chen like a pile of trash that could be discarded at any time.

Just as he said, the Zhengyi Sect was not in his eyes!

However, just as everyone was still in shock, a mountain guard ran up from the bottom of the mountain, holding a scroll: "Report to the elder, this is the last thing Su Chen left before leaving the sect. He asked me to bring it to you!"

Elder Xingyun, still in a rage, took the scroll and unfolded it.

The words on the scroll almost made Elder Xingyun faint with anger!

On the scroll, in bold and shocking characters, it read:

"One year from now, I will return, to crush the Zhengyi Sect, and kill Elder Xingyun and Lu Yuan!"

The nineteen bold characters shocked everyone on the scene once again!

It had to be said, Su Chen’s audacity was truly immense.

"How dare you!"

Elder Xingyun slammed his hand on the table, sending wood chips flying, and was about to order someone to bring back the little brat Su Chen.

But by this time, Su Chen had already left the sect and was nowhere to be found.

"Master, this is just the pathetic rant of a failure. Why should we care?"

Lu Yuan smiled gently, his eyes full of disdain, and advised.

Elder Xingyun quickly calmed down and knew that the content of Su Chen’s scroll was impossible to achieve.

A fifteen-year-old disciple, without the secret techniques and resources of the Zhengyi Sect, would never grow to a level that could challenge the Zhengyi Sect, not even in ten years.

His rant could only be the mad words of a doomed man.

Calmly, Elder Xingyun thought for a moment and sneered, "Fine, this old man will wait and see what he can achieve in a year!"

After all, although the facts deviated from the plan, they still achieved part of their goal—making Su Chen leave the Zhengyi Sect!

This way, Lu Yuan’s position as the top disciple of the Zhengyi Sect would be unshakable.

...

After leaving the Zhengyi Sect, Su Chen pondered his future direction.

His short-term goal was simple: to crush the Zhengyi Sect within a year and kill Elder Xingyun and Lu Yuan, his enemies from his previous life.

If others knew, they would probably think he was dreaming. But Su Chen knew that a year was more than enough.

In this life, he was not crippled like in his previous life, which meant that the vast array of cultivation techniques and martial arts he mastered in his previous life could be cultivated in this life.

In this life, he was no longer a martial arts cripple.

In this life, he would live a life a hundred times more splendid than his previous one.

This was Su Chen’s confidence!

Su Chen’s immediate priority was to find a place to stay.

He couldn’t return to his family in Duyang City for the time being; if his loving parents knew he had suddenly left the Zhengyi Sect, they would be worried.

"Still, I’ll go to my aunt’s house in Qinghe City, just like in my previous life."

Su Chen made his decision.

He used the little money he had left to hire a carriage and arrived at Qinghe City, located on the outskirts of the Xuanqing Mountains, by noon.

Qinghe City was one of the thirty-six cities under the rule of the Yunyuan Empire, where Su Chen’s mother’s younger sister, Xu Yin, lived.

In his previous life, after leaving the Zhengyi Sect, Su Chen also came to Qinghe City to seek refuge with his aunt.

However, in his previous life, Su Chen did not leave the Zhengyi Sect voluntarily but was expelled after his dantian was destroyed.

It’s easy to imagine how destitute he was, staying at his aunt’s house, enduring the cold looks and special treatment from others.

But in this life, everything would be different.

"Here, this will be the starting point of my life."

"Qinghe City’s Ye Family and Wang Family, we will settle our accounts in this life!"

Su Chen muttered to himself as he walked into Qinghe City.

...

The Jiang Family in Qinghe City was one of the three major families, alongside the Ye Family and the Wang Family.

With the experience from his previous life, Su Chen arrived at the Jiang Family’s mansion in the afternoon.

Knock, knock—

Su Chen knocked on the door and said to the Jiang Family guard who came to the door, "I am Su Chen, I’m looking for the Second Lady."

The Second Lady was the title of Su Chen’s aunt, Xu Yin, in the Jiang Family.

Xu Yin married the Second Master of the Jiang Family, Jiang Hai, sixteen years ago and gave birth to a daughter the following year.

Jiang Hai was a pillar of the Jiang Family and treated his wife and daughter very well, leading a harmonious life.

However, six years later, Jiang Hai went missing during a family mission, his fate unknown.

After that, although Xu Yin maintained her previous status in the Jiang Family, the whispers and rumors behind her back caused her much distress.

In no time, the Jiang Family guard led Su Chen into the mansion and to the familiar courtyard in his memory.

"Xiao Chen!"

A familiar-looking woman was already waiting in the courtyard.

The Xu Yin before him looked much younger than in Su Chen’s memory.

"Aunt."

Even with the calm demeanor of a thousand-year-old alchemy master, Su Chen couldn’t help but feel a lump in his throat.

Aunt was not Su Chen’s biological aunt but a former maid of Su Chen’s mother. Due to her outstanding martial talent, she was adopted by Su Chen’s grandfather as a foster daughter, making her Su Chen’s mother’s foster sister.

She and Su Chen’s mother were like real sisters, and she treated Su Chen as her own child, one of the few people who genuinely cared for him besides his parents.

In his previous life, when Su Chen was expelled from the Zhengyi Sect and came to the Jiang Family, his aunt took him in without a word and took good care of him.

But in his previous life, he was disheartened and gave up, disappointing his aunt time and time again.

In this life, everything would be different.

"Xiao Chen, weren’t you at the Zhengyi Sect? Why did you suddenly come here?" Xu Yin’s face was full of concern. She knew that the Zhengyi Sect had strict rules and would not easily let disciples leave the mountain.

Could it be that Su Chen was expelled from the Zhengyi Sect?