"This guy has some nerve, daring to speak to the elder like that."

"Reckless fool, it seems he's tired of living."

The crowd muttered to themselves, clearly not expecting Li Xiaoyao to be so bold, questioning an inner sect elder.

In the Nine Heavens Continent, sects reigned supreme. Powerful sects could influence entire nations, summoning storms at will. Within the sects, competition was fierce, and the hierarchy was rigid: first were the outer sect disciples, then inner sect disciples, core disciples, and above them were outer sect elders and inner sect elders.

Li Xiaoyao was merely an outer sect disciple, leagues apart from Xie Yun in status. It could be said that if Xie Yun wanted him to live, he would live; if he wanted him dead, he would die.

Xie Yun's heart turned cold. Li Xiaoyao had clearly said something he shouldn't have.

"Wang Guangwei, what is the punishment for defying a sect elder?" Xie Yun stared at Li Xiaoyao, not moving his gaze an inch.

"Reporting to the elder, the punishment ranges from expulsion from the sect to, in severe cases, crippling one's cultivation and then expelling them," Wang Guangwei understood Xie Yun's intent perfectly. How could he let such a golden opportunity slip by?

"Elder, Wang Guangwei believes that Li Xiaoyao's actions are treasonous and that his cultivation should be crippled, and he should be expelled from the Canghai Sect."

"No need. His cultivation was hard-earned; let him keep it. Just cripple one of his arms and then expel him from the sect," Mo Xie said 'magnanimously.'

"How ruthless," Li Xiaoyao cursed inwardly. He had old grievances and new feuds with Xie Yun, but the other party had immediately set a trap for him. No matter what, he was destined to be expelled from the sect, and once he was out, Li Xin and that strange young man would certainly not let him go. This was clearly a death sentence.

And as Li Xiaoyao had expected, this was indeed a dead-end for him.

"Martial strength reigns supreme. Without enough power and talent, even the sect cannot be relied upon," Li Xiaoyao's mind was clear. In this world, everything could only be relied upon by oneself. Like now, the sect elder wanted to cripple his arm and expel him based on a fabricated crime.

Li Xiaoyao glanced at Nangong Shang. The sect master had not spoken yet, so there was still a chance to turn things around.

"Everything must be backed by strength and talent. I may not be strong enough now, but I can reveal my talent." Li Xiaoyao's thoughts raced. If all else failed, he would speak of the Zhonggu Cliff matter.

When all eight drums and bells rang, two sect guardians had appeared and personally escorted him back, covering it up. Even if Li Xiaoyao were a fool, he would realize that the trial he passed was not as simple as he initially thought.

At that moment, Wang Guangwei had already approached Li Xiaoyao. With several people watching, even the sect master and the grand elder, Wang Guangwei felt both nervous and excited. This was a great opportunity to showcase himself.

"Trash, cripple your own arm. You're so far beneath me that I can't even be bothered to lift a hand against you," Wang Guangwei said arrogantly.

Li Xiaoyao shook his head inwardly at Wang Guangwei's flickering gaze. "With such a wavering mind, this so-called tenth-ranked outer sect disciple is nothing special."

"Make your move," Li Xiaoyao said calmly, drawing the long sword from his back and gripping it steadily in his hand. He stood still, his heart as calm as water.

"Heh, since that's the case, I'll make my move," Wang Guangwei smirked. He knew Li Xiaoyao wouldn't cripple his own arm. His earlier taunt was merely to degrade Li Xiaoyao and elevate himself.

"Shadowstep!"

With a low shout, Wang Guangwei's figure disappeared instantly. Shadowstep, moving with the wind, when mastered to perfection, allowed one to move without a trace, coming and going like a phantom.

"Wang Guangwei is the tenth-ranked master of the outer sect. His light-foot technique is unmatched—there's no way Li Xiaoyao can compete."

"How can that guy stand so still? He's only humiliating himself."

As the crowd watched Wang Guangwei's figure flit through the air like the wind, a chorus of voices rang out. Among the outer sect disciples, Wang Guangwei was ranked tenth, thanks to his light-foot technique. Even those ranked higher might not be able to land a hit on him.

Xie Yun watched Wang Guangwei's graceful movements, a faint smile appearing on his face. It seemed Wang Guangwei had improved again. Hopefully, in the sect's grand competition early next year, he could break into the top five of the outer sect. That would reflect well on Xie Yun as his master.

As for whether Wang Guangwei could defeat Li Xiaoyao, it wasn't even a consideration for Xie Yun. With Li Xiaoyao only at the eighth level of the Qi Martial Realm, he wouldn't last more than three moves against Wang Guangwei.

In the crowd, perhaps only Li Xiaoyao himself believed he could win. He stood with his sword in hand, unmoving like a mountain, watching Wang Guangwei's flickering figure, which was impossible to track.

At that moment, a gust of fierce wind swept in, blowing Li Xiaoyao's clothes until they flapped loudly, his long hair lifted by the wind. Wang Guangwei's figure suddenly vanished.

"It's over! Wang Guangwei's light-foot technique is truly remarkable," someone in the crowd declared, even before the battle had begun.

But Li Xiaoyao closed his eyes, silently attuning himself to the sound of the wind. His breathing and heartbeat seemed to stop, and only his heightened senses remained, seeking to capture the elusive figure.

Li Xiaoyao's sword moved suddenly, as if carried by the wind itself. Its path carried the same lightness and grace as the breeze.

"Chop!" A domineering shout echoed from above Li Xiaoyao's head, accompanied by an overwhelming force of pressure.

"Fuck off!"

With a single word, Li Xiaoyao's sword flashed, and the crowd saw blood spray into the air.

A piercing wail reverberated through the space as the onlookers stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

Wang Guangwei hadn't managed to strike Li Xiaoyao—he had lost. With a simple and effortless slash, Li Xiaoyao had severed one of his arms.

"How is this possible? How did Li Xiaoyao do that?" The outer sect disciples were shocked, especially those who had heard of Li Xiaoyao's reputation as a "waste." Li Xiaoyao had severed Wang Guangwei's arm with a single sword strike.

While the outer sect disciples couldn't see how Li Xiaoyao had done it, those of the inner sect and above had witnessed it clearly. Li Xiaoyao's sword seemed to move like the wind, as if it wasn't the sword that severed Wang Guangwei's arm, but the wind itself.

"Integrating sword techniques with the wind... Does the Sun and Moon Pavilion even have such a sword style?" For the first time, Nangong Shang's eyes flickered with interest. That simple sword strike from Li Xiaoyao had been executed so beautifully it could be called perfect. There wasn't a shred of wasted energy—the sword flowed with the wind, cutting off Wang Guangwei's arm with precision. And it was clear that this was under Li Xiaoyao's control. If he had wanted Wang Guangwei's life, that single strike would have been enough.

Li Xiaoyao had certainly never practiced a sword technique that merged with the wind. It was during his time on the sheer cliff that he gained insight—everything in the world, including the sword, had momentum. A sword had sword momentum, and the wind had wind momentum. Just now, he had simply borrowed the wind's momentum, concealing his sword within it, making it seem as though the sword had merged with the wind, allowing him to defeat his opponent in a single strike.

"Could it be momentum?" Nangong Shang pondered another possibility. But he quickly dismissed the thought. Li Xiaoyao was only at the Qi Martial Realm—how could he possibly comprehend momentum? Even for those at the Spirit Martial Realm, only a few prodigies could grasp a trace of momentum. For a Qi Martial practitioner to borrow momentum, they would need the power of their martial soul. Only by using a martial soul could one borrow momentum, not comprehend and wield it. However, Li Xiaoyao hadn't even released his martial soul just now.

"This waste has indeed grown stronger, which explains his arrogance. But to me, waste is still waste. He won't ever rise again," Li Xin thought to herself after seeing Li Xiaoyao sever Wang Guangwei's arm with one sword strike. She had already advanced to the Spirit Martial Realm and had undergone a soul awakening, with both ice and fire powers at her command. How could a mere waste like Li Xiaoyao ever compare to her?

At this moment, Xie Yun's face darkened. He had ordered Wang Guangwei to break Li Xiaoyao's arm, but instead, Wang Guangwei's arm had been severed by Li Xiaoyao. It felt like a slap in the face to him. This kid had to die.

Li Xiaoyao paid no attention to the crowd's gazes, his expression remaining calm as he sheathed his sword. Glancing at the kneeling Wang Guangwei, there was not a trace of pity in his heart.

"Outer Sect's tenth-ranked? Too proud to even bother striking at me?" Li Xiaoyao sneered, "I honestly don't understand where your arrogance comes from."