Shen Chen arrived at the first floor of the Sun-Moon Pavilion, but he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he waited by the entrance.

"You were nearly over time. Be mindful next time," Elder Bei looked up at Shen Chen and remarked. Shen Chen nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"I were just almost over time, that guy must've already exceeded the allotted time. I'm curious to see how he'll handle it," Shen Chen thought with a cold smirk, waiting for Li Xiaoyao to come down.

Li Xiaoyao didn't keep Shen Chen waiting long. Soon, he walked toward them, his expression calm, as if nothing had happened.

"Elder Bei, here are the martial skills and techniques I've selected." Li Xiaoyao glanced briefly at Shen Chen, handing his chosen manuals to Elder Bei, a faint smile on his lips.

"Chunyuan Technique—wise choice, focusing on a stable foundation. You're a promising student; very good." Elder Bei nodded approvingly as he looked over Li Xiaoyao's selections. "The Eight Wilderness Palm technique is belong profound class lower-tier skills. It's challenging to master, but with your potential, it shouldn't be a problem. As for the Nirvana Sword Technique, it contains only three moves. Almost anyone can learn it, but few truly master it. You'll need to put in extra effort."

Elder Bei continued his commentary on each technique Li Xiaoyao had chosen. "But if one day you can fully unleash the power of these three Nirvana Sword moves, they can rival even the profound class upper-tier techniques without being outmatched!"

Li Xiaoyao showed a hint of a smile at Elder Bei's words. In the realm of profound class martial skills, each grade difference represented a vast gap. For Elder Bei to say the Nirvana Sword Technique could rival upper-tier techniques proved its formidable power.

While Li Xiaoyao was laughing and chatting with Elder Bei, Shen Chen, who was standing aside, grew more and more frustrated. It turned out that this young man had become familiar with the elder in charge of the Sun-Moon Pavilim, no wonder he was acting so recklessly.

"It seems like he's been in the second floor of the Sun-Moon Pavilim for more than an incense stick's worth of time." Shen Chen suddenly interjected, causing Elder Bei's smile to pause slightly. He turned to look at Shen Chen.

"I know." Elder Bei replied calmly.

"Since you know, shouldn't he be punished for violating the sect's rules?" Shen Chen didn't expect Elder Bei to admit it so readily, which only made him feel even colder inside.

Elder Bei sized up Shen Chen and shook his head. "I've been here for many years. Whether they are inner disciples or core disciples, anyone who wants to enter the Sun-Moon Pavilim needs to go through me. Who do you think you are, exactly? Do you think I need you to teach me how to handle things?"

Elder Bei was no ordinary person. Even Nangong Shang, the sect leader of the Cang Hai Sect, treated him with respect. In his eyes, an ordinary outer disciple was nothing more than an ant. Even the number one outer disciple, in Elder Bei's eyes, was still just an outer disciple, insignificant.

But Li Xiaoyao was different. From the first time Elder Bei met him, he had a very good impression of him. He thought Li Xiaoyao was very courteous. Later, he realized that Li Xiaoyao had exceptional talent, so he treated him with even more respect.

As for Shen Chen, he was nothing. How could Elder Bei tolerate Shen Chen's tone, questioning him as if he had the right to?

Upon hearing Elder Bei's words, Shen Chen's face turned grim. He said coldly, "You, as the one in charge of the Sun-Moon Pavilim, dare to disobey the Cang Hai Sect's rules? What punishment should you face?"

"Ugh..." Li Xiaoyao couldn't help but feel a little disdainful of Shen Chen. Did this person become so stupid after years of cultivation? Didn't he understand basic courtesy? As an outer disciple, he still dared to question Elder Bei about punishment? Being the number one outer disciple seemed to have gone to his head. He must have gotten too used to being praised and truly thought of himself as an important person.

Elder Bei looked at Shen Chen with an expression of mockery. He had been guarding the pavilion for many years, and it had been a long time since he lost his temper. Now, even an outer sect disciple dared to question him.

Shaking his head, Elder Bei's mouth slightly parted, and suddenly his expression turned serious. He lightly uttered a word: "Fuck off！！！"

The single word transformed into an overwhelming force, crashing into Shen Chen. At that moment, Elder Bei's eyes sparkled with sharp brilliance, exuding an unshakable, domineering aura.

When hit by the soundwave, Shen Chen felt as though thunder struck his head. His body convulsed, and he collapsed to his knees, trembling uncontrollably.

It wasn't just Shen Chen; everyone in the Sun-Moon Pavilion was stunned by Elder Bei's furious command. Upon witnessing the elder's overwhelming aura, they became silent, realizing that the seemingly laid-back guardian of the pavilion possessed such terrifying power.

That previous word was likely infused with true essence.

It is said that martial artists, upon reaching the Spirit Martial Realm and advancing into the mysterious and powerful Divine Abilities Realm, achieve the fusion of energy, spirit, and mind, enabling them to condense their true essence.

True essence is derived from the purest energies of the heavens and earth. Every breath of true essence carries vast, compressed, and refined primal energy. When released, it can shake mountains and split the earth.

Elder Bei's previous command felt similar to a release of true essence. While not extremely powerful, it likely was intentionally suppressed. This implied that Elder Bei might be a formidable figure in the Divine Abilities Realm.

The Divine Abilities Realm—true experts capable of becoming sect elders!

"Me fuck off..."Shen Chen said with a darkened expression, shooting a venomous glare at Li Xiaoyao. "Relying on others' waste, you're also planning to participate in the Sect's grand competition, right？ When the time comes, I'll make you regret it！"

With that, Shen Chen turned and left...

Li Xiaoyao shook his head slightly as he watched Shen Chen's retreating figure. Although this person was the number one in the outer sect, he was arrogant and unaware of his limitations, lacking even the ability to think. The fact that North Elder, with such immense strength, looked down on him and still favored Li Xiaoyao made him wonder about the reason. Regardless of the reason, if Shen Chen is smart enough, he would forget what happened today.

Moreover, today's events were entirely initiated by Shen Chen himself. It was his own humiliation.

"It's been so long without stretching my muscles. Those old fellows are probably itching to move by now," North Elder muttered to himself. He then said, "Xue Yue, from now on, the Sun-Moon Pavilion will be under your care."

As soon as the words were spoken, Elder Bei's body trembled, transforming into a flying crane, soaring into the sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Boom!" The crowd was shaken to their core, staring at the vanishing figure in stunned silence. Such terrifying power.

Leaping tens of thousands of meters, and traversing the air in the blink of an eye—how powerful must one be to accomplish that? The crowd, stunned, realized how blind they had been for not seeking North Elder's guidance.

Li Xiaoyao was also taken aback, his mind reeling. Such strength was far beyond his own.

A middle-aged man entered the Sun-Moon Pavilion, walking straight to where Elder Bei had been seated. This must be Xue Yue, the person Elder Bei had mentioned.

...

At this moment, atop the main peak of the Cang Hai Sect, in a grand and vast hall with a majestic atmosphere, many people gathered as if discussing an important matter.

"Xinyi, I will give this matter careful consideration. You can rest assured," said Nangong Shang, the Sect Leader of Cang Hai Sect, with a smile, addressing Zhao Xinyi, who was seated in the lower position.

Behind Zhao Xinyi stood a group of elite knights dressed in identical battle attire—these were the Blood Flame Cavalry that Li Xiaoyao had seen at the foot of Cang Hai Sect's mountain.

Hearing Nangong Shang's calm and straightforward reply, Zhao Xinyi's delicate brows furrowed slightly. The more easily he agreed, the less sincere it seemed.

However, Zhao Xinyi understood that it was incredibly difficult to convince Nangong Shang to let her take some of the best disciples of the Cang Hai Sect. Every sect's talented juniors were the cornerstone of its future, and Nangong Shang would never give them away easily.

"Uncle Nangong, as you know, my father has no selfish motives. He is only thinking of the Dragon Vein and the fortune of Xueyue Kingdom. If these disciples succeed, my father will definitely return them to Cang Hai Sect. By then, they will surely be able to stand on their own and become the backbone of the sect," Zhao Xinyi continued to persuade.

"Your father and I trained and grew together, like brothers. If he had stayed in the Cang Hai Sect, the position of Sect Leader might have been his. I know exactly what kind of person he is, and as Nangong Shang, I am not unaware of that. However, now that I hold the position of Sect Leader, everything I do must prioritize the sect above all else; Sorry, I cannot act impulsively."



Nan Gongshang stopped being dismissive of Zhao Xinyi. He thought back to the past the two genius of the Canghai Sect, He-Nan Gongshang and Divine Archer-Zhao Canglan—how arrogant and carefree they had been. But now, sitting in different positions, i"It is inevitable that they will never return to the way they were in the past.