Xie Yun was equally stunned and looked at the furious Nan Gongshang in shock. It took him a long moment to regain his senses before bowing deeply and saying, "Sect Master, I admits my fault!"

Though Xie Yun and his father, Xie Canglan, wielded significant power within the Canghai Sect, Nan Gongshang was still the Sect Master. Now that Nan Gongshang was truly enraged, Xie Yun had no choice but to compromise and admit his mistake.

"Perhaps I was too arrogant in front of the Sect Master, which led to his displeasure," Xie Yun thought to himself, cursing his own foolishness.

Seeing Xie Yun admit his fault, Nan Gongshang's expression softened slightly. He cast a cold glance at Xie Yun and said, "Since you know your mistake, I'll let it slide this time. Do not repeat it."

"As for that outer disciple, it was Yu Zhentong who provoked him first, threatening to cripple his cultivation and break his limbs. In that case, his killing of Yu Zhentong was merely an eye for an eye. It is forgivable."

"But the sect—" Xie Yun tried to protest, still failing to grasp the true reason for Nan Gongshang's fury.

"Hmm?" Nan Gongshang's icy gaze swept over, silencing Xie Yun instantly. He swallowed his words and forced himself to say, "The Sect Master is wise."

Nan Gongshang snorted coldly, dismissing the matter. His eyes shifted downward, landing on Li Xiaoyao. "What is your name?" he asked.

Li Xiaoyao raised his head and met Nan Gongshang's gaze, his eyes calm and profound.

"Li Xiaoyao."

"Li Xiaoyao. Very good," Nan Gongshang declared. "From this moment, you are an inner disciple of the Canghai Sect."

The announcement caused a stir among the crowd. Many inwardly marveled at how Li Xiaoyao's strength had earned the Sect Master's recognition. Not only had Nan Gongshang personally inquired about his name, but he had also granted him the status of an inner disciple on the spot. This was a rare honor—other disciples typically only received their inner disciple tokens after passing the first round of the competition.

A faint smile appeared on Li Xiaoyao's face, one that carried an inexplicable undertone, devoid of gratitude or servitude.

"Only by possessing sufficient strength can one earn respect."

This was something Nan Gongshang had once said to Li Xiaoyao, a lesson he hadn't forgotten. Today, he had stood on the most prominent life-and-death platform, under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers, not for the sake of fame but to test Nan Gongshang's attitude. Now, he had his answer.

Previously, when Xie Yun intended to hand him over to Young Master Dapeng and Li Xin, Nan Gongshang had neither agreed nor objected. To him, an outer disciple couldn't compare in importance to an inner elder.

But this time, when Xie Yun sought to take his life, Nan Gongshang did not remain silent. Instead, he rebuked Xie Yun in anger. Li Xiaoyao believed it wasn't just his talent and strength that swayed the Sect Master. Nan Gongshang must have also learned about the events at the Bell and Drum Cliff from Elder Bei or Elder Kong. That's why he refused to show Xie Yun any leniency and chose to protect him.

But is this enough?

Obviously, it is not enough at all！！ For Li Xiaoyao, it is not even close to enough—far from what he expected, worlds apart.

When the demonic beasts attacked, Xie Yun had thrown him straight into their jaws. Li Xiaoyao didn't believe for a second that Nan Gongshang was unaware of this.

And now, today, Xie Yun once again publicly attempted to take his life, this time right before Nan Gongshang's very eyes.

Did Nan Gongshang truly hold Xie Yun accountable? To others, it might seem so, but to Li Xiaoyao, it didn't feel that way at all. A mere reprimand, a scolding—was that supposed to make him feel grateful? To serve the sect with loyalty and devotion?

Li Xiaoyao came from Earth; he was no slave. For someone who had nearly cost him his life twice, a couple of casual admonitions from Nan Gongshang were far from sufficient. It was laughably inadequate. Inner elders would always be inner elders, and outer disciples would always remain outer disciples, even if one such outer disciple was exceptionally talented and managed to step into the ranks of the inner sect.

"Between Xie Yun and me, only one of us can remain. If I live, he cannot. If he lives, I cannot," Li Xiaoyao resolved in his heart. Between him and Xie Yun, Nan Gongshang—or rather, the entire Canghai Sect—would have to choose only one. If they chose him, the sect would become his home. If they chose Xie Yun, not only would he refuse to serve the Canghai Sect, but he might even stand against it. His hatred for Xie Yun ran too deep, and he was determined to kill him to exact revenge. If the sect interfered when the time came, he would have no choice but to oppose it.

However, Li Xiaoyao wasn't foolish enough to think that his current performance alone could compel Nan Gongshang to choose him. This was merely the beginning. In this sect competition, he vowed to utterly humiliate Xie Yun!

With resolute determination in his eyes, Li Xiaoyao stepped off the platform, each step steady and firm as a mountain.

Nan Gongshang raised an eyebrow, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. Such profound and unyielding determination. With this talent, it would be harder for him not to achieve greatness.

"So strong... so arrogant," someone muttered under their breath.

"If I had such strength, I'd be just as arrogant. But as I am now, even ten of me wouldn't be his match. Li Xiaoyao—this name, I'll remember it."

"What good will remembering do? Who even knows who you are? Still, he's truly incredible. That so-called 'Number One Outer Disciple,' Shen Chen, is nothing but a joke in front of him."

"'Number One Outer Disciple'? True experts don't flaunt themselves. How can Shen Chen even compare to Li Xiaoyao? He's not even worthy of carrying his shoes!"

The two whispered to each other, unaware that not far behind them, someone was listening with a frosty expression. That someone was none other than Shen Chen, the so-called Number One Outer Disciple. He was the very same Shen Chen who had provoked and insulted Li Xiaoyao in the Sun and Moon Pavilion, only to be thoroughly outsmarted by him.

"At least among the outer disciples, if I claim second, no one dares claim first," Shen Chen thought bitterly, recalling the bold words he had once said to Li Xiaoyao. Now, all he felt was utter humiliation.

Though the two onlookers' words were crude, they were true. In front of Li Xiaoyao, he really was nothing.

Yu Zhentong, the wielder of the Sword Martial Soul, had been killed in a single strike!

"Perhaps he never even considered me worth his attention," Shen Chen thought, his emotions a tangled mess.

As Shen Chen had suspected, Li Xiaoyao truly hadn't regarded him as worthy of attention. An outer disciple who arrogantly believed himself to be number one—such a person's limited perspective would only lead to limited achievements.

"Yo bro...you are on a whole other level....crazy...." As Li Xiaoyao walked back, Han Kui gave him a hearty punch to the chest. The guy never failed to bring surprising and thrilling moments.

"Yeah, Li Xiaoyao, you're amazing!" Jingxiang beamed with a bright smile. She couldn't help but wonder how this guy trained to become so powerful.

The crowd around them looked on with envy. Han Kui, Jingxiang, and the others were all outer disciples, yet they were close friends with Li Xiaoyao. With his talent, Li Xiaoyao was bound to rise to prominence in the future, and his friends would inevitably benefit as well. Why hadn't they befriended him earlier?

Li Xiaoyao shrugged and turned to Han Kui with a smile. "So, when are you going up?"

"Well..., now's a perfect time since no one else is stepping up!" Han Kui grinned widely and began walking toward the life-and-death platform.

Because Li Xiaoyao's earlier performance had been so spectacular, no one wanted to follow immediately and risk highlighting their mediocrity in comparison. This hesitation gave Han Kui the chance to step onto the platform.

To everyone's surprise, Han Kui didn't hold back at all. Like Li Xiaoyao, he went straight to the highest platform. Even Li Xiaoyao was caught off guard for a moment. This guy...

"I don't know anyone in particular. An inner disciple at the first level of the Spirit Martial Realm—anyone, come fight me!"

Standing on the platform, Han Kui's rough voice boomed across the arena, leaving everyone wide-eyed. Yet another eccentric genius!

If Li Xiaoyao had broken records by challenging two inner disciples at once, then Han Kui set a new precedent by not even naming his opponent. Instead, he randomly invited anyone to face him. Unheard of!

Li Xiaoyao stared at Han Kui, opened his mouth, and found himself speechless.

"Pfft." Jingxiang couldn't suppress a laugh. This guy was truly exasperating in the most amusing way.

The entire arena fell into a long silence before an inner disciple finally stepped onto the platform, declaring loudly, "I'll take you on."

"Great! My name's Han Kui."

"Wang Han."

"I like straightforward people. Let's fight!" Han Kui laughed heartily, and an intense, earthy aura burst forth from his body. In an instant, it seemed as though Han Kui had merged with the ground beneath him. Standing on the platform, he was the earth, and the earth was him.

"Boom..."

As Han Kui took a single step forward, the entire platform trembled violently. The hearts of the onlookers seemed to quake in unison with it. A powerful and oppressive force descended upon Wang Han.

"Another one who's grasped Intent!"

In the sky above the gorge, Nan Gongshang's eyes gleamed with astonishment. One prodigy like Li Xiaoyao was already rare enough, but now this robust outer disciple had also comprehended Intent. Though his understanding relied heavily on his martial spirit and wasn't as profound or oppressive as Li Xiaoyao's, it still marked him as a genius.

"Haha, flourishing times give way to decline, and prolonged decline births flourishing times once more. My Canghai Sect has been dormant for so many years, but at last, we have two remarkable disciples."

A faint sense of gratification emerged in Nan Gongshang's eyes. Without a doubt, these two were the greatest rewards of this sect tournament.