Blood dripped from the corner of Yue Liangze’s mouth.

He struggled to wipe it away, listening to the resonating hum of the sword. Within it, he could discern both excitement and killing intent.

The girl stood before him, her figure backlit by the sun, the sharp edge of her sword gleaming under the drifting clouds.

Ling Luo couldn’t stand it anymore.

These worthless fools can beat Yue Liangze into this state. Why can’t I?

If anyone’s going to beat him, it should be me!

I’ve wanted to see him kneel before my sword and beg for mercy for two lifetimes!

“Ling Luo… Let’s talk this out calmly, please don’t act rashly!” Qin Yuan, trembling on the side, initially thought Ling Luo was stepping in to save Yue Liangze.

She never expected that, in the next moment, the sword tip would point directly at him!

“Get up. Draw your sword,” Ling Luo demanded through gritted teeth.

Yue Liangze wiped the blood from his mouth and slowly stood.

He was half a head taller than Ling Luo.

His eyes lifted slightly as he looked at her.

The sword tip pressed against his throat.

If Ling Luo pushed just a little further, it would pierce his skin and go straight through.

“This place forbids private duels,” came a gentle yet firm voice from above.

Yu Xiu could no longer stand idly by.

“Hall Master…” Seeing the two figures at the top of the steps, Senior Brother Xiu Man, who had just scrambled to his feet, turned pale with fear.

Hong Mao and the others were similarly terrified.

They immediately dropped to their knees and exclaimed, “We know we were wrong!”

Hall Master Fan, whose immense size made even walking a challenge, was seated on a plush mat. Using his sword to maneuver through the air, he descended the steps with a kindly expression, his gaze sweeping over the group as he chuckled. “Since you know you’re wrong, then head to the Discipline Hall for punishment now.”

“Yes!” Hong Mao and his group quickly fled.

Among the three sects, Hall Master Fan was one of the few leaders who could not be crossed.

His strict adherence to rules and impartial enforcement of punishments left no room for leniency.

Turning to the two who remained unmoving, Hall Master Fan smiled. “Do you two have any objections?”

Yue Liangze lowered his gaze and said nothing. Without a word, he stepped past Ling Luo’s sword and walked away.

Understanding Hall Master Fan’s temperament, Ling Luo also refrained from arguing.

She followed behind Yue Liangze in silence.

Qin Yuan wanted to follow but was too scared, left only to watch helplessly and worriedly. Hall Master Fan performed a hand seal and flew off in the direction of the rankings board.

“Let’s go,” Yu Xiu said softly to Qin Yuan. “The martial arts trial is about to begin.”

Qin Yuan turned away, dejected. Ling Luo’s punishment at the Discipline Hall meant she wouldn’t be able to participate in today’s martial arts trial.

Had Ling Luo simply used her sword to fend off Hong Mao and his group, without issuing that challenge to Yue Liangze, Hall Master Fan might not have penalized her for private dueling.

But why was Yue Liangze, who was only taking a beating, also punished?

---

At the Discipline Hall

The punishment for private dueling among sect disciples was clear: three hours of kneeling in repentance, fasting for one day, and seven days of manual labor across the various halls.

This was why most disputes rarely escalated into fights. And if they did, they would make sure Hall Master Fan wasn’t around to catch them.

Ling Luo knelt in a small, dim compartment of the Discipline Hall, under a portrait of the founding master of Tianji Sect on Dong Island.

The painting’s style was minimalistic, as though it were merely a sketch. With just a few strokes, it captured the figure’s graceful back, surrounded by immortal mountains, white clouds, blooming flowers, and other wonders of nature.

Yet, even amid these embellishments, the figure was undeniably the painting’s centerpiece.

The founding master had lived a legendary life, leaving behind a thousand-year legacy for Tianji Sect.

The title of a “Great Sect” was no empty boast.

Among the Twelve Great Sects, four had histories spanning over a millennium: Tianji Sect on Dong Island, Xuehe Sect in the Southern Mountains, Yuegong Sect in the Northern Court, and Taichu Sect in the Western Sea.

This wasn’t Ling Luo’s first visit to the Discipline Hall. She’d been punished here before and had endured two of its infamous Four Great Penances.

She suspected she’d be back again soon, in the not-so-distant future.

The compartment was so small it could only fit one person. Under the portrait of the founding master, a small oil lamp burned, marking the duration of her kneeling punishment. She had to remain there until the lamp extinguished.

Ling Luo stared at the portrait for a while, then lowered her gaze in boredom. Using three fingers to form a seal, she conjured a tiny flame flower.

In her previous life, she had abundant spiritual power but no knowledge of how to use it, relying entirely on her master’s teachings. Now, she knew the sword and talisman techniques by heart, even creating some of her own.

However, her spiritual power was far weaker than it had been. Even with knowledge of how to use it, her current strength couldn’t support her ambitions.

On top of that, her magical artifact was not with her.

Without enduring the hardships of her past life, she couldn’t acquire the power of demonic cultivation.

Ling Luo gazed at the flickering flame flower on her fingertip, lost in thought.

If she had been reborn two years earlier, perhaps she would have made different choices.

But at this moment, it was too late.

Extinguishing the flame flower, Ling Luo clasped her hands to form seals, silently practicing her sword and talisman techniques.

The three hours of kneeling passed before she even noticed.

The sun was high in the sky by noon, its golden rays streaming down relentlessly.

When the oil lamp finally burned out, Lingluo stood up, rubbing her stiff knees. She leaned against the partition door for a moment to ease the numbness in her legs before stepping outside.

The creak of the door echoed as it opened, and she came face-to-face with Yue Liangze emerging from the opposite room.

His thin frame, reminiscent of green bamboo, seemed both resilient and fragile. Blood stained his robe, and his cracked lips bore a hint of crimson, oddly accentuating a certain allure.

Though he appeared battered, his gaze remained clear and serene, as if entirely unfazed.

Their eyes met briefly. Yue Liangze hesitated slightly, but Lingluo snorted disdainfully, brushing past him with a look of utter contempt.

Idiot!
Big idiot!
Serves you right to get beaten!

Her mind churned with resentment as she walked ahead, Yue Liangze silently following behind.

The two arrived at the Discipline Hall’s main room.

“Hey, this is for you,” the hall’s steward lazily tossed a wooden token toward Lingluo through the window. “And there’s one for your senior brother—take it to him.”

Ling Luo froze for a moment, the word senior brother jarring her nerves, her temple twitching violently.

Yue Liangze came up beside her. Lingluo handed him the token, hearing him murmur softly, “Thank you.”

Her tone turned mocking. “Oh, so you’re not mute after all.”

Yue Liangze remained silent in the face of her sarcasm, lowering his gaze as he prepared to leave.

“Stop right there!” shouted Xiu Man, storming out behind them, his anger unabated. “Yue Liangze, don’t you dare walk away!”

Yue Liangze turned back but didn’t move, waiting.

However, before Xiu Man could approach or hurl insults, the impatient Lingluo interjected, “Why should he listen to you? Take one more step, and I’ll slice you with my sword again. Believe it?”

Her threat worked; Xiu Man immediately stopped, glaring at her viciously. “This is between him and me! Stay out of it!”

“Oh? What’s the matter?” drawled the steward, who was leaning against the window and yawning. “Are you guys planning to head straight back into detention? So annoying!”

“Xiu Man, this is the Discipline Hall. Show some decorum,” he added irritably.

Hong Mao and his group had also stepped out by now.

Hong Mao, with a faux smile of benevolence, walked up to Yue Liangze, draping an arm over his shoulder. “We may have acted rashly today, and Hall Master Fan’s punishment was fair.”

“I hear the two of you passed the entrance exam. In a few days, you’ll join the inner sect as our junior disciples. Rest assured, your senior brothers will take good care of you.”

The underlying threat in his tone was unmistakable.

Yue Liangze stayed silent, neither humble nor arrogant.

Lingluo, on the other hand, sneered openly. “Senior brothers should also be aware that assisting others in cheating during entrance exams is grounds for expulsion from the sect, according to the rules.”

Xiu Man’s expression darkened instantly.

“Little junior sister, what nonsense are you spouting?” Yin Wen’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Hong Mao’s brows furrowed, and his voice turned stern. “Junior sister, it’s unbecoming to spout baseless accusations out of resentment over today’s punishment.”

“Hong senior brother, you’re well aware of what you said in your fit of rage earlier. If you’ve forgotten, don’t worry—I can always consult Hall Master Fan to investigate thoroughly. Let’s see if your schemes outmatch her judgment,” Lingluo replied with a smirk, glancing at Yue Liangze before adding sarcastically, “As for the care of senior brothers, we truly can’t afford it. But if senior brother insists, I’d love to ask Hall Master Fan to show you all some extra attention.”

Knowing Hall Master Fan’s temperament, she was confident that any complaint she made would result in a strict investigation.

Hong Mao’s face turned ashen.

The steward chuckled. “Why bother Hall Master? We can conduct an investigation right here and now. What do you say? Should I—”

“No, no need!” Yin Wen interrupted hastily, stepping forward with a forced smile.

“Really?” The steward spread his hands. “Because it sounded like this little junior sister had a pretty valid point.”

Hong Mao’s tone turned cold and condescending. “Our junior sister must be muddled by her anger from being punished. We, as senior brothers, won’t hold it against her.”

Lingluo smiled sweetly, flashing her tiger-like teeth, and pointed at Yue Liangze. “That’s right. Everyone’s upset after being punished today. So, if senior brothers ever feel the urge to ‘personally care’ for Senior Brother Yue again, I might just get jealous.”

Yue Liangze glanced at her, a faint flicker of surprise in his otherwise composed expression.

Hong Mao withdrew his hand from Yue Liangze’s shoulder, his face taut as he forced himself to reply, “Of course, we treat everyone equally.”

“Then I’ll leave you busy senior brothers to your matters,” Lingluo said with a dismissive smirk before turning to leave.

Xiu Man and Yin Wen, seething with anger, watched her retreating figure. But then she stopped a few steps ahead, turning back to call out, “Senior Brother Yue, let’s go.”

Yue Liangze’s fingers tightened slightly around the wooden token, but he followed her without a word.

Hong Mao and his group bid the steward a stiff farewell and left the hall, their expressions grim.

“Where the hell did that meddlesome girl come from?” Yin Wen spat, his voice venomous. “Sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong!”

Xiu Man muttered anxiously, “What if she really reports us to Hall Master Fan…”

“Relax,” Hong Mao snapped. “She’s bluffing—there’s no evidence. But for her to stand up for Yue Liangze? Ridiculous. She’s utterly clueless.”

Still, he added cautiously, “Let’s lie low for now. This debt can be settled another day.”

Lingluo knew full well that Hong Mao and his crew wouldn’t let it go.

But she couldn’t stand watching Yue Liangze being treated like a dog—kicked, beaten, and ordered around at will.

Why should they get to hit him?

If anyone’s going to hit him, it should be me!

I’ve never hit him like that. Why should those losers get to do it first?

She fumed silently, refusing to accept it.