Chapter 54: Expulsion from the Sect, and the Upcoming Seven Sects Martial Tournament

After listening to Sun Qian’s numerous heinous acts, Murong Yan’s expression gradually turned icy.

"The Profound Heaven Sect not only values innate talent in recruiting disciples, but character must also not be too lacking..."

Looking down at Sun Qian, who was kneeling on the ground, a flash of disgust crossed his eyes. "With a ungrateful, greedy, and despicable nature like yours, you are not qualified to become a disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect."

With that, he declared solemnly and severely:

"As the Sect Master, I announce that starting from today, this woman is expelled from the sect, and she is forbidden to step foot within our gates for all eternity!"

The grand hall fell completely silent.

Only the chilling verdict lingered in everyone's hearts.

"No... This isn't fair! Sect Master, you are biased!"

Sun Qian's mind shattered, tears streaming down her face as she asked with a heart-rending question.

Clearly, her dantian had been crippled; she was the victim, yet the Sect Master was expelling her from the sect.

This was a blatant display of favoritism toward Li Wudao!

With her temperament, how could she possibly swallow this bitter humiliation?

As for this outcome, although everyone was startled, it was well within their expectations.

After all, it made no sense for the sect to offend an outstanding genius just for a worthless good-for-nothing with poor character.

Neither from a public nor a private standpoint was that a wise choice.

"Someone, take her identity token and drag her out."

Murong Yan's gaze was indifferent, devoid of the slightest pity.

Immediately, two enforcers stepped forward, forcefully grabbing Sun Qian by the arms and dragging her out.

"I refuse to accept this... I refuse to accept this!"

She roared and bellowed, venting the dissatisfaction and despair burning in her heart.

"Li Wudao, you are so vicious! Even if I become a ghost, I will never let you go!"

Sun Qian turned her head, a gaze filled with extreme hatred locking onto Li Wudao.

Amidst her violent struggle, her hair came undone, scattering to cover half her face. Combined with her pale complexion and hoarse voice, she looked somewhat like an avenging ghost.

However, no matter how she screamed and shouted, it could change nothing.

Soon, she was dragged out and tossed aside like a dead dog.

Regarding Sun Qian's threat, Li Wudao sneered, finding it utterly ridiculous.

She couldn't outplay him even when she had her cultivation; let alone now as a cripple, it was questionable whether she could even live out the rest of her natural days.

With her sky-high arrogance, living the remainder of her life in mediocrity and forever looking up to him was perhaps the greatest cruelty of all.

This minor episode flashed past and was gone.

The hall grew quiet once more.

Many people wore complex expressions, sighing that one reaps what they sow.

Sun Qian had clearly brought this destruction upon herself.

If she hadn't brought Ruan Fei to humiliate Li Wudao in the first place, and if she had reined in her temper within the sect and stopped targeting the young man...

Perhaps none of this would have happened.

Noticing the complex looks of the crowd, Li Wudao muttered inwardly.

I am the actual victim here, what on earth are you lot sighing for?

Suddenly, a dull voice broke the atmosphere.

"Sect Master, Li Wudao has after all crippled a fellow disciple's cultivation. According to the sect rules, shouldn't he be punished?"

Cheng Yuanliang brought the matter up once again.

As his voice fell, the entire hall plunged into dead silence.

In this situation, even a fool could see that the Sect Master clearly had no intention of punishing Li Wudao.

Yet the Peak Master of the Blazing Sun Peak insisted on courting disaster.

For a moment, all sorts of thoughts raced through the minds of the crowd. Could it be that Li Wudao had offended him somewhere?

Otherwise, there would be no reason for such blatant targeting.

Li Wudao's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the Peak Master of Blazing Sun Peak with some surprise.

The Ruan father and son had already been dealt with, yet this fellow was still refusing to let go. This meant he intended to fight to the bitter end.

Fine then. Isn't he just a peak master?

What is there to fear? Just fight him head-on.

If he couldn't win, he still had old man Xia backing him up. He wasn't scared at all.

Yang Lin and the other disciples wore varied expressions, revealing looks of calculation and weighing of options, clearly having perceived something as well.

Only Jiang Churan remained completely undisturbed, casting a faint glance at Cheng Yuanliang with undisguised disdain at the bottom of her eyes.

Among the seven peak masters, only Xia Gucheng could barely catch her eye; the rest were not worth mentioning and utterly mediocre.

To the current Li Wudao, such a character was not an unsurpassable height, and surpassing him was merely a matter of time.

"Ahem—"

Murong Yan coughed lightly to mask his unnatural expression.

"Peak Master Cheng has a point. The sect rules cannot be discarded, and rewards and punishments must be distinct."

He looked toward the young man and pondered, "Considering you had a valid reason, I sentence you to a three-month suspension of your stipend, and after returning from the secret realm, you are to go to the Cliff of Self-Reflection for one month of introspection. Do you accept this punishment?"

"This disciple accepts the punishment."

Li Wudao nodded, a flicker in his eyes.

Everyone was stunned. This punishment was far too perfunctory.

It didn't hurt or itch at all.

Was he even punished?

Might as well not be.

Cheng Yuanliang tightly furrowed his brows and couldn't help saying, "Sect Master, is this punishment...?"

He had just wanted to say whether it was too light.

However, before he could finish his sentence, he met Murong Yan's warning glare and forcefully swallowed the rest of his words back down.

"This matter ends here, do not speak of it again!"

Murong Yan said in a deep voice.

Immediately afterward, looking at Cheng Yuanliang, who was lingering in place and refusing to leave, he said coldly, "Is Peak Master Cheng still not leaving?"

His tone and words oozed displeasure, delivering a direct eviction notice.

Cheng Yuanliang's expression shifted uncertainly. Knowing he could change nothing, he turned around with a livid face and departed.

Before leaving, he shot a meaningful glance at Li Wudao, as if carving the young man's appearance into his memory.

With this matter concluded, the crowd dispersed in various directions.

Li Wudao was just preparing to build rapport with Jiang Churan to fleece some benefits from her.

As a result, Murong Yan called him back.

"Li Wudao, come with me. The Sect Master has some things to ask you."

With that, he swept his hands behind his back and walked out of the hall.

With lingering confusion, Li Wudao reluctantly followed behind.

He wracked his brain, but he hadn't done anything wrong on usual days.

Besides, what couldn't be said right here in the hall that required calling him outside?

Unless... it was something shameful!

Relating this to his various performances in the sect, Li Wudao suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Could the Sect Master suspect he harbored some great fortuitous encounter and intended to search his soul and seize his treasures?

Such a possibility was not out of the question.

Although Murong Yan looked upright and kind, people's hearts were unfathomable, and no one could guarantee anything.

Along the way, he walked and stopped, several times wanting to slip away secretly, but ultimately dismissing the thought.

The Sect Master was stronger than all six peak masters combined; only old man Xia could fight him.

If he truly intended him harm, there was no way to resist.

Realizing this, Li Wudao calmed down and obediently followed behind.

...

Inside a certain secret chamber on the Profound Heaven Peak.

Murong Yan seemed to sense something, shaking his head as he said, "You needn't worry. This Sect Master will not covet a disciple's possessions."

He spoke these words very frankly and naturally.

"Calling you over is primarily to verify a hypothesis."

"Huh?"

Li Wudao grew even more puzzled, just about to ask something.

"Don't move—"

Murong Yan stepped forward, placing his wrist on Li Wudao's shoulder with a furrowed brow.

"He shouldn't be able to perceive the existence of the system, right..."

Li Wudao's entire heart leaped into his throat, his breathing coming to a halt.

If his possession of the system were truly detected, the consequences would be truly unthinkable.

After several breaths.

Murong Yan lowered his hand, his expression shifting from solemn uncertainty to inexplicable shock, and finally to undisguised excitement.

"It really is the Pure Sun Sacred Body!"

His pupils vibrated violently as he muttered to himself.

"Heaven bless my Profound Heaven Sect! To think that after a lapse of five thousand years, another Sacred Body has emerged, and it is even a superior Sacred Body..."

Seeing this, Li Wudao breathed a sigh of relief, feeling eight parts speechless out of ten.

"Damn it, making it all so tense. I thought I was done for."

This old fellow had pulled a long face and stared at him so intensely it had almost scared him half to death.

Fortunately, it was a false alarm.

Upon learning that Li Wudao possessed the Pure Sun Sacred Body, Murong Yan's attitude softened considerably.

Immediately afterward, he initiated a heart-to-heart talk lasting the length of an incense stick, personally explaining many secret lore regarding the Sacred Body to him.

"There isn't much else to caution you about, but there is one point you must always remember: the Pure Sun Sacred Body is known as the bane of demons. When walking the mortal world in the future, do not easily expose your Sacred Body bloodline, especially before the demon race..."

Saying this, Murong Yan's expression turned unprecedentedly solemn.

Li Wudao nodded solemnly, though a shiver ran through his heart.

When old man Xia had discovered he was the Pure Sun Sacred Body, he had said the exact same thing, down to the very same expression.

Just as the two of them had stated, the Pure Sun Sacred Body was supreme in its purity and yang energy. Against unorthodox paths and evil spirits, its power doubled, enough to defy the heavens and execute executions across realms, possessing incalculable potency.

Yet the consequence of this was standing at the very center of the storm, becoming the mortal enemy of both the monster and demon races!

To become the potential enemy of two entire races—even with Li Wudao having a cheat system—gave him no small amount of pressure.

"For now, you need not worry. At least within the sect, this Sect Master will hold the sky up for you. As long as you do not do anything too outrageous, I can cover for you."

Murong Yan said with a pointed implication, conveying goodwill.

"Thank you, Sect Master, for your great kindness. This disciple will certainly cultivate diligently and not fail the sect."

Li Wudao was also a clever fox, responding with a completely straight face.

Sure enough, once he demonstrated sufficient value, the sect's attitude toward him rose accordingly.

He had to admit, this was an unexpected pleasant surprise.

From now on, barring any major catastrophes, he could practically swagger sideways through the sect.

The two had their own thoughts as they chatted a bit more.

Afterward, Li Wudao bid farewell and departed.

After the young man left, Murong Yan stood alone in place, letting out a long, complex sigh. His emotions were difficult to describe and took a long time to settle.

After a good while, he snapped out of his dazed state and thought of something, muttering to himself:

"Perhaps, this time the Seven Sects Martial Tournament can be participated in..."

The Seven Sects Martial Tournament was a competition among the seven top-tier sects of the Eastern Wasteland.

Spearheaded by the Tianxuan Sacred Land, it was held once every decade, and participating disciples were restricted to those under thirty-five years of age in bone-age.

Those who ranked favorably could secure a greater division of resources for their respective sects, such as usage rights for large secret realms, mining rights for massive spiritual veins, and so forth.

Furthermore, disciples who performed exceptionally well could go to the Sacred Land for advanced cultivation, bringing deeper foundations and greater renown to their sects.

Over the past century, however, the Profound Heaven Sect's results in the Seven Sects Martial Tournament had consistently ranked at the very bottom, and with time, the gap had only grown wider.

Sixty years ago, more than half of the disciples sent to participate were killed or injured, proving utterly vulnerable and becoming the laughingstock of the major sects.

Until now, they had skipped five consecutive tournaments.

To a certain extent, the fact that the Profound Heaven Sect was criticized from the outside, with rumors spreading that they were about to fall out of the ranks of top-tier sects, was also due to this layer of reasons.

Facing these mocking voices, although Murong Yan was unwilling to admit it, he could not refute them.

The current Profound Heaven Sect was indeed in decline.

The younger generation of disciples lacked continuity, and he could no longer find anyone capable of holding the pillar up.

However, now, due to the appearance of Jiang Churan and Li Wudao, the situation of the Profound Heaven Sect had improved drastically.

"Counting the time, there are still three years until the Seven Sects Martial Tournament. Hopefully, it will be in time..."

Murong Yan held some anticipation, though he didn't harbor overly high expectations.

After all, the two had just entered the sect, and their cultivation years were far too short. Even with exceptional talent, it would be difficult to catch up to those prodigies with deep foundations.

He only hoped they could scrape together a ranking to slightly salvage their reputation, and that the disciples could return alive; that would satisfy him completely.

As for winning rewards from the Sacred Land, that was something he dared not even imagine.