Chapter 123: Confrontation

Without time to admire the smooth and magnificent floor, Chen Qi arrived before the figure sitting cross-legged, not daring to even draw a full breath.

Seeing this middle-aged beauty once more, although he did not feel the crushing urgency of their first encounter, a persistent sense of unease still gnawed at him.

Noticing Chen Qi standing still, Yun Yuxi actually stood up and took two steps toward him.

Startled by Yun Yuxi's abrupt movement, Chen Qi's courage waned further as he roared in desperate despair:

"Just how much does she actually know?!"

Standing frozen in place for a long moment, he heard Yun Yuxi's voice, devoid of any emotion.

"How far have things gone between you and my daughter?"

Chen Qi's body jolted. He raised his head in disbelief, locking eyes with Yun Yuxi's downward gaze, and felt his heart turn largely cold.

At this moment, he had three choices: first, deny everything to the bitter end; second, tell the truth and seek support; third, exaggerate and shamelessly freeload on her status.

He quickly discarded the first option. For no other reason than the sect master's expressionless face, which clearly indicated she already knew something. If he stubbornly pushed back, he feared the enraged sect master would slap him into a pulp.

In his heart of hearts, he would have chosen the second option, but Elder Chi's parting advice—"The sect master favors brave juniors"—left him hesitating.

Should he trust Elder Chi or trust himself? This was a terribly difficult decision.

Time continued to slip away. Feeling the subtle changes in the vast aura pressing down from right in front of him, Chen Qi dared not ponder any longer and resolutely spoke up:

"Tianxin and I have already pledged our lives to one another. Everything has been done, short of the final step."

Between trusting Elder Chi and trusting himself, he ultimately chose the former. After all, the former had helped him many times before and surely wouldn't harbor malicious intentions regarding this matter, right?

With that said, Chen Qi lowered his head anxiously, trying his utmost to put on an honest and meek expression.

According to the customs of Earth, elders liked honest sons-in-law.

While Yun Yuxi maintained an impassive expression on the outside, a storm was raging within her heart, and her pristine, flowing state of mind was on the verge of shattering.

In truth, Yun Tianxin had exposed nothing to her. This probing attempt, sparked by a sudden flash of intuition, stemmed from nothing more than a mother's concern over a young man and woman locked alone in a room, coupled with the faint strangeness she sensed in Yun Tianxin's demeanor.

She had not expected the situation to be far worse than she imagined; in just a few short days, the relationship between the two had actually reached this stage.

At this thought, her left hand—honed through years of arduous practice in the Azure Cloud Finger technique—almost instinctively lashed out to skewer this opportunistic scoundrel into a pulp of flesh.

Yun Yuxi took two successive deep breaths, then turned around to deny Chen Qi any chance of reading her facial expression.

At this moment, Chen Qi had no idea he had just brushed past the gates of hell. Seeing no response from Yun Yuxi, he raised his head with a mixture of apprehension and excitement, only to find himself staring at her half-turned back.

As Yun Yuxi walked back toward her elevated throne, her mind raced at a frantic pace.

Although she held a lofty position and her single word could determine the life or death of many within the Cloud Sea Sect, she possessed very little experience in handling a situation like this.

Especially now, when the currents of the world were growing turbulent, as sect master, she needed to eliminate all unstable factors, but as a mother, she had to consider her daughter's emotions.

She felt she owed her daughter a debt; the entire sect regarded Yun Tianxin as a lifeline, and she had raised and indoctrinated her with that same mindset, depriving the girl of what a normal woman ought to enjoy.

Just moments ago, the thought of banishing Chen Qi had crossed her mind. Taking his life outright was naturally inappropriate, but merely exiling him was something she, as the master of the Cloud Sea Sect, could do with a clear conscience!

Yet the words hovered on the tip of her tongue before faltering at the final moment. Particularly given Yun Tianxin's current state—on one hand, she needed to maintain her rationality at all times, while on the other, she was consumed by deep anxiety over the examinations two months away.

If she were to banish the disciple who had pledged his heart to her daughter at a time like this, would it become the final straw that caused Yun Tianxin's sanity to collapse?

At the mere thought, although Yun Yuxi's exterior remained calm and majestic, her mind was a complete and utter mess.

By the time she sat back down upon her throne, she still had not figured out how to speak. Thus, maintaining a stern countenance, she looked down at Chen Qi, tossing the difficult problem back into his lap and awaiting his reaction.

Someone who had taken advantage of her daughter should at least possess this much capability, shouldn't they?

Seeing that the elegant and regal middle-aged beauty remained entirely unswayed, her gaze heavy with pressure and locked firmly upon him, Chen Qi had no choice but to push forward with feigned courage:

"I will take responsibility for her!"

Yun Yuxi remained noncommittal at these words, acting as though she hadn't heard them at all. She continued her maternal stare, her aura inadvertently surging by several folds, causing a stinging sensation across Chen Qi's skin.

A wave of unease gripped Chen Qi, but the situation no longer allowed him to hesitate. He mustered his courage once more and declared resolutely:

"I will treat her well!"

This time, Yun Yuxi finally reacted slightly. A cold snort escaped her lips as she spoke in an unchanged tone:

"Do you know what Tianxin means to our entire Cloud Sea Sect?"

Chen Qi was rendered speechless, though a rebellious fire ignited within his chest. He had heard this phrase more than once, and every time he heard it, he felt compelled to vent his grievances.

From the perspective of his simple patriarchal mindset, resting the entire future of a sect upon a single person's shoulders was unrealistic and even somewhat disgraceful.

Not to mention that this person was a junior! A woman! Still in the prime of her youth!

Perhaps it was the long-suppressed urge to protest, or perhaps a surging wave of pity for Yun Tianxin; casting aside Yun Yuxi's dual identity as both sect master and mother, Chen Qi raised his voice and declared:

"I know! And I consider it shameful."

Without regard for the sudden, crushing weight of the pressure bearing down upon him, he coldly retorted:

"What meaning does a sect have for its existence if it pins all its hopes on a young female junior?"

"Bang!"

The aura that had previously been pressing down on Chen Qi instantly solidified into a tangible force, blasting his body backward through the air.

Yun Yuxi's emotionless voice rang out from the throne:

"What do you know? A sect that has endured for hundreds of years must always have individuals willing to make sacrifices during critical times. Especially when such sacrifices are not degrading, why should they not be made?"

Blood seeped from the corner of Chen Qi's mouth as he stubbornly dragged himself up from the floor, raising his gaze toward the throne above:

"Yes, Senior Sister Yun is willing to do this, and I will not stop her. I love the her who is willing to step forward for her junior brothers and sisters, and I love the her who bravely shoulders the responsibility of passing down the sect's legacy."

"But!" Chen Qi changed the subject, taking a few deep breaths before finally venting the thoughts stored in his heart:

"This must be of her own free will! When she does not wish to, or when she wants to pause and take a rest, no one has the right to force her!"

By this point, his eyes were thoroughly bloodshot, though a hint of pleading lingered within his gaze.

"A sect that has endured for hundreds of years has always relied on the voluntary devotion of its disciples, not on emotional coercion and grand righteousness wielded by a numb and conservative upper echelon! You are her mother, and also the sect master—are you willing to watch such a sect continue to exist? To rely on young disciples rather than true strength to seek survival when the next crisis arrives?"

Yun Yuxi upon the throne still appeared unmoved. The oppressive force weighing upon Chen Qi did not vanish; instead, it slowly tightened, turning the pressure into a feeling of suffocation.

Chen Qi felt as though the indescribable, intangible momentum in the air had formed an invisible hand, wrapping around his throat.

He could barely speak anymore, and soon he would no longer be able to breathe.

Unwilling to sit passively and await death, Chen Qi activated Focus Burst.

Leaning on the bizarre state granted by the skill's effect, he did not choose to beg for mercy, nor did he take a step back, nor did he foolishly attempt to charge back at Yun Yuxi. He merely managed to steady his stance, his lips trembling as he spat out a single sentence:

"As martial artists of our generation, our very bones should forever flow with the spirit of unyielding self-improvement!"

"Clang!"

Without the slightest exception, even at his absolute peak state, Chen Qi could do nothing to resist Yun Yuxi's mere release of aura.

His long blade clattered to the ground the very next second. His vision grew blurry, replaced by eerie symbols as Chen Qi felt the approach of death.

This was no longer mere suffocation; the air within his cells was being forcefully extracted toward the surface of his body. He felt like a wrung-out towel, liable to lose the last trace of vitality at any moment.

Just as this terrifying pressure reached its peak, it abruptly ceased. Yun Yuxi's figure upon the throne suddenly grew ethereal, and her final words drifted through the magnificent hall:

"Outer disciple Chen Qi, for meritorious service in rescuing Yun Tianxin, the inner sect senior sister of the Cloud Sea Sect, is rewarded with 1,000 sect contribution points."

The voice echoed a few times before fading into complete silence. Within the vast, empty grand hall, only the sound of Chen Qi gasping heavily for air remained.