Meng Yifei turned and looked at Lingxu Zhenren.
Lingxu Zhenren's face darkened slightly, and a faint premonition of trouble rose in his heart.
Meng Yifei spoke slowly."Lingxu, your disciple made a false accusation without basis. This matter is indeed quite serious."
Lingxu Zhenren gritted his teeth.
Serious or not—it all depends on your whim, Master.
To put it bluntly, Meng Yifei had seen Li Shuang's value and wanted to win hearts by siding with her.
"Master Pang," Meng Yifei said, turning toward Pang Zhixue, "what do the sect rules say about false accusations?"
Pang Zhixue immediately understood Meng Yifei's intent and replied solemnly."False accusation violates two rules: first, that disciples must support one another instead of sowing discord; second, that disciples may not slander others when appealing to the Law Enforcement Hall. Since both were broken, I believe severe punishment is warranted."
Meng Yifei raised a brow."Oh? And what kind of punishment do you suggest?"
Pang Zhixue's eyes flickered as he quickly said, "Deduct one year's resource allocation from Chang Le'an, and at the same time—"
"One year's resources, and at the same time?"
Lingxu Zhenren grew anxious and quickly interrupted."Wait! Master, ordinary disciples do not know of the Sword Domain. It is natural for Chang Le'an to have doubts. Now that the truth has been revealed, his misunderstanding resolved, why drag further punishment into this?
"And besides, have you forgotten? Chang Le'an has extraordinary luck. In the last Langya Secret Realm, the herbs and minerals he returned with were the greatest among all six sects!"
Meng Yifei's expression wavered.
Indeed, Chang Le'an's cultivation and swordsmanship were mediocre, but his fortune within the secret realm had been extraordinary. With the Langya Secret Realm about to open again—and disciples of the six sects competing to see who could return with the greatest harvest—his luck could be invaluable.
Prestige for the sect depended on such results. And luck, unlike skill, was intangible and unpredictable. If Chang Le'an's fortune struck again, he might even surpass the others.
After a pause, Meng Yifei said slowly,"Chang Le'an's first-place finish last time did indeed bring honor to the sect. So let us settle it like this: one year's deduction of resources will stand, but further punishment shall be postponed until after he returns from the secret realm."
Lin Qingling sneered."You are truly a fair and just master."
Meng Yifei kept his smile."Master Lin Feng, urgent matters take priority. We'll revisit the issue once they leave the secret realm."
"Very well," Lin Qingling replied expressionlessly. "Then we'll revisit it after the secret realm."
Lingxu Zhenren's face remained grim. One year's deduction was already a heavy blow. But if Chang Le'an could once again bring back a rich harvest, the loss would be repaid several times over.
Meng Yifei's message was clear:If Chang Le'an proved his worth again, the matter would end here. But if he failed to perform… Meng Yifei would side with Li Shuang completely.
That was the kind of leader he was—one who valued only results.
Lingxu took a deep breath. Chang Le'an's luck had always been strong. Last time he had returned fully laden, and this time, with Ye Zhaozhao at his side, their harvest should be even greater.
Once they secured first place among the six sects, Lingxu Peak's reputation would rise again, and the sect leader's attitude would shift in their favor.
Oblivious—or perhaps indifferent—to the dark looks on Lin Qingling and Lingxu's faces, Meng Yifei smiled brightly."Alright, this matter is resolved. The first round of the round-robin is complete, isn't it? Begin preparing for the draw of the next round."
By now, the battles in all arenas had concluded.
Most victors were disciples in the late Foundation Establishment stage or higher. Only one disciple of the middle Foundation Establishment stage had won, and that was because his opponent had also been at the same level.
This once again proved that in cultivation, level often decided victory.
The only exception…
Meng Yifei's gaze lingered on Li Shuang.
Li Shuang, at the ninth level of Qi Training—no, he corrected himself. She had broken through again. After her match, she had reached the tenth level of Qi Training.
The next step was Foundation Establishment.
Meng Yifei turned to Lin Qingling."Master Lin, your disciple's cultivation has advanced dramatically since resuming her path. Is her spiritual power stable? If she relied on elixirs, then surely it is unstable. After all, one cannot take pill after pill without consequence."
Lin Qingling replied calmly, "Master, rest assured. Xiao Shuang has not relied on elixirs since beginning anew. Did you not sense her spiritual power in the arena just now? Do you think I cannot tell the difference?"
Her words were sharp, but Meng Yifei only smiled faintly."Her spiritual power is indeed condensed and stable. This Supreme Forgetfulness Art is far more profound than I imagined."
If her progress was not the result of elixirs, then it was the power of the Supreme Forgetfulness Art itself.
Less than two weeks since resuming cultivation, and Li Shuang was already preparing to establish her foundation. Her speed was astonishing.
Some said that the founder of a great sect had cultivated with the same meteoric pace, suppressing an entire generation in under a hundred years.
If Li Shuang reached the Nascent Soul stage, she could become another figure of that level—one who suppressed all others.
Meng Yifei lowered his eyes, hiding his thoughts.
He would wait and see.
For now, he gave the order for the one hundred disciples to gather and draw lots for the next round.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Out of the hundred, only fifty would enter the Langya Secret Realm. Win three times, and a disciple secured a spot.
Naturally, everyone prayed to face weaker opponents.
"Junior Sister," Chang Le'an muttered bitterly, "I don't know what trick she used to win again. But if I draw her this time, I'll teach her a lesson myself."
Though anger twisted his face, doubt gnawed at his heart.
His cultivation had been suppressed to the Foundation Establishment stage. Against someone like Duan Ziyu, he might not even hold his own.
And yet Li Shuang had defeated Duan Ziyu?
Could it be that she bribed him? Why has this Senior Sister become so strange lately?
Ye Zhaozhao forced a smile, pretending to play her usual role of calming him. But in truth, her mood had sunk too low to bother.