The outer courtyard.
Qin Changsheng once again entered the courtyard.
The scene inside was exactly the same as before his seclusion, unchanged.
The simple stone table and two stone stools were still there. The weeds in the corner had grown quite tall, clearly neglected for months.
The young man, Changsheng, didn't linger. With a wave of his hand, a gentle stream of spiritual energy flowed out, like an invisible broom, instantly sweeping away the dust and fallen leaves. The weeds in the corner were also neatly cut down by the spiritual energy, falling to the ground, and then he waved his hand again, sending them all out of the courtyard.
In a short while, the courtyard was restored to its former tidiness, the stone table and stools spotless.
Having cleaned the courtyard, Qin Changsheng walked to the stone table and sat down, preparing to continue drinking tea.
A series of rapid, forceful knocks suddenly broke the tranquility of the courtyard. The heavy knocking carried a hint of impatience and hostility, clearly indicating that the person knocking was not a friendly individual.
Qin Changsheng raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Having spent years in the sect and rarely interacted with others, he was somewhat surprised to find someone coming to his door so soon after returning to his courtyard.
"Bang!" The courtyard gate was pushed open with tremendous force, almost breaking it.
A burly man strode in. Tall and broad-shouldered, he exuded the spiritual energy of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator. His aura was rugged, and his face carried an air of arrogance and barbarity. His large, bell-like eyes swept sharply across the courtyard before finally settling on Qin Changsheng, their gaze filled with undisguised contempt.
Qin Changsheng looked up and recognized the man before him.
Liu Yong, at the eighth level of Qi Refining, wasn't a top-tier cultivator, but he was extremely domineering and tyrannical. He enjoyed bullying the weak and seizing resources, earning him some notoriety among Qi Refining disciples.
He lost to Hu Nan in the competition for the thirteenth arena champion.
However, Qin Changsheng had previously been focused on cultivation and had never interacted with him.
Liu Yong walked to the center of the courtyard, crossed his arms, and looked down at Qin Changsheng by the stone table. A disdainful smirk curled at the corner of his mouth as he cut to the chase: "Junior brother, I've taken a liking to this courtyard!"
He pointed into the courtyard, his tone domineering: "You have three days to move everything out of this courtyard, clear it out, and hand it over to me. If I see you still here after three days, or if you still have a single item left in the courtyard, don't blame me for being impolite!"
The reason Liu Yong had his eye on this courtyard was because he had heard that Lin Hao wanted to find a good environment to recuperate and cultivate his techniques.
If Liu Yong were to give this courtyard to Lin Hao,
he could definitely establish a relationship with Lin Hao.
Then, even a small reward from Lin Hao would benefit him for life.
As for Qin Changsheng, Liu Yong had no concerns whatsoever.
In his memory, Qin Changsheng was merely a newly joined outer sect disciple, mediocre in talent and weak in strength, no match for him, a mere eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator.
He could easily obtain Qin Changsheng's courtyard with just a word.
If Qin Changsheng refused to give it up, he would give him a severe beating.
Qin Changsheng slowly raised his head, a flicker of emotion finally appearing in his gaze as his calm eyes fell upon Liu Yong: "Senior Brother Liu, why do you covet my courtyard?"
Upon hearing Qin Changsheng's words, Liu Yong was first taken aback, then burst into laughter as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world: "Your courtyard? Kid, have you gone mad from cultivation? In the outer sect, the strong are respected. A piece of trash like you doesn't deserve such a nice courtyard! I'm only giving you face by liking your courtyard, don't be so ungrateful!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the spiritual energy around Liu Yong erupted again, and a domineering aura swept towards Qin Changsheng, attempting to intimidate him and force him to compromise with the pressure of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator.
However, what he didn't know was that Qin Changsheng before him was not a Qi Refining cultivator at all, but a true Foundation Establishment cultivator. His meager pressure was like an ant trying to shake a tree before Qin Changsheng, utterly insignificant.
Qin Changsheng sat upright on the stone bench and asked, "Did anyone know you came to my little courtyard today?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yong was first taken aback, then scoffed as if he'd heard a huge joke. He crossed his arms, his tone becoming increasingly arrogant: "Know? Do I need to tell anyone I'm here to take a useless courtyard? It's a trivial matter; I can handle it myself. Why bother making a fool of myself?"
In his eyes, Qin Changsheng was still that weak Qi Refining disciple who was bullied by everyone. Seizing the courtyard was a piece of cake for him; there was no need to alarm anyone, much less worry about Qin Changsheng causing any trouble.
As he finished speaking, he deliberately puffed out his chest, the spiritual energy fluctuations of his eighth-level Qi Refining stage increasing even stronger, as if showing off his strength.
Qin Changsheng looked at his arrogant and domineering appearance and suddenly chuckled softly.
The smile held no anger, no mockery, only a condescending indifference, as if he were watching a clown, his every move perfectly under his control.
Liu Yong's smile froze instantly, a strange unease rising within him. He instinctively took a half-step back, shouting sharply, "What are you laughing at?!"
His shout had barely left his lips when Qin Changsheng's smile vanished, his expression returning to calm. But at that moment, his aura erupted with a deafening roar!
A vast and powerful pressure, like Mount Tai crashing down, swept forth from Qin Changsheng's body, heading straight for Liu Yong.
It was the unique pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator—pure, heavy, and carrying a terrifying power capable of crushing any Qi Refining cultivator, instantly enveloping the entire courtyard.
With a muffled thud, Liu Yong, without even a chance to resist, was forcefully pressed to the ground by this terrifying pressure. His knees slammed heavily against the blue brick floor, making a crisp sound. A piercing pain shot through his knees instantly, but he couldn't move an inch, as if a thousand-pound boulder was pressing down on him; he didn't even have the strength to lift his head.
His face instantly changed drastically, from his initial arrogance to deathly pale. Beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead, streaming down his cheeks and soaking his clothes. His eyes were filled with disbelief, terror, and despair. He uttered incoherent groans, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, like a leaf.
"Foundation...Foundation Establishment stage?!" Liu Yong struggled to lift his head, his gaze unfocused as he looked at Qin Changsheng, who remained seated on the stone bench. His voice trembled violently, filled with deep fear and regret.
He never imagined that Qin Changsheng, who seemed so ordinary, was actually a Foundation Establishment expert.
It's important to understand that the Foundation Establishment stage and the Qi Refining stage are worlds apart. Even if ten or a hundred Qi Refining cultivators joined forces, they would be no match for a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the early stage, let alone a mere eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator.
Regret washed over Liu Yong like a tidal wave.
If he had known Qin Changsheng was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he wouldn't have dared to provoke him, much less covet this small courtyard!
He only wanted to curry favor with Lin Hao and gain some benefits, but now he had offended a Foundation Establishment expert. Forget about any benefits; even his life was uncertain.
Qin Changsheng slowly raised his hand, slightly reducing his oppressive aura: "Speak, why did you come to seize my courtyard? Who sent you?"
The oppressive aura lessened, and Liu Yong could finally breathe with difficulty. He immediately prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, his forehead hitting the bricks with a resounding thud, quickly drawing blood. He begged for mercy, "Senior Qin... Senior Qin, spare my life! I know I was wrong! I will never dare to do it again! Please forgive this disciple this time!"
While begging for mercy, he dared not conceal anything, quickly saying, "It was... it was Senior Brother Lin Hao! Senior Brother Lin Hao sent this disciple!"
Qin Changsheng was also somewhat puzzled, completely unable to understand how this matter was related to Lin Hao: "Senior Brother Lin's dantian was damaged, and Elder Lin gave him a Five Elements Cultivation Technique to recuperate!"
"I learned that Senior Brother Lin needed to find a secluded place in the outer sect. I searched for a long time and finally settled on your courtyard. I felt it was quiet and secluded, perfect for cultivation, so I dared to come and ask you to move in!"
Liu Yong kowtowed as he spoke.
He couldn't understand why he was so unlucky.
He randomly picked a courtyard to rob, and unexpectedly ran into a Foundation Establishment expert.
He hoped this Foundation Establishment expert wouldn't bother with him.