"Brother Ye... they came to get the herbs, but when there was no stock, they started hitting people... Ah!!"
The miscellaneous disciple on the ground was explaining to Ye Feng when suddenly a foot flew in from the side. Ji Fanchen kicked him straight, sending him flying over ten meters and crashing hard into the wall, knocking him out cold.
"Ji Fanchen, you!"
No one expected this new disciple to be so arrogant. Although everyone present were miscellaneous disciples, they were technically his seniors in age, yet he resorted to such violence without a second thought!
What silenced everyone even more was that after his violent act, Ji Fanchen walked step by step towards Ye Feng and the others, his footsteps pounding like heavy drumbeats on everyone's hearts.
A rustling sound.
A group of people hurriedly retreated, like a bunch of straw bent by a fierce wind, leaving only Ye Feng and Li Xiang standing their ground, facing this arrogant troublemaker.
Ji Fanchen stopped three meters away from Ye Feng.
He looked at Ye Feng as if a king looking down on a beggar, proud, cold, and intolerant of any offense.
"What did you just say?"
Ji Fanchen spoke lightly, his voice devoid of warmth, and without waiting for Ye Feng to answer, he continued on his own: "Senior Brother Li Huayu is a prodigy of our Tianyun Sect, and he is the target I must surpass, but..."
As he spoke, Ji Fanchen's gaze suddenly turned cold, and an unprovoked aura of hostility surged straight at Ye Feng: "Neither I nor Li Huayu are people a lowly miscellaneous disciple like you can casually comment on."
Swish.
Before the words were fully spoken, Ji Fanchen swung a swift and ruthless slap straight at Ye Feng's face.
"Brother Ye, watch out!!"
Standing next to Ye Feng, Li Xiang instantly felt the fierce momentum of the slap, its speed leaving no room for defense.
But in the next second, a fist met the ruthless slap head-on.
Bang.
A dull thud.
Ye Feng staggered backward, forcibly blocking Ji Fanchen's humiliating hand.
Blocked it?
Li Xiang and the others were stunned.
They had always thought Ye Feng's strength was on par with theirs, but Ji Fanchen's terrifying slap would have sent Li Xiang flying without mercy, yet Ye Feng managed to block it.
Brother Ye's strength definitely surpasses that of an ordinary Body Realm martial artist.
"Oh?" Ji Fanchen looked at his hand, seemingly surprised: "You could actually take my slap?"
Ye Feng slowly stood up straight, his right fist trembling slightly, but his eyes, clear and distinct, showed no trace of fear.
Eight years of patience and honing might have dulled Ye Feng's sharp edge from the past, but his innate pride would never bend for anyone.
He looked at Ji Fanchen's cold and domineering gaze and smiled proudly:
"I was just speculating earlier, but your slap was indeed quite ordinary... Eight years ago, Li Huayu was more than twice as strong as you are now!"
"Insolent, you dare speak!" Ji Fanchen's pupils shrank suddenly, like a beast pricked, a grimace appearing on his face: "You think my slap is ordinary, do you? Fine, let me show you what true Profound Realm power is."
"This is the Herb Hut of Tianyun Sect, you can't be so presumptuous!"
"I will be presumptuous, what can you do about it! Kneel before me!"
Ji Fanchen's arrogance stemmed from years of wild pride; in Fengxiang County City, no one dared provoke him, and in the outer sect of Tianyun Sect, he considered himself invincible, not even regarding a miscellaneous disciple.
Ye Feng was like an ant, easily crushed underfoot.
With a long howl, Ji Fanchen finally unleashed the true power of the Profound Realm.
A faint white spiritual light condensed on his palm, a mysterious energy far surpassing brute force transformed his figure into a barely discernible whirlwind, and with a single hand swing, he drew a gust of wind, slapping towards Ye Feng's face with overwhelming power.
Damn it!
Profound Qi!!
Ye Feng was all too familiar with this powerful force he had longed for.
He raised his arm to block, but no matter how strong his body was, there was an insurmountable gap between him and the Profound Realm. His arm met Ji Fanchen's palm, and was forcibly slammed into his face, sending him flying like a ragdoll, crashing hard onto the ground.
"Brother Ye!" Li Xiang's eyes turned red as he rushed over.
"Annoying!" Ji Fanchen casually swung a palm, sending Li Xiang flying as well.
Facing the Profound Realm, Body Realm martial artists were truly like ants, easily crushed.
Ye Feng rolled several times on the ground before stopping, his left arm completely numb, half his face swollen, but before he could recover, Ji Fanchen's cruel figure appeared before him, a foot mercilessly stepping on his face:
"Tell me... how do I compare to Li Huayu now?"
"Far... far inferior!" Ye Feng gritted his teeth, spitting out defiant words from his throat.
"Hmm? Still stubborn?" Ji Fanchen sneered, applying more pressure with his foot, almost crushing Ye Feng's cheekbone: "Say one more word, and I'll make sure you never speak again!"
"Brother Ye, enough, admit defeat!!"
"Losing to Young Master Ji is no shame!"
Nearby, a group of miscellaneous disciples couldn't help but urge, unable to bear seeing Ye Feng humiliated like this.
But Ye Feng clenched his fists tightly, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets, his anger surging within, refusing to bow even in death.
"Damn you..."
Hmph!!
Just as Ji Fanchen's eyes flashed with cold light, about to exert more force, a cold shout finally rang out from the side:
"Stop!!"
The instructor had arrived, finally arrived!
The group of miscellaneous disciples breathed a sigh of relief, quickly running to the instructor to explain everything and save Ye Feng.
Ji Fanchen glanced over, seemingly not taking this ordinary instructor seriously, but the situation had reached a point where he couldn't continue his heavy-handedness.
"Consider yourself lucky, trash..." He ground his shoe into Ye Feng's face before turning to leave, not sparing Ye Feng another glance.
"Remember, this Tianyun Sect is not for trash like you, leave while you can!"
Ji Fanchen walked towards the instructor with his chest out, seemingly exchanging a few words, silencing the group of miscellaneous disciples.
And the instructor, after glancing at Ye Feng from afar, said nothing, merely instructing everyone to leave quickly, as if nothing had happened.
Lying on the ground, Ye Feng pressed against the cold earth, his face covered in mud, his heart as cold as frost!
***
An hour later.
Ye Feng walked alone in the Back Mountain of Tianyun Sect.
Half his face was still swollen, burning with pain, but more unbearable than the pain was the humiliation he had just suffered.
He had been mercilessly defeated by Ji Fanchen, facing a Profound Path expert, he had no chance at all.
Even after Ji Fanchen hit someone, he was merely scolded a few times and the matter was settled, without any punishment.
One was a miscellaneous disciple about to be dismissed, the other a rising star, anyone knew which to choose.
Of course, Ye Feng was angry.
He had once been so brilliant, even Li Huayu, the top young talent of Tianyun, was inferior to him in body refinement speed, but now he was oppressed by a rich kid relying on drugs.
Such grief and indignation were enough to drive one mad.
A quick look at will leave you more fulfilled.
However, Ye Feng was still Ye Feng.
He wouldn't allow himself to wallow in such anger, it had been eight years, this wasn't the first time he had been oppressed, if he had been resentful, he would have jumped off a mountain a thousand times by now.
He didn't even have time to be angry or aggrieved.
He came to the Back Mountain to vent his frustration, but more importantly, to find the last chance to break through the Profound Realm barrier.
Spirit Essence Grass.
Ye Feng had previously relied on finding wild Spirit Essence Grass in the Back Mountain to gain a large amount of extra Profound Qi, and this was his only hope as an outer disciple now.
Five more...
No, even three would do!
With the Profound Qi from three Spirit Essence Grass, he could definitely break through the Profound Realm!
He gritted his teeth, running into the desolate mountains and forests, because the herbs on the outskirts of the Back Mountain had long been picked clean, Ye Feng had to venture into the untouched depths of Cloud-Watching Peak for a slim chance.
But it seemed fate was playing a cruel joke on him, for despite his efforts until late at night, he hadn't found a single leaf of Spirit Essence Grass.
"Oh heavens, are you really trying to kill me..."
After a full three hours, Ye Feng leaned against a mountain wall, sitting down with a bitter smile.
The most painful thing isn't facing failure, but putting in ten or even a hundred times more effort than others only to end up with nothing.
That kind of pain, that kind of despair, is indescribable!
Ye Feng's heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant hand, oozing blood from the pain...
With only one day left until the Inner Gate Assessment, was he truly at a dead end?
Ye Feng closed his eyes, no matter how strong he was, he couldn't help but want to howl at the sky in frustration, and just as he stood up, raising his hands, opening his mouth to shout...
Suddenly, a huge Crooked-Neck Tree above caught his eye.
Huh?
This tree... looks so familiar!
Ye Feng turned his head, looking around, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Here... I've been here before, haven't I?
At that moment, a mountain breeze blew, leaves from above fell like a blessing from the master of fate, one landing right on Ye Feng's head.
Right, it was in last night's dream!
Ye Feng clearly remembered the strange dream from last night, where he was guided by a mysterious voice into the Back Mountain, arriving at this mountain wall, but in the dream, this Crooked-Neck Tree... was just a sapling, not as lush as it was now.
He gently plucked the leaf, a bold thought emerging in his mind, absurd but so tempting.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan