Right now, the vast plaza was in an uproar.

The Hunyuan One-Chi Plaza, usually a place for quiet cultivation, was packed with people, yet not a single person was actually cultivating.

At the edge of the plaza, four or five figures lay sprawled on the ground, collapsed in pools of blood, groaning nonstop. Two of them had already fainted completely.

Smack!

One disciple at mid Immortal Emperor realm kicked Feiyu in the face, which was already a mask of blood. He let out a contemptuous laugh. “Feiyu, you guys really have some nerve, huh? Stinky men like you dare talk back to Senior Sister Bei? Senior Sister Bei wants your spot—everyone else would beg to give it to her!”

“Hmph, just a woman, don’t get so full of yourselves. When Senior Brother Long gets here, you’re all dead meat.”

Feihe mumbled through broken teeth. Two of his front teeth were gone, and he couldn’t even open his eyes.

“Senior Brother Long? You mean that new guy, Long Wuxian? Hah! Sure, that kid’s got talent, but do you know what they say—‘a dragon from afar doesn’t beat the local snake’? In the outer sect of the School of Chi, nobody gets to stomp on Senior Sister Bei.”

“Exactly. Ever since Senior Sister Feiyue advanced to the inner sect… ahem, I mean, I was wondering why these guys were suddenly so tough today, daring to talk back. Turns out they think they’ve found themselves a new backer.”

“So what? Even if Long Wuxian killed Yu Fengchen, there are plenty of people in the School of Chi way stronger than Yu Fengchen.”

The female disciples around Bei Yuxin kept up their mocking commentary while still throwing blows at Feiyu and the others.

In the center of the group stood a girl of seventeen or eighteen, arms crossed over her chest. Her figure was fairly well‑proportioned, her face full of cold smiles and disdain. No need to guess—this was Bei Yuxin.

She had just secured a top‑ten rank in the outer sect days ago and was currently riding high.

“Sigh, Feiyu and the others really asked for it. Why did they have to provoke Senior Sister Bei? She’s the tyrant of the outer sect now.”

“Normally, they’d never dare resist. I heard they’re pretty close with Long Wuxian and figured they had a strong backer watching their backs.”

“Tch. Even if Long Wuxian shows up, he won’t dare go head‑to‑head with Bei Yuxin. Everyone knows Bei Yuxin’s elder sister is Bei Luoyu of the inner sect. If Long Wuxian pisses her off, he’ll be the one suffering.”

Disciples all around were sighing, thinking Feiyu and the others shouldn’t have fought back. It was just a cultivation platform being taken, right? So what if they didn’t cultivate today?

“Everyone, stop!!!”

A furious shout rolled in from the distance like thunder. Countless gazes turned toward the voice and saw a youth in gold, a snow‑white kitten perched on his shoulder, striding over with Feixue—the one who’d run off earlier—right beside him.

“Long Wuxian’s here. This is gonna be good.”

“Didn’t think Long Wuxian would actually stand up for Feiyu and the others. He’s vicious, you know. He doesn’t even take Yu Tianlong seriously.”

“Yeah. This guy is trouble, and Bei Yuxin’s trouble too. Sparks are gonna fly today. We’d better just watch and not get involved.”

“So that’s Long Wuxian? He’s so young. No wonder, though—he’s only at half‑step Immortal Emperor. In the entire outer sect, he’s the only one who hasn’t even reached early Immortal Emperor.”

Long Wuxian’s arrival sent a fresh wave of agitation through the crowd. Many of those present had seen him at the Sacred City Plaza, so he wasn’t a stranger. Those who hadn’t gone to the Sacred City had never seen him before, but stories about Long Wuxian had been going crazy through the School of Chi for days now, especially in the outer sect.

The disciple hierarchy in the School of Chi was strict, based purely on cultivation. Outer sect disciples ranged from early to late Immortal Emperor. Anyone below early Immortal Emperor could only be a registered disciple.

But a freak like Long Wuxian—no elder in the sect had the nerve to lump him in with mere registered disciples. That would be an insult to him.

In truth, the high‑ups of the School of Chi were secretly keeping a close eye on him. They hadn’t openly declared anything, but Long Wuxian was clearly a key cultivation target.

Among the younger generation in the Southern Domain, what the sect wanted most was someone who could stand against Yu Tianlong. And on top of that, this person had even agreed to a six‑month duel with Yu Tianlong. Long Wuxian was obviously the best candidate—the only candidate.

Under countless watching eyes, Long Wuxian walked onto the Hunyuan One‑Chi Plaza, putting on a deliberately furious expression as he stepped up in front of Feiyu and the others.

Seeing him, Feiyu and the rest looked like drowning men seeing a lifeline. Feihe mumbled through his swollen mouth, face full of grievance.

“No need to say it.”

Long Wuxian waved his hand lightly, then turned his gaze to Bei Yuxin and her group.

“You girls really don’t know your own strength, do you?” he said calmly. “For girls, you hit way too hard.”

“What’s it to you? Since Feiyu disrespected our Senior Sister Bei, of course he has to be punished.”

A mid Immortal Emperor female disciple lifted her chin and spoke with arrogance.

“Then if you disrespect me, do you need to be punished too?”

Long Wuxian looked at her, his eyes sharp as blades.

The girl shuddered all over, instinctively avoiding his gaze. A person’s name carries weight, and she had personally seen Long Wuxian kill Yu Fengchen like it was nothing. Deep down, she had a bone‑deep fear of him. Even with Bei Yuxin standing right beside her, that fear wouldn’t go away.

“Long Wuxian, you and I don’t cross paths. I don’t mess with you, and you’d better not mess with me. What happened today is their own fault. I already held back.”

Bei Yuxin’s tone was full of pride. It was clear she didn’t want to provoke Long Wuxian, but she wasn’t afraid of him either.

“What’s done is done. It’s not going away. Feiyu and the others are my friends and my men. You beating them is the same as targeting me. I have to get justice for them.”

Long Wuxian spoke very seriously.

“Justice? Heh. Long Wuxian, Long Wuxian… what do you think this place is? This is the School of Chi. Even if you could kill Yu Fengchen, you’re still just an outer sect disciple. Don’t take yourself too seriously.”

Bei Yuxin let out a mocking laugh.

“Bei Yuxin, if you apologize to Feiyu and the others now, and compensate them, I might not make a big deal of it.”

Long Wuxian looked at her and smiled as he spoke.

What?

An apology? And compensation?

Bei Yuxin honestly wondered if she’d heard wrong. With her level of prestige in the outer sect, how could she possibly lower her head to Feiyu and the others? Wouldn’t that ruin her reputation?

“Long Wuxian, you’re new here and you already think too highly of yourself. In the entire outer sect, nobody’s ever dared make Senior Sister Bei bow and apologize.”

That mid Immortal Emperor female disciple said loudly, arrogance written all over her face. Clearly she wanted to perform in front of Bei Yuxin.

Smack!

Before she even finished talking, Long Wuxian’s hand whipped across her proud face.

A mid Immortal Emperor disciple was nothing to Long Wuxian, especially when she didn’t see it coming. His slap sent her crashing to the ground, and half her face swelled up instantly.

“Waaah!”

She burst into tears on the spot. Long Wuxian had held back, but the lesson was still brutal enough.

“My face… it hurts so much!”

The girl stared at her already red and swollen cheek, nearly bawling outright. Long Wuxian hadn’t gone easy, and she couldn’t even get back up from the ground.

“Shut up. A disciple of the School of Chi, and all you can do is bluff and cry?”

Long Wuxian swept a cold glance over the whimpering disciple on the ground, his voice icy.

“Long Wuxian, y‑you dare hit my people?”

Bei Yuxin exploded with anger. She had never imagined this newcomer would give her absolutely no face.

“I’ll give you one more chance. Everyone who struck them today will bow to Feiyu and the others and pay one immortal spirit stone each. I have to restore their dignity. And I have to teach you a lesson, so you understand—no one gets to defy me lightly.”

Long Wuxian spoke each word clearly. A faint kingly aura seeped from him, his attitude hard as steel.

“So cool.”

Off to the side, Feixue and the others watched Long Wuxian in full domineering mode, their eyes practically turning into hearts.

“He really isn’t ordinary. No wonder he dares challenge Yu Tianlong—what a hero.”

“Yeah, even I kinda want to follow him.”

“Let’s see how Bei Yuxin handles this. Bow and apologize? No way. She just made top ten in the outer sect and she’s full of herself. Plus she’s got an inner‑sect sister backing her. I’m afraid…”

The noise around them grew louder and louder. No one had expected Long Wuxian to be this forceful. He was clearly determined to get justice for Feiyu and the others.

On the ground, Feiyu and Feihe were almost in tears. They felt more than ever that following Long Wuxian had been the right choice.

“Long Wuxian, I’m warning you—don’t go too far.”

Bei Yuxin gritted her teeth. If it were anyone else, she would have attacked already. In the outer sect, no one had ever dared speak to her in this tone, much less order her to bow.

But reason kept her from making a move. She understood very well: even though Long Wuxian’s cultivation was not yet at early Immortal Emperor, if they really fought, she was no match for him—not even for a single move.

“I gave you your chance. Since you won’t take it, don’t blame me for being rude.”

A cold light flashed in Long Wuxian’s eyes. His body blurred—and then he was gone.

Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa…

A rapid volley of slaps echoed through the Hunyuan One‑Chi Plaza, followed by a chorus of screams.

The five or six disciples around Bei Yuxin were all knocked to the ground by Long Wuxian, half their faces swollen beyond recognition as they lay there wailing.

Everyone around sucked in a breath. At such close range, none of them had even seen how Long Wuxian attacked. His speed was so terrifying it was beyond belief.

Shock was universal. Countless fiery, stunned gazes locked onto Long Wuxian. They had never seen someone who had just stepped into the Immortal Emperor realm be this strong.

Long Wuxian stood where he’d been, completely at ease, as if he’d never moved at all. There was a faint hint of a smile on his face, but his eyes were ice‑cold and razor sharp.

“T‑this is insane. Did you see how he moved?”

“No. He was too fast. And the people he knocked down are all early and mid Immortal Emperor disciples. That kind of cultivation is nothing in front of him.”

“No wonder he could kill Yu Fengchen. If it really came down to a fight, even several Bei Yuxins wouldn’t be his match. I don’t see how she walks away from this with her pride intact.”

The whole Hunyuan One‑Chi Plaza was filled with whispers and gasps. Everyone knew Bei Yuxin had slammed right into an iron wall today.