"Senior Brother Sect Master, today was supposed to be the day for the outer disciples to conduct their trial in the back mountain," Fairy Qinglian said. "However, a Golden Leopard King, which had been hiding and went unnoticed during our previous sweeps of the back mountain, emerged. It was at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, and its combat abilities were comparable to an early-stage Core Formation cultivator. It caused heavy casualties among our sect's disciples."
"Oh?"
The Sect Master's white eyebrows rose slightly as he responded in a deep voice, "Is that so? It seems we need to be more frequent and thorough in our future sweeps of the back mountain."
"Indeed," Elder Zou chimed in. "There were two disciples who performed exceptionally well during this incident."
At this moment, Lin Li, who had been feeling somewhat detached from the matter, suddenly perked up, anticipation rising within him.
He couldn't help but wonder...
What kind of reward would the Sect Master bestow upon him?
"Let's hear it," the Sect Master nodded without breaking his meditation.
It appeared he had been in deep concentration for some time.
"The one who stood out the most was Lin Li," Elder Zou continued.
Upon hearing that Elder Zou mentioned Lin Li first, Luo Zhiyuan's expression darkened slightly, but he no longer felt any jealousy. After all, it was a fact!
Lin Li did not fight for recognition, yet as a mid-stage Qi Refining outer disciple, he had slain the Golden Leopard King, which was indeed an extraordinary feat!
Elder Zou said, "He is a newly admitted outer disciple who only recently reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining. However, during the unexpected incident in the back mountain, he saved a fellow disciple's life and even..."
At this moment, the young disciple standing beside Lin Li, the one whose life Lin Li had saved, blurted out, interrupting Elder Zou, "No, no, Elder! You got it wrong!"
"Oh?"
Elder Zou's face darkened, but the Sect Master, intrigued, said, "Elder Zou is known for his precision. How rare to see him make a mistake! Little disciple, tell me, where did Elder Zou go wrong?"
"Reporting to Sect Master!" The young disciple clasped his fists and bowed respectfully. "Senior Brother Lin Li didn't just save me; he saved nine of us! Sadly, three of the senior brothers were later killed by the Golden Leopard King. Now, besides Senior Brother Luo, all six of us here were saved by Lin Li. If you don't believe me, you can ask the other senior brothers!"
"Hiss?!"
Even the experienced and knowledgeable Sect Master couldn't help but gasp in surprise. He then asked in disbelief, "Lin Li, you are only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. How did you manage to save so many fellow disciples and also kill a Golden Leopard King at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment?"
This truly defied common sense and was beyond comprehension!
"Reporting to Sect Master, I merely saw an injustice and acted," Lin Li said humbly. "As I was passing by, I happened to come across some fellow disciples in need of help."
Lin Li continued, "As for the Golden Leopard King, I owe it all to Senior Brother Luo. He fought bravely, confronting the beast head-on, using numerous talismans and sustaining serious injuries. He managed to buy enough time for the two Core Formation elders to arrive. Without them, we would all have perished long before their arrival. Furthermore, it was only after the two Core Formation elders gravely injured the Golden Leopard King that I had the opportunity to slip unnoticed and use my weapon to cut open the beast's abdomen, where I destroyed its internal organs."
"Ah, I see," the Sect Master nodded in realization.
Luo Zhiyuan, who had been feeling down, looked at Lin Li with both relief and gratitude. He thought to himself, "All those talismans and the injuries I endured in the battle against the Golden Leopard King weren't in vain! Lin Li is someone I can trust!"
"Senior Brother, Lin Li spoke the truth," Elder Zou continued. "The second disciple I mentioned who performed remarkably well in this unexpected incident was the inner disciple at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, Luo Zhiyuan!"
Elder Zou added, "I request that you reward them both generously and announce their achievements throughout the sect, encouraging all disciples to learn from their example! Only in this way can we foster a spirit of unity and mutual support among the five branches of our sect."
"I would also like to add," Fairy Qinglian interjected, "that the elders responsible for the previous two sweeps of the mountain, Elder Hong from the Pill branch and Elder Sheng from the Tool branch, should be held accountable. Had they conducted a thorough search, this Golden Leopard King at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment wouldn't have been left in the back mountain. With Luo Zhiyuan at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, he would have been more than enough to oversee the trial."
"I've heard both of your suggestions," the Sect Master said. "For now, return and lead the disciples in cleaning up the aftermath in the back mountain. Ensure that the bodies of the fallen disciples are retrieved and given a proper burial. Tomorrow, we will convene a full sect assembly."
"Yes, Sect Master!"
...
After leaving the main hall of Tongtian Peak, Fairy Qinglian said, "Now that the matter is resolved, I'll return to my cave dwelling here on Tongtian Peak. Senior Brother, I'll leave it to you to escort the disciples back to the mountain gate."
"No problem."
Elder Zou nodded, and then he summoned his flying sword once more, taking Lin Li and the others down the mountain.
Without this aid, descending Tongtian Peak, which rises vertically over 3,000 meters with a vast base, would have taken them a full day's journey to return to the mountain gate where the outer disciples reside.
However, with Elder Zou's sword flight, it took only a moment for them to leave Tongtian Peak and arrive at the Xuantian Sect's mountain gate.
The mountain gate was situated at the start of the spiritual vein of the Xuantian Sect, with the five peaks of Xuantian lying behind it.
Besides training, the outer disciples were also responsible for the sect's daily maintenance.
In fact, the buildings at the mountain gate were far more expansive and densely packed than those atop the five peaks of Xuantian Sect.
In addition to the outer disciples in charge of managing the area, there were also a considerable number of mortals who served as part of Xuantian Sect's subordinate branches, handling tasks like procurement, miscellaneous duties, and cooking.
These mortals, under the jurisdiction of the outer disciples within Xuantian Sect, held quite a high status in the secular world of Zhao Kingdom.
At the very least, they were powerful figures in their respective regions!
They came here with the hope of seeking a connection to immortality.
If they could learn even a single technique from Xuantian Sect, they would return to the mortal world as renowned martial masters!
After dropping Lin Li and the others off at the mountain gate, Elder Zou, along with Luo Zhiyuan, one of the disciples from Tongtian Peak's Sword branch, soared into the sky once more.
This scene, witnessed by the bustling crowds at the mountain gate, immediately drew gasps of admiration as they exclaimed, "The Sword Immortal has manifested!"