"Get over here!" Li Qiye's eyes turned cold. "If you dare challenge my authority, then taste its bite!"
"He's only one man — what are we afraid of? Get him!" a disciple shouted, rallying his fellows.
Encouraged, dozens drew their weapons and charged forward as one.
But their numbers meant nothing.
Bang — bang — bang!
Before the Snake‑Beating Staff, anyone below the Heavenly Origin Realm was nothing but a target.
Each swing landed squarely on someone's face, blood bursting as they dropped like cut grain.
Li Qiye showed no mercy. For those who had rebelled first, he beat them until their cries turned to wails — until the staff painted their robes crimson and they could no longer rise.
The others watched pale and trembling, too afraid to breathe.
"All of you — get over here," Li Qiye ordered coolly, staff pointing at the remaining students.
"S‑senior Brother, w‑we didn't rebel," the big‑eyed girl stammered.
"I know." Li Qiye's voice was calm. "This first lesson is simple — so that you learn exactly what happens when someone provokes me."
He moved like lightning — the staff flashed, and one after another fell to the ground. Already in the Body‑Nurturing Realm, he barely needed the staff at all. Within moments the training yard looked as if a tiger had charged into a flock of lambs — half were down before any could blink.
Someone screamed, > "Run!"
They didn't make it far — Nan Huairen threw them right back. Those who resisted met the same fate as the rest: a single swing and they were flat on the ground.
Li Qiye was lenient with those who hadn't instigated the chaos; he merely knocked them down rather than breaking their skin. Even so, all three hundred disciples ended up on the ground, faces ash‑white, bodies shaking from pain that pierced to the bone.
The Snake‑Beating Staff was a unique treasure designed to discipline defiant disciples — few in the world could withstand it. He had once used it to keep Emperor Mingren and his peers in line; it never failed.
Cries filled the courtyard. Those who had first rebelled — especially Luo Fenghua and his gang — suffered extra punishment, their flesh split open with every strike.
When the last moan subsided, Li Qiye slowly sat back on the teacher's seat.
"To challenge me — I welcome it," he said lightly. "But you've seen the price. Today's first lesson was only an appetizer. Next time I'll hit harder — bones will break."
He looked over the bloodied yard and continued,
"Since I am your teacher, I'll take responsibility to the end. If any of you still has a 'proud spirit,' I'll beat it out of you until you submit. Before me, you learn — and I don't care how gifted you think you are. Before my eyes, genius and dog filth are the same. If you're a dragon, coil up; if you're a tiger, lie down. Otherwise, I'll shatter your pride myself!"
None of the students dared utter a word.
"That will do for the first lesson." He rose, smiling. "As for those of you who remain unhappy — feel free to file a complaint against me. Just remember — I'll personally 'receive' any complainants."
That same afternoon, Hall‑Master Zhou stormed in.
"When teaching, the goal is to enlighten, not maim!" he snapped. "The disciples of Washing Stone Peak are our sect's—"
"If you disapprove," Li Qiye cut him off calmly, "report me to the elders. My teaching is my business, not yours. Now, if you have nothing else, see yourself out."
"You — !" Zhou trembled with rage.
"Please leave, Hall‑Master Zhou," Li Qiye answered without even looking up.
Nearly choking on his own anger, Zhou gritted his teeth and left.
"Fine, good! Let's see how your students perform at the assessment," he spat before marching away.
Hardly had he gone when Li Shuangyan appeared out of nowhere, her tone icy.
"You make enemies wherever you go. Aren't you afraid someone will cut you down?"
"Cultivation doesn't decide everything," Li Qiye replied easily. "Killing is simple — the question is whether it's worth it."
Then he laughed. > "Even if the entire sect marched against me, I'd kill them all the same."
Li Shuangyan eyed him coldly. > "You sound very confident."
"Don't forget," he reminded her lazily, "you're my sword servant. Protecting your master is your duty."
"You — !" Her pretty face flushed red with anger. Few people had ever shaken her Dao‑heart — except for him.
Forcing her breathing steady, she finally said coolly,
"To earn my loyalty isn't impossible — but you'll need a reason for me to submit."
"The Biqing Constitution — one of the Twenty‑Four Royal Bodies — not bad," Li Qiye remarked lightly. "Stay by my side and I'll teach you a few things. With my guidance, you could one day cultivate the Immaculate Body (无垢体)."
"Big words — the Immaculate Body is one of the Twelve Immortal Physiques!" Li Shuangyan glared at him. "Do you know what you're saying? I already cultivate top‑tier royal physique arts."
Her Biqing Royal Body was rarest among the Twenty‑Four. To evolve it to the Jade‑Pure Body among the Eighteen Saint Physiques would take eons — and he spoke of the Immaculate Body as if it were nothing!
Without another word, Li Qiye's vitality erupted. A brilliant light wheel spun into being behind him; blood energy surged like a tidal sea. In a blink, he kicked at her with terrifying force.
Startled, Li Shuangyan raised her silver shield to block.
Boom! Thunder shook the hall. The weight behind his kick was like ten thousand mountains crashing down. Her shield shattered instantly, and though she caught the force, she had to step back, splintering the stone floor beneath her heel.
Her face changed drastically. It wasn't the kick's Dao energy but its weight — pure, impossible weight. How could a mere Body‑Nurturing junior carry such mass?
"Heaven's Proud Daughter indeed," Li Qiye said lightly. "To withstand that amount of weight shows impressive Dao foundation. Your technique — the 'Jade‑Pure Sacred‑Heart Art' — you obtained it from the Martial God Temple, didn't you? A fine physique method."
Without waiting for her reply, he turned and walked away.
Li Shuangyan stood frozen, shock rippling through her heart. Ever since meeting Li Qiye she had found him mysterious, unfathomable — but that one kick shook her to the core.
His cultivation was no higher than the Body‑Nurturing Realm, yet his leg had been as heavy as a mountain. It wasn't mere strength — it was weight itself.
No human body should carry such mass. Not a mortal body, not any known royal or saintly constitution. For a moment, a terrible realization flashed through her mind — what was he? How could such a thing be possible?