Ya Ya's little face finally broke into a smile as she accepted the Storage Ring. Then, as if remembering something, she glanced at the outer sect disciples below the stage, and her expression instantly turned cold again. "Old Man, I'm not some unreasonable tyrant. But these disciples not only refused to give me my Energy Stones, they even wanted to silence me permanently! Their character is despicable, nowhere near as good as Little Apprentice's!"
"Yes, yes!" The Round-Faced Elder nodded hurriedly, lowering his voice. "So, Ya Ya, can we consider this matter settled?" The whole reason they had pooled the Energy Stones was to appease her and make her retract her earlier threat. They couldn't afford to offend Talisman Peak!
"No! I'm going to find Grandpa and tell him what happened. You're all doomed!" Ya Ya glared at the Round-Faced Elder, furious. Since childhood, no one had ever dared to bully her like this. The mere thought of these outer sect disciples trying to kill her made her blood boil.
Hearing that Ya Ya still intended to involve her grandfather, the four elders on the Duel of Death Arena felt their faces twitch. This is just unfair!they thought internally. You've already taken the gifts, yet you refuse to let the matter drop. Isn't this just bullying us?
Suddenly, the Round-Faced Elder's gaze fell upon Li Hao, who stood beside Ya Ya. Hesitating for a moment, the elder walked over and clapped Li Hao on the shoulder with a forced smile. "You're Li Hao, aren't you? Truly, heroes emerge from the young. To defeat a Profound Practitioner Eighth Grade like Chu Meng while only at the sixth grade yourself... remarkable."
Li Hao's expression turned peculiar. He recognized this elder—Zhou Feng, a influential figure among the outer sect elders. It was this very elder, along with the others present, who had once labeled him the 'Number One Waste of the Qi Sect' and mocked Elder Shu for having poor judgment. Now, here he was, singing praises.
Li Hao glanced at Ya Ya. His curiosity about her identity grew stronger. He knew full well the elder's sudden friendliness was an attempt to get him to help persuade Ya Ya. But Li Hao wasn't about to intervene so easily. Let the little devil girl torment these old men a bit longer.
"Of course!" Ya Ya chimed in, stepping beside Li Hao and addressing the Round-Faced Elder. "Old Man, even though you're not much to look at, your judgment isn't completely hopeless. Little Apprentice is incredibly strong. Your disciples are all fools for not believing he could win! Utterly stupid!"
There's a chance!
The four outer sect elders (excluding Elder Shu) exchanged glances, a flicker of hope in their eyes. The Round-Faced Elder laughed obsequiously. "Yes, yes! He is a genius. Defeating an eighth-grade opponent while at the sixth grade... a true genius, a great genius!"
"Zhou Feng," Elder Shu interjected sarcastically, seizing the opportunity. "Didn't you used to say I was blind, that I'd recruited the 'Number One Waste in History'? Since when did Li Hao become a 'great genius' in your eyes?" He hadn't forgotten the mockery he'd endured because of Li Hao's initial struggles, mockery these very elders still occasionally brought up. Now was his chance for payback.
Elder Shu's words sent a jolt of panic through the other four elders. Zhou Feng stared at Li Hao. "You... you're thatLi Hao? The one who didn't reach the Profound Practitioner realm for a whole year?"
Li Hao nodded.
Seeing his confirmation, the elders' faces became strained. They had indeed said those things. Rivalry and bickering among outer sect elders were common. If Li Hao weren't friends with this little devil girl, even achieving the sixth grade now wouldn't have earned him a second glance from them. But now, this former 'Number One Waste' was the Little Devil Girl's friend—the person most likely to persuade her to retract her threat!
The elders were torn. Swallowing their pride and begging a junior disciple? Their dignity wouldn't allow it. But not begging? If the Little Devil Girl went back and told the Old Devil, the entire outer sect might face dire consequences.
"Old Man," Ya Ya said, her eyes narrowing dangerously at Zhou Feng. "You called Li Hao the 'Number One Waste in History'?" She had just complimented his judgment, only to find out he had insulted her friend. If the mighty Metal Attribute was considered trash, then what did that make her own Wood Attribute? She was getting angry.
Zhou Feng forced an awkward laugh. "No, no... it was us old fools who were blind, our vision was clouded. We apologize..."
"Old Shu, we apologize to you," another elder quickly said to Elder Shu. "You know how we are, always bickering amongst ourselves. Please, don't hold it against us."
"Indeed! For Li Hao to reach the sixth grade in such a short time, such talent certainly qualifies as genius. We were the ones who were blind before. Don't take it to heart, Old Shu."
"Old Shu, Li Hao is practically your disciple. Since he's your disciple and also Ya Ya's friend, that means we're all practically family with Ya Ya! Ha ha!"
"Yes, yes, all one family! This was all just a big misunderstanding!"
The elders couldn't bring themselves to apologize directly to a mere apprentice disciple—it was beneath their status. So, they directed their apologies to Elder Shu instead.
Watching the elders apologize, Li Hao found it somewhat amusing, but he felt no personal triumph. He understood their sudden humility was entirely due to Ya Ya's influence. Without her, even if he were at the eighth grade, he'd likely still be insignificant in their eyes.
To truly make these elders respect him and realize their past folly, he needed to pass the outer sect disciple trial and prove his worth with solid strength!
Elder Shu also refrained from gloating. He understood the same principle. Without Ya Ya, these old foxes would never lower their heads to him. Even so, it felt incredibly satisfying after a year of enduring their taunts.
Knowing when to stop, Li Hao took Ya Ya's hand and led her aside. "Ya Ya," he said softly, "how about you take back what you said earlier?"
"Is it because if I take it back, they won't look down on you anymore?" Ya Ya blinked, looking at him. She wasn't stupid; she knew the elders' sudden change of heart was because of her.
Li Hao nodded with a smile. "Yes. If you retract your words for my sake, they'll owe me a favor. I'll definitely receive better treatment in the outer sect from now on."
Ya Ya thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded. She pulled Li Hao back to the group of tense outer sect elders. "Listen up, you old men. I'll let today's matter slide. But remember, I'm only doing this for Little Apprentice's sake! If any of you dare bully me again in the future, hmph! Hmph!" The two sharp snorts left no doubt about the threat.
Hearing this, the outer sect elders collectively sighed in relief. Zhou Feng immediately declared, "Never! Absolutely never! If anyone dares to show you disrespect in the future, I'll slap them dead myself!" As he spoke, his hand flickered, and a long sword appeared. He offered it to Li Hao. "Young Li, this is a Fine Steel Sword, Yellow Rank High Tier. It's of no use to me anymore. Please, take it."
Seeing Zhou Feng's move, Cao Huo, another elder, quickly produced a suit of armor. "This is Fine Steel Armor, also Yellow Rank High Tier. I have no need for it. You should find it useful."
"Here are ten Meridian Protection Pills. They will better protect your meridians, allowing them to withstand more intense training. Accept them."
"This is a copy of the Phantom Sword Art, a Yellow Rank High Tier sword technique. Take it and practice."
In less than a minute, every outer sect elder present except Elder Shu had given Li Hao a valuable gift. Li Hao hesitated briefly before accepting them all. He knew the elders were currying favor, and he understood why. Refusing their gifts would likely make them think he held a grudge, which would only mean trouble for him in the Sword Sect later.
After storing the items, Li Hao glanced at the beaming Ya Ya beside him, his curiosity about her identity burning stronger than ever. He knew Talisman Masters were revered, but the elders' fear was clearly directed at Ya Ya's grandfather. Was her grandfather an Earth Rune Master? Or even a Heaven Rune Master?
Seeing Li Hao accept the gifts, the elders' faces relaxed into genuine smiles. Li Hao's innate talent might not be exceptional, but his connection to Ya Ya and his ability to influence her decisions made befriending him a wise move. Ya Ya's pleased expression as Li Hao accepted the items confirmed this.
"You old men aren't so bad after all!" Ya Ya nodded at the elders. Then she looked down at the outer sect disciples below. "But what about them? How will you punish them?" She had no intention of letting the disciples who tried to kill her off easily.
Li Hao also fell silent. The elders hadn't directly harmed Ya Ya, so he felt comfortable intervening. But those disciples had intended to murder her. That was something he couldn't tolerate either; in his heart, Ya Ya was already his friend.
Hearing this, Zhou Feng hesitated, then a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He turned to face the outer sect disciples. "All disciples involved in the gambling, report to the Punishment Hall immediately to receive one hundred lashes each! Afterward, you are all assigned to work in the Crystal Mine for one month. All resources mined during this period will be surrendered to the sect. Now, go!"
The faces of the disciples below turned deathly pale upon hearing the verdict. A hundred lashes was painful but manageable; they'd heal in a few days. But the Crystal Mine? That was a terrifying prospect. It was a place reserved for punishing disciples who had committed grave offenses within the Sword Sect. Sent there, one had no rights; surviving a month often meant being stripped of a layer of skin, figuratively if not literally.
Seeing the disciples' expressions, Zhou Feng felt a twinge of pity. But he knew that if the punishment was too light, and the Little Devil Girl remained unsatisfied, her complaint to the Old Devil of Talisman Peak would bring disaster not just upon the disciples, but upon the outer sect elders as well. Even the Sect Leader hesitated to provoke that particular old monster.
"Hmph!" Ya Ya still seemed dissatisfied and was about to say more when Li Hao quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the arena.
Li Hao understood that this punishment was already extremely severe. If Ya Ya pushed for more, it could provoke a backlash from the outer sect disciples, escalating the situation beyond control. He didn't care much for the other elders, but he cared about Elder Shu. He genuinely didn't want the kind elder to suffer any collateral damage from this affair.
Watching Li Hao lead Ya Ya away, the elders on the platform finally breathed a collective sigh of relief. Zhou Feng looked at Elder Shu. "Old Shu, we owe thanks to that disciple you recruited. No need for elaborate words; consider this a personal favor we owe him."
The other four elders nodded in agreement. They knew that if the Little Devil Girl had remained unsatisfied, they would have been in a true bind. Punishing their own outer sect disciples too harshly could cause resentment and alienate them, potentially harming the sect's foundation. By taking Ya Ya away, Li Hao had inadvertently solved a major problem for them.