Chapter Twenty-Three: The Chosen Son of Fortune Gets Beaten Again

Not long after Ziling left, Su Yi had only walked a short distance when a group of six or seven people appeared before him.

Most of them were dressed as outer-sect disciples. Though their cultivation levels varied, they were all subtly clustered around an arrogant-looking youth. The boy wore the robes of a chore disciple; it was Zhao Zijing, who had made quite a name for himself during the entrance examinations.

Su Yi took a direct look and spotted the "Son of Fortune," Xu Ze, lying on the ground, beaten black and blue by the group.

This kid was being bullied again?

"Hold it!"

Su Yi shouted immediately. With a leap, he sprang into the crowd, positioning himself directly between Xu Ze and the others.

Seeing Su Yi intervene, the group grew wary. Zhao Zijing stepped forward and pointed at Su Yi’s nose.

"Zhang Yi, I advise you not to meddle in affairs that don't concern you! Otherwise, don't blame us for beating you along with him!"

At these words, the others stepped forward, surrounding Su Yi with hostile glares.

When Zhao Zijing first entered the sect, he had high-profilely flaunted his status as an elder's nephew. Coupled with a cousin at the Foundation Establishment stage, he had quickly established a firm footing in the outer sect, enough to act as he pleased. Naturally, he no longer held Su Yi in high regard.

Su Yi watched him expressionlessly, his tone indifferent.

"Didn't I tell you? Xu Ze is under my protection. If you dare touch him, you owe me an explanation."

Seeing Su Yi dare to stand up to him, Zhao Zijing sneered inwardly. Su Yi had no backers; so what if he was first in the entrance exams? He was merely stronger for the moment, but with his four-element spiritual root aptitude, it was destined that he, Zhao Zijing, would eventually surpass him.

Thinking this, Zhao Zijing looked on with self-satisfied ease, crossing his arms.

"An explanation? What kind of explanation do you want? We weren't bullying him; these senior brothers were merely showing kindness by testing his recent progress. Who knew his cultivation was so pathetic that he couldn't even withstand a single move? During a sparring match, a few collisions are inevitable."

"As for you, a piece of trash with a four-element spiritual root, you’ve repeatedly opposed me since the entrance exams. You’ve only been cultivating a few days longer than me; soon enough, I will surpass you. Someone like you, having entered the Immortal Sect, dares to flaunt your power before this young master? You truly don't know what's good for you."

As he spoke, his gaze grew cold.

"You want an explanation? Fine, I'll give you one! I'll count to three. Kneel down and kowtow to apologize immediately! I'll let bygones be bygones, and I'll let this fellow go for today. Otherwise, I'll beat you along with him!"

The other outer-sect disciples began to jeer.

"That's right! Hurry up and kowtow to Young Master Zijing! Or else you'll regret it!"

"Hehehe, Young Master Zijing, why not let me test this new disciple to see if his cultivation is really up to par..."

Zhao Zijing began counting: "One! Two..."

Facing these taunts, Su Yi’s emotions remained completely stable; he merely sighed softly.

"Although there's no reward this time, I really do want to bully you weaklings. What do you suggest I do?"

Then, he gently raised his right hand and said in a measured tone, "Tell me, does this hand look like a slap to the face?"

"What kind of crazy talk is this guy spouting?"

"Kid, you're looking for death!"

Seeing Su Yi’s provocative actions and words, the outer-sect disciples with cultivation bases were enraged and prepared to strike.

*Slap!*

Zhao Zijing, standing in the crowd, felt his vision blur as a stinging pain erupted on his face. He instinctively touched his cheek, then his entire body stiffened, and he fell straight onto his knees.

Realizing his current posture, Zhao Zijing’s expression shifted wildly. He tried to stand up, but found his knees felt as if they had taken root in the ground; no matter how hard he tried, he could not rise.

Faced with such a bizarre situation, Zhao Zijing was shaken to his core and couldn't help but scream out.

"What did you do to me? Why can't I get up!"

Su Yi, having appeared in front of him, retracted his hand in a leisurely manner and replied insincerely:

"I don't know. Maybe I didn't control my strength well and slapped you into a cramp."

Hearing this, Zhao Zijing felt his anger boil over, and he could no longer hold back.

"What are you waiting for! Help me up and cripple him! Cripple him for me!"

Because things had happened so suddenly, his companions finally snapped out of it. They rushed forward to help Zhao Zijing, while the three Qi Refining disciples charged toward Su Yi aggressively.

"How dare you strike Young Master Zijing! Today, I’ll show you what's what!"

As they spoke, the three surrounded Su Yi, each forming hand seals to cast their techniques.

However, before they could release them, Su Yi moved, fast as lightning.

*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*

The protective Qi of the Qi Refining disciples was shattered by his fists as easily as paper. All three let out miserable cries, flying backward and crashing onto the ground. Clutching their ribs, they couldn't climb back up.

Watching the three groaning on the ground, Su Yi smiled faintly, silently lamenting that his control over his physical strength was becoming increasingly perfect.

Being within the Immortal Cloud Sect, it wouldn't do to kill anyone. Breaking a few ribs could still be passed off as a sparring match where he failed to control his strength, but any heavier, and it would surely bring trouble.

Therefore, the difficulty of this fight wasn't in winning, but in holding back, lest he accidentally kill them with too much output.

"What is going on?"

Zhao Zijing swallowed hard, looking at the scene in disbelief, even suspecting he was hallucinating.

This Zhang Yi had defeated these people relying solely on physical power, without using a shred of true Qi?

One had to know that the weakest among them was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and one was even at the seventh!

Was he even human?

It wasn't just him; everyone else wore expressions of utter disbelief.

It was said that before entering the sect, Zhang Yi was just a rogue cultivator. How could a rogue cultivator possess such monstrous body-refining cultivation? Were rogue cultivators so intense these days?

Or were they, the sect disciples, living too comfortably, to the point of being disconnected from the outside world, not even knowing the standard level of a Qi Refiner?

Su Yi said, his expression unchanged:

"I forgot to tell you. In my travels, besides seeking the Dao, I also know a thing or two about martial arts, specifically for dealing with bullies like you who pick on the weak."

"Is there anyone else who isn't convinced? Feel free to come up and spar with me!"

The crowd looked grim, but no one dared to move.

The strongest among them was the one at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and he hadn't even lasted a single exchange. If they went up, wouldn't they just be handing over their heads?

Seeing his side suffer defeat after defeat, Zhao Zijing’s expression grew dark. He gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it, let's go!"

His body was as stiff as wood. Even while being carried by two others, he maintained the strange posture of covering his face with one hand while kneeling on both knees.

Seeing more and more fellow disciples coming over to watch, he knew nothing more could be done today. If he lingered, more people would see him in this state...

Thinking of this, he didn't even dare to utter threats and slunk away from the scene under the support of his lackeys.

...

Not far away, Xu Ze, who had also scrambled up from the ground in a sorry state, limped over, his face filled with emotion.

"Many thanks for your help, Brother Zhang. But... Zhao Zijing’s uncle is a Golden Core cultivator here. Brother Zhang, you shouldn't get involved in my affairs anymore. I don't want to drag you down with me..."