Beneath Middle Finger Peak.

Three Outer Sect Disciples stood shoulder to shoulder. One of them had a sallow, waxy complexion, as if he were just recovering from an illness, and he looked incredibly weak.

"Senior Brother Quan, are you sure nothing bad will happen to me for reporting Bai Zichen?"

the sallow-faced disciple asked apprehensively, a sense of dread and fear coiling in his gut.

"What could go wrong? You were indeed poisoned with Wind Breath Snake Venom, and for a hundred days, you won’t be able to muster a single shred of Magical Power. You can’t participate in the Sect’s minor competition."

"And just a few days ago, I happened to see one of Bai Zichen’s servant disciples furtively buying a vial of Wind Breath Snake Venom. When I told you about it, we put two and two together and realized he was the most likely suspect. That’s why we reported him to the Law Enforcement Hall for poisoning you, causing you to lose your chance to become an Inner Sect Disciple, and demanded the Sect punish him severely."

Quan Guanzhong patted his junior brother’s shoulder, trying to bolster his confidence.

"That Mo Changfei despises Bai Zichen. He paid a hefty price to bribe a servant disciple to bury a vial of Wind Breath Snake Venom in the Cave Mansion’s garden."

"We have a witness and physical evidence. I even specifically chose a day when Junior Martial Uncle Ma was on duty at the Law Enforcement Hall for you to make the report. It’s foolproof."

Mo Changfei had originally planned to cause trouble for Bai Zichen himself and humiliate him in public.

But a few days ago, he sent someone over to say he’d changed his mind. He wanted to ruin Bai Zichen’s reputation completely, so he could never recover.

Quan Guanzhong didn’t think much of it. Disciples from Cultivation Families like him were often spoiled rotten from a young age. Besides, the Mo Family was negatively affected by their Fire Phoenix Bloodline, giving them terrible control over their emotions.

It wasn’t surprising that they would resort to framing someone.

"But... an Inner Sect Disciple targeting an unknown Outer Sect Disciple like me... No one would believe it, would they?"

"Does it matter if they believe it?"

Quan Guanzhong sneered. He had barely lifted a finger, just acted as a middleman, and had managed to drag an Inner Sect Disciple into the mud. He was quite pleased with himself.

Even if something went wrong, the servant disciple could only implicate Mo Changfei. It had nothing to do with him.

"Bai Zichen took the Cave Mansion that Junior Martial Uncle Ma had already reserved for someone else. He was so angry he smashed two teacups on the spot. Now that something like this has come up, don’t you think he’ll investigate it to death?"

"Besides, in two years, Senior Brother Xiong is going to compete for a True Disciple position. Although Bai Zichen just became an Inner Sect Disciple and doesn’t have the foundation to compete for the True Inheritance, it’s always good to clear an obstacle for Senior Brother Xiong."

"Junior Brother Kuang, at your age, your hopes of getting into the Inner Sect are slim. If you handle this well, I’ll introduce you to Senior Brother Xiong. In the future, if he becomes a True Disciple, he could arrange a lucrative position for you, and you’d be set for the rest of your life."

Thinking of how he was nearly thirty and only at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer of Cultivation, Junior Brother Kuang nodded helplessly.

"He’s here! Stick to the plan. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility!"

Quan Guanzhong saw a streak of Sword Light heading toward Five Finger Peak and knew that the person they’d been waiting for all afternoon had arrived.

Within the Sect, besides the Sect Leader and the two Supreme Elders, only Foundation Establishment Elders and True Disciples were qualified to fly.

All other disciples would be suppressed by the Grand Array’s No-Fly Array, encountering immense resistance if they tried to rise more than a few dozen feet off the ground.

The Sword Light descended, revealing a Foundation Establishment Cultivator as expected.

He had regular features, but a pair of slanted eyes ruined the harmony of his face, giving him a cold and fierce look.

"Outer Sect Disciple Quan Guanzhong greets Junior Martial Uncle Ma."

Quan Guanzhong and the others hurried forward to bow and pay their respects.

This Elder Ma Ming was a True Disciple of the previous generation and had only recently advanced to Foundation Establishment.

But back when he was an Outer Sect Disciple, he had already made a name for himself in the Sect for being ruthless and merciless in Combat.

During a Sect competition, every disciple he fought ended up injured. The most severe case had both his arms severed, completely cutting off his path of cultivation.

At the time, the Sect reprimanded him for being too vicious toward his fellow disciples and overly competitive. Even after he became an Inner Sect Disciple, all his benefits were revoked as punishment.

Unexpectedly, after a few years, he still managed to outperform everyone, advance to True Disciple, and eventually reach Foundation Establishment.

These events had taken place just twenty or thirty years ago.

Therefore, in the eyes of disciples like Quan Guanzhong, Ma Ming’s authority was no less than that of the long-standing Elders. They spoke with the utmost respect and caution.

"So it was you who reported Inner Sect Disciple Bai Zichen for poisoning a fellow disciple?"

Ma Ming’s voice was deep and grating, like two iron plates scraping together, making it incredibly unpleasant to hear.

"Junior Brother Kuang is the victim. He’s the one who reported Bai Zichen. We just came with him."

Quan Guanzhong hurriedly distanced himself from the situation, pushing Junior Brother Kuang forward.

"In that case, come with me. If the accusation is true, the Law Enforcement Hall will not allow such a disciple to remain in the Sect."

Arriving before the Cave Mansion, Ma Ming waved his Elder Token, and an opening immediately appeared in the Array.

"Ma Ming of the Law Enforcement Hall is here to question Inner Sect Disciple Bai Zichen! Come out and answer at once!"

The deep voice traveled far. It wasn’t loud, but it reverberated throughout the entire Cave Mansion, echoing in every corner.

Su Lie and Peng Jinhua came running out in a hurry, but the spiritual pressure from the Foundation Establishment Cultivator struck them, forcing them to their knees. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

To servant disciples like them, a Sect Elder was a figure as high as the heavens.

Moreover, one look told them this Elder did not come with good intentions. How could they not be terrified?

Bai Zichen was in his training room, testing his newly acquired Red Cover Treasure Pearl Umbrella against a Mud Spirit Puppet. He had set the Puppet to its maximum strength and had it swing its arms to smash down on him.

The Mud Spirit Puppet was clumsy and would just be kited in actual combat, but it was perfect for testing purposes.

A stone fist came smashing down with a BOOM, carrying immense force. The Red Cover Treasure Pearl Umbrella spun rapidly, and with a flash of red light, it completely neutralized the Giant Power.

Just then, the Sound Transmission entered the room. Bai Zichen was momentarily distracted and was struck by another of the Mud Spirit Puppet’s punches.

Fortunately, the two Treasure Beads on the umbrella’s surface flared with brilliant light. The red light shield, as if it had consumed a Great Replenishing Pill, grew a shade denser and remained perfectly still.

However, the two Treasure Beads immediately dimmed, having clearly exhausted all the Spiritual Qi they had gathered.

’Ma Ming... why is he here? Could it be that he’s seeking personal revenge under the guise of official business because I took the Cave Mansion he had reserved?’

Bai Zichen was baffled. ’If that’s really the case, this Elder is far too narrow-minded.’

’But I’m an Inner Sect Disciple who was personally recruited by the Sect Leader. Even if Ma Ming deliberately makes things difficult for me, he can only annoy me at best.’

’Still, for him to barge into my Cave Mansion so brazenly and spread his Foundation Establishment pressure with a Sound Transmission Technique... if I had been in the middle of Cultivation, my Magical Power could have easily gone awry and damaged my meridians... I’ll remember this favor, Elder Ma...’

Bai Zichen walked to the front courtyard of his Cave Mansion and saw a Foundation Establishment Elder with slanted eyes. Behind him stood three Outer Sect Disciples with their hands clasped respectfully.

"Greetings, Junior Martial Uncle Ma. To what do I owe the pleasure of this grand visit to my Cave Mansion today?"

Ma Ming pointed a hand behind him and said coldly, "This person has reported that you secretly poisoned him with Wind Breath Snake Venom a few days ago, causing him to lose all his Magical Power for a hundred days and forfeiting his eligibility for the Sect competition. As an Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, I must investigate and see if our Qingfeng Sect truly has such an audacious villain who would harm his own sect-mates!"

’Someone is plotting against me!’

Realization dawned on Bai Zichen. No wonder Ma Ming had suddenly barged into his Cave Mansion.

Someone had framed him, and Ma Ming was just going with the flow. He never expected to be targeted with such a scheme after being at the Qingfeng Sect for just over a month.

’It seems I’ve gotten in someone’s way.’

"Junior Martial Uncle Ma, I have never even met this Junior Brother Kuang. Why would I poison him for no reason?"

Bai Zichen’s icy gaze swept over the three Outer Sect Disciples one by one. ’Outer Sect Disciples falsely accusing an Inner Sect Disciple? They wouldn’t have the guts. Someone must be pulling the strings.’

"Besides, I’ve been in my Cave Mansion cultivating these past few days and haven’t left at all. My two servant disciples can attest to that."