Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Has it started so soon? Or was Su Yu already facing this situation?

Over the years, to maintain her role as a good Luo Qingci, she devoted most of her time to cultivation. Along with her disdain for this world, she avoided paying much attention to those around her, whom she saw as mere NPCs. Except for getting to know Cheng Su and others for future plans, she basically didn't care much about others.

Since her cultivation plateaued, she became a marginal figure in the sect. Though she held the title of Law Enforcement Elder, she seldom participated in anything beyond major events.

Originally, as an elder of the Celestial Calculus Sect, she should have been responsible for teaching disciples spells. However, due to Lady Huai Zhu's indifferent and aloof attitude, she directly refused.

After Su Yu became her disciple, she didn't personally attend Su Yu's morning classes, only instructing her in the Hanlu Courtyard.

Su Yu was steady and sensible, adept at handling matters, so Luo Qingci didn't need to worry much. As for the rest, she really didn't pay much attention.

But the scene before her made Luo Qingci realize that her trust in Su Yu was, in fact, another form of neglect.

Although Luo Qingci had some guesses in her heart, she didn't jump to conclusions based solely on the seating arrangement. Instead, she continued to observe Ruan Li and Su Yu.

At that moment, Ruan Li was kneeling on a cushion, talking to Su Yu, likely discussing the morning class teachings.

While they were talking, two inner disciples in white robes walked past Ruan Li. One of them suddenly bumped into Ruan Li's shoulder.

Caught off guard, Ruan Li tilted and used her right hand to steady herself on the ground.

Her hand was still wrapped in bandages, and the moment it touched the ground, Luo Qingci clearly saw her fingers instinctively curl up and then forcibly endure.

She had aggravated the wound.

This little brat didn't use the medicine I gave her.

Su Yu noticed and promptly helped Ruan Li up. She frowned slightly and turned to look at the two male disciples, Lin Mu and Di Shen. These two were inner disciples from the Li and Kun Courtyards, respectively, now at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, with considerable strength.

Noticing Su Yu's gaze, the two casually stopped. Lin Mu, who had bumped into Ruan Li, glanced at her and said with a feigned smile, "Oh, I'm truly sorry. The place is narrow, and I didn't notice. I bumped into this junior sister from the Ze Courtyard. I truly apologize. Su Yu, please don't take offense."

Though he claimed to be sorry, his apology was insincere, directed at Su Yu, and completely disregarded Ruan Li.

"Hey, you didn't just bump into any regular disciple. Isn't this the one who tested as both a waste spiritual root and an extreme fire spiritual root yesterday? I heard she climbed 923 steps of the Heavenly Stairs. How is she so weak that she can't even stand steady after a light touch from a senior brother?" Di Shen chimed in.

Su Yu had merely frowned instinctively when she saw Ruan Li being bumped into, but upon hearing their sarcastic remarks, her eyes turned icy. "If you bump into someone, just apologize. Why all this nonsense? You tell me not to take offense, but seeing it's you, I'm not surprised at all. Moreover, you bumped into my junior sister. If you don't want me to take offense, shouldn't you apologize to her?"

Lin Mu was nonchalant. "Oh, didn't I just apologize? Did Junior Sister Ruan not hear it clearly? By the way, today is your first day of cultivation. Why isn't Lady Huai Zhu here to take a look? I saw all the other elders, including my master, have come. Could it be that a genius who climbed over 900 steps isn't worth her attention? Or is it because her spiritual root is too useless, and she doesn't want to bother?"

The incident during the spiritual root test yesterday left a deep impression on everyone. Although Gu Zhichao explained that there was a problem with the testing stone and that Ruan Li had a single spiritual root, they didn't believe it.

After all, the testing stone had never made a mistake in hundreds of years. Moreover, Ruan Li was already sixteen and hadn't even started to draw in spiritual energy. Privately, they all thought Ruan Li was a lost cause.

Yesterday, they unanimously believed that Gu Zhichao kept her only because she had climbed over 900 steps of the Heavenly Stairs. Kicking her out would damage the reputation of the Heavenly Stairs in the immortal sects.

No matter how firm one's Dao heart is, a useless spiritual root still makes one a waste.

Su Yu couldn't hold back anymore and spoke up, "The Sovereign has already said that Ruan Li has a single fire spiritual root, and its quality is excellent. How can you, with a dual spiritual root, say her spiritual root is useless?"

Hearing this, Lin Mu exchanged a glance with Di Shen and burst into laughter.

He slowly walked back, lowered his voice, and said, "An extreme single spiritual root? Are you not deceiving yourself? If it were truly an extreme single spiritual root, would the Sovereign be willing to give her to Lady Huai Zhu? Everyone in the Celestial Calculus Sect knows that Lady Huai Zhu is cold and indifferent, never caring about her disciples."

He sneered and then said to Su Yu, "Su Yu, haven't you suffered enough over the years? We entered the sect together, and you, as Lady Huai Zhu's only personal disciple, are now at the same mid-stage of Foundation Establishment as me. Aren't you sad? And Senior Brother Lin Xiu has already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. You once competed with him to enter the Ze Courtyard. Do you regret it now?"

Su Yu's face darkened, and the anger in her eyes was barely contained.

Before Su Yu could respond, Ruan Li, who had been kneeling silently beside her, suddenly stood up. She looked directly at Lin Mu, her tone serious and low, "Who gave you the right to gossip about my master behind her back?"

Ruan Li's eyes were a rare pure black, large and deep, clear yet with a depth beyond her years.

At this moment, her eyes were filled with suppressed anger, staring expressionlessly at Lin Mu, creating an invisible pressure.

Lin Mu was momentarily stunned by her gaze, instinctively swallowing, then reacted with a mix of shame and anger, "Ha, you really are a good disciple, defending her so fiercely on the first day. Gossiping about your master? Am I the first? Is this the first day? The entire Celestial Calculus Sect has been gossiping about her."

"Lin Mu, remember your place. My master is Lady Huai Zhu of the sect, how dare you be so insolent!" Su Yu could no longer hold back, gritting her teeth to warn Lin Mu.

The commotion they stirred had already drawn the attention of others, including the Law Enforcement Elder Xie Chao who was instructing them on the platform.

The Celestial Calculus Sect has four Law Enforcement Elders, although they are also of elder rank, their status is slightly inferior to that of Luo Qingci and others. Among them, Xie Chao lives with Qin Jian on Li Mountain, one of the three mountains and nine peaks, essentially a member of the Li Courtyard.

Given his cultivation, he couldn't possibly miss the commotion, but the target of the slander was Luo Qingci. Sharing the same enemy with Qin Jian and being a fellow disciple of Wan Che under the same master, he naturally had no goodwill towards Luo Qingci. So he merely coughed and spoke leisurely, "Lin Mu, Di Shen, return to your seats, it's almost time."

Between the lines, he made no mention of the dispute between Su Yu, Ruan Li, and them.

"As you command." Lin Mu pretended to turn back and bow with a salute, while mocking Ruan Li and Su Yu, "Lady Huai Zhu is no longer the dragon-slaying war goddess she once was, she's almost useless herself, still hoping she can teach you the way, isn't it laughable..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Ruan Li's foot ruthlessly kicked him in the chin.

A sharp pain shot through him, cutting off Lin Mu's words, and he fell backward, knocking over the desk in front of him and landing on the ground.

Ruan Li, her face as serene as still water, retracted her foot and said, "I have warned you, do not slander my master behind her back."

Ruan Li's kick was fast and fierce, Lin Mu had not expected her to take action, thus was completely unprepared.

Thus, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment disciple like Lin Mu was actually kicked over by Ruan Li, who had just entered the sect and couldn't even guide Qi into her body.

Lin Mu, covering his chin, lay on the ground in shock looking at Ruan Li.

Even Su Yu was stunned, and the room erupted in chaos.

The clamor snapped Lin Mu out of his daze, and Di Shen had already come over to help him up.

His face flushed red, he suddenly pushed Di Shen away, pointing at Ruan Li, "You dare to hit me!"

Seeing Lin Mu's murderous expression, Su Yu quickly pulled Ruan Li behind her for protection.

Xie Chao, who had been feigning ignorance, sternly said, "How dare you attack a fellow disciple in my presence? Do you have no respect for the sect's rules!"

At this point, it was clear to all that Xie Chao and his cohorts were exploiting Luo Qingci's neglect to bully Ruan Li and Su Yu.

Luo Qingci was no longer the cold, ruthless, and desireless master she once was.

After sixteen years of retreat and tolerance, she had no reason to endure any longer.

In full view of everyone, she stepped forward, her face unreadable, to stand before Ruan Li. Her right sleeve lifting, Lin Mu's chin, which had been kicked by Ruan Li, was struck again, just as he stood up, he was knocked back to where he had fallen.

After striking Lin Mu, she didn't even glance at him, but directly looked at Xie Chao, coldly saying, "It was me. What will you do about it?"

Luo Qingci's icy demeanor, honed by years of stoicism, was etched into her very being. Although she didn't show much at this moment, anyone could tell she was angry, and thus dared not look directly at her.

Xie Chao, sitting at the desk, was both embarrassed and angry, could only twitch the corner of his mouth, reluctantly saying, "Why is Lady Huai Zhu attacking a disciple as soon as she arrives? Even if he has offended you, as the Law Enforcement Elder, you should handle it impartially. Acting so recklessly, aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of other disciples?"

"Law Enforcement Elder? Thank you for reminding me, I almost forgot about this identity. Since we are to handle impartially, how should we punish those who insult their elders, show no respect, and provoke their fellow disciples, Elder Xie?"

The charges Luo Qingci listed out casually were each enough to make Lin Mu suffer greatly. Especially the charge of insulting a senior, which, if pursued, could directly lead to his expulsion from the sect.

Lin Mu's face paled, his eyes wide with panic.

Normally, Luo Qingci didn't bother with anything, and Su Yu never reported back, which was why they dared to be so reckless.

No matter how much Luo Qingci might have declined, she was still the highest-ranking elder of the Celestial Calculus Sect. Even the Sovereign and Lord Nanming had to maintain a semblance of courtesy. As an inner disciple of the Li Courtyard, although deeply favored by Qin Jian, he dared not confront Luo Qingci head-on.

"Lady Huai Zhu, you are too harsh. This disciple only accidentally bumped into Ruan Li, upsetting her, which led to the dispute. It's all my fault; I didn't handle it well, and I apologize to both of you. But this disciple absolutely did not insult you, nor did I show any disrespect..."

Luo Qingci's gaze flicked to the left, coldly landing on the evasive Lin Mu. Just one glance, the pressure from her Divine Separation realm made Lin Mu shiver all over, unable to utter a word.

"No disrespect? Do you know what you should call her?" Each word fell like a heavy hammer, forcing Lin Mu's head to lower inch by inch, almost to the point of kowtowing.

He gasped for air, his neck veins bulging, trembling as he said, "Ruan, Ruan Li, Senior Sister."

Luo Qingci didn't really want to use such a rigid hierarchy to divide people into ranks. But this was the way of the world, where strength was respected and talent was valued.

She had no intention of bullying others with her status, but someone had overstepped their bounds.

In the Celestial Calculus Sect, personal disciples were superior to other disciples. Even though Ruan Li had just entered, Lin Mu and others had to address her as Senior Sister.

"What should you do after bumping into someone?"

"I'm sorry, this disciple was blind and offended Senior Sister Ruan. Please forgive me."

As soon as Luo Qingci appeared, Ruan Li's face was already full of shock. When she heard Luo Qingci speak up to defend her, she was even more incredulous.

How could this be? Luo Qingci didn't even care about Su Yu, why would she stand up for her?

Luo Qingci glanced subtly at Ruan Li out of the corner of her eye, who was staring at her in a daze, her small face unable to hide her obvious surprise. It seemed she couldn't believe that Luo Qingci would do this.

Her somewhat sour mood immediately improved. The more surprised she was, the better—let's build some goodwill.

Thinking this in her heart, her face remained very serious, and she glanced at Di Shen, who was cowering like a frightened quail.

Di Shen, at this moment, was quite perceptive and quickly knelt down to apologize, "I didn't speak up to advise and offended both senior sisters. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Luo Qingci raised her eyes to scan the disciples watching her, then walked step by step to Xie Chao's side, "I follow the path of ruthlessness, not foolishness. Su Yu, Ruan Li are my personal disciples. Even if they were truly useless, they are not to be bullied by you."

With that, she swept her sleeve through the air, and suddenly a fierce wind howled, a strong current of spiritual power surged from her palm, ice-blue spiritual power flashed like lightning.

In an instant, the sky and earth darkened, dark clouds pressed heavily over the training ground, followed by lightning and thunder, the wind roared.

The originally clear sky over the main peak suddenly darkened.

The disciples present were blinded by the wind and raised their hands to shield their faces. The fear on their faces turned to shock when they saw Luo Qingci's actions, and then to awe.

Luo Qingci's right hand clenched into a fist, a sword entirely ice-blue emerged from the surging torrent of spiritual power, its hilt grasped by her.

She slowly exerted force with her right hand, pulling the sword bit by bit from the vortex. When the sword was fully exposed, Luo Qingci's right hand shook, and in an instant, the wind and lightning seemed to be swallowed by the sword in her hand, rapidly swirling around the sword before being compressed and absorbed.

Then, with a flick of her sword tip, the spiritual power shot out fiercely, heading straight for the martial arts field outside the training ground.

The martial arts field of the Celestial Calculus Sect, along with the thousand-step long staircase, was created by the founding master, layered with formations that no ordinary attack could affect. If any damage could be done, it would activate the formations on it, the nine-layer tower restrictions.

After Tian Jizi abdicated, the masters of the three mountains and nine peaks of the Celestial Calculus Sect left their marks here, only the then severely injured Luo Qingci did not make a move.

Gu Zhichao's cultivation was at the early stage of the Lesser Vehicle realm, capable of activating the seventh layer, Qin Jian and Jiang Yuebai only up to the fifth. And now, as everyone steadied themselves amidst the tremor and looked over, there was a wave of astonishment.

Someone stammered, "One, two, three... six, seven, seven layers of restriction."

This meant that even if Luo Qingci's cultivation had dropped to the Nascent Soul realm, her strength was still at the Early Stage of the Mahayana Period. With such strength that transcends levels, how could Luo Qingci possibly be considered weak!

Ruan Li's pupils slightly tightened, her right hand unconsciously clenched into a fist, a faint red hue began to seep into the black of her irises, emitting a bewitching light as she stared intently at Luo Qingci.

But this red only surfaced briefly before being quickly suppressed, the pain bringing her a bit of clarity.

A chill ran through her heart; Luo Qingci remained as formidable as ever.