6: A battle shocked the sect and disrupted the ancient rules?

The entire training ground was silent.

All the Outer Sect Disciples were frozen in place, their faces etched with extreme horror.

Everyone's minds were still replaying the incredibly bizarre scene that had just unfolded.

The arrogant Zhao Tianheng, at the moment he unleashed his desperate secret art and his Aura reached its peak, inexplicably bled from all seven orifices, his cultivation plummeted like a cliff, and he was finally sent flying off the arena by Zou Feng's punch, like a dead dog.

All of this happened too quickly, too strangely, completely beyond their comprehension.

“Ten...Platform Ten...Zou Feng, wins!”

The trembling voice of the referee Elder finally broke the deadly silence.

“He won? Zou Feng really won?”

“How did he do it? What happened to Senior Brother Zhao at the end? Did he suffer a Qi Deviation?”

“It’s terrifying! That Zou Feng was so calm from beginning to end, he’s not human, he’s a monster!”

Exclamations, discussions, and gasps of cold air rose and fell, converging into a cacophony of noise.

At this moment, all the discussion focused on the figure in the green robe slowly walking down the arena.

Above the high platform.

An old man in a black robe with a sinister face gripped the armrest of his chair tightly.

“Crack!”

The hard ironwood armrest turned to dust in his palm.

He was the backer of the Zhao family, the Inner Sect Elder, Zhao Wuhuan!

A bone-chilling killing intent surged from him, spreading out like an invisible net, enveloping Zou Feng.

The temperature of the entire training ground seemed to drop by several degrees.

Many Disciples felt their breath catch and their bodies grow cold under this killing intent.

Zou Feng's footsteps paused slightly.

He felt the murderous intent that almost froze his Divine Soul, but he didn't look back, nor did his expression change in the slightest.

He knew that from the moment he crippled Zhao Tianheng, he and the Zhao family were irreconcilable.

Sect rules stated that Elders were not allowed to attack Outer Sect Disciples without cause.

But rules were dead, and people were alive.

As long as he remained in the Qinglan Sect for another day, Zhao Wuhuan would have countless ways to put him to death.

He must gain stronger power as soon as possible!

Zou Feng's heart was unprecedentedly calm.

He ignored the killing intent and, under countless complex gazes, walked through the crowd directly to the Elder’s Hall.

After receiving the reward for first place in the small competition—one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones and one hundred Sect contribution points—he returned to his dilapidated wooden house in the most remote corner of the outer Sect... Meanwhile.

Qingzhou City, Tianya Tower.

In an elegant quiet room, sandalwood incense wafted.

Su Qingyuan, dressed in a fiery red long dress, was elegantly brewing a pot of spiritual tea, with a hint of lazy comfort.

A Guard in black combat attire knelt respectfully on one knee.

“Tower Master, we found out.”

“Oh?” Su Qingyuan's slender fingers gently lifted the zisha teapot, her movements fluid and graceful, “Who is that mysterious young man who sold me the perfect qi and blood pill a few days ago?”

“Reporting to Tower Master, his name is Zou Feng, and he is an Outer Sect Disciple of the Qinglan Sect.”

The Guard's voice was steady and strong.

“Our people began investigating him after he left and spent a day confirming his identity. Not wanting to alert him, we only observed from the periphery and did not disturb him.”

“We just didn't expect that during the Qinglan Sect's annual small competition today, this Zou Feng would make a name for himself.”

Su Qingyuan's tea-pouring motion paused slightly.

“Made a name for himself? Someone who can refine perfect Medicinal Pills, his strength must be extraordinary, so it’s normal for him to stand out in the Outer Sect small competition.”

Her red lips curved into a playful arc, clearly not surprised by this outcome.

However, the Guard's breathing became slightly disordered, and his voice revealed a hint of uncontrollable shock.

“Tower Master, he did more than just stand out!”

“His opponent was Zhao Tianheng, a Zhao family Disciple at Qi Refining Layer Six. And he, in an... inconceivable way, crippled Zhao Tianheng on the spot!”

The Guard recounted the bizarre scene that had occurred on the arena in detail.

Even Su Qingyuan, who was well-traveled and knowledgeable, showed a strong look of surprise in her beautiful eyes after hearing it.

“Exploding with power far exceeding his own in battle, while the opponent's vital blood flowed backward and cultivation plummeted at a critical moment?”

She put down her teacup and slowly stood up, pacing around the room.

“This doesn't seem like any Righteous Path Cultivation Technique; it's more like some kind of... malicious curse backlash.”

“A mysterious Alchemist who can refine perfect-grade Medicinal Pills...”

“A ruthless individual who can cripple a high-level Cultivator with bizarre methods in broad daylight...”

“These two identities actually belong to a teenage Outer Sect Disciple.”

Su Qingyuan's eyes sparkled with brilliance.

“This person is no ordinary individual!”

She immediately made a decision in her heart.

Such a person must either be befriended with all efforts, or... completely eliminated before he grows stronger!

Tianya Tower never did business at a loss.

“Prepare a generous gift.”

Su Qingyuan's voice carried an undeniable resolve.

“Also, send over the intelligence we just received regarding why the Third Prince of the Great Yan Dynasty values Zhao Tianheng.”

The Guard was surprised to hear this: “Tower Master, that piece of intelligence is worth a thousand gold. Are we just giving it away for free?”

Su Qingyuan turned around and smiled enchantingly, exuding captivating charm.

“Providing help in times of need is far more effective in winning people's hearts than adding to what they already have.”

“What I want is not just a partnership for a few Medicinal Pills.”

...Zou Feng's wooden house was extremely simple.

Besides a wooden bed and a table, there was nothing else.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, placing the one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones in front of him.

Strands of pure Spiritual Qi seeped from the Spirit Stones, absorbed into his body, nourishing his Meridians that had just endured a major battle.

Just then.

“Tap, tap, tap.”

A faint knocking sound came from the door.

Zou Feng's eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing through them.

At this time, who could it be?

He calmly got up, walked to the door, his hand already resting on the Storage Pouch at his waist.

“Creak—”

The wooden door opened.

Standing outside was not the enemy he had imagined.

Instead, it was a pretty young woman dressed in the Tianya Tower maid's attire.

The woman held an exquisite brocade box and bowed gracefully to Zou Feng, her voice soft and pleasant.

“Young Master Zou Feng, your servant has been ordered by my Tower Master to congratulate Young Master on your victory.”

Zou Feng frowned slightly.

“Your Tower Master? Su Qingyuan?”

“Young Master has a Wisdom Eye.” The maid smiled, “My Tower Master highly praises Young Master's Medicinal Pills. Today, upon hearing of Young Master's sudden fame on the arena, she specifically ordered your servant to deliver a congratulatory gift, hoping to establish a long-term partnership with Young Master.”

She handed over the brocade box she was holding.

Zou Feng didn't take it immediately; he stared into the maid's eyes.

“You already knew my identity?”

The maid's smile remained appropriate, without any hint of concealment.

“After Young Master left Tianya Tower a few days ago, we had already ascertained your identity, but we did not wish to disturb you rashly. Today, Young Master displayed Divine Might, and my Tower Master believes it is time to express our sincerity.”

These words were spoken openly and frankly.

They highlighted Tianya Tower's powerful intelligence capabilities and expressed sincerity for cooperation.

Zou Feng was silent for a moment, then took the brocade box.

Opening it, two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and a Jade Bottle lay quietly inside.

Two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were equivalent to two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, even more generous than his reward from this small competition.

This gift was indeed substantial.

“Please thank Tower Master Su for me.” Zou Feng put away the brocade box, his voice calm.

“You are too kind, Young Master.”

Seeing Zou Feng accept the gift, the maid's smile grew even wider. She took a Jade Slip from her sleeve and offered it again.

“My Tower Master said that true friends do not only interact based on profit. Here is a free piece of intelligence that might be helpful to Young Master's current situation.”

Zou Feng's heart stirred, and he took the Jade Slip.

As his spiritual power probed into it, lines of information instantly flooded his mind.

【Zhao Tianheng, a lackey under the Third Prince of the Great Yan Dynasty. He was valued by the Third Prince not for his talent, but because three years ago, he accidentally obtained a strange item in an ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave.】

【What this item specifically is, no one knows, but the Third Prince had sent people to demand it several times, all of which Zhao Tianheng evaded with various excuses.】

【According to reliable sources, the Third Prince is determined to obtain this item. Now that Zhao Tianheng has been crippled, the Third Prince's people will soon arrive at Qinglan Sect to thoroughly investigate this matter!】

When he saw the words “strange item,” a thunderclap seemed to explode in Zou Feng's mind!

He instantly remembered the System's prompt that had sounded when he transferred the Cost Transfer.

【The target carries a faint Aura of the ‘ancient rule of chaos’; Cost Transfer effect increased by 10%!】

So that’s how it was!

Everything connected!

The reason Zhao Tianheng was tainted with the so-called “ancient rule of chaos” Aura stemmed from that [strange item]!

And it was precisely because of this that the Cost Transfer he transferred through the Blood Burning Spirit Transformation Art had such a terrifyingly destructive effect on him!

“Thank you.”

Zou Feng put away the Jade Slip and spoke to the maid with genuine seriousness for the first time.

This piece of intelligence, to him, was worth far more than the two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

It not only solved a major doubt in his heart but also allowed him to foresee the impending crisis!

The Third Prince!

A behemoth far larger and more terrifying than the Zhao family!

Having completed her task, the maid bowed again and quietly retreated, disappearing into the night.

Zou Feng closed the door and returned to his bed.

He looked out the window at the blood-red crescent moon hanging in the night sky, his eyes becoming incredibly profound.

The victory in the arena was merely the prelude to a much larger storm.