17: Chapter 17 If you dare utter another word that insults the Hehuan Sect, your entire clan will be exterminated!

However, contrary to the expected public outrage, the audience below fell into a strange silence for a moment, followed by a burst of almost uncontrollable, excited whispers and discussions!

"Wait... what does the Sect Master mean?"

"It seems like the rules are being changed?"

"Everyone gets to fight Xu Ruyu?"

Pairs of eyes instantly lit up, staring intently at the cold and ethereal figure on the high platform, then quickly scanning the tattered Xu Ruyu on the arena stage.

After a brief moment of shock, there was an almost uncontrollable ecstasy!

Everyone had seen the battle just now very clearly!

Xu Ruyu, this so-called "Personal Disciple," was completely powerless under Lei Xuan's offensive. He could only dodge pathetically like a stray dog, and that final "Toad Hop" was a complete laughingstock!

He was simply a paper tiger, a weakling who only had a strange title but actually possessed zero combat power!

And now, the Sect Master actually wanted to change the rules, letting everyone who passed the first two rounds take turns going up to "defeat" him?

How was this a punishment? This was clearly a massive opportunity and a stroke of luck!

Defeating a waste who didn't even have a Spiritual Root and only relied on luck and the Sect Master's favoritism to secure an entry qualification? This was practically a freebie!

No, it was a death sentence—a death sentence for Xu Ruyu!

"Hahaha! Good! The Sect Master is wise!"

"This is fair! It should have been like this long ago!"

"Xu Ruyu, you wait! Watch how your grandpa here 'guides' you in a moment!"

"Half an incense stick? I only need ten breaths to kick him off the stage!"

Excited shouts rose and fell. The dissatisfaction caused by Xiao Nianyin interrupting the match vanished instantly, replaced by people rubbing their palms together, eager to try.

Almost everyone felt they had hit the jackpot, looking at Xu Ruyu as if he were meat on a chopping block, a mobile "entry permit."

Standing on the arena stage, Lei Xuan heard the cheers below and saw the undisguised excitement and contempt on the candidates' faces. The frustration and anger in his heart were about to explode!

He was clearly the one with the upper hand; he was clearly the one who almost crushed this waste to death!

Now it was forcibly stopped, and he had to "share" the chance to defeat Xu Ruyu with others? What kind of joke was this?

His chest heaved violently. Just as he was about to argue again, Xiao Nianyin's gaze pierced through like an icicle from the high platform.

"Lei Xuan."

Xiao Nianyin's voice rang out indifferently. No joy or anger could be heard, but it made Lei Xuan's whole body go cold.

"The new rules are set," Xiao Nianyin looked at him, her eyes calm and rippleless. "This Seat will give you one more chance.

Your battle with Xu Ruyu can be resumed.

The time limit is also half an incense stick."

Lei Xuan was stunned, and then a light of surprise and ruthlessness erupted in his eyes!

Resumed? In other words, he still had the chance to personally wash away his shame and thoroughly trample this waste under his feet!

However, Xiao Nianyin's next sentence made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"If within half an incense stick, you are still unable to defeat Xu Ruyu..." Xiao Nianyin paused, her voice suddenly turning cold, "then there's no need to wait for any elimination. Get the hell out of the Hehuan Sect's mountain gate immediately.

My Hehuan Sect does not keep 'geniuses' who cannot even take down a 'waste.'"

She deliberately emphasized the word "waste," which felt like two loud slaps across Lei Xuan's face and also struck the hearts of the excited candidates below, slightly cooling their feverish emotions.

Lei Xuan's face instantly flushed red. Humiliation and anger almost broke through his reason.

He clenched his fists tightly, his nails sinking deep into his palms, drawing traces of blood.

But it wasn't over yet.

Xiao Nianyin stopped looking at him and instead turned her head slightly toward a white-haired old man on one side of the platform who had been resting with his eyes closed, his face as calm as an ancient well.

"Elder Jin."

The white-haired old man slowly opened his eyes. They seemed cloudy, but deep down, they seemed to contain endless sharpness and vicissitudes. He bowed slightly: "Sect Master."

Xiao Nianyin's voice spread clearly throughout the venue, every word like an ice bead hitting a jade plate, crisp and cold:

"Keep a close eye on this kid from the Lei Family for me."

"Today, in this square, during this Entrance Ceremony.

If he dares to utter another word that insults the reputation of my Hehuan Sect or questions This Seat's decisions..."

Her voice paused slightly, and an invisible, more solid and colder murderous Aura quietly spread.

"Then you shall take This Seat's Sect Master Token, personally select the 'Hehuan Imperial Guard,' and make a trip... to the Lei Family of the Western Desert."

The phrase "make a trip" was said casually.

Yet it caused the temperature of the entire square to plummet to the freezing point!

All the cheering, all the excitement, all the whispering—in that instant, it was completely dead!

One could hear a pin drop!

Every person's face instantly lost its color, their pupils constricted, and their hearts felt as if they were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand!

The... Hehuan Imperial Guard?!

That legendary unit that reported directly to the Sect Master, rarely deployed, but when they were, blood would surely flow and sects would be wiped out... the Hehuan Imperial Guard?!

Xiao Nianyin was actually going to use the Hehuan Imperial Guard to "visit" the Lei Family of the Western Desert just because of a potential "disrespectful word" from Lei Xuan?!

How was this a "visit"? This was clearly the most blatant threat of clan extermination!

Lei Xuan felt as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue. He stood frozen on the stage, the color completely drained from his face, leaving only a ghastly pallor!

His body began to tremble uncontrollably. A chill rushed from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, almost freezing his blood and thoughts!

He opened his mouth but found he couldn't make a single sound, his throat feeling as if it were blocked by a lump of ice.

He didn't doubt the truth of Xiao Nianyin's words for a second, and he knew even better what the four words "Hehuan Imperial Guard" meant in the Western Desert and throughout the Demonic Path of the Cultivation World!

They were a synonym for death!

They were a terrifying existence that even his Lei Family's Old Ancestor would turn pale upon hearing about!

Just because he might say the wrong thing, his entire Family would face a catastrophe?!

This ice-cold Sect Master's determination to protect her own and her level of dominance far exceeded his and everyone else's wildest imaginations!

On the high platform, the white-haired old man known as "Elder Jin" nodded slightly with an expressionless face, his voice raspy yet carrying the sound of clashing metal: "I obey the Sect Master's command."

His cloudy gaze seemingly randomly swept over Lei Xuan on the stage.

It was just a plain, unremarkable glance, yet it made Lei Xuan feel as if he were being stared at by the most ferocious prehistoric beast; even his Divine Soul was trembling!

He had no doubt that if he dared to say half a word more right now, this seemingly elderly man on the verge of death would transform into a life-taking Asura in the next moment!

The dead silence continued.

The candidates who were excited and jumping for joy just a moment ago, thinking they had gotten a great deal, were now all as quiet as cicadas in winter, drenched in cold sweat.

The way they looked at the white-clad figure on the high platform was filled with unprecedented awe and fear.

They finally understood completely.

Xiao Nianyin's sentence, "You are my, Xiao Nianyin's, Disciple," was by no means a joke, nor was it a hollow declaration.

It was a brand, a protection, a Reverse Scale that no one was allowed to touch!

Touch it, and thunderous wrath would follow, with blood splattered for thousands of miles!

Standing on the stage, Xu Ruyu was also shocked by this sudden, domineering declaration and the cold killing intent.

He looked at the woman on the platform who, in order to protect him (or rather, to protect her own dignity), did not hesitate to threaten a clan with extermination, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

There was shock, confusion, and also a trace of... an indescribable throb.

Xiao Nianyin's gaze fell back onto the crowd below. The cold killing intent from before had vanished without a trace, leaving only her usual indifference.

"Are the rules clear to everyone?"

She asked.

No one dared to answer; there were only silent nods.

"Very well." Xiao Nianyin nodded slightly and looked at Elder Li, who was in charge of presiding. "Elder Li, execute the new rules.

According to the previous drawing order, resume starting from Lei Xuan for a duration of half an incense stick.

After that, the others will take the stage in sequence."

"I... I obey the Sect Master's command!"

Elder Li's voice was dry as he quickly complied.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, turned to the arena, and announced loudly: "Executing the new rules!

The first resumed match: Number Nine of the First Group, Lei Xuan, versus Number Seventy-nine of the Third Group, Xu Ruyu!

Time limit is half an incense stick. Begin now!"

In the incense burner, a new joss stick was lit, and green smoke curled upward.

On the arena stage, Lei Xuan gritted his teeth hard, forcing himself to break free from the boundless fear and humiliation.

He knew he had no way back.

This battle was not only about his personal honor but also potentially the survival of his Family!

He had to win, and he had to win cleanly and decisively!

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his churning blood and disordered spiritual power. His eyes held only frantic determination and killing intent as he locked onto Xu Ruyu opposite him.

Xu Ruyu also took a deep breath, feeling the power within him that was still dormant but seemed to throb slightly under a certain pressure. Looking at the completely different Aura of Lei Xuan, he slowly assumed that clumsy defensive posture.

He knew that his Revered Master, by using such an extreme method, had pushed him to the forefront and placed the greatest pressure and danger on his shoulders.

Either he would be completely crushed in the following twenty-six gauntlet matches, becoming a laughingstock and potentially suffering heavy injuries or even death,

Or... he would force out all his potential, force out that mysterious power within his body, and carve out a path of blood!

The gauntlet matches officially began.

And this time, there was no more clamor below the stage, only an oppressive silence mixed with awe, fear, curiosity, and cruel anticipation.

Everyone held their breath, watching the two people on the stage.

Xiao Nianyin sat high in the main seat, her expression still calm, but her slender fingers resting on the armrest of the chair tightened almost imperceptibly.

Xu Ruyu, don't let This Seat down.

And let these fools who don't know the height of the heavens see...

Exactly what the person This Seat chose is capable of.