Even though Ye Chen was the direct disciple of the Sword Peak Master, Kong Xiangbei was not intimidated by him. He had no fear of offending Ye Chen. After all, with Ye Chen's talent, it was already a miracle that he managed to hold on to his position as a direct disciple.

  As for breaking through to Foundation Establishment? That was nothing more than a pipe dream. A third-grade spiritual root attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was as difficult as moving mountains.

  Ordinary Foundation Establishment Pills might allow you to attempt the breakthrough a few more times, but each time they would consume your original essence. After two or three attempts, you would have no chance left.

  Only a top-tier Foundation Establishment Pill could allow you to break through without depleting your original essence, enabling the cultivator to keep trying. But there wasn't even a single top-tier Foundation Establishment Pill in all of Green Cloud Sect. So, Ye Chen was destined to never reach Foundation Establishment.

  Meanwhile, Kong Xiangbei, with his ninth-grade spiritual root, had a very high chance of succeeding in his own Foundation Establishment breakthrough. The future belonged to him. Once he reached Foundation Establishment, he would have no problem dealing with Ye Chen. For today, however, he just wanted to teach Ye Chen a lesson and vent his frustration. He wanted Ye Chen to understand the consequences of competing with him over a woman.

  Kong Xiangbei's malicious gaze fixed on Ye Chen as he considered how best to punish him. Killing Ye Chen was, of course, out of the question. There were elders watching over the arena. There was no way he could cause someone's death. But hurting Ye Chen, and tormenting him slowly—now that was something Kong Xiangbei could do.

  As Kong Xiangbei thought about his plans, a cruel smile appeared on his face. However, at that very moment, a voice exploded in his mind: "Idiot, move!"

  It was his grandfather's voice through a transmission. Kong Xiangbei immediately sensed something was wrong above his head. He quickly raised a defensive shield and leapt to the side.

  But it was too late. A nearly human-sized hand made of spirit Qi suddenly appeared above him, crashing down with immense force. With a loud crash and a furious shout of "Stop!"

  The hand slammed down without hesitation. The bricks below the arena exploded instantly, and the disciples within a radius of several hundred meters could feel the tremendous vibrations.

  As the spirit Qi hand slowly dissipated, everyone watched in stunned silence. There was a clear, deep palm print on the arena, at least half a meter deep. And Kong Xiangbei lay within the palm print. His eyes bulged out, blood pouring from his mouth, his limbs unnaturally twisted. It was obvious—his limbs were broken. The tragic sight stunned all the spectators.

  Kong Xiangbei was somewhat well-known within the sect. The grandson of an elder with notable strength. Although he hadn't broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining in two years, his strength was only slightly weaker. He had consistently placed in the top ten in every competition.

  Among the disciples of Green Cloud Sect, he was undoubtedly considered strong. Yet this formidable figure, in front of a seemingly inconsequential simp direct disciple, couldn't even block a single move?

  And Kong Xiangbei was in such a miserable state, it was clear there was no money involved. After all, he was the direct grandson of an elder—how much money would it take for him to tolerate this?

  So, this simp direct disciple, who had been ridiculed behind his back every day, wasn't just a weakling? The ordinary disciples were undoubtedly shocked by the reality before them.

  Li Xiaoyao, who had been waiting to see Ye Chen's embarrassment, and several other direct disciples were also stunned. The spell Ye Chen cast was terrifyingly powerful. But most notably, it was almost silent. There was no need for any hand seals. The energy fluctuations during the hand formation were so minimal, it was extremely difficult to detect.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  And the speed was too fast. There was no time to defend against it. If they hadn't been prepared, being struck by that hand might have had similarly disastrous consequences for them.

  This moment, which had initially seemed like it would be a joke, made them seriously reconsider how they would deal with Ye Chen if they encountered him.

  On the arena, the attendant was still stunned, unable to announce Ye Chen's victory.

  At that moment, a figure with snow-white hair rushed onto the stage. As he lifted Kong Xiangbei and fed him a pill, he glared fiercely at Ye Chen. "I told you to stop. Why didn't you listen?!"

  Even though the man didn't do anything immediately, the terrifying pressure from his Foundation Establishment realm came crashing down on Ye Chen.

  "Foundation Establishment!"

  Ye Chen activated his spiritual power to resist the pressure. "Since when does the Sect Competition stop just because someone says so? I can't just stand here and take a beating!"

  As soon as the man shouted, Ye Chen knew exactly who he was.

  Kong Xiangbei's grandfather, Kong Xiangli, an elder of the Talisman Peak, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. He was also Sun Ye's master. Despite knowing the man was a strong Foundation Establishment cultivator, a mid-stage one at that, Ye Chen didn't feel intimidated.

  Ye Chen was never the type to avoid confrontation. Since he had made an enemy, he didn't mind making that enmity even greater.

  Kong Xiangli's expression grew colder. "Why are you being so ruthless against a fellow disciple?"

  Ye Chen shook his head. "Well, he sent me a voice transmission saying that once he broke through to Foundation Establishment, he would have plenty of ways to play with me and kill me. But I didn't get angry, nor did I want to kill him in retaliation! I just didn't expect him to be this weak. Had I known, I wouldn't have wasted my spiritual power! Sorry about that!"

  Ye Chen's nearly provoking words made Kong Xiangli's eyes flash with murderous intent. The pressure from his Foundation Establishment cultivation grew even stronger, as if it could crush Ye Chen in an instant. But instead of resisting head-on, Ye Chen raised his head and shouted, "Master, an elder is bullying me…"

  As soon as Kong Xiangli heard Ye Chen call out for his master, the murderous glare in his eyes instantly disappeared, replaced by clarity. The overwhelming pressure from his Foundation Establishment cultivation also receded like a tide. After giving Ye Chen one last glance, Kong Xiangli flew off with his grandson in tow.

  Ye Chen grinned, feeling a sense of satisfaction. The world of cultivation wasn't just about fighting and killing; it was also about interpersonal connections. Having been in the Sect for nearly a year, Ye Chen had come to understand his master better.

  A person who was ruthless and didn't waste words. He had chased down the Peak Master of Magic Peak several times. With such a master backing him, what was a mere Kong Xiangli to Ye Chen?

  As Ye Chen watched Kong Xiangli's retreating figure, he shouted again, "The elder interfered in the arena, bullying the weak with his power. I will report this to my master and ask him to take action for me!"

  Ye Chen could clearly see Kong Xiangli stiffen for a moment after hearing him. However, he quickly regained his composure and flew off!

  Ye Chen turned to the attendant and snapped his fingers.

  The attendant, still stunned, quickly came to his senses and hurriedly announced, "Ye Chen wins!"

  Only then did Ye Chen show a satisfied smile, descend from the arena, and head back to Sword Peak. The competition for the day was over.

  Ye Chen was off to report the incident to his master. Of course, he would complain. Ye Chen had never been the type to suffer in silence. If he could win, he would. If he couldn't, he would report it. He was never going to lose out.

  Even back in school, Ye Chen had followed this logic. If there were bullies in class, he'd confront them head-on when he could. If not, he'd run straight to the teacher. This strategy had made Ye Chen the one the school's bullies most dreaded.

  ...

  After Ye Chen left, the arena fell silent for a moment before it erupted into astonished chatter. Ye Chen's match had completely changed everyone's perception of him.

  In the past, all the disciples had thought Ye Chen was just a useless person who had only gotten his position through connections. But as soon as he made his move, his combat strength was terrifying.

  Kong Xiangbei had been knocked down to near death with a single slap. What was even more shocking was that when faced with Kong Xiangli, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment elder, Ye Chen didn't flinch in the slightest. He even dared to speak back to him.

  Such an audacious attitude was completely different from the harmless simp who had run to Green Cloud City to buy gifts for Yao Xi, waiting an entire day for her. It was like they were two different people.

  All the disciples quickly realized that while Ye Chen was indeed a simp direct disciple, he wasn't the useless person they had thought.

  Could it be that Ye Chen's position as a direct disciple wasn't just due to connections? Was there something unique about him after all?

  Once the news that the simp direct disciple wasn't useless spread, it sent shockwaves throughout the disciples of Green Cloud Sect.

  Ye Chen had truly become the top figure in Green Cloud Sect today. Tomorrow's competition was bound to be even more exciting.