I am destroying the protagonist in the fantasy world!

The mountain wind howled, the trees swayed, and Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli weaved through the dense undergrowth. After escaping the cave, they continued their journey without stopping, eventually leaving the white ape and Elder Qin far behind.

"Where are we going now?" Dongfang Liuli panted lightly, with a trace of shock still on her delicate face.

"Find a place to stay. I need to improve my strength." Lei Yi said in a deep voice. Recalling the danger just now, he became more determined in his plan.

After asking around, they came to a small sect called "Qingyun Sect". This Qingyun Sect was built on the mountainside and was not large in scale. From the foot of the mountain to the top, there were a few buildings scattered around, which looked quite simple.

"Let's do it here." Lei Yi observed the surrounding environment and said to Dongfang Liuli.

When they reached the mountain gate, they saw two disciples in green Taoist robes standing there bored.

"You two, we are here to visit your sect." Lei Yi stepped forward and said with a bow.

"Visit?" One of the disciples looked Lei Yi up and down, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes, "Just like you, you want to visit our Qingyun Sect? Don't you even consider your own status?"

Another disciple chimed in, "Exactly. Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? Our Qingyun Sect isn't open to just anyone!"

Lei Yi frowned slightly, but he didn't get angry. He just said calmly, "You two have misunderstood. I have no intention of joining your sect. I just want to borrow your precious land..."

"Borrow the treasured land?" The disciple burst into laughter as if he had heard something funny. "Who do you think you are? Do you think you can borrow the treasured land of our Qingyun Sect?"

"That's right, aren't you afraid that the wind will blow your tongue away?" another disciple also mocked.

Lei Yi wanted to say something more, but Dongfang Liuli stopped him. She shook her head, signaling Lei Yi to ignore the two men.

"Let's go in." Dongfang Liuli said, and was about to walk around the two disciples and enter the mountain gate.

"Stop!" One of the disciples reached out to stop Dongfang Liuli and said in a harsh tone, "Who allowed you to come in?"

"We are guests here. Is this how you, the Qingyun Sect, treat guests?" Dongfang Liuli said coldly.

"Guest?" The disciple sneered, "Do you think you are worthy of being a guest of our Qingyun Sect?"

"How dare you!" Dongfang Liuli shouted angrily. A powerful aura emanated from her, shocking the two disciples and making them retreat repeatedly.

At this moment, a deep voice came from the mountain: "What's all the commotion?"

The two disciples' expressions changed, and they quickly bowed and saluted: "Reporting to the master, these two..."

Before he finished speaking, a middle-aged man in a purple Taoist robe descended from the sky and landed in front of everyone. He glanced sharply at Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? What brings you to my Qingyun Sect?"

"My name is Lei Yi, and this is..."

"No need for introductions." The middle-aged man waved his hand, interrupting Lei Yi's words, "My Qingyun Sect is not a place where just anyone can come. You can leave now."

Lei Yi frowned slightly and was about to speak when the middle-aged man turned and left, leaving only one sentence echoing in the air:

"If you want to stay, show us what you can do!"

Lu Yuanshan said this, turned around, and was about to leave, flicking his sleeves, giving off a rather sage-like air. Lei Yi thought to himself, "This Sect Leader Lu seems difficult to deal with. There's a hint of arrogance in his words. It seems he'll have to work hard to gain a foothold in the Qingyun Sect."

At this moment, an old man in his fifties, dressed in a green robe, stepped out from the crowd and bowed to Lu Yuanshan's back, saying, "Master, this Young Master Lei has become quite famous in the martial arts world recently. I heard that he once entered Black Wind Ridge alone and came out alive. I believe he must have some extraordinary qualities."

Lu Yuanshan stopped, looked back at the old man, and said calmly, "Oh? Elder Liu knows this person?"

Elder Liu stroked his graying beard and said with a smile, "I've heard a little bit about this. I heard that this Young Master Lei is generous and righteous. He even saved many people from being harmed by white apes a while ago."

"Hmph, they're just some people seeking fame and reputation." A cold snort came from the crowd. A short, fat elder with a face full of flesh came out and said in a sarcastic tone, "I heard that this Young Master Lei found some treasure in Black Wind Ridge, which attracted the pursuit of the white ape. Now he has fled to our Qingyun Sect for refuge. Who knows what he is up to?"

"Yeah, I heard about it too." Another elder with a pointed chin and monkey cheeks echoed, "This Young Master Lei is no pushover. He might be here to gather information from our Qingyun Sect, with ulterior motives."

Lu Yuanshan's face darkened after hearing these words. He turned around, his eyes shooting at Lei Yi like lightning, and asked in a cold voice, "Do you two know whether what they said is true or not?"

Lei Yi cursed inwardly. These old men were clearly setting him up to drive him away. He was about to explain when Dongfang Liuli grabbed his sleeve. She gently shook her head, signaling Lei Yi not to act rashly.

Lei Yi took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and bowed to Lu Yuanshan, saying: "Master, please understand, I..."

"Enough!" Lu Yuanshan waved his hand impatiently. "My Qingyun Sect is not a place where anyone can come. If you really have the ability, then show it to me. Otherwise..."

He swept his eyes sharply over Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli, and said word by word, "Don't blame me for being rude!"

A sudden murmur erupted in the crowd. Lei Yi felt the gazes around him were filled with scrutiny and hostility. He wanted to explain, but found no opportunity. Dongfang Liuli was secretly anxious. She knew Lei Yi's temper. If this continued, he might fall out with the Qingyun Sect completely...

Lei Yi could clearly hear the suspicion and impatience in Sect Leader Lu's tone. He tried to explain, but the elders kept arguing back and forth, not even giving him a chance to speak. He felt Dongfang Liuli's hand gently pinch his sleeve. He knew what she was worried about, but a nameless anger flared within him. He, Lei Yi, acted uprightly. When had he ever needed to consider the opinions of these people?

"Master, since several elders have doubts about Young Master Lei, why not let him show us his skills so that we can see what he can do." A sharp voice came from the crowd. The speaker was a young disciple named Zhao Qing, who was a direct disciple of Elder Liu. He was usually arrogant and couldn't stand others being better than him.

He had long disliked Lei Yi, believing him to be a mere shrewd individual seeking fame and fortune in the martial arts world, and that his desire to join the Qingyun Sect was simply wishful thinking. He was determined to publicly embarrass Lei Yi and show him that the Qingyun Sect wasn't open to just anyone.

Zhao Qing's words struck a chord with the elders, who also wanted to know how capable Lei Yi really was. Sect Leader Lu paused for a moment, his gaze darting between Lei Yi and Zhao Qing before he spoke slowly, "Very well, let Zhao Qing experience Young Master Lei's skills."

"Disciple obeys!" Zhao Qing showed a smug smile on his face. He turned to look at Lei Yi and said with a bow, "Master Lei, please teach me!"

Lei Yi sneered inwardly. Zhao Qing clearly had ill intentions, but he didn't want to make too many enemies on his first day in Qingyun Sect. He just wanted to put this farce to rest as quickly as possible. So, he smiled faintly and said, "Brother Zhao, you're too polite. Just stop here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Qing impatiently drew his sword, its blade gleaming with a cold, eerie light, and pointed it directly at Lei Yi. He shifted his form, transforming into a green shadow, sprinting towards Lei Yi. Lei Yi remained calm, dodging Zhao Qing's attack and reaching out to lightly tap Zhao Qing's shoulder.

Seeing Lei Yi's arrogance, Zhao Qing grew even more enraged. He flicked his wrist, shifting the momentum of his sword and thrusting it towards Lei Yi's chest. Lei Yi, on guard, dodged again, slapping Zhao Qing's sword with his palm.

"clang!"

A crisp metallic collision sounded, and Zhao Qing felt a powerful force emanating from the sword, causing his palm to go numb and the sword to nearly slip out of his hand. He was shocked, having never expected Lei Yi to be so formidable.

Lei Yi didn't want to hurt him, so he took a few steps back, creating some distance between them, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Brother Zhao."

Zhao Qing refused to give in. He roared in anger and swung his sword at Lei Yi again. This time, his attack was even more fierce and brutal, clearly driven by genuine anger. Lei Yi secretly groaned inwardly. This Zhao Qing was like a mad dog. He had already shown some mercy, but he kept pressing on...

Lei Yi retreated step by step, maintaining a relaxed demeanor, yet secretly he groaned bitterly. He had hoped to use this opportunity to showcase his strength, but Zhao Qing proved so formidable, his moves ruthless and merciless. He knew that if he continued to hide his weaknesses, the outcome would be difficult.

The spectators held their breath, their eyes fixed on the two figures on the field. Although they couldn't see Lei Yi's movements, they could sense that he was deliberately yielding. However, Zhao Qing, ungrateful, became even more arrogant, his moves becoming more and more fierce, and he seemed to be losing control.

Sect Leader Lu frowned slightly, pondering internally. He could tell Lei Yi was holding back, and his opinion of him rose even higher. However, Zhao Qing was, after all, his disciple, and in front of so many people, it was difficult for him to intervene.

Dongfang Liuli stood at the back of the crowd, a hint of worry flashing in her beautiful eyes. She naturally understood Lei Yi's intentions, but Zhao Qing was so aggressive that if Lei Yi accidentally hurt him, it would probably give people more reason to criticize him.

"Zhao Qing, stop!" Sect Leader Lu finally couldn't help but shout, "Just stop when it's enough. Don't ruin the atmosphere."

Zhao Qing, however, acted as if he hadn't heard anything. He trembled the sword in his hand, transforming it into a streak of blue lightning that pierced Lei Yi's chest. This strike was fast and fierce, clearly a murderous intent.

Lei Yi's heart trembled, knowing he could no longer hold back. He dodged Zhao Qing's fatal blow and reached out to grab his wrist, gently twisting it.

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, Zhao Qing felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and the sword in his hand fell to the ground. His face was pale, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but he dared not resist any more.

"Thank you for letting me go." Lei Yi smiled faintly, released Zhao Qing's wrist, turned to look at Master Lu, and said with a bow, "Master, I was a little too rough with my blows, please forgive me."

Sect Leader Lu looked at Lei Yi deeply and sighed inwardly. He knew that Lei Yi had shown mercy, otherwise Zhao Qing would probably be a corpse by now.

"It doesn't matter. The winner has been decided. You can leave now." Sect Leader Lu waved his hand, signaling Zhao Qing to leave.

Zhao Qing's face turned pale as he glared at Lei Yi fiercely before turning and walking back into the crowd. Although he felt resentful, he knew he was inferior in skill, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Although Lei Yi won the competition, he felt no joy at all. He knew that while he had demonstrated his strength, he had also offended many within the Qingyun Sect. The elders in particular looked at him with hostility and suspicion.

He sighed secretly in his heart. It seemed that if he wanted to gain a foothold in the Qingyun Sect, he would need to put in some effort.

"Young Master Lei is indeed a promising young man with extraordinary strength." A gentle voice suddenly rang out, and a middle-aged man in a green robe stepped out from the crowd. He smiled, but an inexplicable light glittered in his eyes. "I am Liu Changqing, the Second Elder of the Qingyun Sect. I wonder where Young Master Lei's master came from?"

Lei Yi's heart trembled. He knew that the real test had just begun...