Filthy Cultivation: I Pierced the Heavens with the Merit System

Seeing the situation was turning bad, the bearded Elder Wang quickly stopped him. Zhao Xiuming, feeling wronged, paused for a moment, then asked with a resentful and puzzled expression, like a wronged little wife:

"Elder Wang, these brother and sister haven't even joined the sect yet, and they dared to hit and scold me in front of you! I was so angry that I wanted to teach them a lesson. Why did you stop me just now?!"

Of course, it's because these two little devils not only performed great feats twice, but they are also both incredibly talented!

A rare lightning-attribute celestial spiritual root with such high affinity to spiritual energy that it could burst a spirit-testing stone, and a balanced all-elemental spiritual root with affinity that only exists in the realm of imagination—these two children are even rarer and more precious than top-grade spiritual veins.

Even if they truly harbor ill intentions, the Yanjian Sect is willing to take a huge gamble in order to cultivate two peerless geniuses in the future.

The reason we made them apologize earlier was only to save face for the Yanjian Sect and to dampen the arrogance of these two youngsters, so that they would restrain their sharpness and have a smoother cultivation in the future. How could we let you go up and hurt such good seedlings?

Many elders comforted Zhao Xiuming while secretly sighing in their hearts:

If it weren't for Old Ye's carelessness, allowing these two kids to steal the spotlight in front of everyone during their talent test, they would have been taken to the sect and treated like treasures the moment they were discovered.

Where did he get the chance to be forced to participate in the next two tests due to the jealousy of the other three factions, which has led to him being trapped in this godforsaken place and unable to leave?

However, while the elders might think about it, none of them would be foolish enough to say it aloud.

Although Zhao Xiuming was not as outstanding as these two geniuses, he was still an elite disciple of his sect. Now, for the sake of the sect's interests, it was not appropriate to say anything harsh to him.

The elders simply softened their stance, pushing all the conflict to the fact that the crisis was not yet over and everyone needed to unite. After appeasing Zhao Xiuming, they gave Li Fuyao and Bai Suifeng a few words of stern rebuke, trying to gloss over the matter by trying to smooth things over.

But Li Fuyao is a spirited young man now, and of course he's not going to give up easily.

Especially when she saw Zhao Xiuming, amidst the elders' comforting and consoling words, looking at her with provocation and contempt, and uttering the words "I forgive you" in a condescending manner, her anger flared up instantly. She immediately crossed her arms and asked with a cold laugh:

"You spoke disrespectfully to my brother, and I slapped you, and you're acting all aggrieved?"

Li Fuyao casually lifted her eyelids and glanced sideways at Zhao Xiuming, while nonchalantly flexing her wrists, and said coldly:

"With the elders present today, I'm only giving you two slaps as a light punishment because you were implicated and trapped here because of me. But if you don't learn your lesson and I hear you speaking disrespectfully and insulting my brother again, it won't be as simple as just a slap."

"Hey! You child! Why are you so sharp-tongued!"

The elders were at their wits' end. They tried to use the identity of the Yanjian Sect to silence her and stop the bickering, but Li Fuyao retorted that this was how the major sects bullied and oppressed the weak, leaving them speechless.

They remained silent for a moment, then could only offer a few mild reprimands to the little girl. But just as they were pretending to be sensible and obedient, admitting their mistake, Zhao Xiuming was already showing signs of dissatisfaction:

"Tsk, threatening me now? Do you really think I'm just some random disciple who can become the captain of the Obsidian Division?"

"What, you two Qi Refining stage brats think you can compete with me, a top 100 warrior, in terms of soul strength?"

"Competition?"

"Ha, you're just a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and you think you can bully people just because you've cultivated for a few more years?"

Upon hearing this, Li Fuyao gave a short chuckle, and then unceremoniously released Bai Suifeng's hand:

"Brother, teach him a lesson about bullying!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Suifeng let out an excited howl and stopped trying to hide. In an instant, he transformed into a snow-white wolf half the height of a person and pounced on Zhao Xiuming.

Upon seeing this, the elders first glared at Li Fuyao, holding their anger, then looked at the wolf and the man locked in a fierce battle beside them and all sighed in unison:

Let's fight! This isn't over until we have a proper fight!

What should you do if your child is disobedient?

They were both people they loved, and helping either side wouldn't please them. They could only try to mediate when one side's spiritual power was exhausted.

The result was no surprise. Even though he was still recovering from serious injuries, Bai Suifeng's spiritual strength was far superior to Zhao Xiuming's. He quickly pinned the arrogant Captain Zhao to the ground, leaving him looking disheveled.

"Ugh~ This is terrible?"

Bai Suifeng tilted his head in confusion, his bright golden beast eyes filled with doubt. He lowered his wolf head and stared at Zhao Xiuming, whose face was ashen, for a moment before sincerely asking:

"Hey, you're in the top 100 of the battle rankings. I've beaten you up like this, what gives you the right to look down on me?"

The gleam in Zhao Xiuming's eyes vanished. He didn't speak upon hearing this, but after Bai Suifeng transformed into human form and released him, he stood dejectedly to the side, head bowed and silent, like a wilted eggplant, his previous arrogance completely gone.

Seeing that the situation had eased, all the elders breathed a sigh of relief.

In any case, the little rascals stopped making noise, and I could finally free up my mind to think about serious matters.

Regardless, their souls were trapped outside starting from the moment the giant black finger pierced the altar. Therefore, if they wanted to return to the Divine Martial Square, they would have to send the giant black finger back to the abyss. However, this brought up the issues that Zhao Xiuming had just mentioned before.

Although Zhao Xiuming's questioning was not pleasant to hear, it did have some merit.

Noticing the probing and hesitation in the elders' eyes, Zhao Nianqiezi perked up again and stubbornly repeated the words "this method is not acceptable."

The reasons were still the same, but his tone and wording became much more polite after he was slapped twice.

Seeing that he was no longer offensive in his words, Li Fuyao's attitude was no longer as harsh as before. Instead, she pulled Bai Suifeng aside and explained things to the elders in a clear and organized manner.

It wasn't that her temper had suddenly improved, but rather that only a third of the allotted time for the mission was left.

She feared that if she dawdled any longer, she might lose her life.

"Although Suifeng is not human and has no blood relation with me, I have seen his character along the way. He is a family member with whom I have shared life and death. Elder Ye has also personally tested him. All elders can rest assured."

Li Fuyao absentmindedly kneaded Bai Suifeng's little finger, looking at Li Tianqing with a slightly aggrieved expression, explaining with a mix of accusation and questioning:

"The task of helping was personally assigned to me by Elder Li. I completed it so well at the risk of my life. If I were truly heretical, Elder Li, you would have noticed after contacting me for so long."

"Besides, if my brother were truly in cahoots with the owner of that finger, why would he go to such lengths to find a way out?"