Chapter 520 - 518: Returning to the Sect

Luo Tian instantly became the focus of everyone’s attention.

All the other genius disciples seemed to pale in comparison, including the True Disciple, Bai Ying.

The upper echelons were all beaming. The more they looked at Luo Tian, the more they liked what they saw.

Only Yan Yufeng’s expression was incredibly grim.

Not only had Luo Tian survived, but he had also obtained the Treasure of the Thief King.

Even if it was only a part of it, the treasure was still astonishing—enough to smooth out Luo Tian’s path forward and allow him to advance by leaps and bounds.

Under these circumstances, he was gradually losing confidence in their five-year bet.

As for He Yunkong, he no longer knew how to describe his feelings.

"Luo Tian, this Elder just heard about your heroic deeds inside the Thief King’s Palace... It’s a good thing you survived. Otherwise, it would have been a great loss for our Sect."

"That’s right. Righteous-minded disciples like you are becoming rarer and rarer."

Two Elders spoke up.

Before, no one had cared about Luo Tian’s sacrifice.

But now that Luo Tian had returned with treasure, his previous actions were met with praise and recognition.

"Bai Ying, you made a grave error this time. Fortunately, Luo Tian was there to remedy it for you!"

The Grand Elder snorted coldly before continuing, "When we get back, you will reflect on your mistakes while facing a wall for three months. You are not to go anywhere."

Bai Ying was stunned.

’Why was my punishment suddenly made more severe?’

The Grand Elder’s action was clearly a gesture for Luo Tian’s benefit.

Severely punishing a True Disciple for the sake of an Auditor Disciple—no one would believe it if they heard, yet it was happening right now!

Bai Ying’s face fell, feeling he had lost a great deal of face. He shot Luo Tian a dark, resentful glance.

"We depart!" the Grand Elder commanded.

"Grand Elder, could you wait a moment?"

Luo Tian suddenly interjected.

For an Auditor Disciple to interrupt the Grand Elder was unimaginable. Even a True Disciple might not have the nerve.

"What else is there?"

The Grand Elder’s expression was calm, without a trace of displeasure.

"This disciple has one more thing to take care of. It will be done shortly."

"Go on."

The Grand Elder nodded in agreement.

Luo Tian left the Tai Yuan Boat and walked up to the large contingent from the Martial City Spirit Hall.

The silver-haired old woman stared at Luo Tian with her murky eyes and said coldly, "I never thought you’d be so shameless. You still refuse to give up, chasing us all the way here!"

She had thought she had drawn a clear line with Luo Tian back then, and that their paths would never cross again.

Unexpectedly, Luo Tian had appeared again!

The silver-haired old woman was growing impatient, even feeling the urge to kill Luo Tian and be done with it once and for all.

"I said I would find Xueyao again. And it has nothing to do with being shameless," Luo Tian said calmly.

"So what if you found her?"

"I’ve said it before: you and Xueyao are from two different worlds. You are not worthy of her. That statement is as true now as it was then!"

The silver-haired old woman’s expression was icy.

If Luo Tian were an Official Disciple of the Tai Yuan Sect, she might have regarded him with a bit more respect.

But a mere Auditor Disciple wasn’t even worth mentioning!

"Xueyao, let’s go."

The silver-haired old woman tugged on Ning Xueyao’s arm, about to leave.

"Wait! Old crone, why don’t we make a bet?" Luo Tian shouted.

’Old crone?’

The silver-haired old woman’s eyes turned cold. ’It seems that after joining the Tai Yuan Sect, Luo Tian thinks he’s hot stuff, completely looking down on me!’

"If you can block one of my moves, I’ll forgive you for breaking your promise back then!" Luo Tian said coldly.

Back then, on the peak of Yunxiao Mountain, the silver-haired old woman had been about to take Ning Xueyao away. She said that if Luo Tian could block one of her moves, she would let him meet with Ning Xueyao to say goodbye.

Luo Tian had blocked it, but the silver-haired old woman went back on her word!

He had never forgotten that grudge!

"Hahaha, you brat! I don’t need your forgiveness. Now scram."

The silver-haired old woman laughed, completely unconcerned, and refused to agree to the bet.

"Hmph!"

Luo Tian snorted coldly.

’I’ve long found this old crone disagreeable!’

Luo Tian raised his palm. A crystalline, silvery light appeared as a layer of azure True Essence gathered in his hand, infused with a domineering Cold Power that was dark and bone-chilling!

BOOM!

He thrust his palm forward. A massive, silver-gray Palm Force, five or six stories tall, surged forth with overwhelming momentum and a biting chill, crushing everything in its path!

"Hmm?"

The silver-haired old woman hadn’t expected Luo Tian to be so aggressive and attack her directly.

What shocked her even more was the power of his palm strike!

She immediately retaliated. A gray-white mist of light roiled out, forming a massive, stone-pillar-like finger that pulsed with the immense pressure of a mountain as it shot forward.

"Huh? A fight broke out over there?"

The not-too-distant groups from the Sea Demon Palace and the four Legendary Thief Gangs were quite surprised to see this.

’Why is Luo Tian fighting someone from the Martial City Spirit Hall?’

Moreover, Luo Tian was merely at the Peak of Earth Element Realm Sixth Layer, while the silver-haired old woman was at the Peak of Earth Element Realm Eighth Layer. There was a full two-layer gap in their Realms!

Was Luo Tian asking for humiliation?

But the moment the silver-white Palm Light clashed with the gray finger force...

POW! CRACK!

The massive stone-pillar-like finger, like a fragile tree branch, shattered inch by inch, crushed into dust!

Immediately after, the silver-haired old woman was sent flying dozens of meters, a layer of frost crystallizing all over her body.

"Here’s that move I owe you from back then!" Luo Tian shouted coldly.

The silver-haired old woman scrambled to her feet, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and stared in utter horror.

’How is this possible?’

’Luo Tian’s Cultivation is at the Peak of Earth Element Realm Sixth Layer. His progress is indeed fast, but my Cultivation is at the Peak of Earth Element Realm Eighth Layer! How could I be so easily defeated by his single palm strike?!’

She found it hard to imagine.

How had the Luo Tian from the Tai Yuan Sect, whom she could have crushed with a casual flick of her hand, grown strong enough to easily crush *her* in such a short time?

It was too shocking!

’Luo Tian’s Martial Arts aptitude must be astonishing. His Martial Vein is definitely extraordinary. His future achievements will be limitless.’

But things having come to this, the silver-haired old woman was more inclined to see her villainy through to the end.

"Junior, aren’t you a little too bold? How dare you brazenly bully a distinguished guest of the Martial City Spirit Hall?"

From the ranks of the Martial City Spirit Hall, a bald, middle-aged man in a golden robe floated out.

The Martial City Spirit Hall had always remained neutral, but that didn’t mean they would let others walk all over them.

What’s more, Ning Xueyao and the silver-haired old woman came from *that place*. They were his distinguished guests!

"It’s Hall Master Hua Feng!"

"He’s actually stepping in for that old crone?"

The people from the Sea Demon Palace and the Legendary Thief Gangs were amazed.

To hold the position of a Hall Master in the Martial City Spirit Hall, one either had to possess powerful Cultivation or an extraordinary background.

Hall Master Hua Feng was the former!

He was a High Tier Celestial Pool Realm expert!

An invisible pressure radiated from him, vast and profound like the deep sea, making people feel oppressed and suffocated.

"Hall Master Hua Feng, why are you bickering with a junior?"

From the Tai Yuan Sect’s side, the Grand Elder stepped forward. A deep, boundless aura surged out, alleviating the pressure on Luo Tian.

Hall Master Hua Feng’s brow furrowed slightly.

The Tai Yuan Sect and the Martial City Spirit Hall had always been on friendly terms, each giving the other a certain amount of face.

He was just teaching an Auditor Disciple of the Tai Yuan Sect a lesson, yet the Grand Elder himself had stepped forward.

’What on earth is this kid’s background?’

The silver-haired old woman also realized that there was more to Luo Tian than met the eye. At the very least, a mere Auditor Disciple of the Tai Yuan Sect wouldn’t be able to get the Grand Elder to personally intervene for him.

"Xueyao, let’s go!"

The silver-haired old woman grabbed Ning Xueyao’s hand.

A look of reluctance crossed Ning Xueyao’s face; she didn’t want to leave.

Luo Tian didn’t like seeing Xueyao caught in the middle and torn between both sides, so he said, "Xueyao, no matter where you go, I will find you."

Ripples stirred in Ning Xueyao’s beautiful eyes. She nodded heavily and finally left under the old woman’s constant urging.

’That old crone. Next time we meet, I’ll have to teach you another lesson,’ Luo Tian snorted coldly.

"Brat, let this old man give you a piece of advice: they are not people you can afford to offend."

Hall Master Hua Feng glanced at Luo Tian with cold eyes.

The Grand Elder’s expression changed slightly.

Luo Tian was, after all, a disciple of the Tai Yuan Sect. Moreover, he had rendered great service and was about to be promoted to an Official Disciple, destined to receive the Sect’s rewards and vigorous cultivation.

Hall Master Hua Feng’s words were also an indirect slight against the Tai Yuan Sect.

"Oh? Just how mysterious is their background? This old man would be interested to know," the Grand Elder said lightly.

"The Pale Ring..." Hua Feng Hall Master softly uttered three words.

The Grand Elder’s expression instantly turned grave. He looked again toward the silver-haired old woman and Ning Xueyao, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes.

Afterward, Luo Tian and the Grand Elder returned to the Tai Yuan Boat.

The various factions departed one after another. The blue Light Cave closed completely, and the void returned to pitch darkness.

Luo Tian returned to his room and began to seclude himself to consolidate his Cultivation Realm.

He had advanced a full layer in his Realm. If he didn’t stabilize it in time and continued to advance rashly, his foundation would certainly become unstable.

...

「Two and a half months later」

The Void Ship arrived at the Tai Yuan Sect’s Main Peak.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Figure after figure appeared; they were all the high-ranking Elders of the Sect.

Finally, the Sect Master of the Tai Yuan Sect appeared as well.

On the Tai Yuan Boat, led by the numerous Elders, the disciples walked out one by one and gathered in a large square.

"Take out all your gains from this trip! Everyone must hand over fifty percent!"

The Grand Elder announced loudly.

The disciples complied, opening their Storage Space items.

Most of them had gained quite a lot, especially the True Disciples. With their powerful Cultivation and strength, they had reaped extremely abundant resources.

When it was Luo Tian’s turn...

CLATTER!

In an instant, a cascade of multi-colored items poured onto the ground, piling up into a small mountain.

Compared to Luo Tian’s haul, the gains of all the other disciples were completely insignificant, even looking utterly pathetic!

The disciples were dumbfounded. Their hearts pounded with intense desire and jealousy.

The high-ranking Elders’ eyes all lit up as they crowded around.

Luo Tian’s haul wasn’t just about quantity; it also contained many high-level treasures that were greatly useful even to Celestial Level Martial Artists!

"This junior only obtained thirty percent of the Thief King’s treasure," Luo Tian said truthfully.

"Thirty percent is plenty."

The Grand Elder nodded.

After all, the gap between Luo Tian and Lü Hongyi was enormous. It was a miracle he hadn’t died, let alone brought back thirty percent of the treasure.

"There’s even ’Celestial Cold Crystal Jade’! That’s a rare Spiritual Ore for forging Top-grade Profound Artifacts!"

"Hey, Elder Li, I saw that bottle of ’Profound Spirit Spring Liquid’ first!"

"So what if you saw it first? I already have it in my hand. Are you going to try and snatch it from me?"

A crowd of Elders surrounded Luo Tian, scrambling to grab items. Some even started arguing over their choices.

Yan Yufeng stood alone at the back, his face taut.

Luo Tian was the disciple of his enemy.

Now, he was in a position to gain some benefits because of Luo Tian.

If word of this got back to Mu Yunshi, he would probably laugh about it for years.

But if he didn’t pick anything, Yan Yufeng’s heart itched unbearably. He felt like he would be losing out big time!

After a moment’s hesitation, he too walked over and began to pick through the items very discreetly, afraid that Luo Tian would notice him.