Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

At this critical moment.

"stop!"

A sharp, cold shout, like a thunderclap, instantly drowned out the commotion on the sidelines. At the same time, a gentle yet irresistible force descended from nowhere, softly separating the two sides who were on the verge of exchanging blows.

The three Heavenly Guards appeared in the arena as if by teleportation. The captain in the lead, whose cultivation was clearly at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, had a cold expression and sharp eyes as he swept over Leng Feng, Zhao Ming, and the others.

"The training grounds within Tianyuan are for public use only, first come, first served. No forcibly occupying them, no using force to intimidate others, and strictly prohibited private fights and provocations!" The captain's voice was icy, carrying an unquestionable authority. "Your noisy confrontation here has violated city rules. Considering this is your first offense and no violence has yet been committed, this is a warning. If you dare cause trouble again, you will all be escorted to the Enforcement Hall for punishment! Disperse!"

Leng Feng's expression changed. Facing the Tianyuan Guards, he dared not act rashly. He withdrew his oppressive aura, snorted coldly, and said to Zhao Ming and the others, "Consider yourselves lucky!"

He then turned and left dejectedly with the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, heading towards another empty training ground.

Zhao Ming and the other three breathed a sigh of relief, but their chests were still heaving violently, their faces full of humiliation and resentment.

They bowed to the captain of the Tianyuan Guard, lowered their heads, and quickly left this place of trouble, heading towards Shi Tie and his group.

The crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed when Tianyuan Guards appeared, but the hushed discussions and pointing continued.

Clearly, news of the conflict between the Qingyun Sect disciples and the Tianjian Sect, in which the disciples were publicly insulted as "chickens and dogs" by the Tianjian Sect but dared not retaliate, would soon spread in a small circle.

"Zhao Ming! Sun Hai! Are you alright?" Shi Tie and Wang Hu rushed over to greet them. Li Xiaocao and Atu also gathered around with concern.

Zhao Ming's eyes were red, and he shook his head, his voice hoarse: "No...it's nothing. Senior Brother Shi, Senior Brother Wang, we...we've disgraced the sect."

"Bullshit!" Shi Tie roared, veins throbbing on his forehead. "Those bastards went too far! If it weren't for... if it weren't for..."

He glanced at the Tianyuan Guards who hadn't completely left yet, swallowed back what he was about to say, and clenched his fists tightly.

Wang Hu patted Zhao Ming on the shoulder and said in a deep voice, "It's not your fault. The other side is a Golden Core cultivator, they outnumber you, and they have the Heavenly Origin Guards watching over them. It's unwise to fight them head-on. Let's remember this."

"Yes, I'll remember that!" Shi Tie gritted his teeth. "Once I'm on stage, I'll make that bastard Leng Feng pay!"

Seeing Zhao Ming and the others' dejected and humiliated expressions, Li Xiaocao was both angry and anxious, and whispered, "How could they... how could they do this..."

Atu also expressed his indignation: "Exactly, it's too much of a bullying!"

"Let's go back first," Wang Hu said calmly. "This matter needs to be reported to the sect leader as soon as possible. Let's go."

The group lost all interest in watching and hurriedly left the public training area, heading back towards Yunqi Garden. Each of them felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on their hearts.

Beneath the prosperity and tranquility of Tianyuan, the cold and cruel rules of competition, as well as the undisguised contempt and malice, were revealed to them for the first time in such a vivid way.

When they returned to Yunqi Garden, Shen Mo had not yet returned. In the courtyard, only Zhao Qingyan was deducing the formation, while Su Xiaoyin remained hidden in the shadows.

Seeing Shi Tie and the others return with grim expressions, Zhao Qingyan stopped her calculations and stood up: "What happened? What's wrong?"

Shi Tie angrily recounted what had happened, concluding with a bitter "Damn it, I can't swallow this! When the conference starts, I'm going to beat that Leng Feng to a pulp!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingyan frowned, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, but she quickly calmed down: "We must not act impulsively. The other party is clearly deliberately provoking us, trying to anger us. They either want us to break the rules and be punished, or they want to demoralize us. If we lose our composure because of this, we will be playing right into their hands."

"Sister Qingyan is right." Wang Hu nodded, "but this matter has probably already spread, which is detrimental to the reputation of my Qingyun Sect."

"Reputation is earned through strength, not through swallowing insults," Su Xiao's cold voice came from the shadows. "But it's not something you can fight for in a moment of anger either. When the sect leader returns, he will make his decision."

Everyone fell silent; the atmosphere in the courtyard was somewhat oppressive. Until Shen Mo's figure appeared at the courtyard gate.

Shen Mo returned to Yunxi Garden and listened to Shi Tie and the others' somewhat agitated account. His expression remained calm, and he did not become angry as the disciples had expected. He only lingered on Zhao Ming, Sun Hai, and the other disciples involved for a moment to confirm that they were only emotionally frustrated and had no external injuries before nodding slightly.

"Understood." His voice was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "This matter ends here. It must not be mentioned again, nor should it be used to provoke trouble in private."

"Sect Leader!" Shi Tie exclaimed anxiously, "Are we just going to let this go? They called us clay chickens and earthen dogs! This attitude..."

"We cannot swallow this insult." Shen Mo interrupted him, his gaze sweeping over every young and resentful face in the courtyard. "But venting our anger is not about words, nor is it about taking action under the noses of the Tianyuan Guards. Remember this: the root of today's humiliation lies in the fact that my Qingyun Sect has no reputation and our strength has not been recognized."

He paused, his tone turning cold: "If you want others to not dare to bully or insult you, there's only one way—use your strength to hurt them, to scare them! Forcefully shove those four words, 'chicken and dog,' back into their mouths! But not now, not here."

"The Tianyuan Tournament, the arena is where the true test will be revealed. Every one of you must stand tall, clench your fists, and transform all the sweat and toil you've endured on Qingyun Mountain, in the Northern Desert, and on the way here into power to strike your opponents!"

"Use victories, use rankings, use tangible results to tell everyone..."

Shen Mo's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and resonated in everyone's hearts: "Qingyun Sect is not some worthless clay chicken or dog. My disciples, Shen Mo's disciples, are not pushovers to be manipulated!"

These words stirred the emotions of the disciples, and the humiliation and anger in their eyes were gradually replaced by a more fervent and determined fighting spirit.

Shi Tie took a heavy breath and nodded vigorously: "Sect Leader, I understand! I'll save this anger for now! I'll settle it all when I get on stage!"

Wang Hu, Zhao Ming, and others clenched their fists, their eyes sharp.

"Go and cultivate, everyone." Shen Mo waved his hand. "Qingyan, Su Xiao, come with me."

After everyone dispersed, Shen Mo led Zhao Qingyan and Su Xiao back to the main house. He closed the door and set up a soundproof barrier.

"Tell me in detail what happened at the time, especially those people from the Heavenly Sword Sect. Besides Leng Feng, who else was there? Were there any onlookers around who we needed to be particularly careful of?" Shen Mo asked Su Xiao.

Su Xiao meticulously recounted the scene, including the number of people on both sides, their cultivation levels, words, actions, and even the expressions, clothing, and possible origins of some of the onlookers, all in a calm and objective manner, like the most precise photographic record.

"...Tianyuan Guard intervened in time, and a conflict was averted. However, the 'clay chickens and clay dogs' remark has been heard by at least dozens of people."

"Among them are cultivators from Xingluo Island in the East Sea, people from the Golden Wolf Tribe in the Western Wilderness, and a few disciples from local small sects and aristocratic families in the Central Region. There are also several rogue cultivators."

"As they left, some looked mocking, some shook their heads and sighed, and some... looked sympathetic or curious," Su Xiao concluded.

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