The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

"Without any evidence or proof, you're trying to smear someone's reputation in public based solely on speculation..."

Zhao Yichuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze as cold as a deep pool. When he swept his gaze over the group of young men in brocade robes, they were forced to take a half-step back involuntarily.

"Do you think the Enforcement Hall is just sitting around doing nothing, or do you believe that the rules passed down through the Qinghe Sword Sect are up to you few to decide?!"

"Senior Brother Zhao... this boy is dishonest; he stole my Marrow Cleansing Pill. I was merely cleaning up the mess for Danxia Peak..."

"Clean house?"

Zhao Yichuan gave the young man in brocade robes a cold glance.

"The Marrow Cleansing Pill is incredibly potent. If a mere novice who has just entered the outer sect had swallowed it, he would have already suffered broken pulses and exploded to death."

"If you were hiding it, what did you find when you searched your entire body so thoroughly?"

"If I hadn't come, were you planning to set up your own court right here in front of Danxia Peak?"

Zhao Yichuan lowered his eyes slightly and spoke slowly and deliberately.

The young man in the brocade robe, his face alternating between pale and flushed, stubbornly insisted, "Perhaps...maybe he handed it over to his accomplices!"

"absurd."

Zhao Yichuan scoffed coldly, no longer looking at him, and said only: "The Enforcement Hall only acts based on facts. To slander someone's innocence out of thin air and stir up trouble is unacceptable. If Young Master Wei has too much free time, he can go to the Cliff of Repentance and meditate in seclusion for three months."

Young Master Wei gritted his teeth, knowing he wouldn't get away with it today.

He knew perfectly well what his so-called "losing of the pill" was all about. The Marrow Cleansing Pill was lying perfectly fine in his senior brother's Qiankun bag. He was just using this as an excuse to establish his authority over this pushover.

"Senior Brother Zhao! It's a misunderstanding! It must be a misunderstanding!"

He hurriedly pulled out a small bag containing about ten spirit stones from his pocket, and, using the wide sleeves of his robe as cover, tried to stuff it into Zhao Yichuan's hand.

"My senior brother just transmitted a message saying that the pill was found under the alchemy furnace. I was mistaken and wronged this... this junior brother. This is just a small token to calm your nerves!"

Zhao Yichuan did not accept the spirit stone, but gave him a cold glance.

He knew perfectly well that this kind of sordid behavior—young members of powerful families ganging up to bully newcomers—had been repeated time and again within the sect.

This young master surnamed Wei has an elder standing behind him. In the end, at most, he will only be given a high slap on the wrist and a light slap on the wrist, along with three cups of wine as a punishment.

"Since it's a misunderstanding, leave your things and get out."

Zhao Yichuan coldly uttered a few words.

The young man in the brocade robe felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He threw the bag of spirit stones on the ground, and with a few lackeys, he pushed through the crowd and disappeared without a trace.

Seeing that there was no excitement to watch, and intimidated by Zhao Yichuan's imposing presence, the crowd scattered like birds and beasts.

Xu Xining grabbed the still trembling Xu Xiwen and spat through gritted teeth in the direction the group had fled: "Pah! What a bunch of bastards!"

Turning around, he quickly put on a smiling face and nodded vigorously: "Thank you so much for your righteous help today, Senior Brother. The Xu family will never forget your great kindness!"

Xu Xiwen wiped away his tears and bent his knees to kowtow, saying, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for saving my life."

"Stand up straight."

Zhao Yichuan frowned, then with a wave of his sleeve, a gentle yet irresistible spiritual force steadily supported him.

He looked at Xu Xiwen's still bloodshot eyes, but there was little pity in them; instead, there was a hint of disappointment.

"Do you feel wronged?"

Xu Xiwen pursed his lips, lowered his head and remained silent, feeling only humiliation and resentment in his heart.

"Are you thinking, 'They humiliated you like this even though you didn't do it?' Are you thinking, 'Since I intervened, why didn't I send them to the Discipline Hall for severe punishment, but instead released them after only accepting a pittance of spirit stones?'"

Zhao Yichuan's voice was calm.

"In the world of cultivation, there is no reasoning, only fists."

"If I forcibly take him today, his elders will find a pretext to make sure you are reduced to ashes on Danxia Peak tomorrow."

"I happened to be passing by today and was able to shield you from this calamity. But what will you do tomorrow if I'm not here? Will you still be weeping and wailing, letting others humiliate you?"

Xu Xiwen's heart trembled as he recalled the clan chief's words before he left: "If you don't want to be trampled on like an ant, you have to make yourself proud."

"I can save you for a while, but I can't protect you forever. If you continue to be so weak, crying at the first sign of trouble and kneeling in the face of disaster, you won't be able to stay in the Qinghe Sword Sect. You should pack your bags and go back to Cangwu Island to seek protection from your clan leader."

After saying this, Zhao Yichuan didn't linger any longer. With a wave of his sleeve, he transformed into a sharp sword light and disappeared into the air, leaving behind only a pile of scattered withered leaves.

Xu Xiwen stood there blankly for a long time before slowly clenching his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

That figure was like a wedge, firmly driven into his still immature Dao heart.

"Alright, alright, stop looking, they've vanished."

Xu Xining leaned closer, chewing on a piece of spiritual herb he had somehow acquired, and patted Xu Xiwen on the shoulder.

"Although Senior Brother Zhao has a bad temper, he's a really good person. But he's right, next time that guy surnamed Wei dares to come again, we won't be reasonable, we'll just use dirty tricks!"

"elder brother……"

Xu Xiyue tugged at his sleeve.

"I'm fine."

Xu Xiwen took a deep breath, bent down to pick up the small bag of spirit stones from the ground, and clutched it tightly in his hand.

......

Morning sun and evening shadows, clouds rolling and unfolding.

Three days passed quietly as the mountain breeze blew by.

Since that day, Xu Xiwen seemed to have become a different person.

He silently completed the assigned chores, then locked himself in the cramped woodshed to cultivate immortality.

That almost self-destructive fierceness made Xu Xiyue very worried.

On this day, the sky was clear and the waterfall reflected a rainbow of colors in the sunlight.

Under the pretext of delivering calming herbs to the Law Enforcement Peak, Xu Xiwen carried a bamboo basket and climbed step by step up the steep stone steps to the heavily guarded solitary peak.

On the summit of law enforcement, the air was thick with the menacing aura of swords.

He handed over the spirit herbs, but did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he lingered by the training ground outside the sect.

On the sidelines, an old handyman with a missing left arm was sweeping the ground, the broom making a rustling sound as it swept across the bluestone slabs.

Xu Xiwen stepped forward and took out a small piece of spirit stone from his sleeve.

"My senior brother, I'd like to ask you about someone."

The old handyman didn't stand on ceremony, taking the spirit stone fragments and stuffing them into his pocket, mumbling, "Who are you asking about?"

"Zhao Yichuan, Senior Brother Zhao, he must be the most outstanding genius in our sect, right?"

Xu Xiwen's eyes shone with undisguised admiration.

Upon hearing this, the old handyman stopped sweeping and looked Xu Xiwen up and down as if he were a fool.

"genius?"

The old handyman chuckled, his laughter carrying three parts mockery and seven parts sigh.

"Little kid, you've probably only been doing this for a short time, haven't you? If you think of him as one of those geniuses who are just born to be successful, you're sorely mistaken."

The old handyman stood the broom beside him, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"He's a notorious 'useless piece of wood,' a five-elemental root! If it weren't for Elder Li's discerning eye, he probably wouldn't even have been able to enter the immortal sect, let alone reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

Five spiritual roots?

Senior Brother Zhao's talent is actually the same as mine, which has five spiritual roots.

"What? You don't believe it?"

The old handyman snorted coldly.

"When he first joined the sect, he was just like you, a disciple at the lowest level of the outer sect, suffering all kinds of cold looks and being treated like a beast of burden."

"Then why is he now...?"

"Why is it so powerful?"

The old handyman interrupted him, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"You only see him in his white robes, with a magic tablet hanging from his waist. Do you know how much of his own blood and how many times he escaped death to achieve that ninth level of Qi Refining cultivation?"

The old handyman picked up the broom again, ignoring Xu Xiwen who was standing there dumbfounded, and slowly swept up the fallen leaves on the ground.

"In the world of cultivation, if the heavens don't grant you food, you have to fight for it yourself."

Xu Xiwen stood at the edge of the mountain path, the mountain wind howling and making his robes flutter.

He turned his head and looked at the rolling mountains in the distance. In his eyes, which were originally confused and timid, something seemed to be breaking, and something else was burning fiercely.

So what if you have poor talent?

Xu Xiwen clenched his fist, turned around, and strode down the mountain path he had come from.

His steps were no longer unsteady.