Chapter 25: A Tangled Path of Scheming Minds

Seeing their master being insulted, Li Jing’s followers were more incensed than if they had been insulted themselves. They shot back retorts without hesitation, and the war of words quickly escalated. Li Jing’s face grew darker and darker. He had been pampered for 16 years, accustomed to praise and flattery; even his father, the emperor, had rarely reprimanded him. This was the first time he had ever been so publicly humiliated.

Amidst their verbal sparring, Qin Haoxuan’s expression remained neutral. Both Zhang Kuang and Li Jing were his rivals. If they were to tear into each other like a pack of dogs, he would be more than happy to watch.

But he had just gotten out of the Lava Cellar, and the last thing he wanted was to listen to two groups of cultivators squabbling like village shrews. Seeing Li Jing’s face grow uglier and the argument on the verge of escalating, Qin Haoxuan decided to intervene for the sake of some peace and quiet. With a slight smile, he advised, “Senior Brother Li, why bother getting angry? What’s the point of losing your temper with a bunch of loose-tongued petty individuals? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on your cultivation, establish your roots, and then sprout your seedling before Zhang Kuang does? That would be like slapping them in the face personally. Then these lackeys who only know how to ride on others’ coattails will have nothing to say.”

At Qin Haoxuan’s reminder, Li Jing came to his senses. Zhang Kuang’s early success in the Rooting Stage had already dealt a blow to his faction’s morale. If he were to engage in a shouting match now, it would be like offering his own face for them to slap. It could even lead to a physical confrontation, which would be detrimental to his long-term plans.

“Junior Brother Qin speaks wisely,” Li Jing said, the anger on his face receding slightly as he forced a smile. “You have just returned from confinement; I won’t disturb you any longer. Farewell.”

Having been outpaced by Zhang Kuang, Li Jing was in no mood to continue the pleasantries. Moreover, Qin Haoxuan’s lukewarm attitude had annoyed him, and his words of advice had stirred up a storm in his heart.

You, Qin Haoxuan, a mere village boy with a weak seed, are you qualified to teach me such a simple lesson? You’re only acting this way because you have Xu Yu as your backer. And who do you think you are? If I had shown such courtesy to anyone else, they would have been moved to tears, kneeling in loyalty. But you, you ungrateful brat, you dare to speak to me as an equal. Give you an inch, and you’ll take a mile!

In Li Jing’s mind, when he deigned to treat someone as an equal to win them over, that person was obligated to respond with a pledge of allegiance. Furthermore, when Qin Haoxuan had called Zhang Kuang’s followers “lackeys,” his eyes had swept over his own followers as well. From this alone, it was clear that Qin Haoxuan held no goodwill towards him and would never join his side.

Someone with no self-awareness like him will have to be eliminated sooner or later. But for now, he still has his uses. I’ll let you jump around for a few more days.

In Li Jing’s eyes, the only ones in the Spirit Field Valley worthy of being his peers were Zhang Kuang and Xu Yu. The two with Gray Seeds, Zhang Yang and Murong Chao, didn’t even qualify.

“Farewell,” Qin Haoxuan said, clasping his hands. He didn’t even bow, merely returning the gesture, his expression calm and detached, showing not a trace of respect for Li Jing.

This gesture not only infuriated Li Jing but also made his followers extremely uncomfortable. By acting as Li Jing’s equal, he was placing himself a tier above them. A disciple with a weak seed, what right did he have to stand on their heads? Murong Chao, in particular, was fuming, but not wanting to ruin his master’s long-term plans, he could only turn his head away.

After Li Jing’s group left without another word, Zhang Kuang’s followers turned their mockery towards Qin Haoxuan.

The enmity between Zhang Kuang and Qin Haoxuan was an open secret in the valley. To please their new master, these followers began to taunt and insult him without restraint.

Qin Haoxuan just sneered. He knew these people were all talk. Zhang Kuang wouldn’t send them to actually fight him, so they didn’t have to fear being crippled and thrown into the Courtyard of the Stultified. But did they really think that sucking up to Zhang Kuang would be of any use? Although Zhang Kuang was arrogant, he was also ambitious. When he truly soared, he wouldn’t even give them a second glance. Yet, there were always people in the world who didn’t understand that it was better to work hard to become strong themselves than to flatter the strong.

“Hey, look, Qin Haoxuan is out after seven days of confinement.”

“Haha, look at his tattered clothes. He must have suffered a lot in there! That’s what you get for offending Junior Brother Zhang!”

“Of course! With Junior Brother Zhang’s cultivation speed, sprouting his seedling and growing leaves will be a piece of cake. I heard that a Purple Seed disciple at the Second-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm can even challenge a Fifth-Leaf expert! With his aptitude, the elders will surely spare no effort in nurturing him and teaching him all sorts of supreme arts. Then he’ll really be in for it!”

Another burst of laughter erupted, interspersed with more fawning praise for Zhang Kuang.

A moment later, a snide voice piped up. “He doesn’t have a tortoise shell on his back, so how can he be so tough?”

“Maybe the shell is under his clothes, and you just can’t see it. Do you have the guts to strip him and find out?”

A guy with a lewd smile replied, “I wouldn’t dare. I’m not Xu Yu, so I can’t take his clothes off… Haha!”

Until now, their taunts had been like the barking of dogs to Qin Haoxuan, and he had paid them no mind. But when they insulted Xu Yu, he finally snapped.

If this could be tolerated, what could not? In the Taichu Sect, Xu Yu was the only one who had treated him as a true friend, never looking down on him and always showing him concern and support. They could mock him all they want, but to insult her because of him was going too far.

Everyone saw the fury flash across his face as he strode like a meteor toward Zhang Kuang’s group.

Drawn by his intense reaction, even Li Jing’s group, which hadn’t gone far, stopped to watch how Qin Haoxuan would handle Zhang Kuang’s faction, which included several Fifth-Leaf experts, all by himself.

“What do you want? Do you think you can just walk up to Boss Zhang’s residence?”

“Get lost, or don’t blame us for being impolite!”

Seeing him approach, a few of the weaker disciples panicked. The name Qin Haoxuan had become legendary in the past few days. The Fifth-Leaf Yuan Shanxiang had fought him to a draw, and was now a crippled imbecile, while Qin Haoxuan was perfectly fine. Even if that was an exaggeration, many had seen him beat the Third-Leaf Yuan Shanhu to a pulp with their own eyes.

Seeing the blazing anger in his eyes and his unstoppable momentum, the crowd of sycophants instinctively parted. With their cultivation, they were no match for even Yuan Shanhu, let alone Yuan Shanxiang. There was no need to ask for a beating.

Zhang Kuang, feeling Qin Haoxuan’s霸道 aura of fury, also took an involuntary step back, a flicker of fear in his eyes.

But he quickly came to his senses. He was a dignified Purple Seed disciple with a limitless future. And he was surrounded by followers, including several Fifth-Leaf experts. Why should he be afraid of Qin Haoxuan?

Despite his attempts to reassure himself, he still felt a sense of dread. Qin Haoxuan’s past dominance had become a psychological barrier for him, a demon in his heart. The confidence he had gained from being a Purple Seed had been shattered by Qin Haoxuan’s monstrous feats. Looking at him now, his hatred only grew stronger.

The last line of defense between Zhang Kuang and Qin Haoxuan was a few Fifth-Leaf senior disciples. They watched as he approached. Even when he was just ten steps away, he showed no sign of stopping. They had thought their cultivation was enough to intimidate him, but he acted as if they weren’t even there.

Ten steps…

Seven steps…

Five steps…

As Qin Haoxuan got closer and closer, his unstoppable momentum made even the Fifth-Leaf experts’ hearts tremble.

Momentum is a strange thing. When one side is strong, the other is weak. Just as Qin Haoxuan was about to crash into them, they simultaneously took a step back, opening a path.

Zhang Kuang, who had felt a sense of security behind them, suddenly felt a jolt of fear. He, who had always wanted to see Qin Haoxuan dead, was now terrified as he stood less than three steps away. All his smugness vanished, and though he tried to hide it, a look of panic flashed in his eyes.

Qin Haoxuan completely ignored Zhang Kuang’s hateful gaze. He reached past him, grabbed the lewd disciple who had made the joke, and lifted him into the air. His eyes were filled with a chilling killing intent as he stared at him and said coldly, “Believe it or not, I will cripple you before he even sprouts his seedling.”

The disciple, held in mid-air, had lost all his earlier arrogance. His legs dangled uselessly as he looked pleadingly at Zhang Kuang and the Fifth-Leaf experts, trying to act tough. “You wouldn’t dare!”

But even as he said it, his voice trembled. He had completely forgotten that he was a First-Leaf cultivator himself. Under Qin Haoxuan’s dominant presence, the thought of fighting back never even crossed his mind.

“I have nothing to lose but a trip to confinement. Do you think I’m afraid of that?” Qin Haoxuan sneered, tightening his grip on the man’s neck, causing his face to turn red. “For insulting a Purple Seed disciple, I could kill you, and the elders wouldn’t say a word. Do you believe me?”

With that, his sharp, murderous gaze swept across the crowd. Those who had been about to step forward to help now hesitated.