Chapter 56: Law Enforcement Hall Takes Action

Lin An's sudden move caught Qi Yu off guard.

After all, Lin An was about to become a newly promoted true disciple, renowned in the inner sect, with wide connections and many supporters, and was one of the disciples Dongfang Yuan wanted to recruit.

But now he stood on the opposing side.

But… things have come to this point; if we back down now, we would be slapping the face of Dongfang Yuan's lineage's true disciples.

"Lin An, are you giving face only to throw it away?"

"The elder brother has been trying to recruit you; if you stand against us, have you considered the consequences?"

Qi Yu stepped forward slowly, his aura surging to the heavens as if he would shatter the room; the icy chill in his eyes made one tremble.

Lin An paid no heed; as soon as he acted, he could break into the Spirit Transformation Realm, and he did not fear a true battle.

The other few stewards were somewhat at a loss: on one hand, there was the Dongfang Yuan faction vying for the Junior Sect Master's strength, and these true disciples were their protective umbrella, making it easy for them to swindle spirit stones from inner sect disciples in the pill-refining hall; on the other hand, Qin Yu possessed peerless pill-refining talent, and barring mishap, he had a chance to reach the Earth-rank Alchemist level—knowing that the entire Profound Yang Sect currently has only one Earth-rank Alchemist, the importance goes without saying. If they acted now, they would surely incur resentment, and if Qin Yu later rose, he would surely suffer. Thus… they found themselves in a dilemma.

"Brother Li, won't you act? If we don't, Lin An's side won't be able to hold out; once the Law Enforcement Hall arrives, they'll have no room to turn things around."

"That Qin Yu being expelled from the Profound Yang Sect is already a settled matter."

"Now is the perfect opportunity to recruit him."

Beside Li Xuan, a handsome youth in fine robes whispered.

Li Xuan calmly shook his head; Qin Yu had refused him repeatedly, which displeased him, so naturally he wanted to give him a warning, to make him clear that the benefits of an inner sect identity were limited; though his talent was strong, … future events were ultimately just that—future, and no one could say for sure; if his Dao heart were damaged or his cultivation fell short, he could not reach the Earth-rank Alchemist level, and if he remained only a Profound-rank Alchemist, his value would not be so great. On Dongfang Yuan's side, they could at any moment challenge for the Junior Sect Master position, and the relative importance of the two sides was clear at a glance. He then spoke lightly: "Wait until he is in dire straits, utterly powerless, then act. Delivering charcoal in the snow is the art of recruitment. From now on, I will make this Qin Yu willingly follow me." Li Xuan's eyes brimmed with confidence; he too was waiting, for when the Law Enforcement Hall passes sentence on him, that will be the moment he brings people to rescue him—thus displaying his power to his followers and winning Qin Yu's heart, achieving two goals with one action.

At that moment, an angry shout came from outside the door; a group of cultivators in black armor kicked open the pill-refining hall's door, acting with overbearing arrogance. "Law Enforcement Hall business—clear the way!" The leader's gaze was piercing, his aura like an abyss, unrestrained, overwhelming all directions. "Greetings, Steward Xi!" "This disciple caused trouble in the pill-refining hall, secretly learning the pill-refining techniques of the hall's steward; I have ample witnesses here." "I hope the steward will handle this impartially." Qi Yu bowed slightly, clasped his hands and smiled, then pointed to the nearby old man in coarse cloth, Qiming. At that moment he transmitted his voice: "I only need you to slightly twist the facts; after success, my side will provide resources to help you reach the Profound-rank Alchemist level and become a high-ranking steward of the pill-refining hall. I have already informed my master—even if it's Li Xuan… when the time comes, wanting to intervene will be as hard as climbing to the blue sky." His words were full of confidence; the entire Law Enforcement Hall has only three elders and one vice hall master, each holding core power, and Li Xuan has no backing from the Law Enforcement Hall, making interference difficult later, so he is confident. This time he also called in a favor—this Steward Xi is his senior martial brother; of course… all of this is to recruit Qin Yu, drive him into desperation, make him see reality, and then subdue him. Qin Yu, wishing to preserve his current status, would naturally submit and follow; then… on Dongfang Yuan's side, I would become the highest-ranking, and once I successfully ascend to the Junior Sect Master position, it would be the merit of ascending the dragon; the positions of power in the various halls would be mine to pick, and adding that my clan uncle once was a core elder as well, my achievements are great enough that I could later push further and secure a steady seat on the Fishing Terrace.

Qiming's wrinkled face broke into a bitter smile; he… had no choice, this was a threat, and he immediately transmitted to Qin Yu: "Sorry, little friend, I cannot disagree; I cannot afford to offend them… and… I need what they are offering." In the face of benefits and sufficient background, Qiming ultimately could only sacrifice Qin Yu, becoming a high-ranking steward himself, which would allow him to enter the Dongfang Yuan lineage; in the future… if he advances further, with sufficient resources he could rise to Profound-rank top-grade Alchemist, even possibly take charge of the pill-refining hall and become an existence equivalent to an Outer Sect elder.

As his words fell, he stepped forward directly: "I am willing to serve as a witness—he… indeed set a trap to secretly learn my pill-refining method; he never took a master, never exchanged spirit stones, yet pretended to be a novice pill refiner, luring me into demonstrating my technique; I gave it no further thought, demonstrated some core secret arts, and he stole them." Qiming's eyelids drooped slightly, but his speech remained extremely calm.

Steward Xi heard this, gave a slight nod, waved his hand and shouted angrily: "Violating sect rules, stealing another's secret technique—take him away!" Behind him, several Law Enforcement Hall guards moved instantly, seizing Qin Yu's arms.

"Reversing black and white, do you dare!" Lin An shouted furiously, his aura erupting, on the verge of breaking into the Spirit Transformation Realm; his long sword burst forth, a cold flash suddenly appearing.

But… Qin Yu calmly said, "Brother Lin, no need to act." Upon hearing this, Lin An finally suppressed his inner anger.

Qin Yu's gaze now turned to Steward Xi, then to Qi Yu: "Are you sure you won't inquire further? If the truth comes to light, then even if you beg me to leave the Law Enforcement Hall, I will not go." Qin Yu's inner anger had long been building; without questioning right or wrong, he could actually seize people outright, and many inner sect disciples unaware of the situation were likewise astonished—this Qin Yu… so confident, daring to threaten the Law Enforcement Hall, knowing that other factions of the Profound Yang Sect normally dare not provoke the Law Enforcement Hall for fear of being targeted—yet this newly promoted Foundation Establishment first-layer disciple dares to shout? That's too fierce!

Steward Xi couldn't help but reveal a faint sneer: "Who do you think you are? By then, even if you beg me, walking out of the Law Enforcement Hall alive will be hard—do you understand?" On their side, while on the way they had made a simple inquiry: Qin Yu, top scorer of this year's Outer Sect grand competition, a newly promoted inner sect disciple; however, the sect leader had erased some of his achievements, including the deeds of the three core elders in the Outer Sect, the beast tides in the demon beast trials, etc., most of which were concealed; Steward Xi's group lacked the authority to query further, so they could only check these basics, and given the rush of time, they didn't go to the Outer Sect to investigate—after all, in his view it was unnecessary, merely a newly promoted inner sect disciple. "Take them away!" "Resisters, break their legs!" Steward Xi shouted again, then immediately seized Qin Yu, Lin An, Lin Sheng, and others by the arms, leading them out of the Pill Refining Pavilion toward the Law Enforcement Hall.