Chapter 9: Grudge with Duobao

"Alright, do you have any other questions?" Tongtian continued.

"None, thank you Grandmaster for your guidance, this disciple will take his leave." Saying this, Kong Xuan bowed and withdrew.

Kong Xuan had just returned when he saw a group of disciples gathered together; out of curiosity, he went over.

"Zhao Gongming, to be so impolite after seeing the Senior Brother, and so disrespectful to one's elders—I really don't know why Grandmaster values you so much." A sarcastic voice was heard.

"Yuyixian, stop with that sarcastic tone here. Hmph, one look and I can tell you're no good!" A pleasant voice came from a little beauty dressed in red; it was Qiongxiao.

"Eighth Junior Sister, don't think that just because Grandmaster dotes on you, you can insult a Junior Brother. Do you dare to duel with me, Wudang?" This sentence came from a mature woman.

"Second Senior Sister, my younger sister is still young; why don't I spar with you instead?" Yunxiao said hurriedly.

"Enough, stop the bickering. Zhao Gongming, you don't even pay respects after seeing me, your Senior Brother; you truly don't hold me in any regard." This sentence came from a man wearing magnificent robes, carrying the tone of a superior; it was Duobao Daoren.

It turned out that Duobao was Tongtian's first disciple and was highly valued by Tongtian. Most matters were handed over to Duobao to handle, making him effectively the Vice Sect Leader of the Jie Sect. Moreover, he was very talented, having already reached the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, and he would likely break through to the Quasi-Sage realm in a few days.

Because Zhao Gongming and the three Xiao sisters became Tongtian's disciples and possessed good aptitude, they all reached the Golden Immortal realm within a few thousand years, with Yunxiao even reaching the peak of the Golden Immortal realm. This already made the naturally gifted Duobao jealous. Furthermore, Tongtian no longer had Duobao handle everything alone, but slowly began to hand tasks to Zhao Gongming as well. This made Duobao, who had always prided himself as the Vice Sect Leader of the Jie Sect, very unhappy; he was always picking fights and causing trouble for Zhao Gongming.

This time, the incident was caused because Zhao Gongming had returned after finishing a task and was in a hurry to report to Tongtian, failing to greet Duobao upon seeing him.

"I apologize, Senior Brother. I was in a hurry to see Grandmaster just now, so I didn't greet you." Zhao Gongming said neither humbly nor arrogantly. In fact, Zhao Gongming mostly did not take Duobao's harassment to heart, because after all, they were fellow disciples, and the more united they were, the better; thus, Zhao Gongming always tried to smooth things over.

"Yo, so having something to do means you can disregard your Senior Brother? Won't everyone have to listen to you in the future?" It was that sarcastic voice again, Yuyixian.

"Which dog is barking here? Did your master not keep a good eye on you, letting you come out and bite people?" A lazy voice said.

"Who is speaking in the shadows? If you have the guts, come out. See if your grandfather doesn't tear your mouth apart!" Yuyixian said, exasperated. Relying on being Tongtian's tenth disciple and often buttering up Duobao, Yuyixian had a very good relationship with Duobao. Ordinary disciples were always respectful when speaking to him, and even if someone cursed him, it was behind his back; no one had ever cursed him to his face, which made him furious.

"Me." It was that same lazy voice, and a man with the air of a hoodlum walked in from the crowd.

"You're a new disciple, yet you dare to speak to me like that? I am the tenth disciple! Hurry up and apologize to me, make amends, and slap yourself once; then this matter will be considered settled by this Senior Brother." Yuyixian said triumphantly.

Because Kong Xuan had gone to cultivate in the pill furnace immediately after paying his respects to his master, no one except the three Xiao sisters and Zhao Gongming knew that he was Tongtian's fourth disciple. Everyone thought he was just a new disciple from somewhere. Seeing him offend the most petty-minded Yuyixian, everyone looked at him with sympathetic eyes, thinking he was about to suffer.

"What did you say? Say it again." It was still that hoodlum-like voice, but it carried a chill.

"I said for you to apologize to me and slap yourself in the mouth. If I, your Senior Brother, am magnanimous, I won't hold it against you." Yuyixian said arrogantly.

Just as he finished speaking, three sounds were heard: "Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!"

Yuyixian clutched his mouth, feeling completely incredulous. That someone actually dared to hit him, he said furiously, his speech somewhat stuttering: "You... you actually dare to hit me? See if I don't cripple you today!" Saying this, he prepared to strike.

"Fourth Senior Brother, give this bad guy a good lesson! I've wanted to teach him a lesson for a long time," Qiongxiao shouted to Kong Xuan.

"Wait, hold on," Duobao said hurriedly. When he first saw Kong Xuan walk out, he thought he was just some ignorant new disciple, but when he saw Kong Xuan slap Yuyixian three times in a row, his brow furrowed; he realized he couldn't even track his speed. When he heard Qiongxiao call him Fourth Senior Brother, he immediately knew this was the one he hadn't met yet. But would Kong Xuan stop? Of course not. He immediately rushed forward and began punching and kicking Yuyixian. Because Kong Xuan's cultivation was much higher than his—Yuyixian had only just reached the early stage of the Golden Immortal realm—and because Kong Xuan excelled in speed, Yuyixian was immediately beaten black and blue, with no power to fight back. Kong Xuan fought like a street thug, without a shred of a master's demeanor, using every dirty trick in the book. He truly displayed the style of a hoodlum from his past life. In his past life, Kong Xuan was an orphan who grew up on the streets and slowly became a small-time hoodlum, having done all sorts of evil deeds. It was only later that he fell for a girl and pursued her every day, until finally, the girl said to him with a look of contempt, "I don't like low-life thugs like you; I like people like professors who have knowledge and cultivation." From then on, Kong Xuan studied hard, attended night school, and finally became a double Ph. D. in physics and chemistry.

The more Kong Xuan fought, the more spirited he became, and the harder he hit. At this rate, Yuyixian was likely to be the first Golden Immortal to be beaten to death by fists.

Just as Kong Xuan was enjoying the fight, he suddenly felt a gust of wind from a fist attacking from behind. He immediately dodged it and looked back to see it was Duobao Daoren. Duobao had originally thought that Kong Xuan would stop once he spoke, but he didn't expect Kong Xuan to show no respect to his Senior Brother, treating his words as wind and continuing his violent assault on Yuyixian. This made him very angry; feeling his status as "Senior Brother" was being challenged, he disregarded his dignity and threw a punch directly.

Kong Xuan was furious to see Duobao actually dare to sneak-attack him. Plus, knowing that Duobao would later betray the Jie Sect and join Buddhism—and having hated traitors when he was a hoodlum in his past life—he said with a hostile tone: "Duobao, are you trying to interfere? Don't blame me for not giving you face."

Having been the Senior Brother for so many years, Duobao had never heard such provocative words from a Junior Brother. He said angrily: "Today, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of Grandmaster, this fellow who has no respect for his elders, and let you know what it means to respect your seniors." Saying this, he swung his fist and struck. Although Duobao was called "Duobao" (Many Treasures), it wasn't because he had many magic treasures; it was because he practiced the Mysterious Technique of the Witch Clan and Buddhism, making his entire body a weapon of attack, hence he was "full of treasures."

Kong Xuan didn't stand on ceremony and threw a punch to meet him, relying on his Fifth Turn peak strength; he was not afraid of a physical collision.

With a "Bang," Kong Xuan and Duobao each retreated a step.

Duobao felt as if his hand had collided with a red-hot iron ball; not only was his hand shaken with pain, but there was also a burning sensation. He was shocked that his own body, at the peak of the Fifth Turn of the Mysterious Technique, was actually on par with Kong Xuan.

Kong Xuan also felt his hand vibrate and was very excited. He hadn't expected Duobao to also practice the Mysterious Technique. He had been feeling that he didn't have a suitable opponent to test his skills on, and now one had been delivered to him. Heaven was truly good to him! Plus, with his own combat techniques, he believed he could beat Duobao so badly that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. He was about to continue the attack.

Suddenly, a voice came from Biyou Palace: "Enough, stop making a spectacle of yourselves! Fellow disciples fighting among themselves, what kind of decorum is this? If others find out, how much shame it brings upon me." It was the voice of the Tongtian Sect Leader.

Everyone dispersed immediately upon hearing this. Duobao also left with Yuyixian, casting a glance at Kong Xuan before leaving.

Kong Xuan sensed Duobao's gaze and looked back at him with a provocative stare.

... fourth junior brother, and immediately called for a halt.