Kneel? Or not to kneel?

Deng Shu gritted his teeth, refusing to kneel. He was the pride of the younger generation at the Penglai Sword Pavilion and had hopes of becoming the next Pavilion Master. If he knelt before a few mere Loose Cultivators today, how could he ever command respect in the future?

So, I will not kneel!

Deng Shu's eyes were bloodshot as he bore the pressure, heavy as a mountain. His legs were nearly twisted, yet he stubbornly tried to straighten his back. Pride in their Sect Gate led the others to make the same decision.

"Good!" Qian Xiao couldn't help but shout in admiration for their unyielding spirit.

Yun Jin kicked Qian Xiao irritably. "You were just calling me a traitor. Who's the real traitor now? Whose side are you on!"

Qian Xiao stammered, "Hmph! How unrepentant!"

Yun Jin was speechless. Alright then. Little Qian, you really are shameless.

"I, Bai Yuan, would rather die than kneel today!" The Dao Sect's young lady yelled, her hair cascading down as her beautiful yet somewhat naive face contorted with ferocity.

Yun Jin pursed her lips. They were just a bunch of kids who hadn't even reached the Martial Ancestor Realm. Although she hadn't unleashed her full Realm pressure, a single wisp was more than enough to overwhelm them.

After all, this was the pressure of a peak Golden Core Realm expert, a prodigy of the Taotie Clan!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

A series of thuds echoed one after another.

Unable to withstand the pressure, the proud disciples from the Sect Gates all fell to their knees, their faces filled with despair. Deng Shu's face was ashen. He stared numbly at the ground, his eyes brimming with humiliation.

"Hey, look over there! Why are they kneeling?" a Martial Artist in the audience asked, stunned.

"I don't know. We in the Martial Dao World don't have a custom of kneeling, do we? Maybe they got into a fight..."

"Would you kneel just because you had a fight with someone? Are you an idiot? But this pressure... it's so heavy I can barely breathe."

"Could it be the Great Grandmaster Realm!?"

The audience was abuzz with speculation.

Meanwhile, the three Ninth Grade Martial Ancestors, led by Xu Wandao, looked on in shock. They had actually noticed the terrifying Realm pressure the moment it appeared. But for a moment, the three of them didn't dare to resist it. The source of this pressure was beyond the Ninth Grade. This wasn't a Grandmaster... it was the Divine Gate Realm!

However, they soon realized the pressure was not aimed at them. It was targeting Deng Shu, Bai Yuan, and the other thirteen disciples from the Sect Gates, which made their expressions change.

"What are you all doing!" a Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor shouted. "Get up! How can you, as dignified Martial Artists, kneel in public? What a disgrace!"

"I..." Deng Shu gnashed his teeth. He wanted to stand, but the pressure, as heavy as Mount Tai, was still crushing him, making it impossible.

"You're despicable! When you couldn't beat us, you called your parents for help!" Bai Yuan seethed, her teeth clenched in grief and anger.

In her mind, there had to be a powerful expert secretly backing Xu Yiyi and the others. Otherwise, she could have crushed these three little sprouts with one hand.

"Parents?" Yun Jin curled her lips and muttered, "If my parents showed up, the entire Milky Way would cease to exist."

"What exactly is going on!" Xu Wandao demanded, his face icy.

Seeing Deng Shu and the others about to speak, Qian Xiao wiped at his dry eyes and started to sob. "Boo-hoo-hoo... they're bullying us just because we're kids!"

What the...?! Pal, *we're* the ones kneeling, not you! Who's bullying who here? Deng Shu was flabbergasted.

This was, indeed, the man Xu Lai had once described as being incredibly thick-skinned.

With fake snot and tears, Qian Xiao choked out, "We had a little argument, and they actually demanded we kneel and apologize. Elders, don't you think they're being too harsh...?"

"That is indeed a bit much," the three Ninth Grade Martial Ancestors nodded in unison.

But one of them quickly realized something was wrong. "Wait a minute, why are you standing while they're kneeling...?"

"Exactly! That's the question!" Qian Xiao clapped his hands, waiting until all eyes were on him. He then asked with a serious expression, "Why is that? Do they think kneeling every day will make them live to be ninety-nine?"

Everyone was speechless.

The faces of the three Ninth Grade Martial Ancestors darkened. If we knew, why would we be asking you!

Xu Wandao turned to Xu Yiyi. She was Senior Xu Lai's daughter; she must know what was going on. To his surprise, Yiyi just blinked her clear, wide eyes and shook her head. "Yiyi doesn't know anything."

Everyone was speechless again.

Xu Yiyi truly didn't know anything. Though she was technically a Cultivator, she couldn't sense that the pressure was coming from Yun Jin, the Taotie girl who had been playing games with her for the past two days.

Yun Jin spoke calmly, "I did it. But they were the ones who provoked us first. I've already shown mercy by not killing them."

"Nonsense!" one of the Ninth Grade experts scolded. "That Realm pressure is comparable to the Divine Gate. Are you trying to tell me that you're in the Divine Gate Realm!?"

"I'm not," Yun Jin answered honestly, shaking her head. She was at the peak of the Golden Core Realm.

A Pseudo-Golden Core Realm was comparable to the early Divine Gate. A true early-stage Golden Core, however, was equivalent to a peak Divine Gate! Her Boundary completely surpassed the highest known level within the current Martial Dao system.

"Who are your parents? Tell them to come out from the shadows!" the Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor demanded coldly.

A dignified Divine Gate Realm expert, stooping to attack these children from the shadows... it's a disgrace to the legacy of our Martial Dao ancestors!

"Chang, calm down," Xu Wandao said, alarmed. He tugged at the Ninth Grade expert's sleeve and whispered, "Yiyi's surname is Xu."

"So what if her surname is Xu... Huh???" The Martial Ancestor surnamed Chang suddenly realized something. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he asked cautiously, "Could she be Senior Xu Lai's daughter?"

Normally, the referees for a youth martial arts tournament would be Seventh or Eighth Grade at most. For what other reason would Gao He have specifically invited the three of them from Chang'an City? It was to ensure that Xu Lai's daughter wouldn't be harmed!

"Ahem." Martial Ancestor Chang cleared his throat. "Yiyi is clearly a good child. As for you two... who are your parents?" His gaze fell upon Qian Xiao and Yun Jin.

Qian Xiao was as cunning as a monkey. If he called his parents over, he'd definitely get a beating when he got home. With tears in his eyes, he said, "My parents are away on a business trip, but I have an uncle..."

"Have him come out!" Martial Ancestor Chang waved his sleeve and said coldly, "Today, I will have a proper talk with him."

"Uncle Xu Lai, someone's calling for you! Are you there? Are you here?!" Qian Xiao yelled at the top of his lungs.

Xu Lai's nephew?

After a moment of silence, Martial Ancestor Chang turned to Yun Jin, who had been composed from the very beginning. He asked tentatively, "Your parents...?"

"Xu Lai is my uncle, too."

"..."

Martial Ancestor Chang fell silent, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

Damn it all to hell. Why are they all Senior Xu Lai's relatives!

"Martial Ancestor Chang is so impressive, wanting to have a 'proper talk' with Xu Lai," another Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor chimed in with a wide grin.

The veins on Martial Ancestor Chang's forehead pulsed even harder, and a sheen of sweat was now visible. He lowered his voice and said to the kneeling disciples, "Deng Shu, why don't you all stand up first..."

"Martial Ancestor Chang! My father has always said that you are stern and impartial! You must see that justice is done for us," Deng Shu declared, looking up from the ground. "Otherwise, we will continue to kneel here indefinitely!"

Martial Ancestor Chang nodded. "Fine."

Deng Shu and the others were overjoyed, only to hear his next words. "In that case, you can just keep kneeling."

"???"

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