"Punishment, where do you see him being punished? Fangfang, I don't want you to use your conscience to bind my decisions. It makes it very difficult, very loathsome, very repulsive for me!"

Lin Yifan straightforwardly expressed what he was feeling, truly infuriated.

A wave of despair washed over Fangfang. She had never seen Lin Yifan complain to her like this before. Maybe Cui Libin's insults had hit him too hard.

Indeed, Cui Libin's words were utterly disgusting, beyond tolerable. Anyone would find it hard to endure.

Therefore, she shouldn't have stopped Lin Yifan, nor shown sympathy for Cui Libin; she had made a mistake.

"Yifan, I'm sorry. Please forgive my ignorance, okay?"

"Fangfang, you don't need to blame yourself too much. Those who need to pay the price will surely pay it."

Lin Yifan consoled, not wanting Fangfang to be too remorseful or sad.

As long as Fangfang realized her mistake, that was enough.

Taking a few breaths, Lin Yifan propped up his injured body with difficulty, glaring at Cui Libin: "Bastard, today I will surely cut out your tongue!"

The heavily wounded Cui Libin trembled with fear and desperately called for help: "Zhu... Brother Zhu, save... save me, save... save me!"

On the arena stage, Zhu Kang was his only lifeline, so he hung onto it tightly.

Zhu Kang would indeed help him because this was not just about someone's life but also his own reputation.

So, he fixed his gaze on Lin Yifan and asked, "What do you intend to do?"

"What do you think I'm going to do?"

"If you want him, you'll have to get past me first." Zhu Kang replied boldly.

"Since you wish to court death, I'll oblige you!"

Lin Yifan mustered his strength again, enduring the pain as he charged at Zhu Kang.

"Hah! Do you really think you can defeat me?"

Zhu Kang sneered continuously, believing in his heart that Lin Yifan had used all his strength before, exerting his best move, which was the only reason they ended up in a draw; trying it again might not work. In his mind, Lin Yifan stood no chance of victory unless he fought to the death, given his strength advantage at the Early Stage of the Divine Transformation Forth Realm.

As the two were about to clash, with everyone thinking it would end in another draw, Zhu Kang's Master, the Fifth Elder, flew in to stop them.

He stood between them, separating the imminent fight, and reprimanded, "Stop at once! Brothers-in-arms have no reason to slaughter each other mindlessly."

"Fifth Elder! Don't stop me! I want to kill that bastard who defamed me!"

Lin Yifan pleaded politely and respectfully. If it had been any other time, he would have already lashed out with threats and insults.

Additionally, his hatred for Cui Libin ran deep. Even if the Fifth Elder could stop him now, he couldn't prevent his desire for revenge. Therefore, Lin Yifan hoped the Fifth Elder would allow him to resolve this matter quickly, to avoid future discord among them.

"Though he's hateful for insulting you, the crime doesn't warrant death. Let it be. I'll break his legs and make him meditate in repentance for a hundred days. How does that sound?" the Fifth Elder offered.

Hearing this punishment almost made Cui Libin faint. All he did was utter some insults—did he really deserve this?

Desperate, he asked the Fifth Elder, "Fifth Elder! Why such a severe punishment? What did I do wrong? Did he not indeed tarnish the Wudang Sect's female disciple's reputation, is he not a scumbag?"

"Shut up! Isn't the matter big enough already? Xiaofan has already explained everything to the Wudang Sect's Third Elder, and he accepted it was all a misunderstanding. Stop causing trouble here, or it won't be as simple as just breaking your legs. Understand?"

The Fifth Elder was indeed furious.

Previously, a disciple had been crippled by having his Dantian destroyed and was expelled for this very issue; he wouldn't want further disciples to be ensnared.

Cui Libin didn't know about this, still suspecting that the Valley Master pressured the Wudang Sect's Third Elder into accepting the explanation. In his heart, Lin Yifan remained a scumbag.

However, given what the Fifth Elder said, he couldn't argue further. Otherwise, he might face even more severe punishment.

The punishment was hard for Lin Yifan to accept. Breaking his legs wasn't the same as crippling them—there was a significant difference.

The former could be quickly healed with an elixir, while the latter couldn't. If they crippled Cui Libin, he would gladly accept it, but just breaking them was hard for him to accept.

However, he was embarrassed to oppose the Fifth Elder's decision. Considering Cui Libin would also meditate in repentance for a hundred days, he felt slightly better.

Given that Cui Libin's only crime was that of a foul mouth, Lin Yifan decided to let it go. If there was a next time, not even the intervention of an Elder would prevent Lin Yifan from exacting a harsher price.

With Cui Libin's interruption, the Fifth Elder composed himself and asked once more, "Xiaofan, how do you feel about the punishment?"

"The Fifth Elder's punishment is reasonable, and I agree," Lin Yifan responded.

"Haha! The Valley Master's disciple understands reason, unlike these unruly students who know only deceit and scheming."

As he said this, the Fifth Elder gave Cui Libin and Zhu Kang a pointed look.

These two had greatly disappointed him. If the Valley Master had to handle this, the consequences might be more severe.

Singled out and reprimanded, Zhu Kang and Cui Libin trembled, not daring to meet anyone's gaze.

Perhaps they'd disappointed everyone, but weren't they just being loyal to their cause? Didn't the Valley Master want competition to be fiercer? How could following the destined path be wrong?

Many bitter feelings were hidden, knowing the Elders currently favored Lin Yifan. Acting against this would only bring disaster.

Once the punishment was agreed upon, the Fifth Elder immediately proceeded to punish Cui Libin.

With a flick of power, he broke Cui Libin's legs, had him carried away, and locked up to meditate in repentance for a hundred days.

Cui Libin howled endlessly. Despite his Cultivation Power, the heart-piercing bone penetration pain was just too much.

This scene was one Lin Yifan savored; only by witnessing Cui Libin's punishment did his heart feel at ease.

Thus the matter concluded with Cui Libin's punishment, and from then on, no disciple dared insult Lin Yifan in public.

With two living examples before them, it showed the high concern from the Valley's upper echelons.

Could the truth of the matter not be as rumored, or was the Valley Master overly protective of his new disciple?

All were confused and puzzled, yet Lin Yifan's name now echoed with renown, making any challenge against him a calculation of consequence.

"Listen up: henceforth, discussing Xiaofan or that Wudang Sect female disciple in the Valley is prohibited. The consequences will be dire!"

Leaving this warning, the Fifth Elder flew away.

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