Chapter 112: Not Convinced? Hold It In

Inside the Neiyuan, in the Yishi Dadian.

Beneath the silver moonlight, Ye Xiaotian held a piece of paper, suspended in mid-air.

Before him stood over a dozen young talents, divided into two groups: a large one and a smaller one with only four people.

"The Tianxuan Gate quotas—the first four are straightforward: the new disciples of the Neiyuan, Mo Mo, Mu Zixi, Chao Qingteng, and Zhou Tianshen."

Ye Xiaotian looked at the four of them.

The four nodded in unison, their faces filled with excitement.

The Tianxuan Gate secret realm was the first opportunity for those entering the Neiyuan—it opened only once a year, and only ten spots were available.

The spiritual energy stored inside was nearly a hundred times that of the Waiyuan!

Taking a single breath could lead to enlightenment and advancement!

Not to mention the various trial grounds within, where everyone could find something suited to them.

Ye Xiaotian shifted his gaze to the other group—these dozen or so were among the new thirty-three disciples of the Neiyuan.

"The fifth spot goes to Lei Lei."

"The ninth spot goes to Yuan Tou."

Yuan Tou was a burly man with a square face, thick eyebrows, and a Xuanming Bawang Spear in hand, exuding an intimidating presence.

Though he had expected it, hearing his name called made him beam with joy, his face lighting up like a flower.

Well worth the effort of coming here to listen to the dean's rambling—this settled his mind, leaving only one trivial matter...

Xu Xiaoshou's head!

Ye Xiaotian folded the paper neatly: "The tenth spot has already been assigned, so I won't announce it here."

"Huh?"

Everyone was stunned. In previous years, the top ten spots were always announced openly. Now, with four already taken by new Neiyuan disciples—that was the rule, so they endured it.

But out of the remaining six, one was being hidden?

"Who?"

More than one voice called out from the crowd, but Ye Xiaotian ignored them. He turned his attention to Chao Shu.

This was a man with an extremely gloomy expression, frost at his temples, and a white jade ornament at his waist.

His ranking had originally been right after Yuan Tou's, so logically, the tenth spot should have been his.

Just as Ye Xiaotian was about to offer some compensation, a raspy voice rang out: "This year, the Neiyuan only has nine spots—one has been given to the Waiyuan."

Everyone turned to look, seeing an old man in a conical hat leaning against the old locust tree at the entrance of the hall.

"Deputy Dean?"

"Sang Lao?"

Even Sang Lao couldn't stop the growing unrest. Someone angrily spoke up: "Is the Neiyuan that short of people? Giving a Tianxuan Gate spot to a Waiyuan disciple is not only a waste but also breaks the rules!"

Sang Lao replied calmly: "The rules of the Tianxuan Gate have always favored the strong and avoided nurturing the weak."

This blunt statement instantly ignited everyone's anger. Wasn't this saying that everyone here, except for the nine selected, was inferior to some Waiyuan disciple?

Chao Shu stepped forward, his voice clearly suppressing rage: "I want to know who took my spot."

"Xu Xiaoshou." Sang Lao answered without hesitation.

Ye Xiaotian: ???

Are you just going to blurt it out like that? What was the point of me holding back earlier?

And isn't this just stirring up hate for Xu Xiaoshou? Isn't he your disciple?

What's wrong with you!

Faced with Ye Xiaotian's frantic eye signals from across the crowd, Sang Lao paid no attention. His own disciple had his own way of teaching—no need for others to interfere.

"Is that all? No reason?" Chao Shu was stunned by Sang Lao's response.

"There is no reason."

This indifferent tone only fueled his anger. "I don't accept it!"

"Don't accept it? Then hold it in!"

Sang Lao's tone remained flat: "When your fist is strong enough, you can challenge the rules of Tiansang Spiritual Palace. Until then, learn to swallow your pride."

Who could stand this?

Everyone present was seeing the deputy dean handle matters for the first time, and naturally, witnessing his eccentric style for the first time.

In comparison, Ye Xiaotian seemed incredibly kind and gentle!

Chao Shu couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward abruptly, and the air turned suddenly cold.

Before he could make another move, Ye Xiaotian appeared out of nowhere in front of him and flipped him over with a single palm.

"Stop!"

Everyone: ???

He hadn't even started fighting, and here was Ye Xiaotian striking first and then telling him to stop?

And... what was going on?

Had the dean changed his ways? Was he actually stepping in?

This was big news—the headline for tomorrow!

Ye Xiaotian watched as Chao Shu angrily got up from the ground, still glaring at him, and sighed helplessly.

Kid, I'm actually saving you here!

You youngsters, who've only been in the Neiyuan for two or three years on average, have no idea what happened to the last fool who tried to explode in front of this old man—he's beyond broken now.

If it weren't for that, could he have stepped down to become the deputy dean?

If it weren't for that, could I have made an exception to get promoted to dean?

Don't go looking for death like this—you know, even if the elders gathered, none of them would dare speak to him the way you just did!

Sang Lao was about to say something, but Ye Xiaotian quickly interjected: "Everyone, disperse! Get out of here!"

He was afraid that if he spoke too late, Sang Lao would pull in more hate and leave a few hot-headed youths lying on the ground.

With that, he hurriedly grabbed the old man in the conical hat and dragged him toward the woods.

"The elders approved you as deputy dean to wander the skies freely without handling affairs, so why are you even showing up?"

"You're just causing trouble!"

The voices grew fainter and finally faded away.

Chao Shu's face was full of resentment—who could let it go after feeling they were cheated out of a spot?

"Xu Xiaoshou..."

"Who exactly is he!"

Yuan Tou put away his Bawang Spear and recalled Lan Xinzi's orders, suddenly coming up with a plan.

"Ah Shu, I..."

"Who are you calling Ah Shu!" Chao Shu glared at him fiercely. "Are we that close?"

Yuan Tou chuckled awkwardly: "Though in the thirty-three disciples' competition, you lost to me by just one move, but..."

"Shut up!"

"Fine, I'll stop," Yuan Tou spread his hands, "and I won't mention anything about Xu Xiaoshou's information either!"

Chao Shu's anger paused for a moment. "Spit it out!"

Zhou Tianshen's expression had already grown excited at the mention of "Xu Xiaoshou's" name.

As expected of his benchmark—this guy was still in the Waiyuan, yet he managed to snag a Tianxuan Gate spot. Impressive!

But glancing at the reactions around him, he sensed something was off.

Sang Lao's words had basically turned everyone present into enemies of Xu Xiaoshou. How could that be?

And looking at Chao Shu, with his spot taken, he wouldn't just let it slide.

Even if Zhou Tianshen was dense, he knew Xu Xiaoshou might face some hidden retaliation.

No, he had to warn him!

Zhou Tianshen casually walked past Yuan Tou and Chao Shu, and sure enough, he overheard a suggestive comment:

"The Tianxuan Gate opens in three days—if Xu Xiaoshou dies before then, won't the spot go back to you, Chao Shu?"

He took off running.

Xu Xiaoshou, someone's out to kill you!

I might not be a match for those two yet, but you won't die—because I, Zhou Tianshen, will make sure you're fully prepared!

He dashed off toward...

The Waiyuan direction.