Volume One: The Young Demon Lord, Chapter 27: Call Me Great-Grandfather!

On the open training grounds of the Inner Sect, the elite disciples were gathered in full force. Before long, an elder wearing the robes of a deacon from the Hall of Affairs stepped onto the sparring platform.

"Quiet!" The elder’s deep voice echoed across the arena. His eyes swept over the crowd, eventually settling on Qi Yu with a playful, mocking smirk.

The training grounds fell silent.

"From today onward," the deacon declared coldly, "every Inner Sect disciple must accept a sect mission and submit it by the end of the month. Failure to do so will result in expulsion from the Inner Sect!"

The announcement triggered an immediate uproar.

"Elder, if we are burdened with such urgent missions, when will we have time for cultivation?" one disciple asked.

The deacon, seemingly prepared for such a question, replied dismissively, "The sect processes thousands of commissions every month. Without missions, where would your cultivation resources come from? Without resources, how can you improve? Do not forget, all resources in the sect are exchanged using sect contribution points!"

The disciples fell silent.

The deacon continued, "The missions for this month have already been assigned. Your mentors will distribute them when you return."

"Elder," another disciple protested, "why are they being assigned? Shouldn't we choose missions suited to our own abilities? What if the assigned task is too difficult to complete?"

The deacon let out a cold snort. "If you cannot complete a task, look for the reason within yourselves! The sect does not raise trash!" He cast a scornful look back at Qi Yu. "I hope some people recognize their place. Trash is always trash; your destiny is set, and you will never see the light of day!"

The atmosphere in the arena turned stifling. Every disciple in the Inner Sect was one in a thousand, many from prestigious families; being dismissed as "trash" insulted everyone present. Sensing the shift in mood, the deacon backtracked, "My young masters, I am not referring to you. Whoever I am talking about knows it well enough."

He looked at Qi Yu again. The disciples, not being fools, followed his gaze. The veiled insults had now become a direct naming.

Qi Yu’s expression turned icy.

"With a coward for a father, and being trash yourself, the Saintess is not someone just any piece of garbage can covet," the deacon sneered. Seeing Qi Yu’s deepening chill, he mocked, "Unconvinced? Come and hit me then! Go on, hit me!"

*Whoosh!*

In a flash of lightning, a figure appeared before the deacon. Qi Yu raised his hand and struck the man across the face with a heavy blow.

*Smack!*

The deacon was sent flying, spitting out several bloody teeth in mid-air. Qi Yu leaped up and slammed a fist into the other side of his face, sending the man crashing to the ground.

The crowd was stunned into silence by this public assault.

Qi Yu walked slowly toward him and said, "The path of cultivation is long and arduous; it is far too early to claim that destiny is set. If you cannot learn to control your mouth in the future, I do not mind tearing it apart for you."

The deacon spat out more bloody teeth, his jaw shattered. Even so, he maintained a defiant, scornful expression. "You mongrel... if you have the guts, kill me. I might even look at you with a shred of respect." He whispered in a voice only they could hear, "Just you wait. Young Master Zhen will send you to join your coward of a father sooner or later."

Qi Yu’s pupils dilated. With a roar of rage, he gestured downward with two fingers. A long sword descended from the clouds like a streak of light. In the deacon’s eyes, the blade grew infinitely large. He finally felt the terror of death, but it was too late to beg for mercy.

*Swish!*

Cold light flashed, and blood sprayed everywhere. The Cold Cicada Sword hovered behind Qi Yu. The deacon’s head rolled to the ground, his eyes wide open; even in death, he could not believe that Qi Yu had actually dared to kill him.

Killing in public! The disciples were horrified. Had Qi Yu really killed him so easily?

"Qi Yu!" A disciple in fine silk robes stood up, his face twisted in rage. "You have great courage to commit murder in public!"

"Senior Brother Zhen!" someone whispered. It was Zhen Xingfan, the man who had been incessantly pestering Xue'er.

Zhen Xingfan walked up to Qi Yu, their eyes locking with mutual fury. "You dare to kill my man? Do you not hold me in any regard?"

Qi Yu replied coldly, "And what are you?"

Zhen Xingfan laughed suddenly. "Heh, what am I? Today, I shall let you see clearly!"

*Swish!*

A sword appeared in Zhen Xingfan’s hand, and with a flash of cold light, he lunged for Qi Yu’s throat.

"Stop!" A thunderous shout rang out. An immense pressure surged forward, pinning Qi Yu and causing him to falter for a split second. Zhen Xingfan’s blade struck, and though Qi Yu used his footwork to dodge the worst of it, the sword pierced his shoulder, and blood gushed out.

The Second Elder strode onto the training grounds. He glanced at the injured Qi Yu, a slow, thin smile forming on his lips.

"Second Elder!" The disciples bowed.

The Second Elder grunted. Turning his frown toward Qi Yu, he said coldly, "Qi Yu, you have committed murder in public! How do you plead?"

Qi Yu infused spiritual energy into his wound to staunch the bleeding and replied calmly, "He asked me to kill him. I was merely fulfilling his wish."

The Second Elder, clearly taken aback by such brazenness, squinted at him. "Is that your excuse? No one asks to be killed!"

Qi Yu remained calm. "I truly did not want to kill him, but he begged for it. If you don't believe me, you can ask the senior brothers and sisters."

As he spoke, the Second Elder scanned the crowd. The disciples, not wanting to be involved, quickly left the scene. Soon, only Qi Yu, the Second Elder, and Zhen Xingfan remained.

"Qi Yu, the fact that you killed him is undeniable," the Second Elder stated. "According to sect rules, you are hereby expelled!"

Zhen Xingfan stepped forward. "Second Elder, if the Holy Son is expelled, then what about the marriage of the Saintess?"

The Second Elder laughed. "Birds of a feather flock together; the Saintess will naturally be betrothed to a worthy match, like Young Master Zhen." He turned back to Qi Yu. "You are expelled. Get out!"

Qi Yu sneered, "You have no authority to expel me!"

The Second Elder roared, "Insolent! I have overlooked your repeated offenses, and now you refuse to admit your guilt? Do you want me to enforce sect discipline?"

"Today, I will show you the consequences of offending a sect elder!" The Second Elder struck out with his palm toward Qi Yu’s heart. He used only thirty percent of his strength—enough to cripple Qi Yu’s cultivation without killing him on the spot.

Qi Yu did not hesitate. He grabbed the Cold Cicada Sword and unleashed a flash of golden light.

*BOOM!*

A loud explosion echoed. Qi Yu retreated several steps. The Second Elder, despite his profound cultivation, had not expected Qi Yu to strike back and was forced to take a step back himself!

The Second Elder’s face darkened, his eyes narrowing with killing intent.

Zhen Xingfan spoke up, "Second Elder, since you are cleaning house, I will take my leave. I still have to find Junior Sister Liu to accept missions."

"Please, Young Master Zhen," the Second Elder said respectfully.

After Zhen Xingfan left, the Second Elder said coldly, "Qi Yu, I only told you to leave for your own good. You killed someone; you need to hide until the storm passes, then I will let you return."

Qi Yu sneered, "You, kind? I suspect that before I even left the gates, I would have met with an 'accident'."

The Second Elder’s face darkened again. Qi Yu was right; he couldn't act within the sect, so he had already set an ambush on the path down the mountain.

Qi Yu patted his shoulder wound. "Second Elder, I intended to keep a low profile. Do you know why I never took you as my master?"

"Why?" the Second Elder asked coldly.

Qi Yu produced a shimmering jade pendant and pointed it at the Second Elder. "Kneel! And call me Grand-Ancestor!"