Though Ling Xiao didn’t like Old Man Baiyun, he had still benefited from him and naturally didn’t want to see him defeated.
As for the other black-clad figure, his personality was the type Ling Xiao despised most—arrogant, rude, and quick to threaten to cripple others, acting as if the world belonged to him.
“Boom!”
“Pfft—!”
A mouthful of blood sprayed out as a mist, and Master Baiyun’s figure crashed pitifully to the ground, slamming heavily onto the rocks.
“Calling you ‘Martial Uncle’ was giving you face. Don’t be so shameless as to throw it away!”
On the other side, the black-clad man emerged leisurely from the dust. Aside from some tears in his clothing, he bore no other injuries.
Clearly, in this confrontation, he held the absolute upper hand.
He completely crushed Master Baiyun.
Master Baiyun lay there, his face ashen, drained of all color, his breathing feeble.
At this moment, even a Martial Vein Eighth Layer martial master could easily kill him.
This scene shattered the mythical status Master Baiyun held in the hearts of his disciples.
Though a Beast King Palace disciple had previously injured Master Baiyun with a single punch on the battlefield, that incident was so sudden and quick that few knew about it.
Its impact was minimal.
But this time was different. Eleven disciples clearly witnessed Master Baiyun being beaten into critical condition.
Who could have imagined that Master Baiyun, once considered a martial arts legend, would be so easily defeated by a young martial artist in his thirties—and so swiftly, so effortlessly?
Some disciples began to harbor different thoughts.
Even Ming Tian, who always appeared confident and composed, was left stunned, his mind in chaos.
To be fair, Master Baiyun’s situation was quite tragic.
He had favored the disciples from Tianren Academy, especially doting on Ming Tian to an extreme degree. Yet when push came to shove, not a single one stepped forward to even help him up.
The disciples from Qianlong Camp had no fondness for the old man.
In the end, the old man’s blatant favoritism had led to this downfall—entirely his own doing.
“Hahahaha, Martial Uncle, oh Martial Uncle, you’re still such a failure. On the verge of death, and no one’s willing to lend you a hand.”
The black-clad man laughed heartily.
“You…”
Master Baiyun’s heart was filled with desolation, but he couldn’t speak.
He could understand why the Qianlong Camp disciples treated him this way—his own actions hadn’t been fair.
But for Ming Tian to show no trace of concern—that was what hurt him the most.
“Don’t worry, Martial Uncle, I won’t kill you. Killing a fellow sect member is a grave taboo, but…”
The black-clad man suddenly gave a sinister smile and, in an instant, appeared beside Ming Tian.
He glanced intentionally at Zuo Leng’s corpse on the ground, muttering, “I originally planned to take Ming Tian and Zuo Leng. Who would’ve thought that kid named Ling Xiao would be so formidable?”
Then, he turned to Ming Tian with a smile. “You saw it all, didn’t you? I told you when we met privately before—your master is truly useless.”
“What exactly do you want?!”
Ming Tian snapped back to reality. He lacked Ling Xiao’s terrifying foresight and movement techniques, so he knew he couldn’t escape the black-clad man’s pursuit.
“Relax, I won’t kill you. That’d be too much of a waste. A seven-star potential is rare. So, have you thought it over? Ready to come with me?”
The black-clad man asked with a smile.
Surprisingly, Ming Tian didn’t outright refuse but fell into silence.
“Kid, you should understand the saying, ‘A fine bird chooses a good tree to perch on!’ I’m sure Old Man Baiyun told you, right? The so-called Martial Vein Ninth Layer is just the foundation of martial arts cultivation. In the sect, it’s called the Martial Vein Realm!”
The black-clad man continued, “Only after opening all nine martial veins can you smoothly enter the Mortal Realm, which is considered the true start of martial arts cultivation. This stage is also called the Mortal Realm!”
“Above the Martial Vein Ninth Layer is the Mortal Ninth Layer! Only after that can you be considered somewhat accomplished and ascend to the Celestial Realm!”
The black-clad man’s words were calm.
But to Ling Xiao and the others, they were shocking.
Ling Xiao had thought the Mortal Saint Realm was the highest, but there was a Celestial Realm above the Mortal Realm!
What kind of realm was that?
“I know this.”
Ming Tian spoke up. “Master did say that the Martial Vein Realm is just about opening the martial veins and building a foundation. It doesn’t even count as being a true martial artist. The Mortal Realm is the true beginning of martial arts, breaking free from mortal shackles!”
“You’re quite clear on that. Then you should understand that, despite being at the late stage of Martial Vein Ninth Layer, you’re still just an unranked disciple who hasn’t even mastered the foundational realm. In the sect, you’re not even at the bottom tier—because your master, Old Man Baiyun, is the bottom tier.”
The black-clad man sneered, “Following your master, your greatest achievement in life would be going from unranked to the bottom tier. Are you really content with that?”
Ling Xiao could tell the black-clad man was trying to lure Ming Tian to leave with him.
The temptation was indeed strong. Since Ling Xiao had already been expelled by Baiyun, if the black-clad man was willing to take him, he wouldn’t care either way.
Today’s situation made it clear.
Without strength, you don’t even have basic dignity, let alone the right to choose how you die!
If the black-clad man decided to kill today, Ling Xiao was likely the only one who could escape. Everyone else would die.
That was strength!
Terrifying strength!
Forget the people here—even if the black-clad man wanted to destroy Yunkong City, it would take mere moments.
This reality was frustrating to think about, but it was the truth!
“Old Man Baiyun, you don’t deny my words, do you? You can’t even beat me, so how could you ever surpass my master?”
The black-clad man turned to the barely breathing Master Baiyun. “You can’t ruin this genius’s future just for your own ideals, can you?”
Master Baiyun remained silent.
Reality left him no room to speak—he had no confidence to say anything.
“Don’t make things hard for my master. Just say what you want!”
Ming Tian shouted.
“Still don’t get it? Come with me to the Yuehua Sect. My master will take you as a direct disciple, with a status far above ordinary outer disciples, and you’ll reach the inner sect in no time!”
The black-clad man said, “In front of my master, Old Man Baiyun is less than an ant. What future could you have with him?”
As he spoke, his eyes gleamed with fervent worship.
The Celestial Realm!
A realm above the Mortal Realm!
The Mortal Realm required passing through nine layers to even have a chance at reaching it.
The Martial Vein Ninth Layer was already grueling enough; the difficulty of the Mortal Ninth Layer was unimaginable.
To the black-clad man, reaching the Celestial Realm was akin to becoming a god.
Ming Tian’s face showed clear signs of wavering.
He was considering the black-clad man’s offer.
“Opportunities don’t come twice! I’ll give you a quarter of an hour to decide. Miss this, and you can forget about your future!”
The black-clad man said coolly, “My master, Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign, isn’t known for his patience. He specifically sent me to recruit a disciple. If I fail, heh…”
His words carried a threatening edge.
