The tasks assigned to the other newly admitted outer disciples, while not as good as those given to these few, were still decent.
At the very least, the tasks were relatively normal, with no apparent intent to make things difficult in terms of effort or complexity.
But when it came to Ling Xiao, the situation suddenly changed.
Li Anle glanced at Ling Xiao with a hint of disdain and said, “Ling Xiao, your job is to be a miner, responsible for helping the Artifact Hall collect iron ore. You need to gather at least ten thousand jin per day. Understood?”
Ten thousand jin!
Those familiar with the Moonlight Sect’s iron mine knew that even the ordinary miners hired by the outer sect were only tasked with one thousand jin a day. To assign Ling Xiao ten thousand jin was even more than what Wu Xiang had been given.
To meet his five-thousand-jin quota, Wu Xiang had to work through the night, sacrificing even his cultivation time.
Ling Xiao’s ten-thousand-jin task was clearly blatant bullying.
Many outer disciples who were on good terms with Ling Xiao felt sympathy for him, but no matter how much they pitied him, they didn’t dare speak up.
Why was Ling Xiao being targeted?
Wasn’t it obvious?
Ling Xiao had injured Tian, and someone was likely retaliating on Tian’s behalf.
Their reasoning was straightforward. In reality, if it were just about Tian, Jin Ming, Yang Cheng, and Li Anle wouldn’t have easily provoked Ling Xiao.
But this matter involved Hei Suo and the Demon Flame Heavenly Lord, which made things entirely different.
Xu Ying looked at Ling Xiao, clearly delighted. She absolutely despised him, so seeing him assigned such a gruelling task naturally made her happy.
Under the gazes of the crowd—some sympathetic, others gloating—Ling Xiao slowly spoke, “I must report to the three senior brothers that, unfortunately, I cannot accept this task.”
“Not accept it?”
Jin Ming, Yang Cheng, and Li Anle exchanged glances, not with anger but with delight.
Refusing an assigned task could be considered a violation of the Moonlight Sect’s rules, giving them the chance to make Ling Xiao suffer within the bounds of the sect’s regulations.
“Are you sure you won’t accept it?” Li Anle asked with a sly smile, walking toward Ling Xiao.
“Absolutely, I’m certain!” Ling Xiao nodded.
“The sect rules state that those who disobey assignments face severe punishment!” Li Anle sneered, suddenly accelerating.
The so-called severe punishment had no specific standard, so he could do as he pleased, as long as he didn’t kill or cripple Ling Xiao.
Eight Trigrams Dragon Palm!
When he was about ten meters from Ling Xiao, Li Anle leaped into the air.
His movement technique was indeed impressive, and his speed was remarkable.
Among the outer disciples, his movement technique alone could rank in the top ten.
Jin Ming sat there silently, a cold smile on his face.
Yang Cheng’s expression turned sinister.
In the distance, Hei Suo gave a faint smirk.
Xu Ying was so excited she could barely contain herself. Li Anle’s strength as a half-step grandmaster far surpassed Tian’s.
She was certain Ling Xiao couldn’t withstand this strike.
“Quasi-Gold Grade martial art? He underestimates me that much?” Ling Xiao noticed that the technique Li Anle used against him was merely a quasi-Gold Grade martial art.
His movement technique, however, was an entry-level Gold Grade martial art.
Ling Xiao sneered. Having recently advanced his technique to the rare Gold Grade level, he decided to test its power on Li Anle.
Divine Prison King Fist—Slaughter!
Ling Xiao didn’t dodge or evade, simply throwing a single punch.
In that instant, Li Anle’s eyes filled with crimson shadows, as if countless vengeful spirits were charging at him, each wielding sharp claws and fangs.
The terrifying killing intent caused his body to freeze mid-air, almost paralyzed.
“Get lost!” Ling Xiao roared.
Li Anle’s body was sent flying backward.
Then, his face turned deathly pale, his arms trembling uncontrollably.
“Ghosts! Demons!” Li Anle screamed in terror.
His strength was far greater than Tian’s, but unfortunately, Ling Xiao’s power had also grown significantly. Moreover, in this fight, Li Anle had completely underestimated Ling Xiao, resulting in a single punch stripping him of his combat ability.
Though his physical injuries didn’t seem severe, the mental trauma was far more troubling.
Seeing this, Jin Ming and Yang Cheng widened their eyes in shock.
They knew Li Anle’s strength well. Even for them, defeating Li Anle in a single move would be impossible.
Ling Xiao’s combat prowess was indeed as terrifying as the rumors suggested.
In the distance, Hei Suo was so furious he smashed a teapot. “Idiot! I told him Ling Xiao’s combat skills are formidable, and he still underestimated him!”
In his view, if Li Anle hadn’t been so careless, he wouldn’t have suffered such a crushing defeat.
And that was indeed the case.
But there were no “what-ifs” now.
“Ling Xiao, are you rebelling? Disobeying assignments and injuring a senior brother—what are you trying to do?” Jin Ming shouted angrily.
“Brother Jin, let’s get one thing straight. I’m not disobeying the assignment. The Medicine Hall already reached out to me, asking me to assist them. It was Brother Li who attacked without asking for clarification,” Ling Xiao said calmly. “He acted rashly and got injured because his skills were lacking. How is that my fault?”
“Medicine Hall?” Yang Cheng sneered. “Even if it’s the Medicine Hall, your tasks are assigned by us.”
“Oh, is that so? Why don’t you take this up with Old Yang of the Medicine Hall? If he agrees, I’ll happily comply and head to the mine,” Ling Xiao said with a faint smile.
“Go there? Fine, wait—you just said Old Yang? Old Hall Master Yang?” Yang Cheng’s face suddenly changed.
“Exactly. Yesterday, Brother Wu was injured by some filthy thing, so I took him to the Medicine Hall for treatment. Old Yang mentioned this and told me to inform the steward today. Who knew the steward wouldn’t show up?” Ling Xiao said无奈ly.
Jin Ming and Yang Cheng’s faces turned grim.
In the distance, Hei Suo was so angry he flipped a stone table.
Xu Ying nearly spat blood. She hadn’t expected this outcome.
What was this? Why was Ling Xiao receiving such favor from Old Hall Master Yang?
Zhao Zhi and Zhao Ci looked at Ling Xiao with astonishment. As members of the royal family, they had no grudges with him. Hearing this, they knew Ling Xiao must have something extraordinary about him.
Otherwise, someone as discerning as Old Yang would never personally request Ling Xiao to work at the Medicine Hall.
After all, they had pulled many strings to secure relatively good positions themselves.
“Heh, since Old Hall Master Yang specifically requested you, go to the Medicine Hall then,” Yang Cheng said with a forced smile, though it was visibly strained.
“Thank you, Brother, for making this happen!” Ling Xiao cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, then turned and walked toward his stone hut.
Watching Ling Xiao’s retreating figure, Yang Cheng’s face grew even darker.
