Li Anle collapsed onto the ground.
No matter what, he wouldn’t dare provoke Ling Xiao again.
As for Tian, who had once troubled Ling Xiao, he was now kneeling, muttering incessantly.
Ling Xiao gave a faint smile.
He wasn’t one to push his advantage. As long as these people left him alone in the future, he had no interest in dealing with them.
As for Li Anle and Yang Cheng, he’d leave them to Wu Xiang—he didn’t need to be ruthless.
In a distant cave abode, Hei Suo had been closely watching the battle.
“Damn it, Master said this kid wasn’t worth bothering with, that he couldn’t stir up any waves. But now, he’s defeated Yang Cheng and established his dominance in the outer sect. If this continues, he could become a real threat!” Hei Suo cursed.
Unlike Demon Flame Heavenly Venerable, Hei Suo didn’t dismiss the younger generation, especially not someone like Ling Xiao, who lacked apparent talent.
He’d been watching Ling Xiao since the day he joined the Moonlight Sect.
Ling Xiao’s talent might be mediocre, but his combat skills were terrifying, repeatedly humiliating the people Hei Suo sent after him.
Now, Ling Xiao had even gotten close to Lan Yuer.
Hei Suo had hoped Yang Cheng would easily crush Ling Xiao, humiliating him in front of Lan Yuer and driving a wedge between them.
But the outcome was the opposite, infuriating Hei Suo to the point he wanted to kill Ling Xiao himself.
However, he knew that wasn’t possible.
Not only would he fail to get past Elder Bai, but with Ling Xiao’s agility, Hei Suo wasn’t even sure he could catch him.
Worse, Ling Xiao now had the protection of Lan Yuer and Elder Yang, making it impossible for Hei Suo to act openly unless he wanted to be expelled from the Moonlight Sect.
With these backers, even his master, Demon Flame Heavenly Venerable, was powerless.
“Brother Hei Suo, you’re giving Ling Xiao too much credit. Yang Cheng lost because he slacked off in his cultivation,” Jin Ming, sitting beside Hei Suo, said calmly.
Jin Ming had claimed to be in seclusion but was actually in Hei Suo’s cave abode, benefiting from his guidance.
“You think so?” Hei Suo asked.
“Absolutely. Yang Cheng’s been complacent lately, barely training—three days fishing, two days drying nets. It’s a miracle his strength didn’t regress. Losing to Ling Xiao was his own fault,” Jin Ming said coolly.
“Then, can you defeat Ling Xiao?” Hei Suo asked.
Jin Ming nodded. “Brother Hei Suo, you’re boosting his ego and undermining ours. Against a kid like Ling Xiao, I’d need no more than five moves to win!”
Hei Suo didn’t doubt Jin Ming. A martial maniac like Jin Ming never lied.
Unless he’d misjudged Ling Xiao’s strength, he wouldn’t exaggerate.
The outer sect’s top ten were all formidable.
Ling Xiao had struggled against the weakest, Yang Cheng, nearly losing at the end, showing his strength was limited.
In the top ten, each rank was exponentially stronger.
The closer to the top, the more terrifying the power.
The top three outer sect disciples had even defeated Mortal Realm First Layer warriors.
Jin Ming was one of those three.
If he could defeat Mortal Realm warriors, what was a mere peak Eighth-Grade Martial Vein Ling Xiao?
Hei Suo chuckled self-deprecatingly, realizing he’d been overly tense—there was no need.
“Elder Hei is here. Since you’ve come, join me for tea,” Hei Suo suddenly said, bowing toward a shadowy corner.
Like Elder Bai, Elder Hei was one of the outer sect’s two elders, handling daily affairs, with strength second only to the outer sect’s Hall Master.
Elder Hei was also from the same clan as Hei Suo, making their relationship close. Additionally, having received Demon Flame Heavenly Venerable’s favor in the past, Elder Hei often helped with matters involving the Venerable or Hei Suo.
“Greetings, Elder Hei!” Jin Ming stood, bowing respectfully.
Elder Hei was a Mortal Realm Ninth Layer powerhouse. Though Jin Ming could defeat Mortal First Layer warriors, he was an ant before a Ninth Layer, so he showed utmost respect.
“No need for formalities. Hei Suo, I’ve observed this Ling Xiao you mentioned. He’s astonishing. I don’t know about his talent, but his combat ability is exceptional—even I can’t match it,” Elder Hei said, his black robes and gaunt, skeletal face giving him a grim appearance.
But no one should underestimate him.
Even Demon Flame Heavenly Venerable respected him, as a Mortal Ninth Layer could ascend to the Heavenly Human Realm at any moment.
“Is he that formidable?” Hei Suo frowned.
“Heh, no need to worry. His combat skills are impressive, but only below the Mortal Realm. Jin Ming’s right—he could easily defeat Ling Xiao, though not in five moves. It’d take at least thirty,” Elder Hei said, sipping tea with a smile.
Jin Ming frowned but didn’t argue.
“Elder Hei, Ling Xiao injured me, disrespected my master, and is Elder Baiyun’s disciple. Can’t you find an excuse to teach him a lesson? I don’t need much—just stop him from growing,” Hei Suo said, pouring tea.
“Deal with him? Heh, you want me to offend Elder Yang and Miss Lan?” Elder Hei sneered. “Forget that Lan’s master is untouchable, even for Demon Flame Heavenly Venerable. As for Elder Yang, I still want his pills. Offending him would cost me dearly.”
“No way, Elder Hei. Ling Xiao’s just a helper at the Medicine Hall. Would Elder Yang really clash with you over him?” Hei Suo asked, puzzled.
“You know nothing. Elder Yang has repeatedly tried to take Ling Xiao as a disciple, saying he has talent in alchemy. But the kid refused, only agreeing to be a medicine boy,” Elder Hei snapped. “I’ve talked with Elder Yang—he’s genuinely grooming Ling Xiao as his successor, doting on him. With his protective nature, if anyone bullies Ling Xiao with superior strength, Elder Yang will explode!”
“What!” Hei Suo’s anger flared. How was Ling Xiao so lucky, finding such a powerful backer right after joining, making it impossible to deal with him openly?
“Openly, no. Behind the scenes, we can trip him up, but the risk is high. Heh, I don’t do losing deals,” Elder Hei said suddenly.
Hei Suo cursed inwardly at the greedy old man, but greed could be useful if it got results.
“Don’t worry, Elder Hei. I’ll double the usual benefits. How’s that?” Hei Suo said with a smile.
“For the sake of our clan, I’ll give you a discount—ten times the usual. Then I’ll consider it,” Elder Hei said, standing with a smile. “No rush to answer. Think it over. I’ll head back.”
