Silence.
Absolute silence.
But inside Zou Fang's spiritual sea of consciousness—
Laughter.
Wei Long's laughter.
Loud. Uncontrollable. Unapologetic.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! OH, THIS IS TOO GOOD! DO YOU EVEN BELIEVE THE GARBAGE YOU JUST SAID?!"
Zou Fang tried to ignore him, but Wei Long kept laughing.
"PAIN? SUFFERING? TRAINING TO THE EXTREME? OH, PLEASE! THE ONLY REASON YOUR BAWSHAWK WON WAS BECAUSE I MADE IT HAPPEN! AND YET, LOOK AT THEM! THEY'RE ACTUALLY BUYING IT! AHAHAHAHA!"
Zou Fang clenched his jaw, refusing to let his expression slip.
Meanwhile, Elder Fu remained silent, studying Zou Fang.
And then—
A new voice entered the conversation.
Lin Zhi.
"Tch. You're all fools if you believe that nonsense."
All eyes turned toward him.
Lin Zhi's expression was full of disdain.
"That guy? He can only tame ordinary temporal beasts. He's not a genius. He's not some hidden master. He's just a low-level waste trying to act mighty."
Some disciples, who had been moved by Zou Fang's speech, hesitated.
Lin Zhi took a step forward.
"Do you think I don't know who you are, Zou Fang? I remember you. You're just a nobody! You don't have talent! You don't have skill! All you have is luck! Right, luck…"
Then he recalled something.
"I remember that Liao Hao and his family encountered an obstruction on their way here, and they became a little tired. Maybe they are still tired after fighting demonic path cultivators upon their arrival. Of course, they would be tired."
Lin Zhi said with a straight look on his face.
"Yeah, maybe that was just luck on your part."
The silence from before began to crack.
The mood began to shift.
Some disciples nodded.
Others glared at Zou Fang with renewed hostility.
Lin Zhi only smirked.
"You got lucky once. That's it. You think you're strong? Then prove it! Do fight me!"
The disciples' eyes burned with anticipation.
A new battle?
Another fight?
The energy in the courtyard began to surge again.
Zou Fang, however, remained calm.
And then—
Wei Long spoke.
"Ignore him."
Zou Fang flinched.
"What?"
Wei Long's voice carried amusement.
"I have a better idea. Call him out. But not for a one-on-one fight. No, no. Make it bigger. Make it GRANDER."
Zou Fang hesitated.
Then, he smirked.
And he spoke.
"You? You think you're worth my time?"
Lin Zhi's smirk faltered. "What?"
Zou Fang stepped forward.
"You don't even have a Bashawk, do you? You're too weak to even step into the same ring as me."
Lin Zhi's face darkened.
But Zou Fang wasn't done.
His next words sent the entire courtyard into chaos.
"I don't need to fight just one person. I'll fight EVERYONE."
Shock.
Disbelief.
Rage.
The courtyard erupted.
"WHAT?!"
"WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?!"
"HE'S LOST HIS MIND!"
Lin Zhi's expression twisted in fury. "You arrogant—!"
But before he could finish—
Silence.
Again.
A long, suffocating pause.
Because no one…
No one knew how to respond.
Lin Zhi's laugh was loud, mocking, full of condescension.
"Challenge everyone?" he sneered. "Before you go running your mouth about taking on the whole world, why not challenge me first?"
Without waiting for a response, he leaped onto the stage, landing gracefully on the opposite side of Zou Fang. His posture oozed arrogance, his smirk dripping with disdain.
And then—he began to speak.
And he did not stop.
"Zou Fang, you truly haven't changed, have you?" Lin Zhi's voice was sharp, filled with mock pity. "You talk big now, but do you remember how pathetic you were back in the village?"
Some disciples in the crowd murmured in interest. A few turned to each other, curious. A past connection?
Lin Zhi seized the moment.
"You were always the weakest. Always the one crawling at the bottom. You couldn't even beat one of my underlings, do you remember that? That fight? The one where you got beaten so badly that you couldn't stand for a week?"
His words struck deep, ringing out through the courtyard.
"Back then, I didn't even have to dirty my own hands with you. You weren't worth my time. My men handled you for me."
More disciples muttered. Some chuckled.
Lin Zhi's voice grew louder.
"And now look at you. Standing here like you've suddenly become someone important. Spouting nonsense about fighting everyone. Do you know how ridiculous you sound? Do you actually believe you're above me now?"
His smirk widened, but his eyes sharpened, glowing with suppressed fury.
"Zou Fang, you've left me no choice. You should have stayed at the bottom where you belong, but you just had to crawl up here. Since you're so desperate to be humiliated again, I'll take care of you myself."
The disciples exploded into noise.
"Lin Zhi's going to fight?!"
"He's done playing around!"
"This will be the end of Zou Fang's arrogance!"
The energy in the air crackled with excitement.
Zou Fang, however, did not react the way they expected.
He didn't flinch.
He didn't look nervous.
Instead—
He laughed.
A deep, slow chuckle.
Then a full-blown laugh.
And then he spoke.
"So, you're saying that I'm insignificant?" His voice was steady, unwavering. "That I'm beneath you?"
Lin Zhi's smirk grew. "That's exactly what I'm saying."
Zou Fang tilted his head slightly, his eyes glinting. "Then tell me, Lin Zhi—if I'm insignificant, does that mean you're looking down on Liao Hao too?"
Lin Zhi's smirk froze.
Zou Fang's voice didn't stop.
"Because I defeated him."
The words slammed into the crowd like a thunderclap.
Lin Zhi's face twitched slightly, but Zou Fang pressed on.
"If I am truly worthless, then what does that say about Liao Hao? His beast was stronger than mine, wasn't it? He was richer, more talented, more respected than me, wasn't he?"
Zou Fang took a step forward.
"And yet… I won. So, Lin Zhi, are you telling me that the Liao Family—one of the most prominent families in our sect—produced someone weaker than an 'insignificant nobody' like me?"
The murmurs in the crowd shifted.
Doubt crept into some of the disciples' faces.
Lin Zhi noticed.
His expression darkened. "Tch, don't twist my words!"
But Zou Fang wasn't finished.
"I'm not twisting anything. I'm simply repeating your logic. If I am nothing, then Liao Hao is even less than nothing. And if Liao Hao is nothing, then what does that make his family?"
The tension skyrocketed.
Even those who had been against Zou Fang couldn't help but glance at each other.
Was Lin Zhi… looking down on the Liao Family?
Lin Zhi clenched his fists. His jaw tightened.
He could feel the shift in atmosphere.
He could hear the murmurs of uncertainty.
And that—
That was unacceptable.
His voice exploded across the courtyard.
"ENOUGH!!"
Silence.
Lin Zhi's breathing was heavy, his face red with frustration.
His patience was gone.
His control over the crowd's perception was slipping.
And he would not allow that.
He pointed directly at Zou Fang.
"Let's fight. Right now!"
The disciples cheered.
"It's happening!"
"Lin Zhi's going to shut him up for good!"
"This will be a massacre!"
Zou Fang simply smirked, taking his stance.
In the depths of his spiritual sea—
Wei Long grinned.
Red'Ribbon sighed.
And the battle—
Was about to begin.