Chapter 57: Far Too Softhearted

"Senior Sister, did the punishment from the Hall of Discipline teach you nothing?"

Feng Hanxiao was always a carefree soul, her days filled with laughter and joy; this was the first time Ji Yue had ever seen her so angry. It was as if something inside her had snapped. Ji Yue regarded her usually obedient junior with unusual sternness. "Xiaoxiao, I would never harm you. Ji Jiu Xuan is nothing but lazy and unmotivated. Look at her—has she ever put true effort into cultivation? I fear she’ll lead you astray!"

"Xuanxuan is not unmotivated. It was you, Senior Sister, who truly acted wrongly before. I’ve told you, if you ever harm her again, don’t blame me for turning my back on the bonds of our sect." She had seen Xuanxuan practice the sword—at a level none of them could hope to reach. But she didn’t wish to argue further with her senior.

Ji Jiu Xuan happened to walk out just in time to hear Feng Hanxiao’s words. The petite, gentle-looking girl spoke the harshest words with a grave expression.

"You really don’t need to worry about whether I’m lazy, Senior Sister Ji. What, the punishment wasn’t enough? Want to continue?"

Upon hearing Ji Jiu Xuan’s voice, Feng Hanxiao turned to her with delight, but shame quickly surfaced as she remembered all that her senior had done.

"Ji Jiu Xuan, it’s a fact that you are unmotivated. Telling others not to follow your example is for everyone’s good—what fault is there in that?" Ji Yue declared indignantly, "Everyone has been deceived by you!"

Ji Jiu Xuan found Ji Yue unbearably self-centered—she was the sort who would never change, only submit to force. She replied with a careless smile, "Unmotivated, yet my cultivation is already catching up to yours. Are you jealous?"

"You’re the jealous one! You just happen to have talent and a good family. Throw you into a crowd and you’re worth nothing. The sect shouldn’t harbor parasites like you."

Ji Yue’s words grew more outrageous. Unable to endure it any longer, Feng Hanxiao shouted, "Senior Sister, that’s enough!"

"I’m doing this for your own good, Little Sister. Why must you act this way? You’ve disappointed me greatly," Ji Yue declared, wounded, staring at Feng Hanxiao in disbelief.

"It’s you who has disappointed me. Everyone has the freedom to choose their own path. Senior Sister, you meddle too much in Xuanxuan’s cultivation. I have my father to guide me; your concern is unnecessary. This isn’t about caring for me—it’s about your need for control. I hope there won’t be a next time."

Now Feng Hanxiao was truly angry. She had kept quiet before, since her senior had been there for her since childhood, and her father had already punished her. But she never expected this.

To publicly shame Xuanxuan before everyone was to throw her to the mercy of the sect’s harsh scrutiny.

Clearly, Ji Yue was as stubborn as her reputation suggested, learning nothing from rebuke and directing even more hostility toward Ji Jiu Xuan.

Meeting the veiled meaning in Ji Jiu Xuan’s eyes, she sneered, "You envy my family and my talent? By that logic, you must resent your own master. Tsk tsk, looks like Wangchen Peak has raised an ingrate! Cloaking hypocrisy in the name of justice—you’ve truly opened my eyes today."

Ji Yue was about to explode. Facing Ji Jiu Xuan’s mocking gaze, she drew her sword and pointed it at her. "The dueling grounds—a fight to the death!"

Ji Jiu Xuan had no time to entertain her—she still had many books left to read. "How childish. If you want a match, wait for the sect tournament. I’m not in the mood to play with you now."

If it weren’t for Feng Hanxiao arguing on her behalf, she wouldn’t have bothered to show up.

Ji Yue’s aggressive posture wilted when met with Ji Jiu Xuan’s indifference, her momentum draining away like a punctured balloon.

"You just don’t dare to fight. You’re unmotivated, and I’m right to tell everyone not to follow your example!"

Watching Ji Yue’s childishness, Ji Jiu Xuan could only sigh at her absurdity. "So proud to bully those weaker than you? You’re diligent, you’re hardworking—yet soon, I’ll surpass you. Isn’t that amusing?"

With that, Ji Jiu Xuan turned to return to the study hall, but Ji Yue, red-eyed with fury, drew her sword and snarled, "Ji Jiu Xuan, you’ve gone too far. So what if you have a Heavenly Spiritual Root? Today, I’ll make you lose it!"

She lunged at Ji Jiu Xuan.

The onlookers thought Ji Jiu Xuan would surely be hurt—after all, their cultivation levels were worlds apart. Ji Yue’s foundation was solid, and she had even suppressed her own cultivation in preparation for the tournament.

To their surprise, Ji Jiu Xuan evaded easily with a flicker of movement. Her gaze sharpened, and she nearly drew her youngling sword—but sensing a sudden surge of spiritual energy from the sky, she halted at once, abandoning the idea of a direct confrontation.

Just then, the sect’s patrol team arrived in time, the Binding Immortal Rope snapping around Ji Yue, holding her fast.

"You’ve attempted to harm a fellow disciple. Come with us and face punishment."

The patrol captain, face stern, forced Ji Yue to her knees with a mere difference in cultivation.

Ji Yue’s face was filled with panic; only now did her mind clear.

It was a strict rule of the sect: no private fighting within its grounds. Disputes must be settled in the arena. Offenders would be sent to the Hall of Discipline for punishment.

The memory of Nie Xingyuan’s methods filled Ji Yue with dread, and she cried out in desperation, "It was her! She provoked me!"

Ji Jiu Xuan couldn’t be bothered any longer; she glanced at her with disdain. "Coward—if you’ve got what it takes, kill me. Keep playing petty games, and next time you’re caught, I’ll finish you myself."

Only Ji Jiu Xuan, and perhaps that demon Nie Xingyuan, would dare utter such threats in front of the Hall of Discipline.

Seeing the enforcers look her way, Ji Jiu Xuan grinned. "Just venting. It’s nothing, nothing at all."

With a word to Feng Hanxiao, she slipped away.

Ji Yue, unlike Yu Heng, had no powerful ancestor to shield her. Once in the Hall of Discipline, there would be no mercy.

Ji Jiu Xuan considered that since Ji Yue cared so much about the upcoming tournament, even suppressing her own progress for it, perhaps it would be truly delightful to let her taste utter despair when the time came.

With that in mind, Ji Jiu Xuan took out her communicator talisman and reported the incident to Nie Xingyuan, adding, "Uncle Master, don’t cripple her—I’m looking forward to crushing her at the tournament."

She added, "But don’t let her off too lightly, either. She deserves every bit of what’s coming."

"Very well." The moment Nie Xingyuan heard, his aura turned violent. Disciples waiting outside to report in froze, not daring to enter.

Those who knew him could see it: the Living Devil was furious.

"Seems I was too lenient last time. She’s learned nothing. Even if Feng Chen himself comes, it won’t help." Nie Xingyuan called to the disciple outside his door. "Ji Yue of Wangchen Peak has harmed a fellow disciple—administer the most severe punishment. Remember: just don’t let her die."

Ji Jiu Xuan returned to the library, engrossed in her books. Her master’s collection was astonishingly complete.

She didn’t know why her master insisted she read and memorize texts from every discipline, but the more she read, the more she sensed an underlying pattern—one she had yet to fully grasp.

But she was in no hurry; there were still many books left. She trusted that, in time, the answer would reveal itself.

"Why not just let Ji Yue die in the Hall of Discipline? Or send her to some desolate place instead? She’s a nuisance," the system complained.

Ji Jiu Xuan explained, "Ji Yue never truly tried to kill me—she only pointed her sword at me. According to the rules, she’ll be punished, but not killed."

"But you’ve got Nie Xingyuan. Why bother telling him not to cripple her? It’d be better if she were ruined," the system sighed. "You’re too soft-hearted."

Such a host was enough to drive it to despair.