Chapter 218: Chapter 187: Punishment_1

“Stop!”

“Don’t!”

“You scoundrel!”

No one expected Lu Baiyu to take action at that moment.

Hum!

Just when Xu Mu, who was in mortal danger, burst into another surge of power from within. A layer of golden dragon scales like spiritual power layer formed within his body, successfully blocking the flying sword.

“Dragon Scale Battle Body! Turns out he too is skilled in dual cultivation!”

Everyone was shocked and lost for words.

If Lu Baiyu is considered a monster, then at this moment Xu Mu is a real monster, almost flawless.

Soul fragment missing?

Damn it! Could it be heaven thinking he is too monstrous, doing this purposely!

If the soul fragment were intact, wouldn’t that be defying heavens?

Each person’s heart pounded furiously, hardly daring to imagine.

“Break!”

With Xu Mu using his Dragon Scale Battle Body to block the first wave of attack, the Golden Pill Elder finally had time to react. He waved his sleeves and a vast amount of spiritual power surged out, sweeping away the flying swords in the sky.

Lu Baiyu, who was mentally affected, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, the madness in his eyes disappearing instantly.

At this moment, his face turned pale, finally realizing the foolish act he committed.

“Hmph!”

The elder glanced back at him, snorted coldly, ignoring him and rushed to check on Xu Mu’s injuries.

If Xu Mu had an accident, he as the presiding elder would make a laughingstock of himself.

Meanwhile, the Formation on the arena was activated. Several Golden Core Stage rushed up to check on both their conditions.

“I apologize for this disgraceful scene!”

The Sect Master of the Tianhe Sect struggled to force a smile, though his face didn’t look good.

He didn’t anticipate that Lu Baiyu would commit such an embarrassing act, especially under the watchful eyes of the crowd. He had truly lost face this time. “Youngster are always impulsive!”

The people from the Serpent Valley Sect were unexpectedly generous with their words, but the smile on their faces could not be concealed, and everyone knew they were saying one thing and meaning another.

“Correct! It’s very normal for youngsters to be impulsive, as long as they didn’t make a serious mistake!”

People from the Plum Blossom Sect also came to their defense.

The two major sects were seemingly helpful, but the faces of the Tianhe Sect were burning.

Each one of them was filled with resentment towards Lu Baiyu!

If it wasn’t for Lu Baiyu’s exceptional talents and potential to be a future pillar of the sect, they would have wished to crush him to death.

If an ordinary disciple made them lose face, that would be manageable. But you are one of the top talents representing the face of the sect. How can you do such a thing?

It’s useless to say anything now. It’s better not to say anything, lest the two major sects take advantage of the situation and make a mockery.

Up on the stage, after checking that neither of the two was in great danger, everyone started to worry about how to deal with the situation next.

The result was already obvious. The important thing now was Xiaoyue’s judgment.

“Brother Lu didn’t do it on purpose. Besides, he was the first to break the rules!”

“That’s right! That’s right! It was him who first played a trick; Brother Lu was just angry!”

Some brainless little fans started yelling without discerning right from wrong.

“All of you, shut up!”

The Gold Core Stage elder in charge, scolded angrily with a dark face.

Being entrusted to preside over the final match indicates that both his strength and position in his sect are not low. Even though he is not the highest authority, he is still high-ranking. Being irritated by Lu Baiyu is one thing, but having these ordinary disciples question him is simply outrageous.

“I have lived in the sect for five hundred years, always maintaining integrity and fairness, never resorting to personal grudges or deceit. If you all want to know why Xu Da is the winner, then let me tell you!”

The presiding elder pointed at Xu Mu and said: “That Sword Qi was not created by external forces, but was naturally bred from the Transcendent level of cultivation in Tianhe Swordsmanship Jue. The longer it brewed, the stronger it got. His Sword Qi has been brewing for at least one year, defeating Lu Baiyu is not impossible!”

Transcendent realm?

After listening to the explanation of the presiding elder, ordinary disciples were at a loss for words from shock. Even those in the Foundation Establishment stage, Golden Pill Elders, one by one, they were extremely astonished.

An extraordinary mastery of swordsmanship! Extraordinary soul-based defensive skills! Dual cultivation of the physical body and magic skills!

And now to add an even more challenging achievement – an extraordinary mastery of martial methods!

Is he even human?!!

The shock had everyone almost numb!

He is a true freak of nature, if he grows in the future, he could certainly dominate an era.

But when they thought about Xu Mu’s fragmented soul, they couldn’t help but sigh in regret.

Due to his fragmented soul, it was destined he could never advance to the Nascent Soul Stage in this lifetime.

The Heart Demon Tribulation of Nascent Soul Stage arises naturally from within the heart, with truly no way to defend against it, one can only harden oneself and endure it.

Even those with complete souls face extreme difficulty and risk of death, for those with fragmented souls, there is scarcely any hope of success.

For ordinary sects, having a disciple reach the Golden Core Stage is already a cause for celebration. But for the Tianhe Sect, without the possibility to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage, one ultimately could only be considered a second-rate prodigy.

In terms of potential, Qi Yue and Bai Yingwu might even surpass him.

However, competition is competition, winning is winning.

Since Xu Mu didn’t cheat, no one opposed the result.

The key issue is how to deal with Lu Baiyu.

His such egregious rule violation, in theory, necessitated not only solitary confinement but also forfeiture of all awards.

However, Lu Baiyu’s talent meant he could potentially become the anchor of the Tianhe Sect in the future. Solitary confinement and forfeiture of rewards would severely affect his potential.

Even though Xu Mu won, his potential was not as high as Lu Baiyu’s.

To destroy the potential of a talent for the sake of one without potential, this decision was extremely difficult to make.

This was also the reason why the elders hesitated.

“Sect Master, for the great mistake Yu’er made, I’ve failed in my teachings. I’m willing to face the wall as punishment for a hundred miles on his behalf!”

One of the middle-aged men, who first charged to the stage to check on Lu Baiyu’s injury, stood up and bowed in the direction of the Sect Master of the Tianhe Sect, saying these words.

Xu Mu immediately realized that this person must be the Leader of the Shenjian Peak.

“Teacher! I…”

Lu Baiyu stammered and tried to explain, but was interrupted by the Leader of the Shenjian Peak.

“Don’t speak. It was my eagerness for quick success that left you without enough heart cultivation and led you to be blinded by anger. If you ever make the same mistake again, even if the sect spares you, I will never spare you!”

As he spoke, the Leader of Shenjian Peak also gave Lu Baiyu a look of hint and Lu Baiyu faintly understood his teacher’s intentions.

“Teacher, I admit my mistake. I will practice with absolute dedication in the future and will never make the same mistake again!” Lu Baiyu said regretfully.

Seeing the teacher and student playing out this act, the Tianhe Sect Master’s eyes flickered once and then he turned to look at Xu Mu, who was standing quietly on the side.

“Xu Da, what do you think is the best course of action?”

II II

Xu Mu was speechless.

This old fox is far too good at playing games!

Of course, he wanted to get rid of Lu Baiyu. Had he not have numerous hidden cards up his sleeves, he would have been riddled with holes in that situation.

But under these circumstances, it was absolutely impossible. The sect would never destroy a potential Nascent Soul Stage talent for his sake.

Even if he took a tough stance, the most he could do was get Lu Baiyu confined, and even then, it was highly likely to be a superficial action. Whether it would actually be carried out and how it would be executed afterwards was anyone’s guess.

Such was the reality!

Most likely, the Sect Master’s intention was for him to forgive Lu Baiyu openly, then he could play the good guy, make a show of lifting up the disciplinary rod only to put it down lightly.

A situation where they appear to punish but ultimately forgive – a win-win for everyone!

Perhaps afterwards, they would compensate Xu Mu a bit.

After all, Lu Baiyu’s potential was greater than his!

If the Sect Master made the decision on his own, he would have appeared despotic, which would have affected his image and would not have garnered easy acceptance from others.

However, Xu Mu was not going to do such a disgusting thing.

You want me to speak, I’ll just not speak.

“Master, I will abide by your decision in all things!” Xu Mu bowed and said.