Therefore, Ling Qiyan naturally wouldn't grovel or beg for mercy before Lin Jinghong any longer!

Seeing that Ling Qiyan actually didn't submit to him, Lin Jinghong was so angry that his face turned an iron blue. Pointing at Ling Qiyan, he said, "Fine, all of you from the South Gate have grown spines now, huh? Was it that little philanderer who emboldened you?".

When a person is pushed to the brink, they care little for grace. As Lin Jinghong spoke, he pointed at Wang Xiaoqiang. His primary target had always been Wang Xiaoqiang, so in the end, he directed his anger towards Wang Xiaoqiang, "Kid, if you're so tough, fight me. I really want to see how much you're worth, making everyone at the South Gate so arrogant..."

"Want to fight? Let's wait until we finish eating, please wait for me downstairs..." Wang Xiaoqiang casually took a sip from his cup as he lifted it. Wang Xiaoqiang hadn't opened his Divine Sense, but he could sense the other's Cultivation Base through the vibration of the 228 Spiritual Springs inside and outside his body. Judging from the amplitude of the Spiritual Springs' vibrations, this arrogant fellow in front of him wasn't weak, so he needed to ascertain the situation first.

"Arrogant!" Lin Jinghong didn't give him the time to gauge anything, and with a wave towards Wang Xiaoqiang, an overwhelming Spiritual Power transformed into a giant palm rushing towards Wang Xiaoqiang's face. If this blow made with True Qi were to hit, it wouldn't be just a slap in the face; it would disfigure or even potentially explode the head.

Ye Qingcheng and Ling Qiyan paled in alarm. This move was too sudden and insidious, hardly different from a sneak attack, and given the close distance, there wasn't even time to dodge. In their minds, both Ye Qingcheng and Ling Qiyan thought they wouldn't be able to avoid it.

Just when Lin Jinghong thought his move had succeeded and a smug smile appeared on his face, he saw that the True Qi hand, which was about to hit Wang Xiaoqiang's face, was forcefully stopped by an invisible force. Then, with a booming sound, it dispersed like snow melting under the sun.

As for Wang Xiaoqiang, he remained seated and motionless, with a cold smile on his face, without even moving a finger, let alone triggering his True Qi.

Everyone was shocked for a moment. What kind of spell technique was this? It was astonishingly powerful!

Little did they know, the hundred Spiritual Springs floating around Wang Xiaoqiang had sensed danger and promptly shielded him, forming a Spiritual Spring Protective Shield that blocked the True Qi hand.

While Lin Jinghong was still in shock, Wang Xiaoqiang's Spiritual Energy condensed in his right hand. Without moving from his seat, he struck out at Lin Jinghong with a Spiritual Energy Hand.

Although he was a newcomer to the Taiyi Sect, Wang Xiaoqiang hadn't come here to be humiliated. If someone slapped him, he would surely return the favor.

Even though Lin Jinghong's True Qi hand failed to hit Wang Xiaoqiang, Wang Xiaoqiang's True Qi hand slapped Lin Jinghong's face precisely. The counterattack required no mobilization of Spiritual Energy from the Dantian, eliminating a step, which made it faster and more ferocious than Lin Jinghong's hand. Given the close distance and Lin Jinghong's lack of Spiritual Springs to protect him, getting slapped was an inevitable outcome.

Smack!

A crisp slapping sound resonated, faintly accompanied by the clang of metal. Wang Xiaoqiang's Metal Element Spiritual Energy-formed palm had Lin Jinghong reeling in confusion.

Luckily, Lin Jinghong's Divine Sense was powerful, and he immediately sensed the danger as Wang Xiaoqiang made his move, using Spiritual Power to protect his face. Otherwise, disfigurement was a real risk. Despite taking precautions, Lin Jinghong's handsome, pale cheeks now bore the red imprint of five fingers, like a brand. It looked like it would take at least ten days to heal. With Ma Chunbo's support, Lin Jinghong barely steadied himself. Seeing the three people from the South Gate still staring at him with cold smiles, he was so infuriated that smoke could have come out of his orifices. Pointing at Wang Xiaoqiang, he immediately cursed, ".#￥%+*~".

But the moment he began to speak, what came out was a string of "bird language". It was Wang Xiaoqiang's slap that had resulted in his facial paralysis, and in his urgency, he uttered a series of unintelligible notes.

Hearing Lin Jinghong's "bird language," Ye Qingcheng and Ling Qiyan couldn't help but burst into laughter. Wang Xiaoqiang's slap had been incredibly satisfying for them, and they were inwardly cheering. Ma Chunbo, who was supporting Lin Jinghong, also wore a strange smile and asked in surprise, "Senior Brother Lin, what's happened to you?"

Lin Jinghong was no fool; he knew full well that he had been rendered unable to speak by the other's attack. Seeing the mockery directed at him only added fuel to his rage. Pushing Ma Chunbo away, his hands gathered Spiritual Power, which he then split and brought together with a roar. A green Wood Element tiger's shadow, baring its teeth and claws, emerged, ready to devour...

"Wooden Tiger Technique!"

Ye Qingcheng and Ling Qiyan abruptly stood up, fixed their eyes on the imposing tiger shadow conjured by Lin Jinghong, showing shock on their faces.

The Earth Tiger Technique was a spell technique practiced by Golden Core Stage cultivators. As it was a Wood Attribute spell, it possessed strong Power of Growth and explosive ferocity, making its destructive power immense. Once unleashed, it wasn't just a matter of casualties anymore—the entire Immortal Gathering Tavern could potentially be ripped apart by its Power of Growth. Given that the Immortal Gathering Tavern was owned by Elder Xu, Lin Jinghong's decision to use the "Wooden Tiger Technique" here was an act of utter disregard and recklessness. His courage was simply too great.

Before Lin Jinghong could launch his spell, an aged voice called out, "Stop!"

Before the words even finished echoing, an elder ascended the stairs, glaring at the green tiger shadow condensed by Lin Jinghong, "What brazenness! To fight in my tavern...!"

After the elder appeared, Lin Jinghong, with a look of dissatisfaction, withdrew his spell, and Ye Qingcheng and Ling Qiyan quickly stood up to greet the elder with a bow, "Greetings, Elder Xu!"

Wang Xiaoqiang heard it was an Elder. Although the power of an Elder was not as great as that of a Vice Sect Leader, their prestige was even higher. He didn't dare to neglect this and also stood up.

Elder Xu nodded at them, his gaze lingering on Wang Xiaoqiang longer than the others before asking, "What exactly happened here? Fellow disciples, how could such an incident occur?"

Lin Jinghong appeared to have a bellyful of grievances. Seeing the question asked, he immediately walked up to Elder Xu to explain, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he spoke a string of gibberish bird language.

Elder Xu's face showed a hint of amusement and he cast a white glance at Lin Jinghong, saying, "Your mouth has been hit askew; better speak less!"

Lin Jinghong desperately channeled his Spiritual Power to his mouth to heal the wound, wishing to correct the paralysis. However, the slap from Wang Xiaoqiang had been caused by Metal Element Spiritual Energy. If he had treated it with Fire Element Spiritual Energy, the results would've been significant. But the Spiritual Energy inside his body was not Fire Element, it was just ordinary Spiritual Energy. Because he cultivated Wood Element Spells, the Spiritual Energy inside him leaned slightly towards the Wood Attribute. Unfortunately, Wood Element Spiritual Qi couldn't suppress Metal Element Spiritual Energy; in fact, it was overpowered by it. There was no chance he could heal properly, and he was extremely vexed.

Having said that, Elder Xu turned his face to stare at Ling Qiyan, asking, "Little Ling, you tell the story…"

"Yes, Elder Xu. It was like this: the three of us fellow disciples were here having a meal, bothering no one, and then Senior Brother Lin from the North Sect, for no reason at all, cursed our newly-initiated Wang Xiaoqiang and even started a fight with him. As you've seen yourself, Elder Xu, in order to settle personal vendettas, Senior Brother Lin recklessly used the highly destructive Wood Element Spell Technique…"

"Mhm," Elder Xu, hearing her explanation, wasn't in the dark anymore about the situation. Although the Elders of Taiyi Sect didn't hold executive power, they still monitored the internal power dynamics and potential disciples. Someone as prodigiously talented as Lin Jinghong was naturally under their observation—not just his Cultivation Base but also his love life. And the fact that Lin Jinghong was rejected by Ye Qingcheng had become well-known within the Taiyi Sect, known to almost everyone. Elder Xu was no exception. Now seeing Ye Qingcheng getting along well with the newcomer, Wang Xiaoqiang, and such an incident occurring, it wasn't hard to understand; it was simply a case of jealousy and rivalry.

Originally, Lin Jinghong was a person highly regarded by the Elders, including Elder Xu who held him in high esteem. However, just now he saw Lin Jinghong using the extremely destructive Wood Element Spell "Wooden Tiger Technique" in his own tavern, completely disregarding his presence as an Elder, so he was rather furious. Where would he speak for him now? Especially given that the newcomer, Wang Xiaoqiang, was young with a not insignificant Cultivation Base, personally instructed by the Sect Leader True Person of Taiyi to be nurtured both in terms of reason and sentiment, Elder Xu wouldn't speak for Lin Jinghong. After listening to Ling Qiyan's words and giving a soft hum, his gaze then shifted to Lin Jinghong, turning several degrees colder than before.

Lin Jinghong, who had concentrated all his Spiritual Power in his mouth but still couldn't restore his speech, was anxious like an ant on a hot pan. Suddenly, he grabbed Ma Chunbo, pulling him in front of Elder Xu like lifting a chicken and making eyes at him to defend himself. Ma Chunbo, seeing Elder Xu, started to panic as Lin Jinghong had no plausible explanation to make. In his urgency, he began to speak incoherently, "Elder Xu, no, it's not Senior Brother Lin's fault, it's that... Ye Qingcheng, uh no, it's Ling Qiyan, uh no…"

"Scram!" Seeing Ma Chunbo stammering inarticulately, clearly annoyed, Elder Xu waved his sleeve. A powerful force surged from all directions, hitting Ma Chunbo's face and with a loud boom, sent the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage Ma Chunbo flying back, crashing heavily against the wall before falling down, blood spouting from the corner of his mouth—a state of grave injury.

Elder Xu's Cultivation Base at Nascent Soul Mid Stage, when exerting force, was intimidating and imposing. That moment shocked everyone present, especially Lin Jinghong, who trembled all over with fear. He well understood that Elder Xu was making an example out of him, as a warning. If he wasn't favored by the Vice Sect Leader, he estimated that the one lying gravely injured on the ground right now would have been him.

Recognizing the situation, Lin Jinghong promptly bowed deeply to Elder Xu, "Elder Xu, I'm sorry, my fault, I was wrong..."

"As for your personal disputes, I couldn't care less, but causing trouble in my tavern, I naturally won't be polite. I hope there's not going to be a next time…" Elder Xu said and reached into his chest to pull out a fiery red pill, handed it to Lin Jinghong, and spoke indifferently, "Quickly feed him this, or it will be too late and he'll die…"

"Yes, yes, thank you for the Emergency Pill, Elder Xu…" Lin Jinghong took the pill from Elder Xu's hand and ran to Ma Chunbo's side, feeding him the fiery red pill.

After swallowing the pill, Ma Chunbo's face showed an unusual redness, but he quickly recovered from the brink of death.

Seeing that Ma Chunbo was no longer in mortal danger, Elder Xu glanced over the individuals present and said, "For personal grievances, fight on the arena. For deep-seated hatred, go to the Life and Death Stage. If you die or get injured, nobody will interfere!"

With that, Elder Xu left, his sleeves flapping behind him.

Ye Qingcheng, Ling Qiyan, and Wang Xiaoqiang all let out a sigh of relief in secret. The Nascent Soul Stage Elder Xu was indeed formidable; a flick of his sleeve could instantly kill a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. And just one pill from him could bring someone back from the brink of death—truly impressive.

Lin Jinghong carried Ma Chunbo's body, turning with poisonous eyes to glare at Wang Xiaoqiang. He thought angrily, "Kid, if you dare, let's fight on the arena!" But he didn't dare speak out, afraid of spouting more gibberish.

So he just stared bitterly at Wang Xiaoqiang, then cast an angry glance at Ye Qingcheng and Ling Qiyan, and carried Ma Chunbo's body downstairs.

"Come on, let's continue our meal!" Wang Xiaoqiang sat down and called to the two women.

Ye Qingcheng and Ling Qiyan also sat down, both asking in unison, "Can you still eat after all this?"

"How can I not? After a fight, my appetite is wide open. I should thank Senior Brother Lin for that!" Wang Xiaoqiang deliberately raised his voice, provoking without concern for consequences.

Hearing Wang Xiaoqiang's voice, Lin Jinghong felt his facial muscles twitch like electric shocks, repeatedly thinking, "I must kill him, I will kill him!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to the starting point (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)

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