Chapter Twenty: Jiang Yue, Eager and Inexperienced

“Headmaster Senior Brother, don’t spoil Jiang Yue too much. When she deserves punishment, you must punish her. If she ends up like my few junior nephews, you’ll be the one with a headache!”

Upon the roof of the Grand Hall, Master Liuguang and Liu Wanjin stood side by side.

Watching Jiang Yue’s sneaky figure heading toward the Scripture Pavilion, Liu Wanjin wore a worried expression.

Master Liuguang was admirable in every way, but Liu Wanjin simply couldn’t agree with his methods of disciplining disciples.

“Your first three disciples, Senior Brother—one made it onto the Five Elements Pavilion’s female cultivators’ wanted list, one is suppressed in the sect’s secret realm, and another parades around cheating in your name.”

“A master for a day is a father for life. As the saying goes, ‘If a son goes astray, it’s the father’s fault.’ With your disciples acting so recklessly, the main responsibility falls to you as their master.”

“Now, instead of reflecting on past mistakes, you’re indulging Jiang Yue without restraint. Are you really going to ruin such a promising seedling with your own hands?”

Listening to his junior brother’s rebuke—knowing the next words might be that the rot at the top taints the foundation—Master Liuguang remained serene, as though the irresponsible teacher Liu Wanjin mentioned was someone entirely unrelated to him.

Seeing that his senior brother was impervious, Liu Wanjin lost interest in arguing further and turned to leave.

“Junior Brother, what do you think Wang Li will make of it when little Yue brings him two earth-grade spirit treasures?”

Master Liuguang called after Liu Wanjin.

Liu Wanjin frowned. “If this keeps up, the apologies you’ve prepared won’t be enough.”

“Apologies?” Master Liuguang chuckled. “It’s merely an exchange, don’t underestimate Wang Li.”

“Exchange? You think he’s worth trading with? Senior Brother, you hold him in too high regard!”

“You’re being a bit prejudiced, Junior Brother.” Master Liuguang, watching his granddaughter’s silhouette vanish from sight, turned to Liu Wanjin. “Master just sent word—we’re to continue probing Wang Li, but not to push him too far. Do you think Master’s meaning is clear enough?”

Liu Wanjin’s brow furrowed further. “Master must’ve noticed something.”

Master Liuguang nodded. “Anything that makes Master wary is not something we should meddle with.”

“Master didn’t specify, but that’s not important. Before Wang Li grows strong enough to break free of our control, we need him to create as much value for the sect as possible.”

Realization dawned on Liu Wanjin. “So you plan to use Wang Li to profit off the Five Elements Pavilion and the Beast Taming Sect?”

“Not just them—of the Seven Great Sects: East Sea Sect, Divine Weapon Valley, Zhengyang Sanctuary, Myriad Mountains Desolation, and Immortal Town City, not one will escape.”

Master Liuguang gritted his teeth. “If possible, I’d even carve a slice from the Seven Demon Sects!”

“Senior Brother, have you really thought this through? The Eight Righteous Sects are one thing, but our philosophies differ too greatly from the Demon Sects—one misstep and we could be aiding the enemy!”

Liu Wanjin was visibly alarmed.

Master Liuguang smiled calmly. “Relax, relax. I’m glad you’re not screaming for war with the demonic path like a child.”

Liu Wanjin huffed. “I’m not a child—I do understand the fundamental difference between right and wrong!”

“Haha! My little junior brother has grown up. Seems your old wounds have healed and reaching the Nascent Soul stage is just around the corner. I’m truly happy for you!”

“…I don’t want to talk to you anymore!”

Irritated, Liu Wanjin hopped off the hall’s roof and headed toward the Scripture Pavilion.

Jiang Yue’s blows were never gentle—if she caused trouble there, it’d be a headache. He had to watch her himself, or he’d never be at ease.

Mostly, he feared Wang Li might also be reckless and spoil the situation.

After all, Jiang Yue was the headmaster’s granddaughter and his last disciple. Either one getting hurt would be a bad outcome.

As it turned out, his worries were unfounded.

When he found them, the two hadn’t started fighting, but were heading one after the other to the Hall of Reflection.

Relieved, Liu Wanjin was also curious what these two amateurs could stir up, so he quietly followed them to the Hall of Reflection.

Cultivators’ sense of time differs from mortals. After reaching the Qi Refining stage, sleep was rarely needed to restore energy—occasional meditation sufficed. Thus, Pure Yang Temple’s facilities were open around the clock.

Wang Li and Jiang Yue entered the Hall of Reflection, handed over spirit stones as usual, and requested the steward to activate the dueling platform.

By coincidence, the one receiving them was the same as earlier that day.

This steward, Zhang Zheng, immediately felt a headache seeing the troublesome pair.

After their daytime bout, Zhang Zheng had inquired about their identities—one was the headmaster’s last disciple, the other a newly promoted inner court steward. Both had notable status.

An ordinary steward was nothing, but Jiang Yue was a walking disaster.

According to sect rules, a disciple who provocatively challenges a steward is at fault and must be punished—not severely, but it’s still unpleasant.

Many had seen Jiang Yue challenge Wang Li—there was no way to hide it. Punishment was inevitable. But the headmaster was notorious for shielding his own; if Jiang Yue were punished, he’d likely storm the Hall of Reflection.

He’d done it before!

But if he didn’t punish her… this little ancestor had come knocking again, still seeking to challenge a steward.

If he simply ignored it, the Hall of Reflection, which oversaw discipline in Pure Yang Temple, would lose its authority.

Unable to decide, Zhang Zheng had Wang Li and Jiang Yue wait outside, while he hurried to report to Elder Xiuye.

“Two kids playing—why are you panicking?”

“A dignified steward of the Hall of Reflection, carrying on like this—what would outsiders think? Even the headmaster can’t be so unreasonable!”

After hearing the report, Elder Xiuye’s temper flared, and he scolded Zhang Zheng thoroughly.

Elder Xiuye understood the headmaster’s temperament and knew Jiang Yue was a hot potato. Thus, he immediately characterized their duel as a mere playfight, sidestepping potential trouble.

Still, he was curious why someone like Wang Li—a grandmaster who’d reincarnated by seizing another’s body—would spar with a little girl. After berating Zhang Zheng, he decided to come out and observe for himself.

Outside, Wang Li and Jiang Yue glared at each other, the tension thick in the air.

“Wang Li, unless I beat you into calling me ‘Great Aunt’, you win!”

Jiang Yue boasted, “What’s so special about earth-grade treasures? I have them too—ones that can break your spirit armor!”

Feigning anger, Wang Li summoned a spirit sword radiating explosive energy. “Afraid of you? A brat like you dares be so arrogant!”

“I don’t have just the Earth Spirit Armor, but also the Blazing Sword. If you lose, no crying!”

He’d agreed to Jiang Yue’s rematch not out of fondness for dueling with novices, but to test whether the simulated combat scenarios were reliable.

To that end, he’d recreated Jiang Yue’s image in his mind-sea, matching her actual cultivation and sword skill proficiency, and sparred several times—each time, he’d instantly defeated her.

But he couldn’t be sure how a real fight would play out, or if the things he’d learned from simulated scenarios would hold up. Since the grudge-bearing girl had sought him out so soon, he simply went with it to experiment.

Jiang Yue brandished a longsword and a short-handled hammer, shouting, “Whoever cries is a little dog!”

Elder Xiuye saw both had readied top-tier earth-grade treasures before even stepping onto the platform, and his eyelids twitched violently.

What was the headmaster thinking? Letting children play with top-quality earth-grade spirit treasures?

What on earth was going through his mind!