After single-handedly knocking out one of the strongest inner disciples, I expected at least a little peace and quiet.
But nope. Because apparently, slapping an elder, and knocking out his son wasn't enough.
Now, I had half the sect running their mouths about me, and before I could even enjoy my first Inner Court meal, a sect messenger rushed over.
"Long Fei Jian! The Elders summon you!"
Well, that didn't take long.
The guy was sweating bullets, as if I might slap him too.
I lazily stretched my arms. "Ah, man, already? I was just about to order some wine."
The messenger gulped. " Senior Elder Bai specifically, said you should come immediately, or there will be consequences."
I snorted. "Consequences? What's he gonna do? Hit me?"
The entire Inner Court already knew how that ended last time.
***
A Few Moments Later---SeniorElder Bai's Hall
I strutted in like I owned the place.
At the center of the hall sat three elders...Senior Elder Bai, Elder Huang, Elder Zhao, and Elder Ren...each looking like they just drank a whole bottle of vinegar.
Senior Elder Bai's eyebrow twitched the moment he saw me.
"This brat..." He slammed his palm on the table. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
I shrugged. "Won a fight?"
"You assaulted a fellow disciple! Right after committing blatant disrespect against a sect elder!"
I nodded. "Yep, sounds about right. Anything else?"
Elder Huang choked. "You...you don't even deny it?!"
"Why would I?" I leaned against the pillar, smiling. "If I was wrong, you'd have already punished me."
The hall went silent. Because they knew.
If they dared punish me unjustly, the entire Inner Court would explode with gossip.
Senior Elder Bai gritted his teeth. "You… brat."
I sighed dramatically. "Look, if you're not here to reward me for proving our Inner Court disciples are too weak, then let's just cut to the part where you pretend to be mad, but actually do nothing."
Elder Ren looked like he was about to faint.
Elder Huang facepalmed.
Senior Elder Bai's vein popped. "You..."
Just then... A fourth voice cut in.
"Enough." The air shifted immediately.
I felt a powerful presence, one that even I, in my former Supreme Lord days, would have acknowledged.
The doors creaked open. And a woman walked in.
Dressed in flowing dark robes, her long black hair adorned with jade pins, she carried an air of absolute authority.
The disciples outside gasped. I raised an eyebrow.
Now this… this was unexpected.
The Sect Master herself....
I'd faced thousands of enemies in my past life. Fought heaven-defying battles against gods, demons, and ancient beings.
But nothing...NOTHING...prepared me for this.
The Sect Master was a woman?!
And not just any woman. She was the kind of beauty that could start a war.
Long, silky black hair. A jade hairpin that barely kept her strands in place. A figure that...wait, no, focus! FOCUS, DAMN IT!
I swallowed hard as she gracefully stepped forward, her eyes scanning the room like she was above all mortal affairs.
Which, to be fair… she probably was.
The entire hall fell silent.
Senior Elder Bai, who had been foaming at the mouth seconds ago, now looked like he had been hit by a paralysis technique.
Elder Huang? Stiff as a board.
Even Elder Ren, and Elder Zhao who had been gasping for air, suddenly sat up as straight as a sword.
So, this was the true ruler of the sect.
Her gaze landed on me.
Oh shit.
"You are Long Fei Jian?" she asked, her voice smooth but commanding.
I scratched my head. "That depends. Am I in trouble?"
Senior Elder Bai nearly choked on his own spit.
The Sect Master… smiled.
Wait, what?
A smile?! That wasn't normal, right?
"Interesting," she said, her deep eyes filled with mystery, and amusement. "Very interesting."
I had no idea what that meant, but my instincts screamed danger.
Sect Masters didn't just smile at random disciples. There had to be a catch.
She turned to the elders. "I will handle this matter personally."
WHAT?!
Senior Elder Bai's jaw dropped. "Sect Master, this..."
"You disagree?" Her tone remained calm, but the temperature in the room dropped.
Senior Elder Bai shut up so fast I thought he had been hit by a sealing technique.
The other elders immediately nodded like obedient puppies.
I watched, dumbfounded, as she turned back to me.
"You will follow me," she said simply.
I blinked. "Uh… where?"
She smiled again. "To my private cultivation grounds."
WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK?!
The entire hall exploded with murmurs.
Disciples outside nearly fainted.
I felt Senior Elder Bai's killing intent skyrocket. Elder Huang's hand trembled.
Elder Ren… actually did faint.
And me?
I just stood there, thinking one thing.
Am I about to die?
I followed the Sect Master in awkward silence.
And by followed, I meant I was being escorted like a prisoner.
The elders and disciples watched in disbelief as I was led away, their faces filled with shock, envy, and in Elder Zhao's case, murderous intent.
I could almost hear their thoughts:
Why is the Sect Master taking personal interest in him?!
Did he bribe the heavens?!
I bet he seduced her! That little...
Okay, maybe that last one was just Elder Zhao grinding his teeth in rage.
I turned my head slightly and caught a glimpse of him. Oh yeah, he was definitely considering hiring an assassin.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
I was under the Sect Master's personal protection now.
Which, now that I thought about it… wasn't exactly reassuring.
The Sect Master walked ahead of me, completely composed. Her flowing robes swayed slightly with every step, and the jade pendant at her waist jingled softly.
I cleared my throat. "So… uh, where are we going exactly?"
She didn't stop walking. "To my private cultivation grounds."
Right. She did say that.
I forced a laugh. "You're not planning to kill me, are you?"
The Sect Master paused.
Then she turned her head slightly, her deep, knowing gaze locking onto mine.
"Would it matter if I was?" she asked casually.
Okay. Yeah. That's not ominous at all.
I shut up immediately.
She turned back around, and continued walking. I swear, I saw the corner of her lips twitching in amusement.
After a few more steps, I realized we were approaching a massive bamboo forest.
A towering, ancient gate stood at the entrance, engraved with celestial runes. The aura coming from it was so strong that even in my past life, I would've hesitated before stepping inside.
What the hell kind of place is this?!
The Sect Master raised her hand.
The runes glowed..and the massive gate rumbled open. I gulped.
Was this the part where she threw me into a death trial?
"Come," she said, stepping inside.
I hesitated for half a second, then followed.
The moment I entered, the gates shut behind me with a loud bang.
Shit. This wasn't a sect trial, was it?
Because I had a really bad feeling about this.