"What is the meaning of this?"
A group of figures appeared at the edge of the courtyard, their robes embroidered with the sigil of the clan. The Ye Clan elders have just arrived at the secen of the destruction.
The training ground was silent.
The once-boisterous bullies now lay broken and moaning in pain, their limbs shattered by Ye Bai's newfound strength.
Then came the elders.
Their robes billowed in the night breeze as they stepped into the courtyard, their faces hard and unreadable. The air grew heavy with their presence, their cultivation far beyond that of any common disciple.
At the head of the group was elder Ye Tianhao, the First Elder of the Ye Clan, his sharp gaze locked onto Ye Bai, the so called forbidden son of the clan.
Behind him, the Second and Third Elders flanked his sides, their eyes flickering between the groaning disciples on the ground and Ye Bai, who stood with an eerie calm.
"Ye Bai," Ye Tianhao's voice was like thunder in the night. "What is the meaning of this? You better give me an explanation or face the consequences of your actions here tonight." He said.
A lesser man would have trembled under his piercing gaze.
But Ye Bai?
He simply smiled.
The old Ye Bai would have cowered in fear. The one who endured humiliation, who swallowed his pride for survival.
But that Ye Bai was no more.
And he would never kneel down for anyone again.
Ye Bai met elder Ye Tianhao's gaze head on and spoke, his voice steady and calm as a sleeping sea.
"They attacked me first," he said simply. "I merely defended myself."
The expression on the faces of the elder turned red.
A murmur rippled through the crowd of gathered disciples. They all knew what happened. the truth.
Ye Ming and his followers had tormented Ye Bai for years, treating him like a worthless cripple. But now, their once weak prey had turned the tables around.
Elder Ye Tianhao narrowed his eyes. "You broke their limbs. Were you simply 'defending' yourself, or were you taking out your act of revenge?" he asked.
Ye Bai's gaze remained unwavering.
"If I were taking out my revenge, they wouldn't still be breathing." He replied.
His words alone sent a shockwave through the crowd.
Elder Ye Tianhao's expression darkened. "Your strength… It is not something a cripple should possess." he commented.
The other elders nodded in agreement. They knew for sure they have he cornered.
Ye Bai knew this was coming. His sudden transformation was too drastic to ignore. The Ye Clan had already written him off as a failure, yet now he stood before them with power that defied logic.
One of the elders, Ye Zhen, narrowed his eyes. "Have you acquired an unorthodox technique? Or" his voice turned sharp, "have you colluded with demonic cultivators just to get stronger?"
The accusation hung in the air like a blade waiting to decend.
Ye Bai felt a flicker of cold amusement.
Demonic cultivators? The Ye Clan feared anything they did not understand or have control over them. His power was unlike anything they have ever seen before, and rather than acknowledge his potential, they would rather cast him out.
Typical.
Ye Bai tilted his head slightly. "Are you accusing me of treason, Elder Zhen?" he asked.
The old man stiffened at the direct challenge. "Answer the question you little brat." He replied.
Ye Bai remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"My power is my own, been a cripple doesn't mean an a fool. Have been training so hard, so take it or leave it, I don't care!"
He took a slow step forward, he gaze locked onto the elders.
"I was born into this clan. I have endured its scorn, its humiliation. When my meridians shattered, did any of you step forward to help me?" He asked.
The elders exchanged brief glances but said nothing.
"When I was beaten, did any of you step in to do anything or ask for an explanation?" He asked again.
Silence fill the air.
Ye Bai's smile widened. He had them wrap around his fingers now for the first time in years and it feels good.
"And now that I have finally gained the strength to stand up for myself, you come here… not to reward me, not to acknowledge me, but to slam me into the rocks, cause you all feel like that's were I belong, you have the nerval to demand explanations?" His voice turned sharp. "Do you fear me now are you now afraid of the person I might become?" He asked.
The air grew suffocatingly tense.
Ye Bai's words struck like knives, and many of the younger disciples in the crowd looked between each other, whispering.
"Ye Bai seems a bit different since he returned."
"Such confidence to speak back to the elders."
"I think I like him." Said one of the girls.
The elders had no response.
Elder Ye Tianhao studied him for a long moment before speaking again. "Then prove yourself, show us that you deserve the clan respect."
Without wasting much time elder Ye Tianhao raised his hand, and a disciple quickly stepped forward.
Ye Chen.
A young genius of the Ye Clan, already at the late stages of fourth rank of Qi Refinement. He was stronger, faster, and more experienced than Ye Bai had ever been.
Or rather… the old Ye Bai.
"If you have truly gained strength, then show it," elder Ye Tianhao said. "Defeat Ye Chen, and I will acknowledge your words. Lose—" his eyes gleamed coldly, "—and you will be expelled from the clan."
A collective gasp rippled through the gathered disciples.
Ye Bai only chuckled.
Expelled?
If they thought he needed this clan to walk the path of cultivation, they were fools.
Still, this was an opportunity for him to showcase his strength.
A chance to crush their doubts. A chance to send a message across to his father.
Ye Bai's eyes locked onto Ye Chen, who smirked arrogantly. "Don't think you're special just because you got lucky with those guys, cripple." He said at loud, while he stepped into a fighting ring. "I'll break you myself."
Ye Bai's body relaxed, his mind settling into a deadly calmness unlike anything he had ever seen or felt. He eyes omitted a faint pulsating green glow.