Please advise

Seeing Li Yuntian and the others kneeling on the ground, Wei Zhuang's face lit up with satisfaction as he burst into hearty laughter. "Kneeling alone isn't quite enough to show sincerity!"

Li Yuntian and his companions clenched their jaws, their faces ashen, as they prostrated themselves, touching their foreheads to the ground. Their voices carried a tragic resolve as they pleaded, "Senior Brother Wei, please show mercy!"

Wei Zhuang's eyes narrowed, and his smile gradually faded. The loyalty and righteousness of Li Yuntian and the others had, even if only slightly, moved him.

"Wei Zhuang!" Su Mu swallowed a mouthful of blood. "Between you and me, this is a fight to the death!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Wei Zhuang's hands clenched together as he delivered a fierce blow to Su Mu's chest.

With a thunderous impact, Su Mu spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed into unconsciousness.

"Su Shao!" Li Yuntian and the others roared in fury, never expecting Wei Zhuang to break his word so brazenly in front of everyone.

"Don't let a single one of them escape!" Wei Zhuang ordered viciously as he stood over Su Mu, kicking him like a dead dog.

The disciples of Lingxiao Pavilion who had been confronting Li Yuntian and his group all sneered and rushed forward, demanding a duel.

Li Yuntian and his companions, seething with anger and with no outlet for their fury, accepted the challenge without hesitation.

This was no ordinary brawl; it was an all-out battle, each side facing off against predetermined opponents.

Wei Zhuang sneered, glancing at Li Yuntian and the others. "Anyone who dares to resist, beat them to death! If they die, it's on me!"

He was determined to teach Su Mu's followers a harsh lesson, showing them the consequences of choosing the wrong side.

Because Yang Kai was standing close to Li Yuntian and the others, one of Wei Zhuang's men noticed him and charged forward, giving his name without waiting for a response before launching an attack.

Yang Kai responded with a swift, thunderous kick to the man's stomach, sending him doubling over in pain.

The man's misfortune was his own doing. His strength was only at the Body Tempering stage, making him unqualified to challenge Yang Kai. Since he sought trouble, he had no one to blame but himself.

Amidst the chaos, Yang Kai slowly made his way toward Su Mu.

"Hmm?" Wei Zhuang narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Yang Kai with a hint of suspicion.

Wei Zhuang knew exactly how many people followed Su Mu and who they were, but he had never seen Yang Kai before. For a moment, he was unsure of Yang Kai's identity.

Yang Kai remained silent, his face cold as he knelt beside Su Mu to check his breathing. Finding that Su Mu was only unconscious, he felt a bit relieved.

"Who are you?" Wei Zhuang's displeasure was evident. He and Su Mu had personal grievances, yet this stranger dared to inspect Su Mu's condition right in front of him, as if Wei Zhuang didn't exist.

Yang Kai stood up and quietly met Wei Zhuang's gaze.

"Who are you?" Wei Zhuang repeated, his tone sharp and demanding.

"Trial Disciple Yang Kai, requesting guidance," Yang Kai said, clasping his hands in a formal challenge—this was the customary etiquette between disciples of Lingxiao Pavilion.

"Yang Kai?" Wei Zhuang was momentarily stunned before realization dawned on him. "So, you're the Yang Kai who's been making waves recently?"

"Not daring to claim as such, but if there's no one else by that name in the sect, then I suppose that's me."

"A joke! Just a mere trial disciple, and you dare challenge me! Do you even have the qualifications?" Wei Zhuang sneered.

"The sect's rules state that as long as the gap in strength between disciples is less than three levels, they are allowed to challenge each other."

"I'm at the Third Stage of the Opening Source Realm. What are you, some insignificant being?" Wei Zhuang scoffed. Trial disciples were those who had not yet broken through to the Opening Source Realm. If Yang Kai hadn't reached that realm, he would be far weaker than Wei Zhuang.

"I'm also at the Third Stage of the Opening Source Realm," Yang Kai replied calmly.

A murmur of disbelief spread through the crowd.

"That can't be right. Yang Kai's already at the Third Stage of the Opening Source Realm?"

"Wasn't it said that he took three years to reach the Third Stage of the Body Tempering Realm? Did he misspeak, or did I mishear?"

"Strange, when he challenged me just a few weeks ago, he was only at the Eighth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm. How could he have reached this level so quickly?"

The murmurs were filled with doubt and confusion.

Wei Zhuang also scrutinized Yang Kai with suspicion, wondering if he was telling the truth. If Yang Kai had already reached the Opening Source Realm, why was he still a trial disciple?

He had no way of knowing that Yang Kai had only broken through the previous night, and had done so by jumping directly from the Ninth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm to his current level.

"Do I now have the qualification to challenge you?" Yang Kai asked, his eyes gleaming with a hint of ferocity.

"If you indeed have that strength, then you do qualify," Wei Zhuang nodded, sneering. "If you aren't afraid of dying, that is!"

"I hope you won't fear death either," Yang Kai replied coldly.

"How arrogant!" Wei Zhuang was furious, thinking that with his protective treasure, even a top-tier Opening Source Realm warrior couldn't break through his defenses. He was practically invincible, so how could someone at the Third Stage hope to defeat him?

"Come, I'll let you take a swing!" Wei Zhuang taunted, beckoning Yang Kai with a smirk.

Yang Kai didn't hesitate, rushing forward and delivering a powerful punch directly to Wei Zhuang's chest.

The scorching True Yang energy surged forth, but instead of injuring Wei Zhuang, it backfired, causing Yang Kai to stagger back several steps, his fist burning red from the recoil.

"Hah! Overestimating yourself!" Wei Zhuang's arrogance grew even more pronounced. But his gloating was cut short as he noticed something strange—Yang Kai's eyes had turned crimson, and a fierce wave of energy radiated from him, carrying an intense heat.

There was no sign of retreat or fear in those eyes, only a wild, uncontainable excitement. It was as if he were a beast, eyes locked on his prey, moments away from pouncing.

A sudden unease gripped Wei Zhuang, but before he could react, Yang Kai had already lunged at him, a drop of Yang Liquid forming at his fingertip, transforming into a razor-thin, blood-red blade.

With a flash of red light and a soft tearing sound, Yang Kai and Wei Zhuang passed each other in a blur.

Wei Zhuang felt a sudden tightness in his abdomen and looked down, his heart sinking as he screamed in terror, "My Embroidered Cloud Armor!"

This close-fitting armor was a mid-tier Mortal Grade defensive treasure, not of the highest grade, but perfectly suited for a warrior of Wei Zhuang's level. The Grand Elder had gifted it to him, with the assurance that no ordinary Opening Source Realm warrior could break its defense unless they used a powerful offensive technique.

Yet now, in just one exchange, this treasured armor had been slashed open by a mere Third Stage Opening Source Realm trial disciple.

What kind of weapon had he used just now? Was that blood-red blade also a treasure? And of an even higher grade than the Embroidered Cloud Armor? If not, how could it have had such a terrifying effect?