Chapter 44: Such a Powerful Scarlet Fire Technique

The young master was clearly signaling to the entire Yunhe Sect that he intended to target the Ziyun Hall! But who could do anything about it?

Even Hall Master Chu inexplicably sided with him. Perhaps he was aligning himself with the young master's promising future in advance, or maybe… he had been bribed.

Regardless! Now standing on the martial stage, facing Yu Mu, whose face exuded an air of calm detachment, Ye Tian clenched his teeth so hard they were about to shatter.

"Senior Brother, must you really go this far? Do you not realize how proud our master has always been? By doing this, where are you placing him?"

Ye Tian's voice was absurdly loud, immediately taking the moral high ground as he pointed fingers and gestured at Yu Mu.

Then, Yu Mu casually flicked his sleeve. "Instead of playing these petty tricks, why not show your true strength and let me see how much you've improved?"

Ye Tian's words did provoke some indignation among the disciples. After all, in the righteous path, respecting one's teacher and honoring tradition were core values. But Ye Tian... had once been affected by demonic energy and had repeatedly been suppressed by Yu Mu.

At this point in time, Ye Tian didn't hold much authority or trust among the disciples.

Even if he did—if no one in the sect understood or supported him—what difference would it make?

Yu Mu didn't care. If he still concerned himself with things that didn't matter, wouldn't he just be repeating his old mistakes?

"That's right. Senior Brother makes a valid point."

A spiritual sword appeared in Ye Tian's hand. In just a short period of time, his cultivation had already broken through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm! And it was incredibly refined! Setting aside luck, his talent was truly on par with Yu Mu's.

"Even if I lose today, if I were to surrender without a fight, what would be the point of pursuing the pinnacle? What would be the point of being a cultivator? Without progress, wouldn't this path of cultivation be far too dull?"

Taking three steps forward, Ye Tian suddenly relaxed his clenched jaw. A smile reappeared on his face, and an unshakable confidence radiated from his brow.

"Senior Brother, please enlighten me."

As he pointed his sword at Yu Mu, the overwhelming battle intent emanating from him shocked everyone! To dare draw one's sword against a stronger opponent was itself an act of courage and certainly not something a weakling could do.

"Very well."

Yu Mu raised his demonic spear named *Heaven's Inquiry*. Since Ye Tian was so eager for battle, Yu Mu decided to give him a little more discomfort—it wouldn't hurt.

"Purple God!"

A gust of wind surged as Ye Tian roared! A brilliant purple light flashed across his eyes, and his aura instantly skyrocketed! Such momentum was already beyond what an ordinary late-stage Golden Core cultivator could match!

The *Purple God Technique*, perfected by the ancient spirit cat, far surpassed the original version held by Fairy Zi Li. It even rivaled Yu Mu's *Nine Departures Demonic Heart Technique*.

In Ye Tian's early days, it was precisely this technique that gave him the power to challenge opponents above his level.

Majestic purple energy surged upward. Beneath its glow, Ye Tian's eyes turned into vertical pupils. As he stomped down again, cracks appeared on the martial stage, and dust swirled around!

"Break!!"

"Boom!!"

The sword energy unleashed was truly astonishing! It engulfed the entire martial stage, completely obscuring Yu Mu's figure. Ye Tian attacked with full force from the very beginning! This single strike could likely challenge a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

But before anyone could recover from their shock, a black light swept through. With indescribable force, Ye Tian was sent flying several meters away. His spiritual sword was knocked out of his hand…

A sound like shattered glass echoed as a column of spiritual energy condensed into a beam over ten feet tall and struck directly at Ye Tian from above!

The terrifying energy tore apart Ye Tian's already impressive sword aura until nothing remained but a gentle breeze.

Ye Tian was forced to one knee as searing blood spilled from his mouth.

"Slap!"

No one saw how Yu Mu moved. A loud slap resounded next to Ye Tian's ear before dissipating. As stars danced before Ye Tian's eyes in broad daylight, he realized that slap had landed squarely behind his ear—and it sent him flying off the martial stage…

In this lifetime and at this moment in time, Yu Mu wasn't burdened by earth vein energy. He wasn't frantically trying to prove his innocence while being ostracized by everyone. Nor had he been imprisoned in Thunder Prison and lost his cultivation.

He now had resources fully supplied by Yun Buqi, ample time for cultivation, and—despite having similar talent—a few extra years of accumulated foundation compared to Ye Tian.

If not for Ye Tian possessing a *Ten Lives Divine Ability*, making him more unpredictable while hidden in the shadows, Yu Mu could have easily ended one of Ye Tian's lives as effortlessly as killing a chicken.

"Hm?"

However, Yu Mu found something unexpected.

Where was the demonic energy? His strike had been precise enough! The ancient spirit cat's presence wasn't stable—it should have been forced out by such forceful contact!

"Senior Brother… I won't… fall for the same mistake twice."

Still lying below the martial stage with blood at the corner of his mouth, Ye Tian turned his head toward Yu Mu. The smugness in his eyes made it seem as though *he* were the victor. Then… he passed out completely.

At that moment, Yu Mu noticed faint traces of demonic energy still lingering on Ye Tian—but buried deep within… hidden in his sea of consciousness?

What a clever little fox.

"Victory goes to Yu Mu of Xingyun Hall!"

As Hall Master Chu announced the result, an uproar erupted throughout the arena! Strong! Incredibly strong! Who knew spiritual energy could be used like that?!

And yet Ye Tian wasn't someone to be underestimated either. If not for Yu Mu's extraordinary abilities today, no one among Yunhe Sect's younger generation—including those prodigies traveling abroad—could have matched him.

"Ahem… Next match."

Hall Master Chu had already given up trying to save face after drawing Yu Mu four times in a row for matches. At this point, there wasn't even any dignity left to lose—it was all gone.

But Yu Mu had offered far too much! No choice but to report this matter to Elder Yun—this kid might have stolen money from their master; otherwise, how could anyone feel at ease taking it?

"The next match: Yu Mu of Xingyun Hall versus Inner Sect Disciple Xiao Jiji! Begin!"

The crowd fell silent again as Xiao Jiji nervously stepped onto the stage and bowed awkwardly: "Y-y-young Master… Xiao Jiji… humbly requests your guidance…"

"Xiao Jiji?" A peculiar look flashed through Yu Mu's clear eyes. "That's quite a name."

"T-thank you for your praise…"

Seeing that Yu Mu seemed approachable today, Xiao Jiji breathed a sigh of relief. That spiritual energy beam earlier… if it hit him even once—he'd definitely die!

Still… sharing a stage with Young Master today counted as an honor! Surely he wouldn't outright kill him—he couldn't possibly be *that* ruthless… right?

With that thought easing his mind slightly: "My father named me Xiao Jiji with hopes that I'd dedicate myself to cultivation and commemorate my future aspirations."

"Hmm. It is indeed a good name. You may begin." Yu Mu gave a lazy smile while glancing at Ziyun Hall's three true disciples whose faces remained grim.

This Xiao Jiji… merely at early-stage Golden Core cultivation? Sigh… The Northwest sects couldn't compare to those in Zhongzhou—or even to those chaotic ones in Demon Territory.

What exactly had he been holding onto back then?

"Well then… Young Master… Xiao Jiji humbly apologizes for any offense."

Summoning all his courage, Xiao Jiji unleashed his strongest technique: Scarlet Fire Technique! As flames surged into being—Yu Mu's figure instantly flew backward offstage as though struck!

Amidst stunned silence and countless dropped jaws across the arena—Yu Mu clapped with a smile.

"What an impressive Scarlet Fire Technique. I admit defeat."