Going all out for rank promotion tonight; asking for votes. Second update at 8 AM tomorrow.

Third update at 6 PM tomorrow. －－－－－－－ That imposing young disciple wielding a saber was Xu Zhi, a notably outstanding third-rate master among the outer hall's younger disciples.

After a fierce battle, he appeared thoroughly exhausted, yet adhering strictly to the rules of the martial world, he reversed his grip on the saber, cupped his fists, and proudly saluted the outer hall disciples cheering him on. Amidst their roar of celebration, he stepped off the dueling ground.

A young woman from the outer hall disciples rushed forward, quickly wiping the sweat from his brow with a kerchief, looking extremely solicitous of him. Xu Zhi smiled, his face radiating happiness.

Feng Xiao sat half-slumped, straddling a treetop, watching Xu Zhi receive the cheers and the woman's concern, feeling distinctly ill at ease. With a sour grimace, he pursed his lips: "Two brutes, all they know is waving sabers and swords around.

What's so great about that? Let them try to chop me; we'll see which one of them can land a blow!" Ye Qin, hearing Feng Xiao's acid-tinged words, secretly found it amusing, knowing this was his usual temperament, and didn't say much.

The disciples in the inner hall of the Medicine Gathering Hall wore increasingly grim expressions. Including this latest defeat, they had now lost a total of fourteen matches, leaving only the very last one.

Cao Yu'an, the leading inner hall disciple, immediately lashed out at the injured, thin young man: "Kong Hao, what is the meaning of this? You were defeated so quickly!

Didn't I tell you to stall for time, to hold out longer and wear down his stamina? Another loss!

Only one match remains." The injured, thin young man, enduring the pain while having medicine applied, retorted angrily at the reprimand: "Cao Yu'an, why don't you go up yourself?! You and your brothers started today's mess.

If we weren't cleaning up your mess, who would be here competing!" He, too, was an inner hall disciple, and while his family background wasn't quite on par with the Cao family, it wasn't far behind; he certainly didn't need to defer to Cao Yu'an. Cao Yu'an was so furious he couldn't speak.

Seeing the inner and outer hall disciples start bickering, the outer hall disciples began to jeer, shouting loudly, demanding that Cao Yu'an take the stage for the final match. Ye Qin observed that this skirmish between the inner and outer halls was nearing its end, deciding to watch the final bout before departing.

At this moment, Ye Qin's expression subtly shifted. He turned to look behind him.

He heard the sound of a group of more than ten people approaching rapidly, leaping through the air from several hundred paces away. Moreover, judging by their steady, deep breaths and their uniformly precise movements, they were clearly a tier above every single inner and outer hall disciple present—the lowest among them must be at least second-rate masters.

Feng Xiao’s face also changed dramatically. Though his hearing was far inferior to Ye Qin's, sitting high in the treetop gave him a commanding view, and he distinctly spotted the appearance of the swiftly approaching martial experts.

"The Enforcement Squad! Trouble, the Enforcement Squad is here.

And it's Senior Brother Xie Yun, the Captain of the Enforcement Squad, leading the vanguard! Outer hall brothers, run!

Don't let them catch you!" Feng Xiao shouted down from the treetop, then flipped himself off the branch, unleashing his movement technique to flee. Feng Xiao’s mastery of Qinggong (lightness skill) was considered quite superior among the disciples; in just a few blinks, he was already over ten zhang away.

The entire grassy dueling ground instantly descended into chaos. "Didn't the inner hall guys say the Enforcement Squad was on a mission today and couldn't interfere with our sparring?

Those sons of—they lied to us!" Hearing the warning, the outer hall disciples panicked and scattered like startled birds, fleeing in all directions. They weren't afraid of the ordinary inner hall disciples.

But they were terrified of the Enforcement Squad. The Enforcement Squad consisted entirely of core disciples from the Medicine Gathering Hall, individuals truly hailing from powerful, influential families.

They had studied the highest-level martial arts of the Hall since childhood, existing solely to pursue supreme martial prowess, making them incomparable to the idle, wealthy disciples of the inner hall. Even some of the inner hall disciples paled and grew flustered upon hearing that Senior Brother Xie Yun, Captain of the Enforcement Squad, was leading the team.

This Senior Brother Xie Yun was no ordinary figure. He was the direct disciple of the Medicine Gathering Hall Master, the Great Benefactor Li (full text at ??, located at ar.16k.(16k..wen.?W?), currently twenty-seven years old.

He had been stationed at the Hall’s critical location, the Secret Manual Chamber of the Scripture Repository, for a decade or two, immersing himself in practicing peerless skills and poring over thousands of martial arts manuals. His understanding of various fighting methods was profound, and he occasionally offered guidance to entry-level disciples on their training.

Furthermore, his martial talent was exceptionally keen, and his temperament exceedingly steady. He was the only young disciple in the entire Medicine Gathering Hall to undertake secluded cultivation in the Scripture Repository for ten or twenty years straight, earning him the reputation as the leading expert among the younger generation disciples of the Hall.

He was also implicitly viewed as the future head of the Medicine Gathering Hall faction cultivated in Zhuqi County Town, commanding immense prestige among the youth. He had always held the position of Chief Enforcer, but usually remained in the Secret Manual Chamber for quiet study, not personally intervening.

It was only because the recent preparations for the Medicine Assembly had strained manpower that he was temporarily pulled from the Scripture Repository to maintain martial order among the wandering martial artists outside Zhuqi County Town. Five or six years prior, when Ye Qin, Yang Yichen, Feng Xiao, and a group of forty to fifty herb-gathering and pill-making apprentices first entered the sect, the secret manuals they learned were personally selected and distributed by this very Xie Yun.

Almost all the newly grown young disciples of the inner and outer halls of the Medicine Gathering Hall had received cultivation guidance from Senior Brother Xie Yun; seeing him naturally instilled a degree of fear, let alone engaging in martial combat before him. The two or three dozen disciples from the inner hall grew agitated.

"Cao Yu'an, didn't you say you invited Senior Brother Zhao Ming to come here as the enforcer to disrupt this competition for us? How did it turn into Senior Brother Xie Yun leading the team?" "I—I don't know what happened either!

I specifically asked Senior Brother Zhao Ming, and he promised me he would personally lead the team. How was I supposed to know he'd back out?" Cao Yu'an was dumbfounded, unable to offer an explanation when questioned urgently by Zhou Hui Liu.

Seeing his blank look, Zhou Hui Liu quickly urged, "Forget figuring it out now, let's run! Senior Brother Xie Yun is famous for turning on people and showing no mercy, equally harsh to brothers in both the inner and outer halls.

If we get caught, we're guaranteed a beating! Hurry, let's go!" With that, they and the gathered inner hall disciples fled in terror.

In the distance, the sound of cloth snapping in the wind announced the arrival of a squad of over ten finely-dressed Enforcement Squad disciples who soared through the woods, landing in unison on the grassy field. Each bore a cold expression, swords strapped to their backs, moving with swift, clean efficiency—a testament to disciplined training.

The Enforcement Squad Captain, Xie Yun, stepped forward, sweeping a cold gaze over the hall disciples scurrying like mice. His face grim, he barked, "The Medicine Gathering Hall has reiterated its rules repeatedly, strictly forbidding internal disciples from private fighting.

Yet so many disciples dare to openly violate the Hall's regulations, treating them as nothing! Enforcement Squad, seize them immediately!

Take them back for severe punishment; do not let a single one escape—!" "Yes!" The Enforcement Squad members roared in unison and immediately spread out, moving to apprehend the disciples of the Medicine Gathering Hall who were participating in this unauthorized brawl and were currently fleeing. Ye Qin, currently hidden in the canopy of a dense tree, held his breath, observing everything coldly.

He had never learned Qinggong, and his Wind Riding Technique had only just been acquired; he hadn't mastered it well enough to run exceptionally fast, making him easily catchable. Therefore, he chose to conceal himself within the woods, intending to wait until all the fleeing sect disciples and the pursuing Enforcement Squad members had left before he made his move.

However, while the ordinary disciples had indeed scattered like birds, and the enforcement disciples had given chase, Senior Brother Xie Yun remained standing motionless on the grass, hands clasped behind his back, as steady as an ancient mountain, showing no inclination to leave.