Ye Wen gazed upon a face he knew he wouldn't soon forget—it was Zhang Gui, the very man who had struck him so hard on the day of his transmigration. A silent thought crossed his mind: "He's finally here. Picked quite the timing, too."

Indeed, the hall was packed, with everyone focused on the initiation ceremony of the Shu Mountain Sect. Suddenly, the Zheng Quan Gate burst in with a contingent of men, and a single sharp cry of "Wait!" drew every eye toward them. It was certainly a grand entrance, commanding immediate attention.

Yet, in Ye Wen’s estimation, the greater the spectacle now, the harder the inevitable fall would be later.

"I wonder what Brother Zhang wishes to discuss with me?" Ye Wen offered a brief, perfunctory bow—just enough to satisfy basic etiquette. Though he knew the man was here to disrupt the proceedings, he maintained a facade of politeness. However, the gesture was loose, barely more than a casual lift of the hand.

Zhang Gui paid the gesture little mind and responded casually, "Brother Ye is too kind. But for re-establishing your sect, how is it you failed to send word to Brother Zhang? The Shu Mountain Sect... tsk~ Quite a fine name, indeed." The words sounded superficially courteous, but beneath them lay an accusation: Ye Wen had brazenly reinstated his sect, using a name so similar to the old one—a subtle shift of one character notwithstanding—which they viewed as a profound insult.

But Zhang Gui wasn't finished. He followed up with an expression of utter contempt, sneering at Ye Wen: "I've long heard Brother Ye is well-read, a rare talent on Scholar Mountain. I didn't believe it before, but now I see. Is this what is meant by the wisdom of a scholar?"

Ye Wen allowed the torrent of Zhang Gui's scorn to wash over him before finally replying, "The Zheng Quan Gate seized the banner of the Scholar Mountain Sect. That was due to my inferiority in skill; I concede that loss. But whether I use the name Shu Mountain Sect is not for the Zheng Quan Gate to dictate."

There was no fault in Ye Wen's statement. He had indeed not simply resurrected the Scholar Mountain Sect. No matter the similarity, the Shu Mountain Sect was a distinct entity. The Zheng Quan Gate's true intention was to mock Ye Wen for his shamelessness, hoping that if he still retained any sense of martial honor, he would abandon these 'crooked means.' Once they had established his lack of honor, they planned to crush both Ye Wen and his new sect in one blow.

But Ye Wen refused to play their game; concepts like martial face were temporarily secondary concerns. He was starting from scratch with a small establishment, and he could afford to lose a little skin. Furthermore, using the name Shu Mountain Sect was legally sound. If the Zheng Quan Gate insisted on arguing the point, they could argue until the next year and never reach a conclusion.

Zhang Gui wasn't a fool and grasped these realities quickly. He understood that the matter would likely have to be settled by strength. He was immensely confident in his martial prowess, especially when facing a former subordinate he had bested before.

He had heard prior intelligence that Ye Wen's skills had vastly improved, with rumors circulating that he had defeated Yu Dahai with a single palm strike. Zhang Gui only half-believed these reports. He thought Ye Wen defeating Yu Dahai might be true, but claiming he forced him to vomit blood in one move sounded like exaggerated tavern gossip. He absolutely refused to believe Ye Wen could have become that formidable in such a short span.

Seeing Zhang Gui lapse into silence, Ye Wen smiled faintly. "May I ask the purpose of Brother Zhang's visit? If it is merely to observe the ceremony, please take a seat to the side. We of the Shu Mountain Sect will certainly treat our guests well. If, however, you have come to cause trouble... Hmph. We of the Shu Mountain Sect are not ones to shy away from conflict."

Ye Wen’s insistent use of "Shu Mountain Sect" served as a clear reminder: whether they acknowledged it or not, his peak was established, and today’s ceremony would proceed. If the Zheng Quan Gate objected, they would settle it with a test of strength.

Before Zhang Gui could respond to Ye Wen's declaration, a Zheng Quan Gate disciple behind him suddenly interjected, "Ye Wen, what arrogance! Do you regard my Zheng Quan Gate as nothing?"

Ye Wen spared the man a dismissive glance and asked, "And what are you? Do you presume to speak to me? An ignorant whelp who doesn't know his place." Ye Wen was deliberately mocking the disciple for interrupting the conversation between the leaders, implying the lesser man showed contempt for Zhang Gui himself by speaking out of turn.

The retort left the man pale and speechless, uncertain how to reply.

Ye Wen gave him no chance to recover, turning directly back to Zhang Gui. "Brother Zhang’s subordinate seems rather ill-mannered. Is this how things are conducted in the Zheng Quan Gate? Must I educate this fellow on proper conduct on your behalf?"

These words were serious, and even Zhang Gui's expression darkened. Yet, admitting that the Zheng Quan Gate lacked discipline was impossible. He could only respond through gritted teeth, "Brother Ye need not trouble himself; I will handle this matter."

He barely finished speaking when a sharp whistle sliced through the air near his ear, immediately followed by a stifled groan from behind him. When he turned, the disciple who had spoken without permission was already kneeling, clutching his chest, struggling for breath. Then he heard the soft thud of metal striking stone. Looking down, he saw an ordinary copper coin spinning lazily on the ground, coming to rest only when it bumped against his left foot.

"A copper coin?"

Zhang Gui stared in disbelief at the plain coin by his foot, then back at his subordinate gasping for air, his pupils constricting sharply. "To render someone breathless with just a coin? What kind of strength is that?" Zhang Gui suddenly understood: "His internal energy cultivation must be far beyond mine."

He turned back to Ye Wen, who stood there with the same faint smile. Everyone present had clearly witnessed Ye Wen incapacitate a Zheng Quan Gate disciple with nothing more than a tossed coin. Though it had an element of surprise, the onlookers would struggle to take down a single man with even a handful of throwing darts, let alone a single copper piece.

Ye Wen stood still, neither pleased nor dismayed, his composure making it seem as if defeating a man with a coin was an entirely unremarkable event. Inside, however, Ye Wen was secretly thrilled, thinking: The coin-tossing technique I learned from my Junior Sister when I was bored really pays off.

It turned out that after Ning Ruxue nearly caused him significant trouble using a coin to strike his pressure points, Ye Wen had taken time to ask his Junior Sister how she mastered such a projectile technique.

He later learned that his casual mention of the Qian Kun Yi Zhi (Heaven and Earth Toss) martial art had piqued Ning Ruxue’s interest, prompting her to research coin-throwing for combat alongside her sword practice. After more than half a year of focused effort, she had indeed managed to glean some insight. When Ye Wen asked her about it that day, she simply passed the knowledge along to her Senior Brother. The technique itself held no profound mystery, only requiring tedious practice.

Ye Wen had tried it a couple of times after learning it, but his accuracy could never match Ning Ruxue’s; even aiming at a static target, he couldn't guarantee hitting the exact pressure point. However, in terms of sheer throwing power, Ye Wen, whose internal energy was already substantially developed, far surpassed Ning Ruxue.

Furthermore, Ye Wen understood basic human physiology. He had precisely timed the man's breathing frequency, waited for the moment he inhaled fully, channeled all his internal force, and launched the coin. It struck his chest exactly at the peak of inhalation, resulting in the dramatic effect.

But how could outsiders decipher the subtle mechanics within? Everyone simply assumed Ye Wen possessed such profound power that even a casual strike was devastating. Many who had doubted whether coming to ally with the Shu Mountain Sect today was a mistake were now reassured, deciding they had chosen correctly.

Yue Hang, seated nearby, felt the same way. While he had never doubted his decision, witnessing Ye Wen display such a skill firsthand settled an extra layer of assurance in his heart.

While Ye Wen’s demonstration solidified his enmity with the Zheng Quan Gate, it successfully calmed the nerves of his supporters. It was not a wasted display; the effect was significant.

The Zheng Quan Gate side, however, was far from pleased. A burly man standing to Zhang Gui’s right roared, "Ye Wen, do you truly believe my Zheng Quan Gate is so easily bullied?"

Ye Wen retorted casually, "Or do you believe my Shu Mountain Sect is so easily trampled? And who might you be? Does the Zheng Quan Gate truly lack all sense of order, with disciples always rushing to speak?"

The man’s face flushed crimson with anger as he bellowed, "I am Shi Cui, an Executive of the Zheng Quan Gate!"

Ye Wen finally understood: Zhang Gui was not the sole leader present today, as Zhang Gui himself held the rank of Executive within the sect.

The Zheng Quan Gate consisted of one Gate Master, one Deputy Master, and below them, four Executives. Zhang Gui was one of them, holding a rank second only to the top two leaders. Since Shi Cui also claimed the rank of Executive, his standing was equal to Zhang Gui’s.

"Ah, Executive Shi, my apologies for the oversight," Ye Wen offered, though his expression conveyed zero respect. It was a cursory greeting, no different from the acknowledgment given to the lesser Zheng Quan Gate disciple he had dismissed earlier.

This was intolerable to Shi Cui, who already believed his status granted him immense authority and was already on the verge of explosion. He immediately stepped forward, cursing, "Insolent whelp, looking down on others! Today, I, Shi Cui, will show you my might!"

Before his shout had even faded, he rushed forward several steps, arriving before Ye Wen. He flicked his left fist in a deceptive move to dazzle the eye, immediately following up with a straight punch from his right hand, executing the Lesser Zheng Quan strike, one of the Zheng Quan Gate’s two core boxing forms.

Shi Cui intended to demonstrate his power instantly, relying on his ultimate move to either kill the arrogant youth on the spot or, at the very least, inflict grievous injury. After all, everyone in the Zheng Quan Gate knew that Ye Wen had been defeated by Zhang Gui in just a few moves half a year ago, and Zhang Gui hadn't even used his full strength then.

Shi Cui, whose rank mirrored Zhang Gui's, certainly didn't believe Ye Wen could withstand his full-force punch. But what happened next left him utterly dumbfounded.

Just as his fist was about to connect with Ye Wen, Ye Wen swept his left hand, slapped with his right, neutralizing the full impact of the blow. He then smoothly drew his left hand in and used the momentum to drive a strike toward Shi Cui’s own body.