With a tremor of his longsword, the crimson stain upon it instantly scattered. Ye Wen intended to snatch up the scabbard and sheath his blade in one fluid motion, but the sword had been mishandled in his previous wild swings, and Wei Peng's claw strength was truly extraordinary. Not only was the edge now dull, but the entire blade had warped slightly.

Seeing this, Ye Wen knew it was due to the poor quality of the sword's forging. Especially the maneuver where he had used internal force to bend the blade—he’d drawn inspiration from the Wudang School’s Soft-Finger Swordplay. The opportunity had been perfect, and Wei Peng had been unprepared, allowing him to try it. However, this technique placed surprisingly high demands on the longsword, something not mentioned in the original texts, hence his oversight. The Seven Heroes of Wudang seemed to use standard-issue Wudang longswords; now it appeared those blades were also finely crafted weapons, unlike the ordinary swords of his own sect that could not withstand such usage.

As for the effect of the move, it was unexpectedly effective. If that single strike hadn't accidentally wounded Wei Peng, leading to subsequent errors in the following few exchanges, it would have been difficult for Ye Wen to defeat Wei Peng today, let alone kill him swiftly and cleanly. Of course, Wei Peng's repeated misjudgments were also a significant factor in his demise.

As for delivering a fatal blow on the spot to kill Wei Peng, this was not entirely a spontaneous decision by Ye Wen.

His Shushan Sect and the Tianle Gang were now irreconcilable enemies. Regardless of whether he won or Wei Peng won this battle, an intense fight would inevitably follow afterward to determine the victor.

Furthermore, Wei Peng's attacks throughout the fight were vicious and ruthless, stirring Ye Wen's anger. Seizing the opportunity presented by that moment, there was no reason to let him live. As for the consequences of killing Wei Peng—since a massive conflict with the Tianle Gang was inevitable anyway, eliminating two of their masters ahead of time counted as gaining the initiative.

Moreover, after today's contest, if Wei Peng had lived, the Tianle Gang would have gained a much more direct assessment of Ye Wen and the Shushan Sect. When they returned next time, they would certainly be prepared and bring numerous experts.

In that scenario, the fate of the Shushan Sect might be even more dire. Killing Wei Peng and Lu Tian, conversely, instilled caution in the enemy. Since the only two members of the Tianle Gang who had truly witnessed Ye Wen's skill and understood his true strength were now dead at Shushan, they would have to reinvest time in scouting the true capabilities of the Shushan Sect.

Simultaneously, with the sudden death of a Commander, the Pingzhou branch of the Tianle Gang would inevitably face a period of turmoil, or at the very least, require consultation with the main headquarters. This back-and-forth process would consume many more days.

Therefore, from every angle, dispatching those two immediately was beneficial to Ye Wen and the Shushan Sect. The only drawback was plunging headlong into an irreconcilable feud with the Tianle Gang—the kind where neither side would yield until one was annihilated. A fight, win or lose, with no fatalities, leaves room for reconciliation. But once lives are taken, there is no middle ground; it is either I destroy you or you destroy me.

However, Ye Wen cared nothing for this consequence. Ever since learning of the vile deeds the Tianle Gang conducted in secret—most importantly, actions involving people close to him—and then having them attack and injure his disciples, Ye Wen had already placed himself and the Shushan Sect in direct opposition to the Tianle Gang.

No matter how weak his own strength was, or how powerful the Tianle Gang, he never considered shifting his stance! Moreover, the Hushan Sect was determined to expel the Tianle Gang from Pingzhou, aligning them somewhat with the Shushan Sect as reliable allies who wouldn't stab him in the back. He stood holding his longsword for a moment longer, glancing at the crowd of onlookers who had gathered out of curiosity but were too frightened by Ye Wen's display to leave. That glance silenced the "suburban neighbors," causing many to suspect Ye Wen might intend to silence them all.

Having witnessed Ye Wen's formidable skills just moments ago, no one believed they could withstand a single move from him. For him, these dozens of people might just be a matter of waving a hand.

Furthermore, the Shushan Sect was not just Ye Wen. Today, they had also witnessed the martial arts of Ning Ruxue, who always stayed on the mountain and had never revealed her skills—that magical technique scattering sword shadows everywhere. They knew that if they faced it, they certainly wouldn't escape. Hadn't the swift-footed Lu Tian suffered an injury just trying to flee?

Even more telling, Lu Tian, who tried to escape using his superb lightness skill at the end, was finished off with a single sword stroke by the Young Master Xu, the one they had dismissed as an ordinary scholar merely passing time at the Shushan Sect. This had happened right before their eyes. Yet, from such a close distance, the onlookers only saw a flash of light, a blinding glare, and then Lu Tian's corpse lying on the ground, while the Young Master Xu's longsword performed a graceful flourish before sliding back into its sheath.

At that moment, most people realized that the flash of light had been Xu Xian’s sword! A small minority, however, still hadn't grasped what had happened; they just felt a blink, and Lu Tian, attempting to flee, had suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

A brave soul rushed over to turn Lu Tian’s body over, only to startle immediately upon doing so. Lu Tian lay there, eyes wide open, a deep yet thin gash on his throat bleeding profusely. Only then did the rest of the onlookers snap back to reality, realizing the Young Master Xu had ended Lu Tian’s life with a single thrust.

"Did you see that clearly?" "Are you joking? It was so fast, how could I possibly see it?"

Conversations like these slowly spread from near Lu Tian's body. Xu Xian, standing with his sword, enjoyed the attention, taking all their words as praise. Only when everyone realized, "This matter seems to have blown up today, what should I do?" and fell silent, did he turn around and start walking back.

Just as the crowd stood there unsure of what to do, Ye Wen’s voice descended like a decree from heaven:

"Today, my Shushan Sect has faced a great upheaval. Please forgive our inhospitality! We ask for your understanding regarding any discourtesy!"

"No blame, no blame, Sect Master Ye is busy, we shall depart immediately!"

Anyone who wouldn't take an obvious opportunity to exit was a fool. Hearing Ye Wen's words, everyone hastily responded, turned, and left as if staying another second would cost them their lives. In the blink of an eye, the entire group had vanished!

Seeing them all gone, Ye Wen let out a long breath and used the scabbard he had just picked up as a makeshift cane, leaning on it: "Another incident so soon. Luckily, this time no vital meridians were injured!"

Ye Wen’s final two strikes had been delivered with all his might; his internal qi was completely exhausted. His last sword stroke had even drained the last ounce of strength from his body to execute the chop. Moreover, encountering an opponent of comparable skill for the first time, the intense mental calculations had taxed him greatly. Now that everything was settled, a wave of exhaustion instantly washed over him.

Xu Xian was walking back when he saw his senior martial brother standing motionless. Recalling the various anomalies displayed when Ye Wen fought earlier, he already knew those were the effects of Ye Wen exerting his full Purple Cloud Skill. He assumed Ye Wen had once again misused his internal energy like in the previous few days, injuring himself, so he immediately rushed over to support Ye Wen: "Senior martial brother, are you alright?"

"No harm, just completely drained of internal energy, plus a bit of physical exhaustion!"

Ye Wen thought of Zhang Wuji after mastering the Nine Yang Divine Skill, who could fight groups of people consecutively without experiencing energy depletion or exhaustion. Yet, after this brief exchange—less than fifty moves in total—Ye Wen could barely stand.

One reason was that fully exerting the Purple Cloud Skill consumed a massive amount of internal essence. The second was that although his own internal cultivation had advanced rapidly, he still hadn't reached the level of a paramount master. More critically, without having opened the Ren and Du meridians, his internal energy wouldn't be inexhaustible like that of experts such as Zhang Wuji.

All these issues essentially boiled down to one fact: his cultivation was insufficient! The solution was clear: Ye Wen needed to master the Purple Cloud Divine Skill and open the Ren and Du meridians. Only then would he basically not need to fear a repeat of today’s situation in future conflicts. Otherwise, exhausting all his energy in a desperate effort only to fail to eliminate the opponent would leave him unable to even flee, forcing him to watch his own demise—a death too stifling to contemplate.

"Must strive harder! Harder! Even harder!"

Furthermore, formally breaking ties with the Tianle Gang, while gaining some time, offered at most half a year to a year before the Shushan Sect would have to face a full-scale confrontation. If he couldn't guarantee a further ascent in his cultivation, the Shushan Sect's chances of survival would be slim.

After all, having killed Wei Peng today, the Tianle Gang certainly wouldn't send a mere weakling to deal with him; at minimum, they would dispatch several experts comparable to Wei Peng to surround him—though this depended on whether the Tianle Gang chose to engage in a formal duel or simply swarm and kill.

Ye Wen estimated the Tianle Gang was unlikely to choose the direct slaughter route. The Tianle Gang was a well-known faction in the martial world; wiping out the Shushan Sect through sheer numbers would damage their reputation. The most probable course of action would be to send a superior master to engage the Shushan Sect head-on, defeating or killing him in a one-on-one confrontation to subsequently destroy Shushan. This would avenge their loss, eliminate a foe, and simultaneously restore the prestige diminished by Ye Wen’s earlier victory. The only way to counter this was for his own cultivation to advance further; all other stratagems were useless window dressing.

With so many compelling reasons, how could Ye Wen not redouble his efforts? He was already planning a new, practical training schedule, intending this time to rope in Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian. He could no longer afford to let these two develop freely; he urgently needed to boost both their strength.

He instructed disciples to dispose of the two corpses and clean the bloodstains from the main hall courtyard, while also ordering the mountain gates shut and patrols doubled. After completing these tasks, Ye Wen meditated briefly to recover before gathering everyone to discuss the day's events.

"...Sect Master Ye, was your action today perhaps excessive?"

Liu Qingfeng had held this question in for quite a while. When Ye Wen moved to cleave Wei Peng in two, he nearly shouted to stop him, but a slight hesitation meant Ye Wen had already struck Wei Peng dead. Afterward, when Xu Xian killed Lu Tian, Liu Qingfeng paid less attention, only wondering when this Young Master Xu had managed to position himself next to Lu Tian. Otherwise, given Lu Tian’s lightness skill, even injured, he shouldn't have been caught and killed instantly from such a distance by Xu Xian.

There was only one possibility: Xu Xian had moved silently, imperceptibly, to Lu Tian’s side, waiting only for Lu Tian’s attempt to flee before delivering the killing blow.

An old hand like him usually believed in leaving room for maneuver—perhaps preserving a sliver of hope! Thus, if Liu Qingfeng had been the one fighting Wei Peng today, even after winning, he wouldn't have killed him, but would have let him leave freely, fearing that future reconciliation might still be possible.

Therefore, he constantly wanted to ask Ye Wen why he showed no mercy and simply cut the man down, not even granting him a chance for ceremonial dialogue. Ye Wen shook his head: "I know what True Master Liu intends to say! But the conflict between us and the Tianle Gang is already set. What good would showing mercy do? If I let him leave today, would he not return tomorrow with others to trouble the Shushan Sect? Since we are already enemies, discussing this further is superfluous!"

As for buying the Shushan Sect more time to develop by exhausting the Tianle Gang—he saw no need to elaborate on this; he trusted Liu Qingfeng was astute enough to grasp such simple implications.

As expected, although Liu Qingfeng didn't entirely agree, he didn't consider the choice completely disastrous either. Especially after his battle with the Crimson Sun Divine Lord, his old mindset had shifted considerably. At least the Crimson Sun Divine Lord hadn't considered showing him any face; he had landed a solid palm strike directly on Liu Qingfeng's chest.

If the Divine Lord hadn't considered his status and decided against pursuing further after securing the advantage, Old Taoist Liu would likely have died long ago. Of course, the Divine Lord was confident that his Crimson Sun Fire energy was unsolvable by anyone except those skilled in the Ice Soul Chill Arts. Even with just a fraction entering Liu Qingfeng’s body, he didn't believe the old Taoist from Pingzhou could survive.

"If that is the case, Sect Master Ye must have made preparations to clash with the Tianle Gang!"

Ye Wen nodded: "The arrow is already on the bowstring; it must be loosed. The Tianle Gang initiated this conflict, and my Shushan Sect is not one to shy away from trouble! If they want to destroy Shushan, they must possess the capability!"

"It is good that Sect Master Ye has such resolve, but you must realize that by killing Wei Peng today, the Tianle Gang is likely to dispatch experts from their main headquarters!"

"Even so, those Tianle Gang masters won't arrive tomorrow. The journey across Danche will certainly take considerable time, and this period is enough for my Shushan Sect to make all necessary countermeasures!"

Saying this, Ye Wen glanced at Liu Qingfeng, subtly reminding the old Taoist that they were now in the same boat; shouldn't the Hushan Sect also show some support?

Liu Qingfeng wasn't dense. Moreover, the Tianle Gang already intended to deal with his Hushan Sect. Now that he had found such a strong ally in Shushan, how could he casually abandon them? Allow his ally to be destroyed by an old foe? Furthermore, Ye Wen had the intention of teaching him matters of martial arts. Liu Qingfeng immediately declared: "...Since that is so, this old man will return to Hushan tomorrow and instruct my senior martial brother to prepare properly. Since the Tianle Gang disregards our Pingzhou martial world, I shall let them know Pingzhou is not without true heroes!"

With the plan settled, Liu Qingfeng immediately took his disciple and withdrew, heading back to his room to pack his belongings, preparing to leave the mountain overnight to rush back to the Hushan Sect. He knew time was precious and could not be delayed further.

Once Liu Qingfeng departed, only Ye Wen, Ning Ruxue, and Xu Xian remained in the room. These three were now the highest-ranking members of the Shushan Sect, essentially the highest management echelon present.

If one strictly counted disciples by lineage, Yue Ning and Zhou Zhiruo should also be present, but Yue Ning was very young, and Ye Wen did not want this disciple involved in such serious matters so early. In another year, he planned to let Yue Ning observe how he handled sect affairs; for now, the boy should focus on his cultivation. As for Zhou Zhiruo? The little girl was even younger than Yue Ning; even if she heard, she wouldn't understand, so calling her would be useless. More importantly, neither Yue Ning nor Zhou Zhiruo was a dependable fighting force in the short term; it would take at least another six or seven years before he could rely on his two disciples to shoulder significant burdens.

"Among us senior and junior martial siblings, there is no need for empty pleasantries!"

Ye Wen’s opening immediately caused Ning Ruxue’s brows to knit high, as he spoke without any of the dignity expected of a Sect Master; he sounded more like a street rogue.

Unfortunately, Ye Wen had no inclination to consider Ning Ruxue's current impression. He continued: "Now, our Shushan Sect and the Tianle Gang are engaged in a deadly conflict, especially since Martial Brother Xu and I have killed two key figures of the Tianle Gang today. I expect the Tianle Gang will retaliate against us soon!"

Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian nodded; they had no doubt about this. If their own sect members had been killed, they too would seek revenge. However, they weren't afraid of this outcome, as the Tianle Gang had provoked them first. Setting aside the matter concerning Zhou Zhiruo, Xu Ping had very nearly lost his life tangibly. Therefore, justice was on the Shushan Sect’s side. Moreover, the contest today was initiated by the Tianle Gang; they struck first, so their masters deserved their fate for being inferior in skill.

"Let the Tianle Gang come for revenge! I want to see what capability they possess!"

Ning Ruxue feared nothing and no one. Having injured Lu Tian with her first move today and nearly crippling his arm, she had gained considerable self-confidence.

Xu Xian shared the same sentiment, nodding in agreement: "What Senior Sister says is right, we are not cowards! They want revenge? We shall meet them!"

Ye Wen nodded. He didn't mind their attitude; if they were both paralyzed by fear and unwilling to fight, he would have a much bigger headache. "However, after losing two masters, the Tianle Gang will certainly come prepared next time, sending at least one master stronger than Wei Peng! Therefore, we must be extremely cautious in our response!"

Hearing this, Ning Ruxue realized the situation was indeed difficult and asked: "Senior Martial Brother, what is your plan?"

"Starting tomorrow, all disciples will be recalled. I also plan to officially bring Xu Ping into the Inner Sect. Then, my senior sister and I must set aside time daily to properly train these disciples, aiming to boost their strength significantly in the shortest time possible!"

Ye Wen paused, then added: "Our own martial arts cannot lag behind either. We must intensify our training. Additionally, I will seriously consider if I can devise a suitable internal cultivation manual for you both. If not, you will practice the Purple Cloud Skill alongside me!"