The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, failing to recall those two names. Back when Yan Yefei and Li Juan were in the Yitian Sect, they were utterly insignificant. As the top disciple of the Yitian Sect, this middle-aged man's primary focus was dedicated cultivation; naturally, he paid little mind to the sect's most marginal disciples.

"Senior Brother, they are the two disciples who stayed in our Yitian Sect for a time, don't you remember?"

Zhao Hailiang realized the middle-aged man didn't recall Yan Yefei and Li Juan and grew somewhat anxious. He quickly pressed again, saying, "Please think harder, they are the two who left our Yitian Sect just before I was accepted as a disciple by the Master!"

After Zhao Hailiang’s reminder, the middle-aged man seemed to recall something. He frowned, concentrating intently for a moment, then suddenly paused, finally remembering who Zhao Hailiang was referring to.

Although he didn't know Yan Yefei and Li Juan personally, he did remember that two disciples with special physiques had voluntarily left the Yitian Sect shortly before Zhao Hailiang became a disciple. He seemed to recall their names were indeed Yan Yefei and Li Juan.

"Oh, are they those two possessing one of the Five Great Special Cultivation Physiques?"

"Yes, yes, those are them!"

The middle-aged man immediately asked, and Zhao Hailiang nodded repeatedly, quickly adding, "They are the ones with the Du'e Physique and the Yingmei Physique. They are currently disciples at that Medical Saint Martial Sect!"

Seeing that his Senior Brother had finally remembered those two, Zhao Hailiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then added, "Disciple suspects that the person from the Medical Saint Martial Sect who dared to belittle our Yitian Sect must be connected to these two. It seems that after they joined that Medical Saint Martial Sect, they have been constantly disparaging our Yitian Sect, which is why their people are speaking so wildly and looking down on us so much!"

"Although those two are no longer disciples of our Yitian Sect, they did spend time here after all. The fact that we didn't pursue the crime of them leaving the Yitian Sect to join another faction back then was already generous enough, but if they truly acted this way, we cannot let it go!"

The middle-aged man snorted coldly, took a step forward, then turned to look at Zhao Hailiang, saying displeasedly, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and lead the way, take me to see who exactly is so insolent as to slander my Yitian Sect!"

"Yes, yes. Senior Brother, I'll take you right away!"

Zhao Hailiang snapped back to reality. He suddenly felt that the swelling on half his face no longer hurt. He quickly strode a few steps ahead, exiting the tent first, even lifting the tent flap for his Senior Brother behind him, fawning solicitously, "Senior Brother, this way, please!"

"Hmph, useless trash, truly embarrassing our Yitian Sect!"

Muttering under his breath, the middle-aged man stepped out of the tent, following behind Zhao Hailiang.

Although he heard the middle-aged man’s murmurs, Zhao Hailiang felt no anger. Instead, he rejoiced inwardly. His Senior Brother’s current cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the second level of Inner Strength, whereas that little girl who dared to hit him looked like she was only at the early stage of the second level. With Senior Brother intervening, she would certainly receive a harsh lesson, allowing him to exact his revenge!

The time elapsed between Zhao Hailiang leaving and returning with the middle-aged man, the top disciple of the Yitian Sect, was not long. In front of Zhang Yang and the others' tents, it seemed as if nothing had changed from just moments before.

However, upon seeing Zhao Hailiang leading the middle-aged man over, the disciples who did not belong to the Yitian Sect immediately dispersed, retreating even further. They then fixed their gazes on the middle-aged man behind Zhao Hailiang. These disciples from smaller factions dared not offend the top disciple of the Yitian Sect; their true intention was to stand far back and watch the drama unfold.

As for the junior disciples of the Yitian Sect whom Zhao Hailiang had specifically instructed to keep watching Qu Meilan and the others, upon seeing the middle-aged man, they instantly straightened up, then slightly bowed their heads and paid compliments: "Martial Uncle!"

Their voices were synchronized, clearly well-trained, suggesting that formal requirements were also very strict within the Yitian Sect, as these junior disciples obeyed them meticulously.

"Hmm."

Having established his posture, the middle-aged man evidently enjoyed this feeling. He nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then turned his gaze toward Zhang Yang’s tent, spotting Yan Yefei and Li Juan standing nearby.

He wasn't entirely clear about Yan Yefei and Li Juan, but their possession of the Du'e Physique and Yingmei Physique was certainly not unfamiliar to him.

In the history of the Yitian Sect, there was once a Sect Master who had cultivated to the late stage of the third level of Inner Strength before the age of forty. He was on the verge of breaking through, but unfortunately, at the critical juncture of advancement, he became careless, suffered Qi Deviation, and tragically perished, becoming a major regret in the Yitian Sect’s history.

For him, who had grown up in the Yitian Sect, this story was well-known, making him deeply wary of the inner demons encountered during cultivation. The most famous aspect of the Du'e Physique was that cultivation proceeded much more smoothly, with significantly fewer heart tribulations and disasters compared to others. Back then, when he learned a new disciple possessed such a physique, he felt intensely jealous.

However, he later heard that the two were abandoned by the sect and left to their own devices because they were too old and had missed the optimal period for cultivation, so he hadn't thought much more of it.

Now, seeing these two again, and hearing from Zhao Hailiang that they had reached the mid-stage of the first level of Inner Strength, it indicated that the Medical Saint Martial Sect had at least found a way to allow them to cultivate anew. Without dwelling too much on why they could cultivate again, the middle-aged man frowned. The jealousy he once felt towards them, knowing they wouldn't have to worry about Qi Deviation in the future, resurfaced uncontrollably.

"Hailiang, you say they hit you?"

In the presence of Yan Yefei and Li Juan, the middle-aged man turned to Zhao Hailiang and asked. His voice boomed, audible to everyone nearby.

Qu Meilan and Mi Xue on the side also noticed the middle-aged man Zhao Hailiang had brought over, and they couldn't help but frown.

Seeing the middle-aged man, Yan Yefei and Li Juan paused, then quietly explained to Mi Xue and Qu Meilan, "That person seems to be Zhao Zhibing, the top disciple of the Yitian Sect Master Zhao Zhicheng. I saw him standing behind Zhao Zhicheng when we entered the camp yesterday."

Qu Meilan nodded. She wasn't concerned about who Zhao Hailiang had brought. As for Mi Xue, she was even less worried.

Inside the tent, Zhang Yang couldn't help but chuckle. The people arriving outside did not escape his senses—it was like a child who had been beaten and, unable to fight back, ran home to fetch a parent for help. However, what Zhang Yang hadn't expected was that this child brought not a parent, but an elder brother from the family.

Zhang Yang didn't want to stay alone in the tent waiting for news of the Three Great Spirit Beasts, so he stepped out, treating it as a bit of entertainment.

Seeing Zhang Yang emerge, Mi Xue was the first to smile and wave at him.

"Master."

Qu Meilan, seeing Zhang Yang, quickly stepped forward to greet him. Even Yan Yefei and Li Juan gathered around.

"Heh heh, it's so lively outside, I came out to see,"

Zhang Yang said with a smile, looking outside. He then looked at Yan Yefei and Li Juan, adding, "It seems someone is jealous of your current success and has come looking for trouble?"

Yan Yefei and Li Juan, upon seeing Zhang Yang appear, had initially felt they had caused trouble for him because of their past, but hearing Zhang Yang’s words, they couldn't help but laugh too.

The group completely ignored everyone else around them, bursting into hearty laughter.

Zhao Hailiang and the top disciple of the Yitian Sect on the other side were utterly disregarded. The middle-aged man Zhao Hailiang had brought had become so enraged at being completely ignored by Zhang Yang’s group that his face was turning green.

At this point, he fully believed what Zhao Hailiang had said earlier: these people from the Medical Saint Martial Sect truly had no idea of the immensity of heaven and earth, showing no respect for the Emei Yitian Sect. Did they really think that just because their sect name carried the words 'Medical Saint,' they were somehow connected to the now soaring Medical Saint Zhang Family in the cultivation world?!

"Hey, who among you just dared to strike our Yitian Sect disciple!"

Unable to tolerate it any longer, the middle-aged man suddenly strode forward a step toward Zhang Yang and his group, shouting furiously.

"A mere fellow at the mid-stage of the second level of Inner Strength thinks he can come here to settle a score?"

After a casual glance at the middle-aged man, Zhang Yang smiled slightly, then shook his head and muttered under his breath.

"Mid-stage of the second level of Inner Strength? Doesn't that mean he's at the same strength level as me?"

Mi Xue’s eyes lit up upon hearing Zhang Yang’s mutterings. She remembered she had just broken through to the mid-stage of the second level not long ago.

Zhang Yang nodded. Mi Xue indeed possessed the strength of the mid-stage second level of Inner Strength now, and that was only because he was controlling it; otherwise, if Zhang Yang allowed Mi Xue to break through fully, her strength would be much higher.

The cultivation method of dual cultivation for Inner Strength was inherently one of the most mysterious in the cultivation world. The speed of this practice depended entirely on the two people cultivating together. Given Zhang Yang's current strength, if he fully assisted Mi Xue in cultivation, her realm would certainly not be as low as it was now.

However, cultivating too quickly wasn't good for Mi Xue either. Without a corresponding state of mind, it would only result in pulling up seedlings to help them grow—a loss outweighing the gain. For instance, at the Leshan Giant Buddha, everyone had some form of epiphany, yet Mi Xue, who had taken shortcuts in her cultivation, gained nothing.

Seeing that Zhang Yang and the others still ignored him, the middle-aged man, feeling utterly overlooked, lost his temper again and angrily shouted once more.

"Your Medical Saint Martial Sect shows far too little respect for my Yitian Sect! My disciples are not meant to be humiliated by you people. If you don't immediately bring out the one who struck him, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Qu Meilan glanced at the middle-aged man, pursed her lips disdainfully, and then stepped out, saying to the middle-aged man opposite her, "I hit him so he would remember his place and not be so arrogant!"

"You bitch—Ah!!!"

Zhao Hailiang, standing behind the middle-aged man, became furious when he heard Qu Meilan’s words. Especially now that he had the support of his Senior Brother, he immediately pointed at Qu Meilan and cursed wildly!

"Slap!"

Before Zhao Hailiang could finish his curse, Mi Xue suddenly accelerated, leaving Zhang Yang's side, raising her hand, appearing right in front of Zhao Hailiang, and delivered a hard slap to the other side of his face!

"Ah!!"

With a scream, Zhao Hailiang was propelled upward by the sheer force, the massive inertia sending him flying ten meters away before he crashed heavily to the ground.

"Pfft!"

Now, both sides of his face were severely swollen, and several more of the few teeth he had left in his mouth were shattered.

Zhao Hailiang could not have imagined that in the short span of this morning, he had been slapped twice in succession by two seemingly delicate and beautiful young women, leaving him with barely any good teeth remaining.

He lay on the ground, writhing in pain, unable to get up, whimpering miserably. Several patches of his clothes were torn; his current state could be described as utterly wretched, perhaps even worse than before.

"If you can't speak properly, don't speak at all. Be careful I smash your mouth if you talk nonsense!"

Mi Xue’s face was icy cold, glaring furiously at the flying Zhao Hailiang, warning him coldly.

This scene stunned everyone present!

Even Zhao Zhibing, the top disciple of the Yitian Sect whom Zhao Hailiang had called for help, had not expected such an overbearing moment from a woman who looked so frail.

Mi Xue was this angry because she and Qu Meilan had known each other the longest; Qu Meilan was practically Mi Xue’s best confidante, which was why Qu Meilan never called Mi Xue 'Martial Aunt' but addressed her as 'Sister Mi Xue.'

Mi Xue, who was once nicknamed the 'Rose with Thorns,' was truly unstoppable once angered. The moment she heard Zhao Hailiang start to curse, Mi Xue knew that only foul language would come from his mouth, so she rushed over and rewarded him with another slap.

"You, you!!!"

Finally reacting, Zhao Zhibing, the top disciple of the Yitian Sect, trembled all over. He glared at Mi Xue, his expression suggesting he wished he could swallow her whole!

Zhao Zhibing simply could not comprehend that the other party dared to strike someone right in front of him!

He saw Mi Xue’s action, but because he hadn't expected it, he failed to stop her in time. This made Zhao Zhibing feel even more insulted, and his gaze toward Mi Xue held no trace of tenderness or pity!

"How do you people discipline your disciples? To teach a disciple like this is simply unreasonable."

Mi Xue clapped her hands lightly, turned towards Zhao Zhibing, who was shaking with rage, and complained with a frown, "A disciple like this needs a good thrashing to remember things, so he doesn't cause trouble for your Yitian Sect. Oh, since I'm educating your disciple for you, you don't need to thank me."

While complaining, Mi Xue couldn't help but smile slightly. Having released her anger with that slap, she was naturally in a good mood.

But on the other side, Zhao Zhibing was trembling so hard his teeth began to chatter. He completely failed to understand how that woman across from him could act this way. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) No Pop-up Novel Network