"Boom boom boom!!"
Mu Jinyu ignored the gazes of others and once again stood in front of Huang Daochen's courtyard. While smashing the increasingly shaky defensive formation, he coldly shouted:
"Still not willing to come out? If you come out now, it will be less painful. If I break down your door and drag you out, you'll know the meaning of regret!"
"Creak!!"
The courtyard gate opened.
With a pale face, Huang Daochen, desperate and unable to hold on, finally crawled out!
"Thud!"
Huang Daochen staggered out of the courtyard, his face ghostly white as he looked at Mu Jinyu, then glanced at the deep pit not far away and bent his knees, kneeling before Mu Jinyu.
"Brother... brother, I was wrong. Please spare my life…"
Huang Daochen cried bitterly, wailing while repeatedly slapping his own face.
He now regretted why he had been so blinded by lust earlier, teasing Jian Ruyan and Wen Rou, and actively attacking Mu Jinyu.
If not for his loose tongue and hands, he wouldn't have implicated his brother, who was beaten like a dead dog by Mu Jinyu, nor would he need to kneel in humiliation before everyone to admit his mistake!
But he was scared. He truly couldn't stand firm any longer.
While hiding in the house earlier, he had clearly seen his own protector being struck unconscious by Mu Jinyu's sword.
That was the 45th-ranked expert on the Inner Gate List of Outstanding Talents, yet he couldn't even withstand a single strike from Mu Jinyu. Huang Daochen felt as though the sky was collapsing.
Huang Daochen didn't know if Mu Jinyu would kill him when he broke the defensive formation and entered the house, but he dared not bet and stubbornly stand firm. His inner torment grew with each hit Mu Jinyu took at the formation, making it shaky and about to break down, totally breaking his resolve.
He chose to crawl out proactively, kneel, and apologize to Mu Jinyu!
The spectators were surprised again when they saw Huang Daochen appear.
They had originally doubted whether Huang Daochen was home, which was why Mu Jinyu was allowed to smash his courtyard.
But now, with Huang Daotian struck unconscious by Mu Jinyu, and Huang Daochen coming out once again in disgrace, they immediately understood that Huang Daochen must have already fought Mu Jinyu, and realizing he wasn't his match, he hid in his house not daring to come out!
Huang Daochen's original plan was likely to have his brother Huang Daotian deal with Mu Jinyu, but he didn't expect that Huang Daotian, ranked 45th on the List of Outstanding Talents, wasn't a match for Mu Jinyu either, forcing him to crawl out and kneel to admit his mistake!
"Hmph, finally not acting like a turtle hiding in its shell?!"
Seeing Huang Daochen come out and kneel while slapping himself, Mu Jinyu sneered coldly and flicked his hand.
"Whoosh!"
Instantly, nature's spiritual energy condensed into a large palm and slapped Huang Daochen's face hard!
"Slap!"
The slap sound was crisp and pleasing. Huang Daochen was directly sent flying, his right cheek swelling up like a pig's head!
"Blegh!!"
He spat out several mouthfuls of fresh blood, mixed with numerous broken teeth, showing how merciless Mu Jinyu's slap was!
"Smash!"
Huang Daochen fell to the ground, shattering several tiles, though not creating a deep pit like his brother Huang Daotian, which could bury them alive.
With a groan, Huang Daochen spat out several more mouthfuls of blood, and then, like his brother, fainted.
Silence fell over the scene, only the faint sounds of the Huang brothers convulsing and vomiting blood could be heard.
No one dared to speak casually, fearing to anger Mu Jinyu, leading to a fight with him.
Among them, some were ranked in the top ten on the List of Outstanding Talents. They didn't think they were inferior to Mu Jinyu, but under the current circumstances, they felt there was no need to confront him.
Mu Jinyu, after slapping Huang Daochen half-dead, had his anger dissipated.
After all, though Huang Daochen was guilty, his crime wasn't worthy of death.
Turning to Jian Ruyan and Wen Rou, Mu Jinyu said, "Come, who will destroy his token?"
Jian Ruyan and Wen Rou exchanged a glance and both courteously said, "You go ahead."
The spectators heard Mu Jinyu's words and paused for a moment, then understood his meaning, their expressions instantly darkening.
Mu Jinyu's meaning was clear. He had already defeated Huang Daotian and become the 45th-ranked on the List of Outstanding Talents. Huang Daochen's 70th rank meant nothing to him, but it's wasteful to leave it unused, so he wanted Jian Ruyan or Wen Rou to take his place on the list!
However...
This isn't in accordance with the rules!
Inner Sect Disciples who want to be on the List of Outstanding Talents must rely on their own strength to defeat opponents, never through another's hand.
Otherwise, the Huang brothers wouldn't be 45th and 70th on the list.
With Huang Daotian's strength, he could easily place his brother in the 60th or even 50th rank.
But he didn't do so, because if he did, others could do the same, potentially eliminating his place on the list!
Therefore, Mu Jinyu's face grew dark.
Some people moved their lips several times but did not dare to speak.
The young man ranked in the top ten of the List of Outstanding Talents finally lowered his face and said, "This is against the rules, I advise you not to act rashly!"
"Are you teaching me how to do things?"
Mu Jinyu heard someone trying to stop him, glanced at the person sideways, sneering coldly.
The young man, hearing Mu Jinyu's words, didn't get angry but instead kindly explained, "The List of Outstanding Talents was established by the sect to motivate disciples to strive. If everyone supported friends in this way, what fairness and credibility would the list have? How could other Inner Sect Disciples continue to strive forward?!"
"So this is against the rules. Don't act rashly."
Seeing that this person was not using idle threats but kindly explaining the reason, Mu Jinyu did not get angry, smiled, and asked, "May I know your name, Senior Brother?"
The young man, mistakenly thinking Mu Jinyu was planning to retaliate, didn't show fear. He calmly replied, "Su Xin, trust in truth. If you have any discontent, you can always come find me."
"No, no, Senior Brother misunderstood. I just think you are reasonable and want to make friends. My name is Mu Jinyu, indicating fullness and prosperity."
Upon hearing this, Su Xin smiled, bowed, and left without saying more.
He knew Mu Jinyu had understood and wouldn't act impulsively, so there was no need to stay anymore.
Seeing Su Xin leave, Mu Jinyu glanced at the crowd, then squatted beside Huang Daochen, found his identity token, and shattered it with a finger.
Immediately, Huang Daochen's name disappeared from the List of Outstanding Talents, being replaced by another person in the 72nd rank.
This person was once on the List of Outstanding Talents but was later defeated, unable to climb back up, so he remained hidden.
If Mu Jinyu continued eliminating a few more, Huang Daotian might also reappear at the 72nd rank.
With Huang Daochen removed from the List of Outstanding Talents, Mu Jinyu smiled at Yan Ran and said, "Senior Brother Yan, help me find some Inner Sect disciples to take these two back to their dwelling at the mountainside."
"Uh, sure..." Yan Ran hesitated, then quickly agreed.
He hurriedly ran down, feeling mixed emotions.
Originally, Huang Daochen had lured Jian Ruyan with promises of advanced dwellings at the Tianlan Peak Summit, despising Mu Jinyu for residing at ordinary Inner Sect disciple accommodations. But now, in an instant, their positions swapped.
Mu Jinyu directly occupied the Huang brothers' accommodation, while they were forced to retreat to ordinary Inner Sect disciple dwellings.
Of course, given Huang Daotian's strength, he would soon climb back onto the List of Outstanding Talents, but this humiliation would inevitably accompany him throughout his Inner Sect disciple career at the Heavenly Sword Faction.