Several minutes later, Wu Tao, Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, and Yue Lu, who had returned safely, each received a Luo E Dan and one hundred spirit stones as reward.
For the next month, Wu Tao remained seated in his cave dwelling, refining the medicinal power of the Luo E Dan.
...
Inside the cave dwelling.
Wu Tao sat cross-legged on a futon, his hands resting on his knees, in the midst of meditation and cultivation.
Currently, for Wu Tao to break through from the middle stage of Foundation Establishment to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, he must first truly shatter his current bottleneck.
However, breaking through one's own cultivation bottleneck in a short period of time was not easy.
At least Wu Tao was now troubled by that rock-solid bottleneck, not daring to be careless in the slightest, fearing that with even a small slip, his spiritual energy might become chaotic, not only failing to break through the bottleneck but also causing severe internal injuries.
At this moment, sweat dripped continuously from his forehead, yet Wu Tao was completely unaware. His eyes were tightly closed, his brows occasionally furrowing and then relaxing, changing several times in a short span.
*Hoo!*
After an unknown period of time, Wu Tao slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a breath of turbid air with a hint of fatigue.
For the following period, Wu Tao toiled day and night to cultivate his spiritual energy. Though the days were monotonous, they were not without interest.
...
Just as Wu Tao was cultivating in his cave dwelling.
On the other side!
Within the Law Enforcement Hall of the Tai Yi Immortal Sect, a trial was underway.
In the solemn and sacred grand hall, there were no more than a dozen people present, yet each possessed considerable cultivation, all at the middle stage of Core Formation or above.
A middle-aged man, corpulent and his face flushed red, clad in a brown robe, displayed anger on his face.
The middle-aged man said furiously, "A mere inner disciple, Wu Tao, dared to openly act against fellow disciples, slaughtering Zhao Yang and Li Chen in front of all the disciples, violating the sect rules."
"My fellow brothers, what are you still discussing? Quickly deal with him according to the sect rules!"
"First, abolish his cultivation, then sever his four limbs, extract his soul, and torment him for three days and three nights, as a warning to others."
The fat man who spoke was named Zhao Ji, one of the principal figures of the Zhao family, an elder of the Tai Yi Immortal Sect, and an uncle to Zhao Yang.
His face was burning with rage. He turned to look at the others in the hall, a deep killing intent flickering in his eyes.
He then continued word by word, "There were also many disciples who witnessed it and can testify. The evidence of this disciple's crime is already conclusive. What need is there to say more!"
"This..."
In the hall, upon hearing these words, the other dozen or so individuals reacted differently.
Some supported, some opposed, and some remained neutral.
However, overall, the opponents constituted the vast majority.
"Junior Brother Zhao, please calm your anger for now."
An elder, resembling an old man, spoke to advise him. "Junior Brother, suppress your temper. While this disciple has violated the sect rules, he did kill someone on the martial arts arena."
"According to precedent, the punishment should not be so severe. A minor reprimand should suffice."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, the next second, a furious roar was heard.
It was precisely Zhao Ji shouting, "Luo Xing, you damn it! Stop trying to smooth things over. It's not as if it was your nephew who died!"
Immediately, there was a "snap" sound of a foot stomping.
The sound indicated that the floor, made of thousand-year-old white jade, had likely shattered.
Clearly, Zhao Ji was enraged at this moment.
Zhao Ji had actually used his spiritual energy in this stomp, causing the entire hall to tremble.
Zhao Ji was a master of the middle stage of Core Formation or above. His anger was not to be underestimated, yet the other dozen or so people in the hall were not ordinary individuals and were unmoved.
The Law Enforcement Elder, who was in charge of the proceedings, spoke sternly, "Junior Brother Zhao, what are you doing?"
The Law Enforcement Elder's words conveyed great displeasure.
Zhao Ji, who had been furious, suddenly sobered up after hearing the words of the late stage Core Formation Law Enforcement Elder.
Zhao Ji paused slightly, and his voice became a little quieter as he spoke next.
"Apologies, brothers. This beast named Wu Tao killed my nephew, causing my anger to overwhelm me today and leading to my失态 (loss of composure)."
"The Tai Yi Immortal Sect has strict rules, but we cannot pass judgment arbitrarily. Right and wrong must be determined with certainty. Otherwise, it would be an insult to the rules set by the ancestors of the Tai Yi Immortal Sect."
"As an inner sect elder, Junior Brother should understand my intentions, right?" The Law Enforcement Elder's stance clearly favored Luo Xing.
...
"Hmph, Elder Law Enforcement, your words are a bit too harsh. What is wrong with what Junior Brother Zhao Ji said."
"Wu Tao, this child, acted against fellow disciples in broad daylight and should be severely punished." The Miscellaneous Affairs Elder, Li Ming, due to factional reasons, immediately supported Zhao Ji.
Several other elders, due to factionalism, relationships, and various other reasons, divided into two factions and argued incessantly.
The factional struggles within the Tai Yi Immortal Sect had already become so intense that the severity of Wu Tao's punishment clearly became an excuse for the two factions to contend.
...
At this moment, inside the hall, as the two groups were arguing fiercely, a voice suddenly shouted, "Stop talking!"
At the front of the hall, a figure sat quietly.
Feng Junyi, at the peak of Core Formation, exuded an aura of natural authority, even though he was merely sitting there without speaking.
Feng Junyi did not use his internal energy like Zhao Ji, but after this single utterance, the hall truly quieted down, and no one spoke again.
Clearly, he held great authority among the inner sect elders.
The dozen or so elders looked uniformly towards Feng Junyi, who was seated at the front, awaiting his further remarks.
As all eyes in the hall converged on him, Feng Junyi nodded slightly and continued to speak.
"One who kills on the martial arts arena is guiltless. This is a rule of the Tai Yi Immortal Sect for many years and cannot be changed. Moreover, this disciple Wu Tao has a history of meritorious service and has shed blood for the Tai Yi Immortal Sect. Junior Brother Zhao Yang, do you understand?"
Feng Junyi's words immediately settled the final outcome of this matter.
However, looking at the expressions of Zhao Ji and his faction, who dared not speak but were filled with indignation, Feng Junyi spoke again. "But Wu Tao mercilessly struck down Zhao Yang and Li Chen even after they conceded. To warn other disciples, a punishment is still necessary."
"How about this, first, all of Wu Tao's accumulated contribution points will be nullified, and he will be fined thirty years of monthly provisions as a warning. What do you all think, brothers?"
When Feng Junyi made this proposal, the dozen or so inner sect elders in the hall, regardless of their inner satisfaction or dissatisfaction, nodded on the surface, indicating their agreement.
"Since everyone agrees, this matter will be resolved today." After Feng Junyi said this, the hall fell silent. After a long wait, no one objected.
...
Finally, Feng Junyi found two disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall to inform Wu Tao of the specific punishment.
After the matter concluded, Shangguan Yujie, the Sect Master of Wen Jian Peak, walked to Feng Junyi's side and quietly said thank you.
It turned out that the reason Feng Junyi ultimately leaned towards Wu Tao was due to the favor of Shangguan Yujie, the Sect Master of Wen Jian Peak.
And the reason Shangguan Yujie, the Sect Master of Wen Jian Peak, chose to protect Wu Tao, who had no relation to her, was because she valued Wu Tao's talent in swordsmanship and wanted to take him as a disciple.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Upon receiving the final notification of punishment from the Law Enforcement Hall, Wu Tao remained silent for several days. However, he ultimately accepted the punishment with a sigh.
Time always passes quickly during a cultivator's secluded cultivation.
Another long period passed.
Two years had passed since Wu Tao broke through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. Wu Tao had already exhausted all his spirit stones a year ago to purchase elixirs to enhance his spiritual energy.
Helpless, he had to sell several long-cherished treasures to obtain spirit stones and buy elixirs to enhance his spiritual energy.
During these two years, Wu Tao also took the time to read many ancient texts.
These texts were not limited to cultivation methods, spells, or secret techniques but were all-encompassing, broadening Wu Tao's horizons.
Whether it was the cultivation world or the mortal world, whether it was the East Sea, the North Sea, the South Sea, or the West Sea.
Even mysterious continents beyond the Nine Provinces, the northernmost grasslands, the southern barbarians, the western deserts, and many other secrets were etched into Wu Tao's heart. He Fan Da Novel Network
This greatly increased Wu Tao's knowledge and also filled him with longing for the world beyond Qing Province.
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