Zhao Wuji, a mid-stage Unity cultivator, was considered a formidable expert in his own right. In contrast, Yun Jin was nothing more than a mere Qi Refining disciple.
This time, Zhao Wuji had clearly made up his mind. He intended to make Yun Jin suffer. Killing her would be excessive—that would tarnish his reputation as Sect Master. But! Letting her taste hardship, breaking her spirit a little, making her obedient from now on—these were still within his grasp.
The coercion he was exerting had just crossed the limits of what Yun Jin could possibly withstand. Zhao Wuji watched her calmly, waiting to see her fall to the ground, writhing in agony.
"Sect Master!" Yue Zhao stepped forward, his voice thunderous with fury. "What has my junior sister done to deserve such harsh punishment?!"
"She has shown disrespect toward this seat. That is her crime," Zhao Wuji said coldly.
"Disrespect? How so? She merely refused to leave Tianjian Peak. Is loyalty now a sin?!" Yue Zhao's eyes burned with anger.
This had already escalated beyond what he could handle alone. Quietly, he had sent word to his master. Now, he could only pray his master arrived soon.
Bitterness churned in Yue Zhao's chest.
"Too weak."
The thought burned like acid.
He was still too weak to protect her.
That was why he had to watch helplessly while his junior sister was humiliated right in front of him.
Zhao Wuji's expression remained unreadable. "This seat is not without reason. Yun Jin, if you apologize now, I shall overlook this transgression."
He slowly intensified the coercion bearing down on her. Today, he would make her yield. A new disciple dared challenge him. How could that be tolerated?
Yun Jin's forehead glistened with sweat, yet her lips curled into a smile.
"Interesting. Truly interesting."
Though the vast powers of the worlds she had walked could not be brought into this body, the terrifying strength of her soul had followed her here.
Zhao Wuji's spiritual pressure pressed down hard. The pain was real, yes—but deep within, something began to stir.
Her soul power, long dormant, was being awakened, little by little. The more intense the pressure, the more of her soul strength awakened. Yun Jin was certain that even if Zhao Wuji used his full strength, she could endure it.
In fact, this might even benefit her.
The strength of her soul dictated how far she could go.
With just one surge of Zhao Wuji's coercion, her soul resonance had already ascended to Foundation Establishment.
Which meant—
Her breakthrough from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment was now unimpeded. All she needed was enough spiritual energy to make the leap. Had she waited for her soul to strengthen naturally, it would have taken far longer.
Sweat dripped freely from her brow, yet Yun Jin looked Zhao Wuji in the eye with perfect calm.
"Forgive me, Sect Master. I fail to understand your meaning. Am I to feel honored and grateful simply because you deigned to speak to me? Am I expected to abandon my chosen path on your word alone? Would that not make me a traitor, spineless, honorless wretch?"
As she spoke, Yun Jin deliberately cast a glance at Ye Danxia and Ruan Jun. "Or perhaps, Sect Master, you prefer such disciples under your name?" The meaning in her gaze was unmistakable.
The crowd gaped.
Was she… taunting the Sect Master under his coercion?
Sure enough, Zhao Wuji's face darkened at once.
His gaze turned glacial. He pressed down harder. "Very well. Let's see how long that sharp tongue of yours will last."
"Junior Sister!" Yue Zhao and the others looked on, their faces full of helpless dread.
Yun Jin's sweat now streamed faster.
According to Zhao Wuji's judgment, this level of coercion had already exceeded what Yun Jin could possibly endure. Yet beneath that crushing force, she revealed a dazzling smile.
Her voice rang out, loud and clear.
"Everyone, take a good look. This is our Tianxing Sect's Sect Master. To protect his favored disciples, he unleashes such force upon a new recruit. If today he targets Tianjian Peak, what stops him from turning on you tomorrow?"
On the platform, Yun Jin's hair fluttered gently. She should have long collapsed under the pressure, yet her spine remained straight, her posture unyielding.
The Tianjian Peak disciples stood beside her, their faces anxious, edged with despair. They couldn't protect their junior sister. Before Zhao Wuji, they were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.
Everyone in the sect had known Tianjian Peak was having a rough time. But this—this was the first time they witnessed it so clearly. Yun Jin had done nothing but defend herself and speak the truth, yet the Sect Master attacked without regard for right or wrong.
Her warning hung heavy: If he'd do this to them, who's next?
On a distant peak, the other Peak Masters watched.
"Should we allow this…?" Mingyue Peak's Fang Mingyue bit back the word tyranny.
Silence.
"What? Are you saying the Sect Master no longer has the right to discipline a disciple?" Long Yi of Overlord Peak scoffed. "Even Lin Ya hasn't stepped in. What are you so anxious for?"
No one was surprised by Long Yi's stance—he was Zhao Wuji's lapdog.
In terms of cultivation alone, they were only one small realm lower than Zhao Wuji, and they were not afraid of him. However, behind Zhao Wuji was Qingxiao Pavilion, one of the four holy land. Zhao Wuji's father was already a powerful person in the Tribulation Period and also held a high position in Qingxiao Pavilion. That's why they didn't dare to confront Zhao Wuji openly.
But in private?
Not all of them could stomach how Zhao Wuji treated Tianjian Peak. More than one of them had quietly offered help over the years. Otherwise, those few disciples wouldn't have lasted this long.
Still, would they step forward now, in broad daylight, and speak for Tianjian Peak?
To risk Qingxiao's wrath for Tianjian's sake?
They wavered.
"Sect Master," Yun Jin said, voice clear. "I, Yun Jin, have done nothing wrong today. I will not admit to any fault."
Zhao Wuji's face grew even colder.
This girl—so stubborn—was putting him in an impossible position.
If she refused to yield, he would lose face.
But if he increased the coercion further, he might actually kill her!
"Such a defiant brat!" Zhao Wuji snapped. Teeth clenched, he surged his power once more.
This time, the spiritual pressure reached the late Foundation Establishment level.
He would make Yun Jin beg for mercy!
Yun Jin internally was thrilled.
"More! Keep it coming!"
Maintain this pressure just a bit longer, and her soul would continue to soar.
This Sect Master, truly, was a good person.
He delivered himself to her door, handed her leverage on a silver platter, and even helped refine her soul in the process.
Where else could one find such a marvelous walking misfortune?
Yun Jin's face adopted a death-defying expression, her eyes brimming with tears, but her voice rang strong and unwavering. "If you want to kill me, then do it. I was born a disciple of Tianjian Peak, and I'll die a ghost of Tianjian Peak!"
"Junior Sister!" Yue Zhao and the others' anguished cries twisted the crowd's hearts.
Too tragic.
This was too much.
Even the distant Peak Masters stirred, unease flickering across their faces.
Just as one of them seemed ready to speak out, a furious voice suddenly pierced the air.
"ZHAO WUJI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY DISCIPLE?!"
Lin Ya arrived in a flash, an elderly man in tow.
Zhao Wuji's expression shifted. The moment he saw the old man, his spiritual pressure vanished instinctively.
"Huh? Over already?"
Shame. It looked like this soul-harvesting session was over.
Yun Jin sighed internally with regret. Then, taking a deep breath, she forced out a mouthful of blood with great effort, splattering it dramatically on the ground.
"Yun Jin!" Lin Ya's face changed instantly. He rushed to her side, catching her as she staggered.
"Master," Yun Jin whimpered, paler than snow, "The Sect Master forced me to take him as my teacher. When I refused, he…"
She coughed, forcing out two more mouthfuls of blood for good measure, looking thoroughly devastated.
Lin Ya's face was… strange.
How to put it?
He had just anxiously examined her condition.
There was nothing wrong with her. Not even a scratch.
She was in excellent health. Better than ever, in fact.
"Master… let me be your disciple again in my next life," Yun Jin gasped, spitting another mouthful of blood.
Lin Ya's expression twitched, but he caught on fast. Wailing, he cradled her. "Oh, my poor Xiao Jin! How could you suffer like this?! It's all this master's fault, useless as I am! I should never have volunteered for that dangerous sect mission! Though I succeeded, I returned a cripple who can't even protect his own disciple! I should never have thrown myself into danger for the sake of the sect!"