Although Yuan Dahai was greedy, he also knew that burning bridges was not advisable.
Moreover, he harbored resentment towards Gongyang Hao. The latter had taken his money but failed to properly handle the teleportation array, forcing him to pay more to have it resolved. He hadn't even sought compensation for these losses yet.
Besides, he had learned his lesson this time and would never resort to such shortcuts again. Therefore, whether he offended Gongyang Hao or not was inconsequential.
However, Gongyang Hao's cultivation was higher than his. He spoke to Gongyang Hao with courtesy, "Master Gongyang, this senior has already accepted my spirit stones..."
"What! You accepted spirit stones? Those spirit stones should be mine! Make her spit them out!"
Gongyang Hao interrupted Yuan Dahai directly, glaring at Xu Yi with fury.
Xu Yi finally couldn't hold back.
"Master Gongyang, is this not going a bit too far? Even if you want to fleece a fat sheep, you can't just keep shearing the same sheep repeatedly."
Xu Yi's lips curved into a slight smile, her gaze filled with mockery.
She had already seen through Master Gongyang's intentions.
No wonder the teleportation array looked like this; it turned out the man hadn't put any effort into it at all.
Gongyang Hao met Xu Yi's seemingly all-knowing gaze and felt a jolt in his heart. However, he quickly suppressed the unease. His methods were subtle, undetectable by ordinary array masters, let alone this seemingly young and impetuous young girl.
"Little girl, do you understand the rules? This teleportation array was built by me. According to the rules, other array masters are not allowed to touch it. The fact that I haven't caused trouble for you means I've saved you face. Don't be ungrateful."
A hint of astonishment flashed in Xu Yi's eyes. She genuinely didn't know about such a rule among array masters.
She was not a traditional array master. The method she learned from the elder was for the elder to set up a teleportation array, and then she would find the problems and correct them. She had always thought modifying arrays was a reasonable act.
She quickly noted this taboo, but her expression showed no sign of guilt. "Master Gongyang, how about I return your words to you? I have already saved you face."
Xu Yi's words carried a subtle threat, amplifying Gongyang Hao's unease.
Could it be that his trick had truly been discovered by this girl?
But as he met Yuan Dahai's suspicious gaze, he felt that letting it go easily would only invite more suspicion. He was in a dilemma.
While struggling, he suddenly thought of something and questioned, "Since you dare to alter my array at will, do you have an Array Master's token? If your level is higher than mine, then I, Gongyang Hao, will concede this time."
Array Master's token?
Xu Yi was startled. This was another thing she hadn't heard of.
Xu Yi's momentary daze was noticed by Gongyang Hao, which made his body tremble. His face immediately revealed a smug expression. "Without an Array Master's token, it means she is not recognized by the Array Heaven Alliance! Yuan Dahai, you've grown bold to let such a person repair the array!"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Dahai looked at Xu Yi with apprehension. His trust in her crumbled instantly.
The Array Heaven Alliance was the organization for array masters on the Kyushu Continent. Any cultivator who practiced the way of arrays, whether a rogue cultivator or a disciple of a sect, could join. By passing an assessment, one could obtain an Array Master's token of the corresponding level.
Joining the Array Heaven Alliance incurred no cost and imposed no restrictions. Instead, it allowed one to undertake missions or receive guidance from senior masters. Therefore, almost all array masters traveling on the Kyushu Continent had joined the Array Heaven Alliance.
After Xu Yi claimed she could repair arrays, Yuan Dahai had subconsciously regarded her as someone from the Array Heaven Alliance. Due to a prior conflict, he had not asked her to show her Array Master's token, which implicitly showed his trust in her.
But who would have thought that not only did Xu Yi lack an Array Master's token, but she also seemed completely unaware of the Array Heaven Alliance's existence, which did not align with the identity of an array master.
Had he been deceived by these two?
However, Yuan Dahai recalled Xu Yi's skilled technique and felt that she indeed possessed genuine talent. His small eyes were now filled with doubt.
Among the people present, only Lu Zaiye understood the situation. He walked to Xu Yi's side and quietly enlightened her.
Xu Yi now keenly felt that the Kyushu Continent was no longer the Kyushu Continent of her memory. The upward curve of her eyebrows slightly lowered, her expression tinged with an unspoken melancholy.
Her change in demeanor was entirely noticed by Lu Zaiye.
"Hmph, an array master without a token is not worthy of being an array master. You should just return the spirit stones and go back to cultivate for a few more years!"
Gongyang Hao looked at Xu Yi with disdain. Thinking of how he had almost been fooled by this young girl, he became even more enraged.
"I don't know which disreputable place taught you this. Pui!"
As soon as he uttered these words, he felt a chill run through his entire body, as if he were being stared at by a bloodthirsty beast. The blood flowing in his veins instantly solidified.
He stiffly raised his head and found that the two people opposite him were looking at him with chilling gazes.
Xu Yi took a deep breath, took out a dark ruler from her storage ring, and said sternly to Gongyang Hao, "Draw your sword."
He could curse her, but he could not curse the Xuanji Sect.
Although she couldn't discern Gongyang Hao's cultivation level, she could sense his qi and blood through the secret techniques of the Xuanji Sect.
She was confident she could defeat him.
"Wh-what."
Gongyang Hao was somewhat bewildered.
He had no intention of fighting Xu Yi. Otherwise, he would have acted the moment he discovered Xu Yi altering the teleportation array.
Xu Yi guessed correctly. Gongyang Hao's cultivation was only at the late Golden Core stage, and as an array master, his combat power was even weaker than cultivators of the same stage.
The reason he appeared so overbearing was that he relied on the fact that they couldn't see his cultivation level, thinking he could intimidate them. He never expected that they would not only remain unfazed but would also clamor for a fight, which was completely contrary to his expectations.
He couldn't fight, as doing so would expose everything.
At this moment, he regretted his harsh words and resented Xu Yi's defiant nature as a woman, wanting to fight at the slightest disagreement.
Gongyang Hao remained still for a long time, and Xu Yi grew impatient.
"Master Gongyang, if you don't draw your sword soon, then I will attack."
As the ancestor of the Xuanji Sect, Xu Yi held herself to a high standard. She would inform her opponent before attacking, lest she be criticized.
Moreover, with a disciple standing by, she intended to win beautifully.
Seeing Xu Yi eager to fight, Gongyang Hao became even more cowardly and could only frantically signal to Yuan Dahai.
Yuan Dahai keenly understood the meaning behind Gongyang Hao's gaze, and his last shred of awe vanished.
It seemed that the so-called Master Gongyang was nothing special after all.
Thinking that this matter had started because of him, Yuan Dahai still stepped forward to mediate, "Senior, Master Gongyang might have been too exhausted the past few days, which led to his rude remarks. I hope Senior can forgive him. Let's resolve this amicably to avoid damaging our goodwill."
Xu Yi slowly spun the ruler in her hand and said leisurely, "Resolving it amicably is fine, but he needs to apologize to me and return the money he took. Then, I can let this matter pass."