"Senior Brother, you're finally done. If you hadn't come any sooner, these people would have beaten me up together."
Qiu Xia immediately said, "Qian Ying, we're just discussing with you."
"A discussion that sounds like a threat?" Qian Ying didn't give her any face, letting out a cold laugh.
"You... Ouch!"
Before Qiu Xia could finish speaking, she was sent flying backward, landing right in the center of the heavenly lightning.
Following that, the three family heads were also thrown out.
At some unknown time, the hole in the sky had shrunk to the size of a palm, yet the thick heavenly lightning continued to strike down. The four of them dodged desperately, looking extremely disheveled.
Seeing this, Ying Shengchong felt a desire to retreat. He hastily lowered his stance and said, "Vice Dean."
The man in red attire had a cold expression, his gaze sweeping over them as if looking at ants.
"Did this Dean not mention that Academy Elders are not to enter and exit mid-tier or lower realms casually?"
Ying Shengchong and Yun Kai both changed color. Wasn't this rule established for those without strength? Truly capable individuals could open the realms themselves, so why should they adhere to this regulation?
Although they thought this, Ying Shengchong dared not voice it. He quickly said, "Vice Dean, we came to find Youyue. You know, Youyue is the most outstanding child of this generation in the Artifact Forging Peak. We were truly worried..."
"Eh? Weren't you after the Xingluo Dihuan?" Qian Ying said with a smile. "Peak Master Ying, don't treat this Venerable as dead."
"Venerable Qian Ying!" Ying Shengchong shot a resentful glance at Qian Ying, only to hear Ling Yue say indifferently, "Threatening fellow disciples adds another level to the punishment."
Ying Shengchong's face turned ashen.
Qin Si said coldly, "Go to the Hall of Discipline to receive your punishment. If there's a next time, this Dean won't mind clearing the sect."
Ying Shengchong and Yun Kai's hearts trembled. They couldn't help but recall the last artifact refiner who was purged from the sect; the grass on his grave must have been two feet tall by now.
"But the Xingluo Dihuan..." Yun Kai remembered his daughter's words. "That originally belonged to Yue'er, Dean..."
"Tch... Yun Kai, has your brain short-circuited? Truly, this is the funniest joke this Venerable has heard this year. You and your daughter are equally self-righteous. Who said the Xingluo Dihuan belongs to your daughter?" Qian Ying said angrily. "Heaven and earth treasures belong to whoever has the ability!"
Yun Kai frowned. "Qian Ying, you can't have such double standards. If we go by your words, why can't the family heads pursue the Xingluo Dihuan?"
"Because this is our Academy's secret realm, and only those belonging to the Academy are qualified," Qian Ying said coldly.
Yun Kai was silenced.
He glanced at Qin Si's tacit approval and said hatefully, "Regardless, I've decided to claim the Xingluo Dihuan for Yue'er!" With that, he flicked his sleeve and pulled Ying Shengchong away.
"Dream on! You shameless old fogey!" Qian Ying cursed at his retreating back, then turned around with a smile.
The four people behind Ling Yue looked at each other in confusion, and then were led out of the secret realm by Ling Yue.
"Senior Brother, where is my junior sister?"
"Senior Sister, I'm here." Bai Shengyi emerged from behind Qin Si's broad back, her gaze complex as she looked at Qian Ying. She really hadn't expected her usually charming senior sister to possess such formidable combat power.
Truly, she was very worthy of learning from.
"Come here and let Senior Sister see if you're injured." Qian Ying put her arm around Bai Shengyi's shoulder, suddenly feeling a chill down her spine.
She looked around curiously, not finding any danger.
Never mind, it was more important to check on her junior sister.
As Qian Ying looked, she noticed something unusual about Bai Shengyi's eyes. She wasn't injured, but her eyes were shining with divine light.
"Eh? Junior Sister, you..."
She looked at Bai Shengyi, who smiled and nodded at her. Her clear pupils instantly turned one silver-white and one light blue, flecked with spiritual luminescence, as resplendent as supreme treasures.
Qian Ying was mesmerized.
It was Qin Si's cold cough that finally brought her back to her senses.
She quickly said, "Junior Sister, it's best if you revert to your original appearance. This... is too eye-catching. Before you reach the Golden Core stage, don't easily use its power."
Considering that others were present, Qian Ying spoke subtly, but Bai Shengyi understood her concerns perfectly and nodded in agreement.
"Mm, I'll be careful, Senior Sister."
"Such a good girl." Qian Ying couldn't help but pat Bai Shengyi's head.
"Cough, cough!"
"Senior Brother, are you sick? Do you want me to take a look?" Qian Ying turned to the man who was coughing incessantly, frowning as she asked.
Qin Si gave her a cold stare. "Those four people are yours to deal with."
It was unclear what methods Qin Si had used, but the Sun family head, Tang family head, Mei family head, and Qiu Xia were immobilized. They could only watch helplessly as they were struck by heavenly lightning repeatedly, enduring excruciating pain.
Qiu Xia couldn't take it anymore and desperately admitted, "Vice Dean, I know I was wrong. Please let me go. I'll resign as Peak Master and leave the Academy immediately..."
"Alright." Qian Ying smilingly agreed on Qin Si's behalf and pulled Qiu Xia out of the lightning circle.
Seeing this, the family heads also quickly showed weakness.
Qian Ying treated them all the same, bringing them out of the heavenly lightning.
However, this was not the end. The four discovered that no matter what pills or magical artifacts they used, the power of the heavenly lightning remained within them, continuously shattering their meridians and stimulating their dantian, causing unbearable pain.
"Venerable Qian Ying!" Qiu Xia suddenly raised her head. "Could you please take a look for me? I can trade three sixth-tier Flying Lightning Talismans for it."
Qian Ying curled her lips. "Six."
Qiu Xia inwardly cursed her for taking advantage of her predicament, but the pain that penetrated her soul made her disregard everything else. She intended to agree, but then she heard Qian Ying's subsequent words.
"I can have my junior sister take a look at you."
"Qian Ying!"
Qiu Xia felt like she was being toyed with! How could that young girl, who had just entered the Academy, possibly handle the power of lightning?
Qian Ying said nonchalantly, "Whether you want it or not, if you don't, then forget it!"
Qiu Xia's face darkened, and she remained silent.
Qian Ying didn't care at all, pulling Bai Shengyi's hand. "Junior Sister, since she doesn't want it, you can come back with me. Coincidentally, Senior Sister has prepared some good things for you."
Bai Shengyi smiled. "Alright, thank you, Senior Sister."
Both of them, without discussion, forgot about Qin Si and turned to leave by sword.
"Wait... wait, I'll look!" Qiu Xia hurriedly called out. She suddenly realized that her spiritual energy was stagnant! In other words, she had become a crippled Golden Core who couldn't use spiritual energy!
How could this be!
"Now I've changed my mind, eight." Bai Shengyi faintly hooked her lips. "I like the number eight."
Qian Ying looked at her junior sister so cooperatively and nodded with satisfaction.
"Fine!"
Qiu Xia gritted her teeth. If that brat couldn't do it, she would kill her, even at the cost of her own life!
Bai Shengyi took in Qiu Xia's expression, her expression unchanged. She calmly stepped forward, grabbed Qiu Xia's wrist, and sent the Dragon Chasing Starfire mixed with spiritual energy into Qiu Xia's body.
Perhaps it was because of the Xingluo Dihuan, but she could now control the power of the Dragon Chasing Starfire very well, even dividing it into strands to burn away the lightning power.
The three family heads were secretly observing the movements of Bai Shengyi and Qiu Xia. They were actually in immense pain as well but couldn't bring themselves to beg for help.
The Sun family head quietly asked the Mei family head, "Who is this...?"
Although the Sun family was very close to the Academy, in recent years, the younger generation in the family had poor talent, and few had entered the Academy and made a name for themselves. Gradually, their relationship with the Academy had become estranged.
On the other hand, the Mei family, having produced two high-tier alchemists, Mei Caibing and Mei Shuying, had a very good relationship with the Academy. This was their confidence in brazenly threatening Ling Yue with students to enter the secret realm this time.
The Mei family head hadn't spoken much. When he was brought up now, he finally said, "She is a student who entered the Academy in this batch of assessments. It is said that she was taken as a disciple by Vice Dean Qing Lan Venerable. The young girl might genuinely have skill."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Bai Shengyi withdraw her hand, feed Qiu Xia a pill, and then Qiu Xia was cured.
Qiu Xia stood up, stretched her limbs, and circulated her spiritual energy. She felt completely refreshed, as if the recent pain had been an illusion.
Her gaze towards Bai Shengyi instantly became much more benevolent. "I didn't expect such a young friend to already be like a divine physician of this era. My apologies for my earlier words; I hope the young friend doesn't mind."
Bai Shengyi said faintly, "It was just a transaction. I am not a divine physician."
She directly extended her hand towards Qiu Xia.
Qiu Xia's expression stiffened. This brat, could it be said that she was indeed the junior sister of that crazy woman Qian Ying? Equally rule-breaking!
"What? Are you going back on your word?" Qian Ying stood beside Bai Shengyi and asked coldly.
Qin Si also looked over with eyes as sharp as swords.
Qiu Xia wiped a bead of cold sweat from her forehead, hastily took out the talismans and offered them. "Could the young friend help take a look at my husband?"
"Hmm?" Bai Shengyi looked puzzled.
Qian Ying said, "Her husband is that one." She pointed at the Sun family head.
Bai Shengyi nodded. "Yes, same price."
Qiu Xia gritted her teeth and took out all the Flying Lightning Talismans she had refined over the past ten years. "I'm still short two. How about I make up for it with two Explosive Talismans?"
Bai Shengyi had no objections.
"Young friend, I'll offer eight sixth-tier Rejuvenation Pills. Could I trouble the young friend to take a look at me as well?" The Mei family head hurriedly said, his gaze eager.
He could tell that this young girl possessed extremely high talent as a physician. He was now curious about what kind of pill she had given Qiu Xia.
The Tang family head also said with a pang of pain, "I can offer four sixth-tier Rejuvenation Pills and four sixth-tier Explosive Talismans."
Damn it, this was almost a thousand high-grade spirit stones.
Even asking that old fellow Feng Xunguang to act would only be about this much, right?
But when one is under the roof of another, one must bow their head. The Tang family head now also noticed the effects of the lightning power and had to lower his stance.
Bai Shengyi naturally wouldn't refuse such a good opportunity to earn resources, but she didn't know if Qian Ying and Qin Si had any other plans. Seeing that neither of them said anything, she agreed.
"Yes."
After she had treated the other three, Qian Ying unceremoniously "invited" the four of them out of the secret realm.
Bai Shengyi and Qian Ying waited together for Qin Si to mend the hole in the sky. By the time they returned to Qianxiao Peak, the moon was already high in the sky.
Qin Si naturally followed Bai Shengyi into the courtyard.
Qian Ying stood at the doorway, raising her eyebrows. "Senior Brother?"
In the deep of the night, a man and a woman alone, isn't this a bit improper?