"Absolutely not! This is my trophy."
Yang Xiao's refusal was resolute.
Bing Xin was deeply disappointed by his words.
And yet, for some strange reason, she also breathed a sigh of relief.
Because after refusing her, Yang Xiao hadn't made any unreasonable demands.
"I overstepped."
Bing Xin gave a slight curtsy, then left with her two junior sisters, their faces filled with indignation.
When she had stepped forward to ask, the disciples from the other two sects hadn't gone far. They were straining to listen, especially Yann Kuan, the Young Alliance Leader of the Sword and Saber Alliance, who had stopped in his tracks completely.
Now, seeing that even Bing Xin had been flatly rejected, they gave up hope.
The Guardian Beast was important, yes.
But compared to their own lives, it was nothing.
Besides…
'Once I'm back in the Northern Wilderness Forest, I'll have the Old Ancestor take action and viciously humiliate that animal, Yang! Daring to treat me this way… he's simply courting death!'
A vicious glint flashed in the eyes of Yann Kuan, the Young Alliance Leader of the Sword and Saber Alliance.
He had yielded, for now.
But that didn't mean he wouldn't seek revenge.
In fact, he wasn't the only one. Qin Shaofeng of the Six Yang Sect was also filled with murderous intent. Zhang Tao might have been a fool, but he was his senior brother, after all.
He had looked after him well.
Besides, Qin Shaofeng's talent was extraordinary. Otherwise, Zhang Tao wouldn't have valued him so highly, even bringing him along for the confrontation with Yang Xiao.
He was a peerless genius.
As a genius, he was naturally arrogant.
Today, he had been utterly humiliated by Yang Xiao.
Even his senior brother, Zhang Tao, had been killed.
How could he not be filled with hatred?
Even if he wasn't, once he brought the news back to the Six Yang Sect, wouldn't the Sect Leader of the Six Yang Sect be filled with hatred?
Wouldn't he seek revenge?
Likewise, even though no one was left from Snow Moon Manor, their Young Manor Lord had died here.
They would surely seek vengeance.
And then there was the Ice Profound Sect.
Although the three women were unharmed, their Guardian Beast had been forcibly taken by Yang Xiao.
Would the Ice Profound Sect simply stand by and watch?
As the head of the Lower Six Sects, the Ice Profound Sect was known for only accepting female disciples, but they were notoriously overbearing in their external affairs. Even the Upper Three Sects rarely managed to take advantage of them.
By stealing the Ice Profound Sect's Guardian Beast, Yang Xiao had slapped them across the face.
Heaven only knew what those madwomen would do in response.
...
"Brother Yang, those were disciples of the Ice Profound Sect! Only you would refuse them so decisively!"
Whatever the departing groups were thinking, back at the old site of the Purple Sun Sect, Lu Fangliang was sighing in amazement.
It was as if Yang Xiao had done something truly remarkable.
"She's just a woman."
Yang Xiao, however, just shook his head.
Bing Xin was indeed beautiful and had an aura about her; she was easy on the eyes.
But Yang Xiao wasn't some lecher who lost his wits at the sight of a pretty woman. Besides, they had all come here together. If they were allowed to leave without paying any price, wouldn't that make him a pushover, for anyone to manipulate?
Besides, he had a use for this Guardian Beast.
If he let them take it back with just a few words, he would become a laughingstock.
As for what came next.
Would these people retaliate?
Yang Xiao knew without a doubt that they would.
And they would probably join forces.
But even so, would Yang Xiao be afraid?
'If they're smart, they'll leave it at that. But if they really want to stir up trouble, then I'll settle all our scores, new and old. Annihilating the Profound Celestial Sect is still annihilation. Adding a few more sects to the list is no big deal.'
Yang Xiao sneered inwardly.
Cheng Boxuan, however, approached with a look of shame.
"Young Master, I have failed you…"
As Grand Steward, he had been powerless to fight back when a powerful enemy invaded.
Cheng Boxuan was filled with self-reproach.
But Yang Xiao shook his head, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I can see you've done an excellent job recently, training so many outstanding people for me. It's just that you, and they, are all still a little weak. So this isn't your fault. However…"
At this, Yang Xiao's voice grew louder.
He even used a Secret Technique so that everyone present could hear him.
"I hope that next time, even without me here, you can stand tall and face any opponent!"
"Can you do that?"
Those simple words reignited the passionate fire that had yet to cool.
"Yes!"
"We can!"
"Yes!"
Such were the replies that echoed from all around.
But Yang Xiao wasn't satisfied. "Is that all you've got? Have you not eaten? Or do you think of yourselves as good-for-nothings, spineless cowards who just hope someone else will fight your battles when a strong enemy arrives?"
"No, we are not good-for-nothings, not spineless cowards!"
"Young Master, we can do it!"
"That's right, we can do it!"
This time, the response was much more fervent.
But Yang Xiao still wasn't satisfied.
"Still too quiet! I can't hear you!"
The moment Yang Xiao's words fell, a tremendous roar erupted.
"YES!"
"WE CAN!"
Unified and resonant.
The sound wave shook the very air.
It was loud enough to be heard for dozens of miles.
Yang Xiao finally nodded, satisfied.
"Good. A person without confidence is destined to be weak for their entire life. You may be weak now, but as long as you have confidence and are willing to work hard, you will not be weak forever."
"Alright, you are all dismissed. Tomorrow, I will personally impart a Cultivation Technique to you. This technique will become our…"
Yang Xiao paused before continuing, "Our Carefree Sect's Sect Foundation Technique. Any of you can learn it. If you can comprehend ten percent of its mysteries, you can become an Inner Sect Disciple. If you can grasp thirty percent, you will be promoted to the Core. And those who master fifty percent will become True Disciples directly."
"Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Another unified response rang out. The disciples were filled with anticipation.
After all, this was a Cultivation Technique to be taught by Young Master Yang Xiao himself.
At the same time, they began to feel a true sense of belonging to their faction.
The Carefree Sect!
The name alone sounded domineering.
In the world of the Martial Dao, who could truly be carefree?
Only the strong!
Wasn't that the Young Master's intention in choosing this name?
Of course, they were reading too much into it.
The real reason Yang Xiao named his sect the Carefree Sect was because of Yang Zhentian's wish.
At the time, Yang Zhentian had said, "Xiao'Er, I named you Yang Xiao in the hope that you could live a free and unrestrained life. Now, your accomplishments are so great that I can no longer even see your shadow. This new faction of yours, however, can serve as a memento in the future. Just call it the Carefree Sect."
Yang Xiao would never go against Yang Zhentian's words.
Besides, he was building this Carefree Sect for Yang Zhentian in the first place.
It truly was a memento.
A memento for his father.
Carefree Sect.
It was indeed a fitting name.
Even Cheng Boxuan was very satisfied with it.
But when one matter came to mind, his expression turned grim, and his eyes filled with worry.
After much hesitation, he finally asked, "Young Master, are you really going to the Northern Wilderness Forest?"
(PS: Chapter 4 is here. I accidentally deleted what I'd already written, so I had to rewrite it from scratch. That's why this is late, my apologies. But I managed to finish it in the end! And as always, I'm begging for everything, you know the drill.)