Chapter 298: The Powerful Ling Xiaoyu

Caught off guard, Lie Buqun was knocked unconscious by Ye Qingchen with a strike to the back of his head.

Just as the judge at the edge of the arena was about to announce the match result, Ye Qingchen interrupted, shouting towards the judges’ panel, "Seniors of the Wuji Immortal Palace, I wish to report Lie Buqun of the Shenhuo Sect for secretly taking Forbidden Medicine during the match!"

Ye Qingchen’s accusation instantly caused an uproar among the spectators, sparking a flurry of discussion.

Meanwhile, the disciples of the Shenhuo Sect erupted in righteous indignation.

"Ye Qingchen, you’re talking nonsense!"

"Since you’ve already won, why smear the name of our Shenhuo Sect?"

"Ye Qingchen, if you can’t produce proof, the Shenhuo Sect won’t let you off the hook!"

Xiao Xiao had long suspected there was something strange about Lie Buqun’s sudden increase in strength. Now that Ye Qingchen had publicly exposed him, she immediately stepped down from the judges’ panel and onto the arena, with Ling Xiaoyu following closely behind.

"Young... You’re saying this old coot took Forbidden Medicine? Do you have any proof?"

Xiao Xiao almost let the words "Young Master" slip out, but she managed to swallow them back, though she still stuck her tongue out cheekily at Ye Qingchen.

Currently, Xiao Xiao was representing the Wuji Immortal Palace as the person in charge of this sect advancement tournament. If anyone heard her call Ye Qingchen "Young Master," it would surely lead to questions about the competition’s fairness, and she would never allow her young master to be doubted in such a way. Even if Ye Qingchen didn’t mind, Xiao Xiao had to be more considerate.

Ling Xiaoyu also approached Ye Qingchen and said, "Ye Qingchen, all matters must be decided by evidence. Disrupting the competition is a grave offense!"

Without wasting any words, Ye Qingchen took Lie Buqun’s finger and made a small cut on its tip. As a fourth-grade Alchemist, Ye Qingchen naturally had ways to verify if someone had ingested Forbidden Medicine.

Blood oozed from Lie Buqun’s fingertip. Ye Qingchen took out a cup, collected half a cup of the blood, and then began to refine it with his Spiritual Energy. As he worked, he said to Ling Xiaoyu, "Go search his storage ring. There should be some leftover Forbidden Medicine inside. If I’m not mistaken, what he took should be a Fire Spirit Pill!"

Ling Xiaoyu frowned, but at Xiao Xiao’s urging, he removed Lie Buqun’s storage ring. After a brief search, Ling Xiaoyu pulled out a red pill bottle.

He glanced at Ye Qingchen, who nodded in response. Ling Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment before opening the bottle and pouring out two fiery-red Spirit Pills.

An Alchemist from the Wuji Immortal Palace hurried over. After inspecting the pills, he reported to Ling Xiaoyu, "It is indeed the Fire Spirit Pill, which can temporarily enhance a Martial Artist’s cultivation. It is especially effective for Martial Artists with a Fire Attribute."

Ling Xiaoyu nodded and said, "Ye Qingchen, you guessed correctly. It is the Fire Spirit Pill. However, the competition rules only prohibit consuming Spirit Pills during a match, not carrying them."

When the disciples of the Shenhuo Sect saw that Lie Buqun’s Fire Spirit Pills had been found, their hearts leaped into their throats. But upon hearing Ling Xiaoyu’s words, they began to clamor again.

"Exactly, Ye Qingchen! So what if our Sect Leader carries Spirit Pills? Don’t you have Spirit Pills in your storage ring too?"

"Ye Qingchen, stop judging a gentleman by your own petty standards! Every one of us in the Shenhuo Sect is upright and honorable; we would never do such a thing!"

Faced with the clamor and accusations, Ye Qingchen didn’t argue. Instead, he said to Ling Xiaoyu, "I have a way to prove he consumed the Fire Spirit Pill."

In truth, Ling Xiaoyu wasn’t trying to protect Lie Buqun. His concern was for the Wuji Immortal Palace’s reputation. If Lie Buqun were exposed for cheating in front of everyone—and worse, by Ye Qingchen before the Wuji Immortal Palace itself acted—it would be a major blow to their prestige. Therefore, Ling Xiaoyu had intended to wait until the tournament was over to deal with the Shenhuo Sect discreetly, but now Ye Qingchen had forced the matter into the light.

Xiao Xiao, however, thought differently. Lie Buqun had dared to use Forbidden Medicine against her Young Master—how could she tolerate that? As long as there was proof, she would make sure both Lie Buqun and the Shenhuo Sect paid the price!

A moment later, Ye Qingchen had completely refined the blood in the cup, leaving only a wisp of flowing, fire-red Spiritual Energy remaining. He handed the cup to the Wuji Immortal Palace’s Alchemist and said, "Master, you can verify if this substance, refined from Lie Buqun’s blood, contains the remaining medicinal properties of a Fire Spirit Pill."

The Alchemist took the cup and infused his Vitality Force to begin the inspection. After a moment, he nodded gravely and announced, "It is indeed the medicinal properties of a Fire Spirit Pill. This is enough to prove that Lie Buqun consumed a Fire Spirit Pill within the last half-hour!"

A huge uproar swept through the spectators upon hearing the Alchemist’s words. People might have doubted Ye Qingchen, but no one would disbelieve an announcement from the Wuji Immortal Palace.

"Lie Buqun is shameless! He’s at the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm, yet he still needed to take Forbidden Medicine to fight Ye Qingchen!"

"He didn’t just take Forbidden Medicine—the crucial part is he still lost! How is someone like that fit to be a Sect Leader?"

"I don’t think the Shenhuo Sect is any good, either. Didn’t you see the look on their faces when they were all defending Lie Buqun just now?"

A chorus of angry curses rose and fell. Those who had been eliminated by Lie Buqun were now the loudest with their condemnations.

Meanwhile, the members of the Shenhuo Sect all hung their heads, wishing they could find a hole to crawl into.

Hearing the confirmation from his sect’s Alchemist, Ling Xiaoyu’s expression soured. He flicked his hand, sending a stream of Spiritual Energy into Lie Buqun’s body.

Lie Buqun slowly regained consciousness. He looked around at the people on the arena, not yet grasping what had happened.

Xiao Xiao snorted coldly and demanded, "Lie Buqun, you dared to consume Forbidden Medicine! Such audacity! How dare you cheat in a competition hosted by our Wuji Immortal Palace!"

Faced with Xiao Xiao’s interrogation, Lie Buqun fell to his knees with a thud and cried out, "I’ve been framed! I’m innocent! I beg Senior Lady to quell her anger!"

At this point, Lie Buqun had cast all shame to the wind. He was at least fifty years old, while Xiao Xiao looked to be only fifteen or sixteen. Yet, he felt no sense of shame whatsoever kneeling before her and calling her "Senior Lady."

Disgusted, Xiao Xiao kicked Lie Buqun away. Ling Xiaoyu then declared, "The evidence is irrefutable. Your denials are useless! For daring to provoke our Wuji Immortal Palace, you deserve death!"

As he finished speaking, Ling Xiaoyu launched a palm strike at Lie Buqun from a distance. Lie Buqun didn’t even have time to react before he was smashed into a bloody pulp, dying instantly.

Ye Qingchen’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Ling Xiaoyu in disbelief.

So powerful!