78: Chapter 78: Fighting for Fairness (Seeking Recommendation Votes) 78: Chapter 78: Fighting for Fairness (Seeking Recommendation Votes) A thought floated through his mind, and his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
He quickly realized, “If this is the case, wouldn’t my strength be able to increase again?”
If his speculation was correct, the fused Cultivation Technique would undoubtedly be even stronger.
“Unfortunately, my Soul Energy is already insufficient.”
Glancing at his own Soul Energy count, Bai Ziyue’s face could not help but show a trace of helplessness.
Returning to Qinghe Town, Bai Ziyue naturally came to the West Street Market.
In the West Street Market, there was a Beheading Platform.
For three years, one of the ways Bai Ziyue gained Soul Energy was from this Beheading Platform.
But obviously, no one was beheaded today.
Bai Ziyue wandered around for a bit before arriving at a bustling street and entering a relatively spacious shop.
This place was a clothing shop run by his parents and funded by Bai Ziyue himself.
Behind the clothing shop was a reasonably spacious courtyard, enough for a family to live in.
At this moment, inside the clothing shop, there was a woman measuring fabric, while an elderly lady next to her was chattering away about the family matters of Sister-in-law Zhang, Aunt Li, and Wang Erma.
In the innermost part, a two- or three-year-old child was quietly sitting on a small stool, playing with his fingers.
“Bai Family’s daughter-in-law, the old lady won’t chat with you anymore, your son is back.”
The elderly woman, with sharp eyes, spotted Bai Ziyue and sensibly left.
“Yue’er, you finally decided to come back?
You’ve been in Qinghe Town, but do you realize how long it’s been since you last came back?”
Hee Honghua’s face first lit up with joy when she saw Bai Ziyue.
Then her expression turned stern as she spoke with some displeasure.
“There were matters in the sect that I couldn’t get away from.”
Bai Ziyue said, feeling a bit guilty in his heart.
To be honest, it had been nearly a month since he last returned.
But he had compelling reasons for this.
He was clear about his situation.
Practicing martial arts and cultivation meant licking blood from the blade, constantly facing dangerous situations, and even the possibility of dying in a foreign land.
Rather than becoming too close with his parents and causing them sorrow when the time comes, it was better to deliberately maintain a distance and dull their emotions.
Fortunately, he now had a younger brother.
The little guy was almost three years old, delicate in appearance.
Though he could speak, he was excessively well-behaved.
To this, Bai Ziyue felt it was fine.
Being well-behaved meant being dutiful, and in the future, he could live safely and peacefully without following the path of cultivation.
With a younger brother around, even if something happened to him in the future, his parents would still have someone to think about.
You don’t even have time to come home and see us?”
Hee Honghua complained but couldn’t bear to be too harsh on her son.
She quickly invited him inside and called Bai Yong out from the backyard, saying she would soon buy some good dishes for him to eat well.
Bai Ziyue opened his mouth but still couldn’t bear to say he would leave immediately.
He realized he couldn’t harden his heart.
Shortly after returning to his place, there came a knock on the door.
“Senior Brother Liu Heng?”
Bai Ziyue opened the door, looking surprised.
“Junior Brother Bai, didn’t you come back yesterday?”
Seeing Bai Ziyue nod, Liu Heng wasn’t surprised and said, “The Sect Leader is looking for you.
I came yesterday, but you weren’t here.”
Raising his eyebrows in mild surprise but without explaining, Bai Ziyue hurriedly followed Liu Heng to the Sect Leader’s Mansion.
He had very complex feelings towards this makeshift master.
To say that he didn’t value him?
That was not exactly true.
Sometimes Liu Dong would take time to guide his Martial Arts, and occasionally, he’d give him some good things, including a fair amount of Qi Blood Pills.
But it was also true that he hadn’t learned any Martial Arts or Cultivation Technique from him.
Of course, Bai Ziyue somewhat understood this.
During the External Forging phase, there were few Martial Arts to learn.
Since there was a universal Vajra Lock Jade Technique for External Forging, there was no need for a master to teach specially.
Therefore, Liu Dong could only mainly give pointers on Bai Ziyue’s cultivation.
What really frustrated him was the matter of the Inner Cultivation Technique.
Several times, he had suggested wanting to ‘see’ the Inner Cultivation Technique to broaden his ‘horizons.’
But each time, his master rejected him with a few words and reprimanded him for aiming too high.
Feeling helpless, he even thought about revealing his true strength…
though it was just a fleeting thought.
In reality, he couldn’t possibly do that.
Sometimes, the consequences of impulsiveness were not something he could bear.
Soon, Bai Ziyue, following Liu Heng, met his master, Sect Leader Liu Dong.
“I heard you defeated Zhao Gangyi with one punch?”
Liu Dong looked at him with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
Bai Ziyue nodded casually.
He wasn’t hesitant to showcase his abilities because the more of a genius he was, the more his master valued him.
As long as he managed well, he would be an undisputed genius.
“Not bad, I didn’t expect you to improve so much in such a short time.”
Liu Dong nodded in satisfaction.
Bai Ziyue and Zhao Gangyi were in the same realm.
Even though Bai Ziyue entered the External Forged Flesh stage later, it was normal for his combat power to be stronger, so Liu Dong was not surprised.
“I wonder why Master called for me this time?”
Bai Ziyue asked curiously.
“Originally, I thought your hope of competing for the outstanding disciple title was not great, so I didn’t pay much attention.
But now that your strength has surpassed Zhao Gangyi, you can compete for it.
Getting early support within the sect will be greatly beneficial for you.”
Liu Dong mused, feeling a bit gratified.
“I shall strive hard.
But how is the title of outstanding disciple judged?”
Bai Ziyue nodded solemnly and asked curiously.
“The sect’s outstanding disciples are selected based on talent, strength, and contributions.
However, the specifics are determined by the sect elders.
This time the evaluator is Elder Nie Yunhao.
That Elder Nie has an ordinary relationship with me but is quite close to the Right Guardian Zhao Jing.
That’s why I thought your chances were slim.”
Liu Dong said calmly.
Bai Ziyue understood.
He knew that sometimes the effects of personal connections far outweighed strength.
If he hadn’t demonstrated his strength, his master naturally wouldn’t fight for the opportunity for him, knowing that his chances were slim.
Even if Liu Dong was the Sect Leader and Zhao Jing was just a Guardian, it was the same.
The key was Elder Nie Yunhao.
Thus, the title of outstanding disciple would likely go to Zhao Gangyi.
But now, having surpassed Zhao Gangyi in both talent and strength, his master had an excuse to fight for the opportunity.
With his master’s status, it was still possible to secure fairness for him.