Shi Xuan turned his head away, ignoring her completely, and said to Fan Hongde, "Let me ask Sect Leader Fan, since you say I am a disciple of your sect, why don't you take out the Sect Leader's token and retrieve the disciple jade plate of the Divine Cauldron Sect so that everyone can see whether my name is under the Divine Cauldron Sect?"
That's not true. When Fan Hongde took Shi Xuan back, his purpose was clear: if she were put on the disciple's jade plate, there would be trouble dealing with her later.
Fan Hongde hadn't expected her to be so difficult. He snorted and said, "You, a lowly disciple with only five spiritual roots, dare to dream of being on the sect's disciple list? What a fool!"
"Oh~ Your sect leader is truly meticulous, remembering even the names of the menial disciples and holding onto them so tightly. Besides, what kind of disciple are menial disciples? This contradicts what you just said. Does your sect leader's daughter like to call menial disciples 'junior sister' in such a humble and aggrieved manner?"
Another murmur arose from the surroundings.
[Handy disciples aren't considered official disciples of the sect, so even if they transfer to another sect, no one should hold them accountable.]
I have a feeling there are some complicated things going on that we don't know about.
[But in any case, it shouldn't be difficult for a sect leader to dismiss a newly initiated disciple.]
[Not necessarily. If the Lianfeng Sword Sect just hands over its disciples like that, who would dare to go to such a sect in the future?]
Judging from Sect Leader Shi's attitude, he will likely protect his disciple.
...
Fan Hongde was furious: "Stop making excuses! The reason I remember you is because you committed a grave mistake in my sect!"
"Oh~ I wonder what crime I've committed? Everyone can see that I'm only at the third level of Qi Refining, and I only reached that level yesterday outside the Fuyuan Sect's mountain gate. What serious mistake could someone at the Qi Refining stage like me have made?"
"You stole an important alchemical formula from my sect!"
"Oh~" Shi Xuan continued sarcastically, "Does your sect keep all the important pill formulas in the woodshed? How could a lowly servant with no cultivation level have been able to steal them?"
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
"It was you, you little thief, who broke into my sect's secret chamber and stole it!"
"Oh~ It seems your sect's secret chamber doesn't even have a protective array, allowing a servant to come and go as he pleases. And this servant, having entered the chamber, only managed to steal a pill formula. Does your sect's secret chamber not even possess any precious treasures or magical artifacts?"
"You!" Fan Hongde had assumed Shi Xuan was dead and hadn't prepared for the possibility of encountering her. The more he said, the more inconsistencies he made, and now he didn't know how to justify his words.
He simply stepped forward, gathered his strength in his hand, and slapped Shi Xuan, intending to kill her on the spot!
The disciples from the six sects watching gasped in unison. For the sect leader to abandon all decorum and kill a Qi Refining stage disciple, especially one from another sect, Fan Hongde must be furious and shameless.
As a palm struck, Shi Mingxiu and Shu Yuanguan attacked simultaneously, each striking Fan Hongde with a palm. Although they did not draw their swords, the difference in actual combat between sword cultivators and alchemists was obvious. Fan Hongde's attack failed, and he was forced to take two steps back. He immediately became furious, his eyes turning red.
“To kill someone without a second thought, Sect Leader Fan, that’s not very ethical,” Shi Mingxiu said, standing protectively beside Shi Xuan and looking at Fan Hongde.
Fan Hongde glared fiercely at Shi Xuan, somewhat regretting confronting her in public today. There were many ways to make her disappear, so why did he have to fight her head-on? He just didn't expect her to be so troublesome now.
He acted impulsively today. Fan Hongde snorted coldly, took two steps back and returned to the Divine Cauldron Sect's ranks, intending to let the matter pass for the time being.
But to everyone's surprise, Shi Xuan spoke up at this moment: "How about I tell you a story, which will also bring some fun to everyone here."
Before anyone could react, she continued, "This story has nothing to do with Sect Leader Fan, so please don't take it personally."
This is utterly blatant misrepresentation!
The disciples, elders, and sect leaders of the six sects appeared outwardly indifferent, but in reality, they were all listening intently. This sect secret was extremely popular.
Shi Xuan continued, "Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was born as the daughter of the sect leader, a person of high status. However, her aptitude was too poor; she was born with five spiritual roots that showed almost no spiritual value..."
"Shut up!" Fan Hongde roared, his eyes bloodshot, wishing he could tear Shi Xuan apart.
Shi Xuan feigned fear and took a step back, hiding behind Shi Mingxiu. He exclaimed in surprise, "Sect Leader Fan, what do you mean by this? Before I told you the story, I already stated that this matter had nothing to do with Sect Leader Fan or the Divine Cauldron Sect. Why are you so angry?"
I was not just angry, I was absolutely furious.
At this moment, all the disciples of the six sects who were watching the commotion understood that although they kept saying they weren't talking about Fan Hongde, they were clearly talking about him!
Shi Xuan knew that even if everyone knew the truth, without evidence, no one could do anything to him, a sect leader. Even with evidence, no one would do anything to rid the people of this scourge. But today, Shi Xuan wasn't going to let him off easily.
"Since this girl couldn't cultivate, her sect leader father came up with a plan: to find a top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root outside the sect and bring it back to the sect. Then, when the time was right, he would use a secret technique to swap the two's spiritual roots, thus turning his daughter into a cultivation prodigy with extraordinary talent!"
Fan Mingzhu truly burst into tears this time. Her face was as white as paper, and she swayed precariously, almost unable to stand.
Shi Xuan laughed heartily, revealing her dimples, and continued, "And so, this father searched for many years and finally met another girl with a top-grade fire spirit root. He took the girl back to the sect under the guise of taking her as a disciple and fed her with spirit root-shaping pills every day. After three years, the time was finally ripe, and he used a secret technique to exchange their spirit roots!"
At this moment, everyone at the banquet showed astonishment, and their gazes toward Fan Hongde were filled with scrutiny. They never expected that the dignified sect leader of the Divine Cauldron Sect would be such a vicious person!
"How vicious! And then?" Lu Wenxing was so engrossed in listening that he immediately asked about the aftermath.
"Then, after the spiritual root was changed, they thought the girl was dead and threw her off the back mountain. But who knew she would miraculously come back to life and travel thousands of miles to another sect to become a disciple. Even though the girl became a useless five-elemental-root, she still achieved enlightenment in front of the gates of two sects with her unparalleled comprehension! Even five-elemental-root couldn't stop her from shining brightly. It can be seen that we cultivators really don't need to be too concerned about spiritual root aptitude."
"Pfft!" Lu Wenxing behind him burst out laughing. He really couldn't help it. He was indignant at the first half of the story about his junior sister's tragic experience, but who knew that she would start bragging in front of so many people later on.
Shi Xuan rolled his eyes at him and added, "What I'm saying has absolutely nothing to do with Sect Master Fan and his daughter Fan Mingzhu. Please don't take it personally and wrong an innocent person!"
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