Today, he had finally managed to see Lu Xueqi.
Although he had been punished by the Qingyun Sect’s rules for trespassing on Xiaozhu Peak, as long as he could bind with Lu Xueqi today, Qi Hao didn’t see it as a loss.
But the obstruction from Master Shuiyue and Master Cang Song had filled him with rage.
Gazing at Lu Xueqi’s stunningly beautiful face, desire stirred within Qi Hao’s heart.
Yet considering his own strength, he could only suppress his thoughts, intending to find another opportunity to go to Xiaozhu Peak and bind with her.
"The first time was unfamiliar, the second time we’ll be more acquainted. Last time she attacked me—surely it was because she didn’t know me. Now that we’ve gotten familiar, next time I sneak into Xiaozhu Peak, she probably won’t attack again, right?"
Qi Hao calculated inwardly.
Seeing the fury on the faces of Master Shuiyue and his own master Cang Song, Qi Hao quickly bowed and explained.
“Master, Martial Aunt Shuiyue, I only wanted to apologize to Junior Sister Xueqi. This time I mistakenly entered the rear mountain of Xiaozhu Peak and disturbed her. I ask Junior Sister Xueqi to forgive me.”
Lu Xueqi said nothing.
Master Shuiyue, however, shouted angrily.
“Qi Hao, that’s enough! You’ve already been punished, so I’ll not say more. But from now on, you are not to step foot on Xiaozhu Peak. You are not welcome here!”
Qi Hao seethed inwardly.
But as a punished disciple, and lacking the strength to resist, he could only remain silent.
Master Shuiyue turned to Cang Song and mocked,
“Senior Brother Cang Song, you’ve really raised a good disciple, haven’t you?”
Cang Song’s face flushed red, and he snorted angrily,
“Shuiyue, just mind your own disciples! Bunch of seductive vixens!”
These words utterly enraged Master Shuiyue, her eyes wide with fury.
“Cang Song, say that again if you dare!”
At the same time, her aura erupted instantly, as though ready to battle Cang Song right there and then.
Cang Song realized he had spoken out of turn and fell momentarily silent.
Seeing Cang Song backing down, Master Shuiyue coldly snorted,
“Senior Brother Cang Song, for the sake of old times, I’ll let this matter go today. But if you dare to slander the disciples of my Xiaozhu Peak again, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
With that, she flicked her sleeve and stormed off with Lu Xueqi in tow.
Once Shuiyue and Lu Xueqi had left, Cang Song glared furiously at Qi Hao, who was still gazing longingly at Lu Xueqi’s departing figure, and roared,
“You wretched thing! Still not kneeling?”
Qi Hao, however, scoffed coldly.
“I, Qi Hao, kneel only to Heaven, Earth, and my parents—never to others!”
Hearing this, Cang Song was furious. With a flash, he appeared in front of Qi Hao and struck with his palm.
A loud "Bang!" echoed.
Caught off guard, Qi Hao was sent flying by Cang Song’s strike, blood spurting from his mouth, clearly gravely injured.
Qi Hao widened his eyes in disbelief—he couldn’t believe Cang Song had actually struck him with such force.
But Cang Song had not harbored killing intent when he acted, so the system within Qi Hao’s body had not detected a fatal threat and thus hadn’t activated its automatic defense, resulting in his serious injury.
Cang Song said coldly,
“Qi Hao, you grow more unruly by the day! As the top disciple of Longshou Peak, if you continue this insolence, I’ll strip you of your position!”
Qi Hao burned with rage upon hearing this.
Whether in the modern world or after transmigrating here, he had never suffered such humiliation.
At this moment, he utterly hated Cang Song, wishing to tear him to pieces.
However, the cruel reality forced him to calm down.
His strength was far inferior to Cang Song’s.
This massive gap left Qi Hao filled with unwillingness.
He could only resent himself in silence.
‘Why am I so weak?’
Still, thinking of how Cang Song would one day betray the sect, Qi Hao made a firm decision.
He swore silently.
‘Once Cang Song betrays the sect, don’t blame me for being ruthless!’
As for being stripped of the title of top disciple, he didn’t truly care.
Within Longshou Peak, apart from him with his Eighth Level of Jade Purity Realm strength, no other disciple had even reached the Seventh Level. If he wasn’t the top disciple, who else could it be?
Moreover, knowing that Cang Song would one day betray the sect, and that he himself would eventually take the position of head of Longshou Peak, he forcefully suppressed his anger and bowed his head to admit fault.
“Master, I ask for your forgiveness.”
Seeing Qi Hao admit his mistake, Cang Song’s displeasure eased slightly.
Qi Hao was, after all, a disciple he had watched grow up—and the face of Longshou Peak.
Until new disciples rose up, he couldn’t go too far in punishing Qi Hao.
Thinking this, Cang Song snorted and said,
“Qi Hao, you’re well aware of the punishment just dealt. Go to the rear mountain of Longshou Peak and receive your punishment yourself.”
Hearing this, Qi Hao frowned slightly.
In his heart, he didn’t want to go to the rear mountain to receive punishment.
But weighing their strength difference, he could only respond respectfully.
“Yes, Master.”
Afterward, he turned and walked toward the rear mountain of Longshou Peak.
However, Qi Hao had no intention of obediently staying there to receive punishment.
He had more important matters to attend to—selecting a binding partner.
He knew very well that if he were to spend half a year dutifully in the rear mountain, that time would be wasted.
But once he successfully bound with someone, and that person’s cultivation broke through, his own strength would also see a tremendous boost—making him more confident in the upcoming Seven Peaks Tournament.
Thinking back to today’s battle with Lu Xueqi, Qi Hao’s expression turned slightly strange.
He couldn’t comprehend why Lu Xueqi’s strength was so terrifying.
Despite having reached the Eighth Level of the Jade Purity Realm, he had been completely powerless before her—this had far exceeded his expectations.
However, he soon shook his head, chalking the anomaly up to the butterfly effect of transmigration, or perhaps the original novel’s depiction had simply been inaccurate.
Still, just recalling Lu Xueqi’s terrifying power, along with Master Shuiyue’s overt favoritism, left Qi Hao with a headache.
Given the current situation, trying to sneak into the rear mountain of Xiaozhu Peak to bind with Lu Xueqi would be as hard as ascending to the heavens.
After Qi Hao left, the head of Longshou Peak, Master Cang Song, frowned deeply.
Qi Hao had become increasingly unruly lately, filling him with dissatisfaction.
He even began to consider whether he should remove Qi Hao from the position of Senior Brother and pass Longshou Peak’s legacy to another disciple.
Unbidden, Cang Song’s thoughts drifted toward the prodigious disciple, Lin Jingyu.
Since his initiation, Lin Jingyu had displayed remarkable intelligence and talent.
At such a young age, he had already broken through to the Sixth Level of the Jade Purity Realm.
At this pace, he was highly likely to reach the Seventh Level before the Seven Peaks Tournament.
Such talent was exceedingly rare in the world.
Moreover, Lin Jingyu showed him the utmost respect.
Should he perhaps begin to groom Lin Jingyu as the future head of Longshou Peak?
Thinking this, the events of Qi Hao’s actions today resurfaced in his mind.
Cang Song gradually reached a decision.
Meanwhile, while Qi Hao headed to Black Wind Cave on Longshou Peak to receive his punishment—
In a side room on the front mountain of Longshou Peak, Lin Jingyu pushed open a half-shut window.
He gazed silently in the direction of Qi Hao’s departure, his eyes gleaming with an inscrutable light.
...
After leaving Longshou Peak, Lu Xueqi and Master Shuiyue traveled together.
Master Shuiyue turned to look at the peerlessly gifted disciple at her side.
She warned,
“Xueqi, you must be careful in the coming days. That Qi Hao is unlikely to give up so easily. He may come to Xiaozhu Peak again—you must stay alert.”
Recalling Qi Hao’s behavior earlier that day, Lu Xueqi nodded in response.
“Don’t worry, Master. Qi Hao is no longer my match.
If you hadn’t arrived in time earlier—and if he didn’t seem to have some protective treasure on him—I would have already slain him in the rear mountain of Xiaozhu Peak.”
Master Shuiyue nodded in agreement, full of confidence in her beloved disciple’s strength.
She sighed faintly and said,
“I used to know a bit about Qi Hao. Among the younger generation, his talent was indeed impressive.
Although he can’t compare to you, he was still considered outstanding compared to the others. He originally had the potential to inherit the head position of Longshou Peak.
He used to be smooth and sociable, able to get along with anyone. I don’t know why, but his temperament has become so twisted now.”
Lu Xueqi silently thought to herself.
Why did he become like this?
Isn’t it because he’s been replaced by a transmigrator?
These transmigrators always think they’re chosen by the heavens, seeing themselves as the center of the world, expecting everything to revolve around them.
They completely lack the scheming and depth the original Qi Hao possessed.
What’s being displayed now is merely the transmigrator’s true nature—so much worse than the Qi Hao of the past.