Su Yuan was equally surprised.

Just as he was about to make his move, he discovered his speed was astonishing, yet he could control his body with perfect clarity and precision. His attacks were sharp and decisive, instantly identifying multiple weak points in the disciples' stances before effortlessly taking them down with simple punches and kicks.

Some of these moves came from miscellaneous books he'd read, even combat videos from his past life, which he'd incidentally mastered during his recent cultivation realizations.

"When did you get so strong? Have you studied martial arts?" Zhang Wei stared dumbfounded.

Su Yuan smiled. "Maybe I've always been this strong?"

Zhang Wei froze—it was true he'd never seen Su Yuan fight before. Why had he assumed Su Yuan was weak?

The observing disciples nearby also showed expressions of shock at Su Yuan's display.

On a distant tree branch, Liu Muwan's face similarly revealed surprise.

She had been practicing her Lightness Technique in the trees when she accidentally witnessed Zhang Wei's group fighting. She initially planned to leave after a glance, but unexpectedly saw Su Yuan's intervention.

"That speed, reaction time, and strength... it's beyond mortal limits. There's no sign of martial arts training either. To achieve this, his Qi Refining Stage must have reached the second layer—where refined qi nourishes the physical body."

Having studied martial arts herself, Liu Muwan could tell Su Yuan hadn't trained in combat. Yet this conclusion puzzled her further.

She didn't recall any second-layer Qi Refining disciple matching this description!

Who was he?

Su Yuan seemed to sense something, turning toward the woods. But by the time he looked, Liu Muwan had already vanished among the leaves.

Seeing nothing unusual, Su Yuan turned back just as a large group came charging over.

Zhang Wei's expression changed. "That's Wu Jing! Mid-grade dual Spirit Root who opened two acupoints during testing! Are these his people?"

Su Yuan gave him an exasperated look. Seriously? You've been fighting this whole time without knowing who you're up against?

Wu Jing arrived with a cold expression, seeing his men groaning on the ground before glaring at Zhang Wei and Su Yuan.

"So you're the ones who attacked my men for no reason?" Wu Jing said icily.

Zhang Wei snorted. "They attacked my client first! Look, my client—"

He paused. His client had mysteriously appeared at the sidelines, bruises vanished without a trace. When Zhang Wei looked over, the disciple gave him an utterly confused "innocent" look before scurrying away.

"Wha—" Zhang Wei's mind went blank.

Wu Jing glanced at the fleeing disciple, then at his own men struggling to their feet. Anger flashed across his face—he realized he'd been set up as someone's pawn.

But things had gone too far to back down now.

"You beat my men. You have two choices—get beaten by me, or compensate me with fifty portions of resources!" Wu Jing said sternly.

Zhang Wei's face turned red as he eyed the twenty-seven surrounding disciples. Nervous, he looked to Su Yuan—only to see his calm, unshakable composure that somehow steadied his panic.

"Su Yuan, what do we do?" he whispered urgently.

Su Yuan waved for silence before addressing Wu Jing. "I was the one who took down your men. If you want trouble, deal with me."

"Oh?" Wu Jing checked with his subordinates, all five nodding confirmation. His eyes showed surprise as one quickly whispered additional details to him.

Wu Jing's expression shifted briefly before returning to neutrality. "Very well. The same choice applies to you then."

Su Yuan chuckled. "Wait—you may have numbers, but so do I." He raised a hand.

From the watching crowd, over twenty figures stepped forward. Zhou Wuyou led them with imposing strides.

Su Yuan had noticed Zhou Wuyou earlier—Zhang Wei's fight had clearly drawn his attention, though their mutual dislike prevented intervention.

Seeing Zhou Wuyou approach, Zhang Wei paled. "Su Yuan! We're surrounded now!"

"Relax. They're with us."

"Huh? With us?" Zhang Wei gaped as his former rival Zhou Wuyou bowed respectfully to Su Yuan. "Senior Brother Su, the men are assembled."

Su Yuan nodded casually before meeting Wu Jing's gaze. "Want to fight? We're ready."

Wu Jing's face darkened. Damn it—whoever set him up against this monster would pay! His subordinate's report about Su Yuan instantly defeating five men already signaled something was wrong. Now facing equal numbers, his urge to retreat grew stronger—but pride wouldn't let him back down.

The two groups stood off—over fifty disciples lining both sides of the path.

Wu Jing looked tense, Su Yuan relaxed, Zhang Wei eager, and Zhou Wuyou concerned.

As tension peaked, Su Yuan suddenly laughed. "Brother Wu Jing, today's events were clearly a setup meant to provoke conflict between us. We shouldn't fall for such schemes."

Wu Jing feigned realization. "Ah! No wonder something felt off!"

Su Yuan continued, "Besides, this is Immortal Seed Valley—too many eyes watching. Brawls would displease our superiors. We seek immortality, not petty squabbles. That said, I did hit your men too hard earlier. I'll compensate them with twenty resource portions for medical treatment."

Wu Jing's expression eased. Glancing at Zhang Wei's bruises, he said, "My men were also overly aggressive. I'll offer ten portions as apology." He signaled for a box to be handed to Zhang Wei, who caught it dumbly.

"Then I thank Brother Wu Jing," Su Yuan said. "No fight, no acquaintance—I'm Su Yuan. Let's support each other in the sect going forward."

"Naturally," Wu Jing smiled. "I deeply admire Brother Su's strength. We should discuss cultivation insights sometime."

Just then, distant shouts erupted. Everyone turned to see a black-uniformed squad approaching rapidly. Wu Jing immediately had his injured men blend into the crowd while Su Yuan urged Zhang Wei inside to hide the compensation box.

The black-clad leader scanned the area, finding no ongoing fight. "What's happening here?" he demanded.

Wu Jing stepped forward. "Senior Brother, we were gathering to attend the Scripture Hall lecture together."

Finding no evidence of disorder, the leader left displeased.

Once gone, Wu Jing fumed, "Whoever orchestrated this will pay!"

Zhang Wei emerged, confused. "Su Yuan, what happened?"

"It's over. Everyone disperse," Su Yuan said. The crowd quickly scattered.

Back in Su Yuan's courtyard, the trio sat—Su Yuan centrally, Zhang Wei and Zhou Wuyou on either side glaring daggers at each other.

"Explain, Zhang Wei," Su Yuan prompted.

"I just left to attend a lecture when I saw a client of mine beaten up with those five standing nearby. He begged for help, so I rushed in without thinking!"

"Idiot," Zhou Wuyou muttered.

"Who're you calling idiot?" Zhang Wei snapped. "You shady bastard—stay away from Su Yuan!"

Zhou Wuyou ignored him, internally labeling Zhang Wei a brainless fool.

"Your client was bribed," Su Yuan deduced. "Check if your other clients still honor your deals."

"No way! I offer thousandfold returns!" Zhang Wei protested.

Su Yuan smiled wryly. "With what funds? Betrayal comes cheap."

Zhang Wei had no rebuttal. He suddenly remembered the compensation box. "Here—Wu Jing's apology belongs to you since you helped me. Plus I'll cover the twenty portions you promised and add twenty more as thanks!"

Su Yuan gave him an odd look. "When I said 'later,' I meant never. And no need for thanks—aren't we friends?"

"Of course! But... 'later' means that? Won't Wu Jing get mad?" Zhang Wei asked.

"Moron," Zhou Wuyou enunciated clearly. Anyone could see Su Yuan had been the dominant party—able to defeat five men instantly.

"Piss off!" Zhang Wei yelled.

Zhou Wuyou smirked. "This isn't your house."

Zhang Wei fumed before suddenly grinning. "Zhou Wuyou, I'm definitely entering the outer sect this time! Enjoy three more years as a labor disciple!"

Zhou Wuyou laughed lightly. "Actually, I'm the one advancing. You? Without resources, your chances look shaky."

Zhang Wei frowned.

"The lecture's starting soon. Let's go—we'll handle this later," Su Yuan interjected.

Zhang Wei flushed. "I'll skip it to recover."

"You?" Su Yuan asked Zhou Wuyou.

"Pointless lecture," Zhou Wuyou shrugged.

"Then I'll go. Do as you please." Su Yuan stood.

The other two left in opposite directions after exchanging final glares.

As Su Yuan straightened his robes en route to Scripture Hall, system notifications chimed:

[Ding. Fame Points +1]

[Ding. Fame Points +1]

[Ding. Fame Points +1]

[Ding. Fame Points +4]

Su Yuan checked the four alerts—totaling seven points, bringing his Fame to 20/100. The irregular increments still puzzled him.

Lost in thought, he walked onward until noticing an elegant feminine figure ahead. After a brief glance, he passed her without a second look.