Inner Sect, Tongchen Peak.

Under the setting sun, the shadow of the eave of the Prepared Affairs Hall stretched long.

Dan Zifeng sat casually in the hall, holding a small booklet and flipping through it page by page.

Standing in the hall was a Cultivator dressed as an Outer Sect Disciple.

Seeing that Dan Zifeng remained silent, he was somewhat at a loss.

"..."

The atmosphere in the room was very oppressive. Perhaps the Disciple could no longer bear it, so he spoke tremblingly.

"Dan... Senior Brother Dan..."

Dan Zifeng suddenly spoke, interrupting him: "Last month, quite a lot of Spiritual Grains and Spiritual Tea were sent back to the Sect from your side, right?"

"How come by the time it reached my Prepared Affairs Hall, there was only this much left?"

"It’s three-tenths less than usual."

Dan Zifeng spoke very slowly.

But every word, to that Outer Sect Cultivator, was heart-stopping.

Dan Zifeng walked up to him and grabbed his hair.

"Did you swallow it?"

A Jade Slip in his hand struck the Outer Sect Disciple’s face with a "smack," creating a chilling sound in the dead silence of the Prepared Affairs Hall.

"No, it’s not..."

"Absolutely not, Senior Brother Dan..."

The Outer Sect Disciple trembled all over, his forehead bruised and bleeding.

"According to Beiwu, it was attacked by Demon Beasts last month..."

Bang!!

Before he could finish, a porcelain cup shattered against the Dragon Pillar, just past his ear.

Porcelain shards flew.

Dan Zifeng suddenly flared up and kicked the Outer Sect Cultivator on the edge of his knee.

The Outer Sect Cultivator cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

A pair of python-patterned boots ground heavily on his supporting fingers: "Negligent in your duties, and you still dare to quibble?"

"Oh, right..."

He suddenly bent down and lifted the Outer Sect Cultivator’s collar.

"Little Hu... I heard you also have a younger sister who works in the mess hall?"

Disciple Hu’s pupils constricted, and a whimper escaped his throat. Before he could make a sound, Dan Zifeng kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backward to land heavily on the ground.

"Tomorrow, tell her to come to the Prepared Affairs Hall to receive punishment."

"Senior Brother Dan..."

"What?"

Dan Zifeng turned his head, his expression sinister, staring at Disciple Hu, who dared not speak further.

"Don’t worry..."

"When your sister comes, I’ll let her personally apply medicine for you."

An Inner Sect Disciple at the Qi Refining Stage Seventh Level daring to act so arrogantly would seem absurd if word got out.

But Dan Zifeng was indeed a bit different.

Dan Zifeng’s relative, Dan Jiugao, was a Named Disciple taken in by Tongchen Peak Master Wang Lin decades ago.

He died in a chaotic battle while pursuing demonic Cultivators, blocking a fatal blow for Wang Lin.

To uphold Dao righteousness, Wang Lin arranged for Dan Zifeng’s father, who had no Cultivation Aptitude, to work as a messenger in the Outer Sect.

Later, a Genius with a Dual Spiritual Root emerged among Dan’s distant relatives, was admitted to the Inner Sect, and established his Dao Foundation.

These connections became Dan Zifeng’s stepping stone to attach himself to Tongchen Peak Master Wang Lin.

Although he was only nominally a Disciple, his actual mentor was Elder Li Jianping.

But the status of a Peak Master’s Disciple was already enough to make many people fear him.

How many Disciples did the Cave Abyss Sect have? 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Excluding Mortals who had no Spiritual Root Aptitude and simply worked in various places within the Sect, there were over ten thousand Sect Disciples.

Adding the children of Cultivation families attached to the Sect, they were countless.

Among them, those who could establish a connection with the Peak Masters of the various Peaks were few and far between.

And what was the status of the various Peak Masters... they were the strongest individuals in the entire Cave Abyss Sect, second only to the Sect Master.

Most of them were at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, rising stars with the potential to reach the Golden Core Realm... and there were also many great Cultivators at the False Core Realm who had failed in their attempt to reach the Golden Core Realm and settled for less.

Moreover, Dan Zifeng’s talent was ordinary, but he was adept at maneuvering.

Even when he was in the Outer Sect, he bribed the Outer Sect Supervisory Disciples to gain some advantages for himself.

When discussing with others, he would always mention the old story of his relative dying in battle for Tongchen Peak Master Wang Lin.

After entering the Inner Sect, he sought the help of that Foundation Establishment relative to arrange his entry into Tongchen Peak.

When asked by fellow Disciples, he would remain silent about Wang Lin, only stating that his Foundation Establishment relative had a deep relationship with him.

This kind of influence reached its Peak after he took over the affairs of the Tongchen Peak Prepared Affairs Hall.

The Cultivators all believed that this person had an extraordinary background and was being watched by multiple high-ranking Inner Sect Cultivators.

He molded himself into a favored son of heaven, protected by the Peak Master and looked after by a Foundation Establishment Realm Inner Sect Cultivator.

Furthermore, he only targeted Outer Sect Disciples who had ordinary or poor Aptitude and lacked connections.

As long as they wanted to Cultivate peacefully within the Cave Abyss Sect... they had no choice but to submit to the false authority of high status and power that Dan Zifeng had created through various means.

Many even wished to be accomplices, doing evil together.

In just a few years, he had managed to establish his own small faction.

Dan Zifeng, of course, knew that these people were not genuinely working for him.

Some of them were merely trying to avoid being suppressed.

Others, like Dan Zifeng, wanted to gain benefits from the lower-level Cultivators.

But did that matter?

He only wanted power and resources.

Anything else was irrelevant to him.

Were the spiritual resources that lower-level Cultivators needed to receive through the Prepared Affairs Hall numerous?

Not necessarily.

One Cultivator indeed had little, but when the number of people increased, the spiritual resources he could appropriate became substantial.

Among them, a portion of Cultivators with extremely poor Aptitude already progressed slowly.

After Dan Zifeng withheld their spiritual resources, they saw no hope in the Grand Dao of Cultivation and left the Sect.

In the past, some people had given up and caused a ruckus in the Prepared Affairs Hall because of this.

However, for Dan Zifeng, such foolish people were the easiest to deal with.

No strength, no background.

Crushing them was enough.

Those lower-level Cultivators, one or two, could never contend with these parasitic growths that had taken root in the Sect.

"Senior Brother Dan."

Behind the Prepared Affairs Hall, a square-faced Disciple offered a Jade Slip with a fawning smile.

"These two knew that the Grand Dao was hopeless, and left the Sect today. I will handle all related matters today..."

"These are the things they ’left behind’."

Dan Zifeng snorted coldly: "Hmph, these useless people, why waste these Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects on them."

"Consider them sensible..."

"..."

The square-faced Disciple hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Senior Brother Dan..."

"Hmm?"

"That Song Yesheng..."

Dan Zifeng paused and turned to look at him.

He stared at the square-faced Disciple until the latter felt a chill in his heart.

"Speak."

"This person’s progress in re-Cultivating his Realm is somewhat abnormal..."

"I’m worried that if he can Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Stage Seventh Level and enter the Inner Sect..."

The square-faced Disciple did not finish, but the implication of his words was already clear.

Entering the Inner Sect made it possible to become a Disciple of an Elder.

If that happened, no matter what reason or excuse was used to delay, that batch of spiritual resources sent by the Profound Origin Sect would always have to be taken away.

The square-faced Cultivator was naturally thinking for Dan Zifeng; if Dan Zifeng ate meat, they could at least have some soup.

If the things were gone, they would get nothing.

"Hmph..."

Dan Zifeng sneered: "He’s just a dog that gets kicked around..."

Recalling the scene in the Cultivation Heart Courtyard that day, he couldn’t help but feel a burst of anger.

Since entering the Inner Sect, what hadn’t gone smoothly for him?

He, a mere Outer Sect Cultivator... "Go and thoroughly investigate again whether this person has any relatives within the Sect."

"If he truly is a lone wolf..."

"Then inform Zheng Bo and the others, and find a suitable day..."

A ruthless glint flashed in Dan Zifeng’s eyes.

"Crippl him again."