Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 403: The Strong Bully the Weak to Become Stronger!

Ning Xuan had finally figured it out. He understood why Ye Qingqing had no intention of attacking him and why the three commanders, whose Cultivation was clearly inferior to the old man's, remained unharmed.

Right, could that Defensive Barrier be the same? Ning Xuan immediately thought of the barrier outside.

The old man nodded with a smile. "A promising young man, indeed!"

At that moment, Qian Yourong worked up her courage, jogged over to Ning Xuan, and whispered, "Quick, bully me!" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Ah? Here? That's not very appropriate, is it?"

Qian Yourong faltered for a moment, her cheeks flushing crimson as she glanced at the old man opposite them. She lowered her head even further, her voice as faint as a buzzing mosquito. "I didn't mean *that* kind of bullying!"

"Master, bully me too!" San Wu piped up, running over to join the fun.

"Master, I can do it too!" This was Xiao Bai's voice.

Opposite them, the old man's eyes widened in shock. "Are young people really so wild these days?"

Ning Xuan was exasperated. "How could I bear to hit you! Besides, the rule about getting stronger by bullying the weak surely doesn't apply to just anyone. If it applied to everyone, it would be total chaos."

The three girls nodded in agreement before chorusing, "But you're not just anyone."

He had to hand it to them. This wouldn't do. If this conversation continued, they'd talk him into being invincible.

Ning Xuan immediately changed the subject, asking the old man, "Senior, there must be limits and consequences to getting stronger by bullying the weak, right?"

"Of course," the old man nodded. "No matter how strong one becomes, one can never surpass the Heaven and Earth Laws! However, you were mistaken about something. This rule applies to everyone who enters the Imprisonment Space! And you are in the Imprisonment Space right now."

The four girls' faces lit up with delight.

Ning Xuan, however, remained listless. "Then this 'getting stronger by bullying the weak' is meaningless. After all, it's not genuine strength."

A strange light flickered in the old man's eyes, and he couldn't help but ask, "Don't you want to become stronger?"

"Of course I do, but there are many ways to do it. This method might seem like a shortcut, but it's putting the cart before the horse. The gains don't make up for the losses."

"But what if you had to get stronger immediately?" the old man said, looking off in a certain direction.

Ning Xuan followed his gaze and saw Fu Baishou, who was still locked in an intense stalemate with the little white snake. But then, the old man realized his earlier delight had been for nothing.

Because...

BANG!

He whipped his head around to see Ning Xuan violently beating up the youngest girl. A single punch sent her flying, plastering her against a rock wall several meters away.

The old man was horrified. "Didn't you just say this method wasn't worth the loss?!"

"Bullying the weak is satisfying enough, but getting stronger from it? That's double the pleasure! Only a fool would turn that down! San Wu, come here, let me punch you!"

The old man was dumbfounded. This little brat was simply atrocious! Not only did he bully one, but he also wanted to bully another. What left him even more speechless was that the other little girl didn't refuse in the slightest. Instead, her face filled with joy as she trotted over to take the hit.

"Alrighty!"

If that was all, it might have been one thing. But he was shocked to see that the woman who had volunteered first was still waiting with an expectant look on her face. At this, he could no longer stand by. He instantly appeared in front of Qian Yourong, separating her from Ning Xuan.

"You should be several years older than them. Why are you fooling around too?!"

Qian Yourong was immediately displeased. "Senior, we're willing! You're an old man, you shouldn't be so nosy!" she retorted, showing him no courtesy whatsoever.

The elder was so angry that his beard bristled and his eyes went wide. "I wasn't finished speaking just now! There are consequences to this. It's very easy for the one who attacks to become lost in the power. It's like a poppy; once you start down that path, there's no turning back. You become addicted, unable to free yourself, until you're obliterated by the Heaven and Earth Laws!"

Qian Yourong's face changed dramatically. "You're lying!"

"Whether I am or not, you'll know just by looking at his current state," the elder said, stepping aside.

Then, he jumped in fright.

The little brat who had struck twice was looking at him as if he were an idiot. This was definitely not the gaze of a Cultivator who had lost himself to power. As he puzzled over this, the young man asked him tentatively, "Senior, you were just trying to scare her on purpose, right?"

"Absolutely not! Otherwise, do you think I actually enjoy being imprisoned here? You're so shameless, how could that Ye girl possibly tolerate you when she saw you?"

Dark lines seemed to cross Ning Xuan's forehead.

"It's their problem if they can't handle it, but you'll definitely be fine! Come on, bully me!" Qian Yourong grew excited again, now certain that Ning Xuan was fine. She was happier than anyone that he could become stronger. Most importantly, she could finally be of help instead of a burden.

"Sister Yourong, there's no need," Ning Xuan said with a smile, rejecting her offer. "I want to test if my current Cultivation is sufficient first."

In truth, what he had told the old man earlier was exactly what he believed. But he wasn't some old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud; one had to be flexible when the situation called for it. Crucially, Ning Xuan knew the old man hadn't been lying. The feeling of instantly ascending a First Layer Realm with that first strike had been too wonderful. The words he'd spoken then were a true reflection of his feelings at that moment. Thankfully, he had quickly realized something was wrong and circulated the Chaos Ancestral Dragon Scripture to suppress himself. It was then that Ning Xuan keenly felt the dormant world-destroying power within him begin to stir. Fortunately, he noticed it early; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Still, to test the limits, Ning Xuan had struck San Wu with another punch. His Cultivation Realm had immediately ascended another First Layer Heavens, bringing him to the Venerable Realm's Ninth Layer Heavens! It was simple, direct, and brutal! The feeling was utterly seductive. Luckily, Ning Xuan had been prepared this time and desperately held onto the clarity of his Spiritual Platform. Even so, he had nearly been tripped up.

Alright. It was best not to mess with this rule at all.

The old man stared at Ning Xuan for a long while before breathing a sigh of relief. Then, without any perceptible movement, the small white snake that had been confronting Fu Baishou appeared directly in his hands. The others watched as the terrifying serpent coiled in the old man's hands, as docile as a baby.

"You two, have a match and test your strength," the old man said to Ning Xuan and Fu Baishou.

Fu Baishou shook his head in refusal without a second thought.

"Relax. You aren't necessarily stronger than him. The so-called rule doesn't look at one's Cultivation Realm, but one's true combat prowess. If someone at the Venerable Realm's First Layer Heavens can fight someone at the Ninth Layer Heavens for a quarter of an hour, no one would call the former weak. In that case, it naturally wouldn't be considered bullying the weak. Remember, rules are rigid, but people are flexible! As long as you don't consider yourself weaker than your opponent, the rule becomes invalid!" The elder's voice rang out, its words thought-provoking.

"Teacher Zou is truly worthy of the title," Fu Baishou said with a deep, respectful bow. "I, Fu Baishou, have been taught a valuable lesson."

Nearby, Wu Pianpian, who had been so quiet she was almost invisible since Teacher Zou's arrival, finally understood the reason for her aversion.

Damn it! So this old geezer really is a teacher. No wonder I disliked him the moment I saw him! Ever since she was a child, she had hated reading, and she hated the teachers who taught even more! She once naively believed that if all the teachers in the world disappeared, then all the annoying books would vanish along with them.