The day after Qi Yun received Li Chong’s message, news that the Hall of All Laws was about to open spread throughout the entire Outer Mansion.

Almost all the Outer Mansion Disciples knew a little something about this Enlightenment Sacred Land.

As one of the three great Miraculous Halls of the Outer Mansion.

The existence of the Hall of All Laws gave Outer Mansion Disciples an opportunity to rapidly accumulate experience and gain insights.

However, spots for the Hall of All Laws had always been limited.

Aside from the portion taken by the Inner Mansion, the number of spots left for the Outer Mansion Disciples to compete for was a mere fifty.

And yet, the current Outer Mansion had nearly a thousand people!

But even though the chances were slim, many were still determined to try their best. After all, just getting into the Hall of All Laws would be well worth it, even if one only came away with a single insight.

「Three days later.」

Within the grounds of the Outer Mansion.

A dense black radiance slowly retreated to both sides like a curtain.

The silhouette of a towering grand hall gradually sharpened, finally revealing its true form.

The entire hall was made of a material that was neither gold nor stone, wood nor jade. It possessed the heavy, dark bronze hue of something that had weathered endless ages, its surface covered in even deeper, more profound dark patterns.

No trace of brick or stonework could be seen on the hall’s body, as if it had been chiseled from a single, enormous piece of bronze. It was a seamless whole, exuding a primordial, desolate, and chilling aura.

This was the Enlightenment Sacred Land that the Outer Mansion Disciples flocked to—the Hall of All Laws.

By now, four to five hundred Outer Mansion Disciples had already gathered before the Hall of All Laws.

A sea of heads bobbed as a murmur of whispers and discussions surged through the crowd like a tide.

Almost every gaze directed at that ancient bronze hall burned with undisguised desire and greed.

The Holy Sect had always been stingy.

You even had to spend your own money to buy a single sheet of Talisman Paper.

The Hall of All Laws was practically the only "free," heaven-sent benefit tacitly approved by the Sect. Who wouldn’t be tempted?

"I never thought Brother Yue would come to compete for a spot in the Hall of All Laws himself." At the front of the crowd, Du Yunian addressed Yue Rong beside him, his face fixed in its usual smile as he offered a cupped-fist salute.

Although he had been unceremoniously killed by Yue Rong in the Mirage Thousand Faces Realm, Du Yunian lacked the status and backbone to turn against a Foundation Establishment Heir.

Yue Rong, standing with his hands clasped behind him like a proud lion, spared Du Yunian a sideways glance and chuckled.

"You’ve got some thick skin. Fine, I suppose that’s a skill in itself. Come stand by my side."

At these words, Du Yunian’s eyes lit up, and he instinctively moved to pull Shen Fan over with him.

To his surprise, Yue Rong spoke again:

"Not him. Neither man nor woman. I can’t stand his type!"

"You..." Shen Fan was already holding a grudge against Yue Rong for blowing his head off with a single punch during the examination. Now, hearing such a blunt taunt, his face went pale. He was about to erupt, but Du Yunian quickly stopped him.

Just as Du Yunian was about to tell Shen Fan that impatience could ruin their plans, a sudden commotion erupted from the back of the crowd.

"He dares to show his face?"

"Heh heh, I didn’t think this kid was still alive. Are the people from the Seventh Outer Mansion that useless?"

"Yeah, any of you from the Seventh Outer Mansion? Let’s hear you."

"He got lucky in the last exam. This time... Hmph. Not even the Heavenly King himself can save him!"

Amidst a cacophony of sneers and angry curses, a figure slowly set foot on the long, black stone steps leading to the main entrance of the Hall of All Laws.

The figure was dressed, as always, in a simple white robe. His posture was ramrod straight, his expression tranquil.

There were, in fact, Cultivators from the Seventh Outer Mansion in the crowd.

Hearing the chatter around them, they all kept a knowing silence, though inwardly, they were smirking.

’You’re all so screwed. Our Champion Scholar holds a grudge!’

Qi Yun remained nonchalant, unfazed by the surrounding clamor and the barrage of hostile, malicious glares.

Now that his fighting spirit was roused and he no longer felt the need to lie low, his mindset was a world away from what it had been just six months ago.

If fighting weren’t forbidden here, the ones shouting the loudest would have already gotten a mouthful of hot Sword Qi.

"You’re here."

In stark contrast to his earlier indifference toward Du Yunian, Yue Rong now pushed through the crowd on his own accord, striding forward to meet him.

His blazing eyes sized up Qi Yun, a trace of surprise flashing through them. "You... you’ve changed somehow."

"Is that so?" Qi Yun met his gaze unflinchingly, his tone even. "Go through a few things, and you’re bound to change a little."

He didn’t hate Yue Rong.

’It was his good luck to have a powerful father.’

’If I had a Foundation Establishment Master for a father, I’d probably be even more of a tyrant than Yue Rong.’

’Demon Sects were just this realistic.’

"The incident during the last exam... my father arranged it. I didn’t know beforehand." Yue Rong looked at Qi Yun, his tone surprisingly frank.

"I recognize your title as Champion Scholar."

This blunt admission took Qi Yun by surprise. Looking into those eyes—wild, yet surprisingly clear and sincere—Qi Yun gave a small smile and nodded.

"Then I thank you, Senior Brother Yue.

But with your status, do you really need to fight for one of these spots?"

"My father gave me a spot. I threw it away." Yue Rong spoke as if the coveted spot in the Hall of All Laws, which others were scrambling for, meant nothing to him.

"Why?" Qi Yun raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

"I knew you’d be here, so I wanted to have another match with you!" Staring at Qi Yun, Yue Rong grinned, baring two sharp canines. A terrifying battle lust erupted from within his otherwise earnest eyes.

’I knew it...’

Shaking his head, Qi Yun couldn’t help but sigh at the Master’s Heir before him.

"You really are nothing like a Holy Sect Disciple."

"Oh? And what do you think a Holy Sect Disciple should be like?

Treacherous and cunning, their minds full of venomous plots?

Devoted to evil, controlled by desire? That’s a petty demon, not worthy of the main stage.

To act on every whim, to roam without restraint, to achieve a state of perfect mental clarity—that is a true Arch-Demon!

If I, Yue Rong, am to become a demon, then I will become a supreme Arch-Demon, an enemy to the entire world who walks upon a path of bones!

And you, Junior Brother Qi, will be my first whetstone."

Qi Yun found himself nodding along to the first part of Yue Rong’s speech—the man really did have the bearing of an Arch-Demon. But when he heard the final sentence, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

’You really didn’t have to say that part out loud... to my face...’

RUMBLE—

Just then, a violent tremor shook the ground beneath their feet!

The crowd looked toward the source of the sound. Before the bronze gates of the Hall of All Laws, a massive stone stele—some ten zhang high and mottled with the marks of time—was slowly rising from the earth!

"To enter the Hall of All Laws, one must hold the Enlightenment Bell."

"Where to find this bell? Beyond the mountain, in waters clear."

Gazing at the seemingly simple yet cryptic verses, most of the hundreds of Outer Mansion Disciples frowned, whispering among themselves as they tried to decipher the true meaning.

Gazing at the verse on the stone stele, Qi Yun frowned in thought.

A moment later, his head snapped up. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"’This means... we have to leave the Holy Sect?’"

...