Chapter 71: The Tenacious Weeds Are Hard to Eradicate

Inner Sect, Tongchen Peak.

Under the slanting rays of the setting sun, the shadows cast by the eaves of the Affairs Hall stretched long across the ground.

Dan Zifeng sat casually within the hall, a small booklet cradled in his hands, flipping through it page by page.

A disciple dressed in the garb of the Outer Sect stood before him, uncertain and uneasy in the silence.

The atmosphere in the room was stifling. Perhaps the disciple could no longer bear it, for his voice trembled as he finally spoke.

“Senior Brother Dan…”

Dan Zifeng suddenly interrupted, his voice cold: “Last month, you sent no small amount of spirit grain and spirit tea back to the sect, didn’t you?”

“How is it that, by the time it reached my Affairs Hall, there was so little left?”

“It’s thirty percent less than usual.”

His words were slow, each syllable landing with chilling weight upon the outer disciple’s heart, making it pound erratically.

Dan Zifeng stepped before him and seized him by the hair.

“So, you’ve been skimming off the top?”

A jade slip in his hand came crashing down upon the disciple’s face with a sharp crack, the noise echoing through the deathly stillness of the Affairs Hall, setting nerves on edge.

“N-no… Senior Brother Dan, I swear, I would never…”

The outer disciple trembled violently, his forehead bruised and bleeding.

“According to the report, there was a beast attack at North Slope last month—”

Bang!

Before he could finish, a porcelain cup shattered against the coiling dragon pillar behind him, shards spraying through the air.

In a sudden burst of rage, Dan Zifeng kicked the outer disciple at the side of his knee.

The disciple cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground. A boot patterned with serpent scales ground mercilessly into his outstretched fingers.

“Negligent in your duties, and still you dare to argue?”

“Oh, and by the way…” Dan Zifeng bent down abruptly, gripping the disciple’s collar.

“I heard, Little Hu, that you have a sister working in the dining hall?”

The disciple’s pupils contracted, a whimper rising in his throat. Before he could utter a sound, Dan Zifeng drove a foot into his chest, sending him sprawling across the floor.

“Tomorrow, have her come to the Affairs Hall to receive punishment.”

“Senior Brother Dan…”

“What is it?”

Dan Zifeng’s glare was venomous, making the disciple shrink back, too terrified to speak further.

“Don’t worry…”

“When your sister comes, I’ll let her apply the medicine to your wounds herself.”

For a mere seventh-stage Qi Refining inner disciple to wield such tyranny seemed absurd, almost laughable—if word of this got out, who would believe it?

But Dan Zifeng was, indeed, different.

His kinsman, Dan Jiugao, had been accepted decades ago as a registered disciple by Wang Lin, master of Tongchen Peak. Dan Jiugao had died fending off a demonic cultivator’s killing blow during a chaotic skirmish.

In honor of his loyalty, Wang Lin arranged for Dan Zifeng’s father, who lacked spiritual talent, to work as a messenger in the Outer Sect.

Later, a distant relative from the Dan family displayed dual spiritual roots—a rare talent—and was admitted to the Inner Sect, establishing his foundation.

These connections became Dan Zifeng’s stepping stones to ingratiate himself with Wang Lin.

Though he only bore the title of a disciple under the peak master, his true mentor was Elder Li Jianping.

Nonetheless, the title alone was enough to inspire dread in many.

How many disciples did Dongyuan Sect have?

Excluding the mortals without spiritual roots who worked in various capacities, there were over ten thousand true sect disciples.

Countless more were scions of cultivation clans affiliated with the sect.

Very few could claim ties to the peak masters.

And what was the status of the peak masters?

They were the sect’s mightiest—second only to the sect master himself. Most were at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, poised to break through to the Golden Core stage, or powerful cultivators who had failed this breakthrough and settled for a false core.

Dan Zifeng’s own talent was mediocre, but he excelled in manipulation.

While still in the Outer Sect, he bribed the disciplinary disciples for personal gain and never missed a chance to bring up how his kinsman had died for Wang Lin.

Once admitted to the Inner Sect, he sought out his Foundation Establishment relative to facilitate his entry into Tongchen Peak.

When fellow disciples inquired, he deflected, claiming only close ties with his Foundation Establishment kin, never mentioning Wang Lin.

His influence reached its zenith when he took charge of affairs in the Tongchen Peak’s Affairs Hall.

Everyone believed he had powerful backers—peak masters and high-ranking inner disciples—watching over him.

He crafted an image of himself as a favored child of heaven, shielded by the peak master and supported by Foundation Establishment inner disciples.

Moreover, he targeted only those outer disciples of mediocre or poor talent who had no connections.

As long as they wished to survive and cultivate in Dongyuan Sect, they had little choice but to yield to the false aura of power he had so carefully constructed.

Many even vied to act as his accomplices, willingly committing misdeeds at his side.

In just a few short years, he had built his own little faction.

Dan Zifeng was well aware that these people were not loyal.

Some only wished to avoid being oppressed themselves. Others, like him, sought to squeeze benefits from the lowest ranks.

Did it matter?

He cared only for power and resources. The rest was inconsequential.

Did the low-ranking disciples receive much spirit material from the Affairs Hall?

Perhaps not individually, but with enough people, the siphoned resources became substantial.

Among them were those so untalented that progress was slow from the start. After suffering Dan Zifeng’s extortion, many found their dreams of immortality dashed and left the sect.

There had been those who, in despair, made a scene in the Affairs Hall.

But to Dan Zifeng, such fools were the easiest to deal with.

No strength, no background—crushing them was simple.

Those at the bottom, one by one, stood no chance against parasites so deeply rooted within the sect.

“Senior Brother Dan.”

Behind the Affairs Hall, a square-faced disciple approached with a sycophantic smile and handed over a jade slip.

“Those two, having lost all hope for the path, left the sect today. I’ve taken care of all the relevant matters… These are the items they ‘left behind.’”

Dan Zifeng sneered. “Hmph, such trash—no need to waste spiritual resources on them.”

“At least they know their place…”

The square-faced disciple hesitated, then spoke up. “Senior Brother Dan…”

“Hm?”

“That Song Yesheng…”

Dan Zifeng paused, turning to look at him, eyes cold enough to make the man’s skin crawl.

“Speak.”

“He’s progressing unusually fast in his cultivation after starting anew… If he breaks through to the seventh level of Qi Refining and enters the Inner Sect…”

The square-faced disciple trailed off, but the implication was clear.

Entering the Inner Sect could mean being accepted by an elder as a disciple.

If that happened, no matter what excuses or delays, the batch of spirit resources sent by Xuan Yuan Sect would eventually have to be handed over.

The square-faced disciple’s concern was for Dan Zifeng—after all, if Dan got the lion’s share, the rest could at least enjoy the scraps. If the resources were gone, there would be nothing left for them.

Dan Zifeng snorted. “Just a dog, kicked around by anyone…”

He recalled the scene in the Heart Cultivation Courtyard and felt a surge of irritation.

Since joining the Inner Sect, when had things ever not gone his way?

And this mere outer disciple…

“Go investigate again. Find out if he has any family in the sect.”

“If he really is all alone…”

“Let Zheng Bo and the others know. Pick a day…”

A cold glint flashed in Dan Zifeng’s eyes.

“Ruin him again.”

Both chapters have been posted together.

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