LABMY CH103.2

Shen Zhilan’s expression darkened with anger. She was beautiful, talented, and had the support of the Wenxian Sect. Yet, Mu Jingzhu’s look of disgust made her want to gouge out his eyes.

Living in the Mu family for half a year, enduring humiliation and currying favor with everyone, was an experience she would never forget. Especially when faced with Mu Jingzhu’s cold and distant gaze, which had repeatedly pierced her pride.

Suppressing her fury, Shen Zhilan said, “You should understand that the gap between us is now immeasurable.”

She knew that the fact she had lived in the Mu family for half a year would inevitably tarnish her reputation. However, with the Wenxian Sect backing her, such rumors would be insignificant.

Having waited for Mu Jingzhu for so long, her patience had worn thin. Dropping all pretenses, she said directly:

“If you willingly annul the engagement, aside from compensating you with spirit stones, I can personally request the sect leader to accept you as a disciple of the Wenxian Sect.”

“Even though you’re only at the early Qi Refining stage, I can still arrange for you to become an inner disciple. I hope you understand what that means.”

She raised her chin slightly, her tone filled with arrogance and condescension.

In an instant, Mu Jingzhu’s fury exploded. His youthful face twisted with rage as he clenched his fists tightly, his voice trembling with suppressed anger.

“Shen—Zhi—lan!”

Shen Zhilan looked at him from above and said coldly, “I’ve already given you the best offer. With your current condition, this is your only chance to join the Wenxian Sect.”

Before she could finish, a calm yet domineering voice echoed from outside the hall.

“Is Mu Jingzhu, my disciple, present?”

Everyone in the hall turned toward the door in shock.

A tall man in a pale moon-colored robe, wearing a half-face mask, slowly stepped into the hall. His aura was unfathomable, making it impossible for anyone to discern his cultivation level. Yet, his presence alone commanded awe.

Seeing the stunned expressions of everyone present, Jian Yuanbai casually pulled a chair to the center of the hall and sat down with one leg crossed over the other.

He reached up to adjust the mask on his face, secretly sighing in relief that it hadn’t fallen off.

He had rushed here in search of the “protagonist,” Mu Jingzhu, only for the system to suddenly inform him that he had to play two roles in this world. One was Mu Jingzhu’s master, and the other…

“The hell?”

The system even cursed, “You’re also the cousin of the fiancée who’s here to annul the marriage.”

“How can a world lack two critical characters like this?”

Jian Yuanbai rested his chin on his hand, looking nonchalant, but in reality, he was secretly checking whether the mask was secure.

The elders in the hall exchanged wary glances, unsure how to respond. Finally, Mu Chuan, as the clan leader, cautiously spoke,

“Esteemed cultivator, you claim my son Mu Jingzhu is your disciple. May I inquire… who you are?”

Jian Yuanbai looked at Mu Jingzhuo, who was also bewildered, and said, “You started cultivating at the age of twelve and reached the advanced stage of Qi Refining within a year, only to have your cultivation level plummet overnight, and you’ve made no progress since then?”

Mu Jingzhuo exchanged a glance with Mu Chuan, then stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, “What senior said is indeed my situation.”

“Good,” Jian Yuanbai said loudly, “From today onward, you are my disciple. Such talent must not be wasted.”

The people around looked at each other in confusion. Talent? What talent? Three years without any progress?

Jian Yuanbai glanced around at Shen Siyan, Shen Zilan, and the others with a meaningful look and asked, “As for the engagement, do you want this marriage?”

Shen Siyan’s heart sank as he said coldly, “What does my daughter’s marriage have to do with you?”

The Nascent Soul elder, Shi Sheng, showed a look of anger and said, “Who are you? Wearing a mask doesn’t give you the right to cause trouble here. This is a matter of our Wenxian Sect.”

Jian Yuanbai sneered, “Wenxian Sect, what a mighty presence.”

Shen Zilan suddenly stood up, her face filled with impatience. “So what if we’re mighty? Whether he wants to break off the engagement or not, he has to break it off. You can see it as a deal or as coercion. The fact is, the gap between me and Mu Jingzhuo is now as vast as the heavens and the earth.”

Her words made Mu Jingzhuo clench his fists tightly. His young face was filled with humiliation. Seeing this, Jian Yuanbai felt an inexplicable stir in his heart.

“My disciple reached the advanced stage of Qi Refining at the age of twelve. And you,” Jian Yuanbai chuckled, “Foundation Establishment beginner stage? When you were twelve, were you even at the beginner stage of Qi Refining?”

Shen Zilan was extremely impatient. “This is a matter between me and Mu Jingzhuo. Why are you meddling?”

In Jian Yuanbai’s mind, the system anxiously said, “Stop talking! Stop talking! You’re taking all the lines of the ‘Long Aotian’ protagonist!”

“You’re not the one getting rejected. Let Long Aotian say a few lines, will you?”

Shi Sheng’s hands began to gather faint blue spiritual energy as he glared at Jian Yuanbai. “This is the Wenxian Sect’s matter. I advise you not to interfere.”

“Hiding behind a mask and pretending to be mysterious? I’d like to see who you really are.”

Jian Yuanbai chuckled. With a flip of his palm, a loud roar echoed from the sky. A giant dragon suddenly dove from the heavens. Its blood-red eyes blocked the entrance of the hall, scanning everyone present.

Everyone was so terrified that they retreated in unison, huddling together in fear. The dragon’s immense pressure made it difficult to breathe. The weaker juniors trembled and collapsed to the ground, while even the Nascent Soul cultivators barely managed to stand. Shi Sheng’s face turned pale as he used all his strength to protect Shen Zilan from kneeling. As for the young man beside her, he was completely powerless.

As for Shen Siyan, Shen Zilan’s father, who was merely at the Golden Core stage and relied on the Wenxian Sect to act arrogantly, he had already collapsed in fear.

In the hall, some knelt, some lay flat, and others barely stood with trembling legs. Only Mu Jingzhuo stood steadily by Jian Yuanbai’s side, unaffected.

“Let me introduce myself,” Jian Yuanbai said with a smile. “I am the Sect Master of Wangyun Sect on Wu Wang Peak.”

He turned to Mu Jingzhuo. “Are you willing to become my disciple?”

The power Jian Yuanbai displayed left Mu Jingzhuo with no hesitation. He picked up a teacup and knelt on both knees. “Master above, please accept my bow as your disciple.”

Jian Yuanbai smiled and helped him up, then turned to Shi Sheng and asked, “Do you now understand who I am?”

Wangyun Sect on Wu Wang Peak, gazing upon the sea of clouds and overseeing one’s future.

If Wenxian Sect was one of the top three sects in the Asriga Empire, then Wangyun Sect was undoubtedly the number one among them. It stood so high that other sects could only look up to it.

Entering Wangyun Sect meant a future without worries. Hence the saying: “Wu Wang Peak’s Wangyun Sect, gazing at the sea of clouds and overlooking the future.”

At this moment, Shi Sheng no longer doubted his identity. In the entire Asriga Empire, only the Sect Master of Wangyun Sect could summon such a dragon.

This dragon was not real but formed from the Sect Master’s vast spiritual energy. Only one person in the entire Continent could support such a manifestation: Wangyun Sect’s Sect Master, Jian Yuanbai.

Shi Sheng smiled bitterly, “I didn’t know it was the Sect Master of Wangyun Sect. Forgive me for my rudeness.”

Jian Yuanbai turned to Shen Zilan and asked, “I heard you say that breaking off the engagement would allow him to enter Wenxian Sect to cultivate?”

“How about letting me join Wenxian Sect as well?”

Shen Zilan’s face turned pale. In front of Wangyun Sect, Wenxian Sect was nothing. The words she had spoken arrogantly just moments ago now felt like a slap to her face.

It wasn’t that Wenxian Sect was weak. In a small place like Taishi Mountain City, joining Wenxian Sect was a blessing that many would beg for across generations.

That’s why she used Wenxian Sect’s power to force the Mu family to break off the engagement. After all, with Mu family’s strength, they couldn’t compete with Wenxian Sect, even if there were ten or a hundred Mu families.

No, Wenxian Sect wasn’t weak. Wangyun Sect was simply too powerful.

It stood high above, ruling over all the sects in the Asriga Empire.

The situation flipped in an instant. The mocking gazes directed at Mu Jingzhuo and his father vanished. The family elders no longer dared to treat this as entertainment, and the younger generation looked at Mu Jingzhuo with envy.

Why? Why was Mu Jingzhuo so lucky? He did nothing at home, and yet such a great opportunity fell into his lap.

Shen Zilan knew that this marriage could no longer be annulled. Yet, she was unwilling. She had both beauty and talent. How could a useless fiancé like Mu Jingzhuo be the stain on her perfect life?

That stain was small, but every time she thought about it, it made her feel disgusted.

The sect master’s excuse of forbidding romantic entanglements before achieving success was just that—an excuse. The request to break off the engagement was also her own doing.

Everything was simply because Shen Zilan couldn’t bear to have a useless fiancé who hadn’t progressed for three years and would likely remain stuck at the early Qi Refining stage for the rest of his life.

Shen Zilan forced a smile. Her originally charming face now looked pale and lifeless. “Sect Master Jian, you must be joking. You are the master of a great sect. How could you come to Wenxian Sect to cultivate?”

“If you came, we would only be able to seek your guidance.”

The young man lying on the ground spoke up with difficulty, “So what if you’re the Sect Master of Wangyun Sect? Lan’er doesn’t like Mu Jingzhuo. Can’t this marriage still be annulled?”

“Even if you take Mu Jingzhuo as your disciple, it won’t change the fact that he’s a useless waste!”

“Gu Jiqiu!” Shi Sheng let out a furious shout and quickly said to Jian Yuanbai, “The disciples within the sect are ignorant. I hope Sect Master Jian won’t take offense.”

Jian Yuanbai let out a chuckle, but his gaze was icy. “What treasure in this world could my disciple not obtain?”

“With my guidance, within a year, killing you would be more than enough.”

Shi Sheng glanced at Jian Yuanbai and saw only a pair of cold eyes beneath the mask. He knew this trip was in vain, but he was more worried that he wouldn’t be able to leave so easily.

Gritting his teeth, he said, “Sect Master Jian, today’s matter was our recklessness. After all, a marriage agreement is a lifelong matter that should be considered carefully. We will visit again another day.”

In the tense atmosphere, Shen Siyuan, who had been aggressive earlier, had already shrunk to the back, not daring to speak.

Jian Yuanbai glanced at Mu Chuan, who was breathing a sigh of relief, and Mu Jingzhuo, who was slightly relaxing, as well as the rest of the Mu family present. Suddenly, he smiled, “No need to reconsider. This marriage agreement must be annulled. However, it’s not you who is breaking off the engagement — it is my disciple, Mu Jingzhuo, who is divorcing Shen Zhilan.”

Shen Zhilan’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Jian Yuanbai and Mu Jingzhuo. She couldn’t believe that with her beauty, talent, and background, she would actually be cast aside by a “useless” man.

Jian Yuanbai turned to Mu Jingzhuo and said, “Today, I will make the decision. Divorce Shen Zhilan. Are you willing?”

At this moment, Shen Zhilan actually hoped Mu Jingzhuo would refuse. Otherwise, how could she maintain her dignity? A stunning genius like her being rejected by a mere Qi Refining-stage waste?

If news spread that Mu Jingzhuo had been accepted as the disciple of the Sect Master of Wangyun Sect, everyone would know that she had truly been abandoned by a “waste.”

Only at this moment did Shen Zhilan faintly understand the humiliation Mu Jingzhuo and his father had just endured. But soon, she would experience it firsthand.

Mu Jingzhuo agreed without hesitation, “I’m only at the early stage of Qi Refining. Indeed, I was unworthy of being engaged to the Sect Master’s prized disciple at the Foundation Establishment stage.”

Jian Yuanbai then looked at Mu Chuan. “Clan Leader Mu, what do you think?”

Mu Chuan glanced at Shi Sheng and Shen Zhilan, whose faces were pale and filled with shame, and said in a deep voice, “Everything will follow the Sect Master’s decision.”

“Good!” Jian Yuanbai stood up. “Then I shall personally accompany you to the Wenxian Sect to deliver the divorce letter.”

“Since the beloved disciple of the Wenxian Sect’s Sect Master came to break off the engagement with such fanfare, how can we not show equal sincerity?”

In an instant, the faces of Shen Siyuan, Shen Zhilan, and the others became as ugly as if they had swallowed flies.

Shi Sheng had come with the Wenxian Sect Master’s order, so he had no choice but to step forward. Forcing a smile, he said, “Sect Master Jian, this is merely a matter between two juniors. If the engagement is to be annulled, it can be done here. There’s no need to go to the Wenxian Sect, is there?”

Jian Yuanbai didn’t even look at him. With a wave of his hand, a powerful spiritual force sent Shi Sheng stumbling backward in embarrassment. “What status do you have to speak to me like this?”

“Since Mu Jingzhuo is my disciple, I want the Sect Master of the Wenxian Sect and Shen Zhilan to personally witness this divorce letter.”

In just half a day, the positions of the two parties completely reversed.

Jian Yuanbai kept his word and took Mu Jingzhuo, Mu Chuan, and the pale, speechless Shen Zhilan onto a massive dragon formed by spiritual energy.

The remaining Mu family elders and juniors in the hall watched the dragon fly away, their faces grim. They knew that from today onward, the Mu family would be entirely under Mu Chuan’s control, and they would no longer have any voice.

The dragon soared through the clouds, traveling a thousand miles in an instant. Standing atop the dragon, Jian Yuanbai gently held Mu Jingzhuo’s hand and said warmly, “Don’t be afraid.”