This was Xu Que's second visit to Tianwu Sect.

The grand mountain gate was built with white jade stone, shining brilliantly. The stone plaque was inscribed with the three bold characters "Tian Wu Sect" in a flamboyant style, exuding an imposing aura.

Looking out from the mountain gate, one can vaguely see a vast martial arts training ground shrouded in mist. In the distance, rows of red-tiled roofs are visible, and countless streaks of light flash across the sky, as disciples of the Tianwu Sect fly on their swords.

This is the true paradise!

Xu Que was somewhat dazed. The first time he came here was by accident; the Divine Escape Talisman had sent him to the outer sect's treasure pavilion, which he then emptied completely before being transported away again. He hadn't truly witnessed the majestic grandeur of the Tianwu Sect until now.

This time he took the initiative to visit, entering through the main gate, and was struck by the imposing aura of the sect's entrance.

"Whoosh!"

At this moment, two streaks of light arrived from behind. Zhang Suliang and another disciple of the Tianwu Sect caught up and landed beside Xu Que.

"Fellow Daoist, this way please!"

The two were quite polite to Xu Que and led the way for him.

Xu Que nodded and followed.

Of course, he quietly and silently pinched out a Swift Escape Talisman in his hand. If the situation turned unfavorable, he could immediately flee.

However, the journey was quite smooth, and after crossing the arch bridge that resembled a fairyland, Xu Que was led to the central main hall.

This is the council hall of the Tianwu Sect, where several heads and elders of smaller sects are seated on either side. In the center sits a middle-aged man with an elegant demeanor, who is also the leader of the Tianwu Sect—Zhang Danshan!

As soon as Xu Que appeared, everyone's eyes instantly focused on him, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

Xu Que immediately became displeased and glared at an old man beside him, shouting, "What are you looking at?"

"Ding, congratulations to the host 'Xu Que' for successfully showing off, rewarded with twenty pretentious points."

A system notification sounded in my mind.

But the imagined "What are you looking at?" did not occur; the old man pretended not to have heard anything, turned his head, and started drinking tea.

The rest of the people also coughed lightly without making a fuss, as if they felt that Xu Que's behavior was in line with the temperament of a disciple of the legendary Duan Jiude.

Zhang Danshan, seated at the head, furrowed his brow and asked, "I ask you, is your master the esteemed Duan Jiude?"

"None of your damn business!" Xu Que replied hot-temperedly, as the reward notification sounded in his mind again.

"……"

The council chamber suddenly fell into silence.

Everyone was stunned, thinking to themselves that this young man was incredibly bold. With such a fiery temper, he must have quite a background.

Zhang Danshan was also taken aback.

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In his view, even if the young man before him was Duan Jiude's disciple, there was no reason for him to be so brazen in his presence, right? At the very least, he himself was a strong practitioner in the Infant Transformation stage and the leader of a sect.

Xu Que sensed that the atmosphere was a bit strange and immediately realized he had overacted. So he added, "Didn't you invite me here to discuss peace? Let's talk, then. Don't ask too many questions about other things; my master doesn't like being inquired about."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present immediately understood.

Does his master not like it?

Isn't this just admitting that Duan Jiude is his master?

That was close, I almost completely offended them, but luckily I can make up for it now.

Many people secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Danshan frowned and stared at Xu Que, pondering for a moment before speaking, "Indeed, the reason I invited you here today is to resolve the misunderstandings between you and our various sects."

"Well, go ahead, how do you want to resolve this?" Xu Que nodded, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Zhang Danshan glanced at the people seated below and said calmly, "This matter began when you first stole from our sect's Treasure Pavilion..."

"Wait!" Before Zhang Danshan could finish speaking, Xu Que immediately interrupted him, eyes wide open, and said, "When did I ever steal from your treasure pavilion? What a joke, I definitely didn't do it."

"......" Zhang Danshan was immediately dumbfounded, staring blankly for a moment before his face darkened. In a deep voice, he said, "We have a witness for this matter. Zhang Suliang, you speak."

Zhang Suliang stood at the door, and as soon as the sect leader spoke, he immediately stepped forward.

Before he could speak, Xu Que suddenly switched to an innocent smile and laughed, "Haha, so Brother Zhang is here too! I was just joking earlier, please don't mind it. I, Xu Que, always take responsibility for my actions. Yes, I did indeed steal from the Treasure Pavilion."

"……"

The corners of everyone's mouths twitched, leaving them speechless.

Zhang Danshan exhaled deeply, too weary to argue with him, and continued, "First, you emptied the treasure pavilion of our sect, and then you went on to kill disciples and elders from various sects..."

"Wait!" Xu Que called out again, loudly saying, "I definitely didn't kill the person."

I've never seen someone so shameless.

The people present almost spat out a mouthful of old blood, and some of the more hot-tempered old men nearly lost their temper on the spot, wanting to slap Xu Que to death.

Zhang Danshan's face darkened, and he said, "If that's your attitude, then we can't continue this conversation."

"If we can't talk, then forget it. I'll have my master come and talk to you personally. Goodbye." Xu Que finished speaking and was about to leave with a flick of his sleeve.

Everyone immediately became anxious. If the apprentice was already so difficult to deal with, wouldn't it be the end of the world if the master came?

An elderly man nearby, quick-eyed and swift-handed, hurriedly stood up and grabbed him, forcing an extremely awkward smile and said, "Young brother, don't worry, Sect Master Zhang didn't mean it that way."

"What else could it mean if not this? I just asked you how you wanted to resolve this, and you stubbornly refused to say anything, instead rambling on about past events. As the ancients said, let bygones be bygones. Is there any point in bringing them up again?"

Xu Que, without any hesitation, began to fill them with motivational speeches.

Everyone was speechless for a moment, thinking, which ancient person ever said such nonsense? In the end, you're just trying to avoid paying your debt.

Zhang Danshan's face was becoming increasingly grim, but he didn't lose his temper. Instead, he suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Since you like to be direct, let's lay all our cards on the table."

"Before you came, I had already spoken with the various sects. Today, you only need to apologize and admit your mistake, and this matter will be forgiven."

"Of course, you can choose to refuse. After all, you are a disciple of Master Duan, and we won't lay a hand on you. But the lives of those people in Panshan Village are not something you have the power to protect."

Xu Que heard this and immediately let out a cold laugh, "Are you threatening me?"

"It's not a threat, just letting you know there are two possible outcomes." Zhang Danshan shook his head and said calmly, "Our Tianwu Sect has been passed down to this day, with countless magical treasures. Among them is a formation-breaking shuttle, capable of dismantling all elementary formations in the world, so the grand formation you set up is not invincible."

Breaking Array Shuttle? Can it dismantle all elementary formations?

Hehe, once I'm done showing off and go back, I'll exchange for a mid-level formation. Let's see how you break it then.

Xu Que sneered inwardly and shook his head, saying:

"Apologizing and admitting fault is impossible. When I first joined the sect, my master told me that no matter what I do, I must never admit fault, or else I would be expelled. At that time, I slapped him on the forehead, and he chased me for three days and nights, yet I never admitted I was wrong. And now..."

When he said this, he paused, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone present, and continued, "Do you think you have the right to make me admit I'm wrong?"

"Ding, congratulations to the host 'Xu Que' for successfully showing off forcefully, rewarded with twenty pretentious points!"