Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

These nine were all at the Opening Realm. They were completely unable to discern that Lin Yun’s cultivation was at the Eighth Layer of Qi Sea Realm, and they certainly had no idea that his Combat Power was great enough to slay even those at the Early Stage of the Primordial Ocean Realm.

Seeing their smug expressions, Lin Yun forced down his anger, constantly reminding himself, ’Don’t stoop to their level.’

Lin Yun had no appetite for the plain white rice, so he decided not to eat. His body could go for days without food without any issue anyway. In fact, the higher a Martial Artist’s cultivation, the less they relied on food. Eating was merely for pleasure.

Putting down his bowl and chopsticks, Lin Yun left the dining hall. Watching his retreating figure, the nine men began to talk.

"This kid sure has an attitude."

"Hmph. Newcomers need to learn the rules. We’ll teach him a proper lesson tomorrow."

Hearing this, the nine men exchanged cold smirks. They were the lowest-ranking servant disciples in the Flawless Palace, and they would likely be forced to leave within a few years. They might have seemed pitiful, but the pitiful always have their detestable side.

Back in the dormitory, Lin Yun found a corner near the door and sat cross-legged to cultivate. He hadn’t chosen a spot deeper inside, picking a bunk near the entrance for one simple reason: the smell inside was unbearable.

Before long, the other servant disciples from Lin Yun’s group trickled back into the dormitory. Exhausted from a long day, most of them had no energy to cultivate. Only a handful, like Lin Yun, sat cross-legged and continued their training.

In Lin Yun’s eyes, many of these servant disciples had already given up hope. They knew their chances of entering the Outer Sect were slim and that most of them would be forced to leave the Flawless Palace after a few years. As a result, they had little enthusiasm for cultivation.

The men from Lin Yun’s table shot him a cold look as they came back. They were at the very bottom of the hierarchy, yet they delighted in bullying those even weaker than themselves.

A newly arrived servant disciple like Lin Yun was the perfect target for them.

"Young Master Kong, should we teach this kid a lesson now?" Among the nine, a slightly chubby young man was the leader, and the other eight addressed him as Young Master Kong.

In Lin Yun’s group, Young Master Kong was the local tyrant. This was because his older brother, known as Fatty Kong, was the One-Star Steward in charge of their team.

While Lin Yun was meditating with his eyes closed, a scrawny young man approached him. "Hey, buddy. You new here?" he asked. Lin Yun nodded, taking in the young man’s appearance. The guy was so thin he looked almost sick.

Ignoring Lin Yun’s stare, the skinny young man said, "Did you get on the wrong side of Young Master Kong and his crew? Let me give you some advice: you can offend anyone else in this group, but you can’t offend Young Master Kong."

Hearing this, Lin Yun asked casually, "Who’s Young Master Kong? And why can’t he be offended?"

"That’s him. His brother is our group’s One-Star Steward, Fatty Kong. I saw them giving you some nasty looks earlier." Following the skinny youth’s finger, Lin Yun saw that the Young Master Kong in question was the chubby one from the group of nine at his dinner table.

The slightly chubby Young Master Kong was laughing loudly with his eight cronies. No other disciples dared to approach their group. Catching sight of the skinny man and Lin Yun looking his way, Young Master Kong roared, "Skinny! Get over here!"

At Young Master Kong’s shout, the man named Skinny instantly broke into a fawning smile and trotted over.

"Young Master Kong, you called?" Skinny said, his smile full of flattery.

"What were you talking to that kid about?" Young Master Kong demanded.

Hearing this, Skinny glanced back at Lin Yun. Seeing that he had already closed his eyes and resumed cultivating, he turned back to Young Master Kong with a grin. "Oh, nothing really. I was just teaching him the ropes, telling him not to get on your bad side, Young Master Kong."

"Young Master Kong was pleased by Skinny’s bootlicking, and his expression softened slightly. ’Stay away from him in the future,’ he told Skinny. ’And stay out of his business. I’m going to personally teach this kid the rules around here.’"

A flicker of pity crossed Skinny’s eyes. ’Looks like Lin Yun is screwed,’ he thought. ’No one who ends up on Young Master Kong’s radar ever comes to a good end.’

Young Master Kong had beaten several new servant disciples to death, and Fatty Kong had covered it up every time.

The Flawless Palace paid no mind to its servant disciples. After all, they were completely expendable. If some were lost, they could easily recruit tens of thousands more. To the Flawless Palace, servant disciples were nothing more than hired help.

After shooing Skinny away, most of the servant disciples soon fell asleep. Only a small number, including Lin Yun, continued to cultivate diligently.

Nothing happened that night; Young Master Kong left Lin Yun alone. Early the next morning, before dawn, the servant disciples were already awake. They had to prepare breakfast for the other disciples of the Flawless Palace and clean the entire grounds.

Fatty Kong assigned the morning’s tasks, and Lin Yun was sent to clean the Inner Sect Disciple area.

"You have one hour. You must finish cleaning your area within that time," Fatty Kong pointedly told Lin Yun before he left.

The Flawless Palace was massive, larger than three Yanhuang Capitals combined. Even the Inner Sect area was boundless. The section Lin Yun was assigned to clean was just a tiny fraction of it.

Broom in hand, Lin Yun quickly reached his designated area and began sweeping. He had to get it clean within one hour.

Focused on his sweeping, Lin Yun failed to notice a young woman practicing her swordsmanship nearby. At this hour, the Inner Sect area was deserted, with only her practicing alone.

Judging by her clothes, she was likely an Inner Sect Disciple. The uniforms for Flawless Palace disciples, starting from the servant disciples, were brown, black, white, purple, and gold.

The young woman was dressed in white, which meant she was an Inner Sect Disciple.

Having noticed her practicing, Lin Yun found himself watching for a moment. Her cultivation seemed to be at the Ninth Layer of Qi Sea Realm, just a single step away from the Primordial Ocean Realm.

’Her Swordsmanship is very graceful,’ he thought, ’but it lacks killing intent. All Martial Skills in this world are ultimately techniques for killing. Without killing intent, it’s impossible for her Swordsmanship to reach Great Success.’

After finishing her routine, the young woman noticed Lin Yun staring at her. The gap in status between a servant disciple and an Inner Sect Disciple was like heaven and earth. She paid him no mind; in the Inner Sect, she was treated like a Little Princess and wouldn’t deign to give a mere servant disciple a second glance.

"How disgusting." With a look of revulsion at Lin Yun, the young woman sheathed her sword and left.

With his level of power, Lin Yun naturally caught her look of disgust, but he paid it no mind. ’This woman doesn’t interest me at all,’ he thought. ’Compared to Lu Bingning or Lan Xi, she’s not even in the same league. The only reason I was watching was because her Swordsmanship is far too gentle. It’s not what a Martial Artist’s swordsmanship should be.’