The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

「Inside the Freshman Inn...」

"Sister Li, the Celestial Star Squad has spread the word. They said they’ll stop us from completing any mission we take. They even stole the Snow Spirit Flowers we brought back from Ice Moon Valley last time."

"Sigh... The Academy encourages competition, and the instructors don’t get involved in students’ personal affairs. We don’t have any backing. What can we possibly do against the Celestial Star Squad?"

The members of Li Peiyi’s squad sighed in frustration. They were just a few freshmen; to them, the Celestial Star Squad was a behemoth they couldn’t hope to fight.

Zhang Fengg, who carried a large broadsword, slammed his hand on the table and roared, "They’re taking this too far! If it comes to it, we’ll just fight them to the death."

"Hey, hey, use your head, big guy! There are only a few of us. What are we going to fight them with? That’s a suicide mission." Even the usually cheerful Cheng Fei wore a grim expression.

"Then what do you suggest we do? We can’t just sit here and do nothing! That’s no different from waiting to die. Without Points, we won’t be able to survive in the Academy for long."

Points were the most crucial metric for students at the Academy. They could be exchanged for cultivation resources. Without Points, their cultivation would stagnate, and they would be left further and further behind by others. And without strength, how could they possibly survive in an Academy where geniuses were as common as clouds?

Li Peiyi looked at her squad members, a flash of guilt in her eyes.

"I’m sorry. This is all my fault."

"Captain, don’t say that. We don’t blame you at all. It’s the Celestial Star Squad—they’re just pushing us too far."

"Yeah, Sister Li. This isn’t your fault."

Li Peiyi took a deep breath and said slowly, "I don’t know what the Celestial Star Squad is truly after, but it’s obvious their target is me. You all were just dragged into this."

"They want me to join them, which is absolutely impossible. You’re members of my squad, so they’re targeting you to get to me."

Hearing this, everyone had a sinking feeling they knew what Li Peiyi was about to do. She then said, "Thank you all for staying with me during this time. I hereby announce that the squad... is disbanded!"

"Sister Li, no! I don’t agree!"

"Captain, you can’t do this."

Li Peiyi’s face was grim. "I am the captain. I’m not discussing this with you. This is my final order: The squad is disbanded!"

"Heh heh, how touching."

Just then, mocking laughter came from outside. Fongg Feiyu, dressed in a brocade robe, slowly walked in. Looking at the group, who stared at him as if facing a great enemy, he said with a smile, "Li Peiyi, didn’t expect me to find you again so soon, did you? Why aren’t Muu Xue and Feng Ling with you?"

"Hmph. The scar’s healed and you’ve already forgotten the pain, have you?" Li Peiyi sneered, taking a step forward, her right hand gripping the longsword at her waist.

Fongg Feiyu’s expression turned cold at her words. Although the wound on his face had been healed with Spiritual Medicine, the memory of that utter humiliation made it throb with phantom pain. "Don’t get too cocky, Li Peiyi. Haven’t you noticed you’re missing someone?"

Li Peiyi’s expression changed slightly. She scanned the room, her heart turning to ice. Her voice was laced with cold fury. "Where is Ajing?"

The other squad members snapped back to reality. "Ajing said she was going out to buy something, but she hasn’t come back yet."

"You bastards! What did you do to Ajing?"

"I’ve already disbanded the squad. Gongsun Jing has nothing to do with me anymore. Let her go, now!" Li Peiyi said coldly.

Meeting Li Peiyi’s icy gaze, Fongg Feiyu couldn’t help but smile with smug satisfaction. "Heh, you think disbanding the squad will save them? How naive. If you want to save her, come to Ice Moon Valley this afternoon."

Fongg Feiyu tossed a jade-green object onto the floor and left with a sneer. Zhang Fengg started to chase after him but was stopped by Li Peiyi.

Staring at the jade-green object, Li Peiyi’s expression grew even colder. It was a hairpin—Gongsun Jing’s hairpin.

"Damn you, Celestial Star Squad!!"

Li Peiyi had never been so furious. She didn’t know how she had offended the Celestial Star Squad, but she knew the feud between them could no longer be resolved peacefully.

’If that’s the case, then I might as well go all in.’

"Let’s go! To Ice Moon Valley!"

"Let’s go! I’ll make those bastards see how sharp my broadsword is! That goddamn Celestial Star Squad, just you wait!"

"We have to save Ajing! And we’ll crush the Celestial Star Squad!"

Everyone was fired up, but in their hearts, they knew that with just the few of them, they stood no chance against the Celestial Star Squad.

But they wouldn’t back down. They wouldn’t abandon their teammate.

"Tsk, tsk. A ragtag bunch like that wants to take on the Celestial Star Squad? They’re really overestimating themselves. How ridiculous."

"Sigh, they were a decent team. It’s a shame they offended the Celestial Star Squad. That Lu Yuwei is an expert on the Hidden Dragon List, you know."

"I wonder why the Celestial Star Squad is going so far against that freshman, Li Peiyi. When they couldn’t recruit her, they resorted to coercion."

"This is going to be a good show..."

The onlookers had heard bits and pieces about the feud between Li Peiyi and the Celestial Star Squad. As they watched Li Peiyi’s group depart, some sighed with pity, some sneered in disdain, and others simply settled in to watch the drama unfold...

The Celestial Star Squad was well-known in the Academy. They had several experts from the Hidden Dragon List on their team, all in the Spiritual Element Realm. In contrast, the strongest person in Li Peiyi’s group was Li Peiyi herself, who was only at the Profound Origin Seventh Grade.

With such a massive disparity, anyone could see who had the upper hand.

Not long after Li Peiyi and her group left, a young man in white robes slowly walked into the inn. It was none other than Qin Ya, who had come looking for her.

"Shopkeeper, which room is Li Peiyi staying in?"

The short, stout Shopkeeper glanced up at Qin Ya and said, "They’re in the Earth-rank team suite, but it looks like they just left for something. If you’re looking for them, you should come back later."

"They left?" Qin Ya’s brow furrowed slightly.

Just as he was about to leave, he overheard someone say, "Heh heh, should we also take a trip to Ice Moon Valley? We could watch the Celestial Star Squad teach those clueless freshmen a lesson."

"Sure..."

Before the man could finish, a figure in white appeared in front of him. A chill shot up from the soles of his feet to the top of his head as an utterly indifferent voice sounded in his ear, "What did you just say?"

"Who the hell are you, kid?" A person next to him stood up and cursed. But in the next instant, he felt the world spin. BANG! He found himself making intimate contact with the floor.

Gasps of shock erupted from the surrounding crowd. They had clearly seen that just as the man had started cursing, Qin Ya had lashed out, throwing him out of the inn with such speed that no one had time to react.

"Speak. Who is the Celestial Star Squad targeting?"

Seeing his companion’s fate, the man immediately spilled everything he knew. "The Celestial Star Squad is going to ambush the freshman Li Peiyi in Ice Moon Valley..."

Qin Ya’s gaze grew progressively colder. With a cold snort, his figure flickered and vanished from sight.