Zhao Wuji's gaze toward Ye Cheng was sharp enough to kill.
This Ye Cheng, how could he admit defeat so easily?
If he had refused, Zhao Wuji could have stalled for time, thickened his skin, and found another way around it. But Ye Cheng was one of the participants. With his open surrender, the Heavenly Dao had no reason to hesitate. It immediately recognized that the terms of the contract had been fulfilled.
Now, how could Zhao Wuji possibly weasel his way out of it?
"Sect Master, I accept your concession," Yun Jin said solemnly, bowing with a composed expression.
Zhao Wuji's face could no longer maintain its outward calm. He clenched his teeth, but for a long moment, no words came out.
The entire arena had fallen into a deep silence.
Everyone looked slightly dazed.
So...
Yun Jin had done it again?
She had actually... won?
According to the contract, didn't this mean the spiritual fields across the peaks would now be returned to their rightful owners?
If that really happened, even the disciples from the outer sects would see a significant improvement in their lives. The outer sect originally had its own spiritual fields, but all of them had been handed over to the headmaster's faction for centralized management.
Several peak lords exchanged glances, their expressions shifting.
They had wanted to reclaim those fields for a long time.
But every time new disciples were recruited, it was the Sect Master's faction who selected them first. Anyone with the slightest gift in plant cultivation would be immediately taken in. With Ma Hongyu, the only fifth-grade plant cultivator in the sect, under his command, the Sect Master's faction had monopolized all spirit herb production within Tianxing Sect.
Even if the other peaks wanted to cultivate independently, they lacked the capability. So year after year, they had no choice but to submit.
Now, what even they, the long-standing peak lords, couldn't overturn, a single newly-initiated disciple had broken apart with sheer, brute-force logic.
It seemed the very sky over Tianxing Sect was about to change.
"Sect Master, now that the contract is fulfilled, when will the spiritual fields be returned to each peak for independent management?" Lin Ya asked with a smile.
Zhao Wuji's face darkened.
He had no desire to answer, but evasion was pointless.
Expressionless, he said, "Since the contract exists, even this seat must abide by it. The spiritual fields originally belonged to each peak. If you wish to reclaim them for independent cultivation, then do so."
Lin Ya narrowed his eyes. "The contract also stipulates that until each peak has its own planting master, the Sect Master must provide planting masters to assist. Each peak will compensate them at standard rates."
Zhao Wuji replied indifferently, "Naturally. Hongyu, those two newly admitted disciples show promise. Assign them to assist the peaks."
Lin Ya raised an eyebrow.
Newly admitted disciples?
How much planting technique could they possibly know?
This was Zhao Wuji blatantly reneging in a way that technically adhered to the contract—infuriating yet impossible to refute.
A faint smile finally appeared on Zhao Wuji's face. "These new disciples are lent to you. But as beginners, if spiritual field yields decline or profits drop, I trust you won't hold it against them."
The threat in his words was unmistakable.
The contract was one thing, but if the Peak Lords cooperated, there were countless ways to circumvent it.
He might no longer openly claim profits, but privately?
No one could stop him!
The Peak Lords understood Zhao Wuji's implication.
Long Yi was the first to declare his stance: "The Sect Master's arrangements have always been for the sect's benefit! Yun Jin's troublemaking will ruin Tianxing Sect! I, Long Yi, swear that even if my Body Tempering Peak reclaims its fields, I will continue handing most profits to the Sect Master—as he deserves for his years of hard work!"
Zhao Wuji's mood improved slightly. "Long Yi, don't speak foolishly. Everything I've done is for the sect. How could I covet such meager gains?"
Long Yi said righteously, "The Sect Master is selfless, but we cannot accept his protection without reciprocation. This is our voluntary choice!" He then pointedly asked, "Huo Lie, what do you think?"
Huo Lie remained silent.
To an alchemist, spiritual plants were far too important.
He had finally gained the chance to cultivate his own...
Zhao Wuji glanced at him casually.
A shiver ran down Huo Lie's spine. Reluctantly, he said, "Peak Lord Long speaks wisely. I... volunteer the same."
"And the rest of you?" Long Yi pressed. "Fang Mingyue, you first."
Fang Mingyue sat with an unreadable expression.
Many thoughts raced through her mind.
She reflected on how Tianxing Sect had decayed under Zhao Wuji's rule.
How the Peak Lords had become little more than his puppets.
She had assumed change would only come after Zhao Wuji's departure.
Yet now—
A newly admitted disciple had pried open a crack in this ironclad control.
If a junior could fearlessly challenge authority...
What about her?
Would she remain cowardly forever?
Just as Long Yi thought Fang Mingyue might refuse to answer, she laughed softly. "Ming Yue Peak has struggled financially for years. Now that our fields are returned, perhaps I'll learn management—and improve our situation."
Her words were clear: she intended to seize this chance to reclaim control.
Zhao Wuji's expression darkened further. This was trouble.
If no one stepped forward, he could still suppress dissent.
But once one person broke ranks, the others' restless hearts would follow.
Sure enough—
Peak Lords from the Artifact Forging Peak (Yang Hui), Sunset Cloud Peak (Chen Wenqian), Thousand Talisman Peak (Mo Tianxin), and five others—six including Lin Ya—all demanded full reclamation of their fields.
Only Huo Lie and Long Yi explicitly sided with Zhao Wuji.
The remaining two gave ambiguous responses, their true intentions unclear.
A stabbing pain shot through Zhao Wuji's chest.
The Tianxing Sect he had painstakingly controlled for years was slipping from his grasp.
Watching the Peak Lords' declarations, Yun Jin smiled.
Changing Tianxing Sect could only be done by its people.
She was merely the spark.
If they lacked the will to change, nothing she did would matter.
But now, with Fang Mingyue and others taking a stand, the momentum for reform had become unstoppable.
Henceforth, Tianjian Peak would no longer stand alone. These Peak Lords, having defied Zhao Wuji, would gradually align with Tianjian Peak.
The game board of Tianxing Sect—
Now that its players had begun to rebel—
Was truly alive.