Is It Wrong to Bully the Novice Village for System Rewards?

As Qi Yuan approached, the blood drained from the speaking disciple’s face, leaving him pale as ash. He stammered, his teeth nearly chattering.

“Qi… Junior Brother Qi… uh, no! Lord Qi! This little brother truly didn’t mean to offend! You… you are a magnanimous figure, please spare me!”

The others were in no better state. Panic flashed in their eyes as they hurriedly stepped forward, bowing deep at the waist.

“Greetings, Lord Qi!”

“P-paying respects to Lord Qi!”

“Lord Qi, please see clearly! I was just watching from the sidelines! I didn’t participate in anything!”

Qi Yuan paused.

Do I really look that scary?

Seeing the group looking as if they were about to wet themselves in terror, Qi Yuan realized his reputation was solidified. It was set in stone. Trying to wash himself clean now would be harder than ascending to the heavens.

Fine, he thought. If the shoe fits, I might as well wear it.

He decided to lean into the villainous persona. His expression remained cold and indifferent as he spoke.

“I have a question for you all. I expect an honest answer.”

He let the silence hang for a beat, heavy and suffocating.

“If anyone can provide a satisfactory answer, I will overlook the fact that you were discussing me behind my back. If not… well, you understand the consequences.”

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a blade. His tone carried a subtle, predatory edge.

The threat worked instantly. The group of Outer Sect Disciples fell silent as cicadas in winter. several of the more timid ones began to tremble violently, looking as if they wanted nothing more than to retract their heads into their necks like turtles.

Finally, a Demonic Cultivator with a bit more seniority forced himself to step forward. He swallowed hard, steeling his nerves.

“Lord Qi, please ask. We will tell you everything we know. We won’t hold back a single word.”

Qi Yuan nodded.

“It is said the Sect Leader intends to open the Moluo God-Slaughtering Tower one month from now. Tell me everything you know about this tower.”

Hearing that the question was just an inquiry for information, the tension in the air broke slightly. The disciples began to answer in a clamor, eager to please.

“This matter has already spread like wildfire within the sect! Many high-ranking members of The Saint Sect have confirmed it personally. The news is absolutely true.”

“The Moluo God-Slaughtering Tower trial is the Saint Sect’s primary method for testing the combat strength of disciples. Anyone who can fight their way past the 90th floor will not only be promoted to a Legacy Disciple but will also receive a Reward personally bestowed by the Sect Leader!”

“Normally, this tower only opens once every ten years. We are far from the scheduled opening. However, to celebrate Demon Venerable Ji’s 80,000th birthday, the Sect Leader is making an exception. It is a show of force, to prove that The Saint Sect’s legacy is endless and its successors are worthy.”

Another disciple chimed in, eager to prove his worth.

“Inside the Moluo God-Slaughtering Tower, every step is a brush with death. Each floor is guarded by a Tower Spirit. Only by slaughtering the guardian of the current floor do you earn the right to ascend to the next.”

“With each ascent, the Tower Spirit’s strength grows. Legend has it that the 999th floor is guarded by a spirit at the Great Ascension Perfection realm. If you defeat it, you obtain a peerless, world-shaking inheritance that surpasses ancient times!”

Great Ascension Perfection?

Qi Yuan was internally startled.

He had been fantasizing about relying on his cultivation to sweep through the tower and max out the additional rewards. He hadn’t expected the Moluo God-Slaughtering Tower to be this terrifying.

Setting the difficulty this high… do they actually want anyone to pass?

Even if a challenger were made of iron, fighting through 998 floors would leave them exhausted. To then face a Great Ascension Perfection entity in its prime? That wasn’t a trial; that was just delivering yourself as a snack.

As if seeing through his skepticism, a disciple quickly offered an explanation.

“However, to ensure fairness, the Cultivation Base and Spiritual Power of all Tower Spirits are adjusted to match the level of the challenger.”

“Of course,” the disciple added nervously, “fairness is relative. A Tower Spirit that was originally a Nascent Soul entity, even if suppressed to the Foundation Building realm, retains its combat experience and techniques. It can easily crush ordinary Foundation Building cultivators like stepping on ants.”

“Because of this, since the founding of The Saint Sect, no one has ever reached the 999th floor. Even the current Sect Leader only made it to the 600th floor during his trial.”

A trace of reverence appeared on the disciple’s face.

“The Sect Leader was only at the Golden Core realm back then, yet he managed to consecutively slay over ten Void Refinement realm Tower Spirits. Even though their power was suppressed, it was still a miracle…”

That makes more sense.

Qi Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The difficulty was still nightmare-tier, but it wasn’t mathematically impossible.

But wait…

A thought struck him.

If I use my [True·Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing] talent to suppress my cultivation to that of a mortal… would the Tower Spirits be downgraded to mortals too? Could I beat up a Great Ascension cultivator in a fistfight?

Realizing the potential exploit within the tower’s rules, Qi Yuan fell into deep, serious contemplation.

To the disciples, however, his silence was terrifying. A trembling voice broke his train of thought.

“Tha… that, Lord Qi… that is all the information we have about the Moluo God-Slaughtering Tower. We don’t know any inside secrets. Could you… could you please be merciful and let us go?”

Qi Yuan snapped back to reality. He looked at the terrified faces and waved his hand dismissively.

“You may leave.”

“Thank you, Lord Qi, for sparing our lives! We’re leaving! We’re leaving right now!”

The group felt as if they had been granted a general amnesty. They scrambled over each other, fleeing in all directions and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Watching the dust settle, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile.

Forget it. In a hellhole like the Demon Sect, maybe a fierce reputation is more useful than a low profile. At least it scares off the small fry and keeps people from treating me like a soft persimmon.

He silently dismissed the idea of clearing his name.

After all, the one with the notorious reputation is the Rogue Cultivator “Big Qi.” What does that have to do with me, Qi Yuan?

Meanwhile.

Nether Fiend Sect, Inner Sect.

Inside an opulently decorated warm pavilion.

Elder Chi Yuting of the Inheritance Hall sat on the main seat, his face a mask of livid rage. The veins on his forehead bulged and throbbed, making him look like a beast on the verge of devouring someone alive.

Before him knelt a woman dressed in gaudy, expensive robes. She was weeping hysterically.

“Chi! Yinghu was your only son! Now he has died inexplicably at the hands of some Outer Sect Disciple, his soul utterly destroyed!”

“It’s bad enough you won’t avenge him, but you actually stopped me from seeking justice? Do you have any conscience left?!”

The woman’s voice rose to a shriek.

“I don’t care about politics! I must make that villain who killed Yinghu pay with his blood!”

“Shut up!”

Chi Yuting roared, his voice dripping with ice.

“Do you think I don’t know how you spoiled that boy? He never strived for improvement! He spent his days chasing women and picking fights with trash in the Outer Sect!”

“With his aptitude, and the resources I funneled to him privately, he should have formed his Golden Core and entered the Inner Sect years ago! If he had done that, would he be dead today?!”

Chi Yuting stood up, pacing furiously.

“Furthermore, that ‘Big Qi’ has a mysterious background. Not only did Situ Kong of the Situ family view him favorably and publicly declare him innocent, but the Ji family also sent an envoy to warn me. They explicitly forbade me from touching him.”

“With that kind of political pressure, even the fierce mistress in my own lawful household couldn’t withstand it. How do you expect me to take revenge?”

The kneeling woman was struck speechless. She trembled, her hands balling into fists. After a long silence, she ground her teeth, her eyes filled with venom.

“No. I still can’t swallow this. I must get justice for Yinghu!”

Chi Yuting paused. He looked at the woman, his expression shifting from anger to cold calculation. He sat back down and lowered his voice.

“Qi Da cannot die right now. At least, not by the hands of anyone connected to us. If we act directly, we offend both the Ji and Situ families simultaneously. That is a death sentence.”

“You mean…”

The woman blinked, stunned for a moment before realization dawned on her face.

“Right! The murderer is just an ant at the Foundation Building realm. We can simply spend some Spirit Stones to hire an external assassin. We don’t need to dirty our own hands!”

Hearing this, a savage glint appeared in Chi Yuting’s eyes.

“That kid is a bit strange,” he muttered. “Handle it cleanly. Hire an assassin at the Nascent Soul realm or above. Do not skimp on the price.”

“Also… it is best to act during the Demon Venerable’s birthday celebration. At that time, Demonic Cultivators from countless other factions will be here to offer congratulations. The sect will be a chaotic melting pot of dragons and snakes. The Ji family will be too busy managing the guests to pay attention to the Outer Sect.”

“If an insignificant disciple dies in the chaos… no one will ask questions.”