Chapter 55: Yu Yi Has to Guard the Tower?

The news of Guo Longcheng being “one-shot” spread rapidly, and the members of the Xingyue Alliance quickly arrived at the scene.

“Look! Counting Guo Longcheng, all Ten Stars are present!”

“The top ten young experts of Yunzhou City gathered together… This spectacle, it feels as if the Recruitment Assembly has already begun.”

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Li Ruobai appeared in a white robe, leading the group, with the other eight members of the “Ten Stars” following behind him.

The aura emitted by these nine was powerful, proud, and unparalleled.

They marched toward the Wushen Tower, and the casual cultivators along the way all stepped aside.

Even the girls who admired Li Ruobai dared not approach him to greet him at this moment.

The times when all Ten Stars, including Guo Longcheng, were present were rare.

Now that they had come together at Wushen Tower, it showed how seriously they regarded Guo Longcheng’s defeat.

Li Ruobai walked up to Guo Longcheng, who was lying on a stretcher, and looked down at him expressionlessly.

“Dead yet?”

He asked indifferently.

The barely-breathing Guo Longcheng naturally could not reply.

Half his face was deformed from the blow, with clear fingerprints still visible.

His life was incredibly tough; even after taking a strike from Yu Yi, being blasted through ten floors of Wushen Tower, and then falling from the sky, he had not died.

But Guo Longcheng had barely clung to life.

All the bones in his body were shattered; he was completely crippled.

Even if he regained consciousness, he would likely spend the rest of his life bedridden.

“Who did this!?”

Li Ruobai took a deep breath, then questioned those around him loudly.

His powerful voice sent a wave through the air.

Several low-ranked casual cultivators nearby were so shaken by his shout that their robes tore.

Covering their ears, they tumbled to the ground and, not daring to linger, hurriedly fled Wushen Tower.

“I did.”

A calm and gentle female voice sounded from the crowd.

Li Ruobai turned toward the source of the voice and saw a familiar face.

“So it was you.”

Li Ruobai looked at Yu Yi before him, his expression turning unpleasant.

“Young Master Li, we meet again.”

Yu Yi replied calmly.

“Fortunately, you arrived in time. Otherwise, I might have had to collect Young Master Guo’s body myself.”

“Hey, hey, don’t think you can be so arrogant just because you have a pretty face!”

A woman beside Li Ruobai stepped forward, warning Yu Yi with displeasure.

“Standing before you now are the Ten Stars of the Xingyue Alliance!”

“It’s Nine Stars now.”

Yu Yi smiled slightly, looking at Guo Longcheng on the stretcher.

“Your companion challenged me repeatedly and declared war on his own. Since the Ten Stars of Xingyue Alliance deem me worthy, how could I refuse the fight? Who would have thought he’d shatter with a single touch? I’m helpless.”

“You…”

The woman beside Li Ruobai wanted to say more, but Li Ruobai stopped her with a gesture.

“Lai Min, there’s no need to trouble Wind Immortal.”

Li Ruobai said calmly.

“Guo Longcheng has always been arrogant and prideful; we all know this. Master said earlier that Wushen Tower was closed today, but he insisted on coming. Now that he’s been wounded by Wind Immortal, he has only himself to blame.”

However, Li Ruobai soon changed his tone, turning to Yu Yi.

“Though Guo Longcheng was in the wrong, Wind Immortal, wasn’t it excessive to cripple him? The Recruitment Assembly begins tomorrow. Crippling Guo Longcheng now—aren’t you showing our Xingyue Alliance no respect?”

Yu Yi disliked beating around the bush.

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

“Very well. Wind Immortal’s straightforwardness is admirable.”

Li Ruobai paused.

“I want you to replace Guo Longcheng and defend the first floor of Wushen Tower for the Xingyue Alliance.”

At these words, the whole place was thrown into shock.

Some casual cultivators immediately froze, unable to help but complain.

“Li Ruobai! That’s sinister!”

“Exactly! Guo Longcheng was already tough to defeat, and now you want Wind Immortal, who easily beat him, to guard the tower? How are we supposed to win?!”

“Besides, Wind Immortal isn’t even part of the Xingyue Alliance! How can you make her defend Wushen Tower? This is outright cheating!!!”

The voices of protest from the surrounding casual cultivators grew louder, filled with the hope that Yu Yi would refuse Li Ruobai’s request.

Yu Yi herself had yet to speak, but Li Ruobai’s cold gaze swept over the crowd.

His lips curled up in amusement.

“Since when did my Xingyue Alliance take orders from weaklings like you? Do you even deserve to speak?”

“Tomorrow, when the Recruitment Assembly officially begins, how many of you will be chosen by other sects? And how many will even stand within Wushen Tower to challenge the Ten Stars of Xingyue Alliance?”

Li Ruobai spread his hands, oozing arrogance.

“This Recruitment Assembly is not for you to choose sects, but for the various Yunzhou factions to select you. Our Xingyue Alliance has priority in choosing, granting the qualification to challenge Wushen Tower only to those truly worthy, not to you weak fools.”

“In other words, challenging Wushen Tower has nothing to do with you, so why care who defends it? Those with the strength to challenge the tower will want to fight Wind Immortal to test themselves. And Wind Immortal came to Yunzhou to observe and learn—why would she refuse a strong opponent’s challenge?”

“Having Wind Immortal guard Wushen Tower is a win-win for everyone—except for you useless weaklings.”

By the end, Li Ruobai’s arrogance as a powerhouse was on full display.

Many casual cultivators with insufficient strength were left pale, all confidence drained, feeling hopeless.

Even the girls who adored him looked confused and disbelieving.

Li Ruobai, once seen as the elegant “Smiling Swordsman,” now felt utterly foreign.

At last, Li Ruobai looked at Yu Yi again.

“Wind Immortal…what do you think?”

His voice was full of strength, as if seeking to regain the face he lost when Yu Yi rejected him.

“Master, this person seems to have ulterior motives.”

At that moment, Blue Ling’er leaned close to Yu Yi’s ear and whispered.

“As your master, I’m well aware.”

Yu Yi replied softly.

Yu Yi had already figured out Li Ruobai’s scheme.

Without a doubt, he was someone who admired strength and craved status.

He only wished to associate with the strong and sought to dominate all powerful people around him.

Inviting Yu Yi to guard Wushen Tower was just a front.

If Yu Yi’s guess was correct, Li Ruobai’s real intention was to completely bind her to the Xingyue Alliance, using various means to make her submit entirely to him.

Though Li Ruobai wanted to eat the peach.

Yu Yi, in the end, only smiled faintly and nodded.

“Alright.”

Blue Ling’er was stunned.

Everyone present, including the other Eight Stars, was equally shocked.

“Master…actually agreed?”

Blue Ling’er’s brows furrowed as she fell into thought.

“What deeper meaning lies behind this…?”