“Lu Qianqian, as a personal disciple, you failed to observe sect rules and repeatedly committed unforgivable crimes. From this day forth, your martial arts shall be abolished and you shall be expelled from the sect. Do you have any grievances?”

A resounding voice rang out in the solemn and dignified great hall.

Kneeling in the hall, Lu Qianqian kept her head lowered, her voice cold. “No grievances.”

“Someone, take her to the Punishment Hall for execution!”

Under the witness of many disciples, she was taken to the Punishment Hall.

“Tsk tsk, who would have thought Lu Qianqian would do such a thing.”

“When the Grand Elder was alive, he always favored her. Now that something’s happened, no one will dare protect her.”

“Always with that cold expression, as if everyone owed her money. If not for relying on the Grand Elder, how could she have possibly become a personal disciple?”

On the magnificent sect mountain gate steps, Lu Qianqian, her black hair disheveled and face pale, walked down step by step.

“Sister Qianqian.” An exceptionally beautiful woman stood at the mountain gate, waving her hand and smiling. “Now that you’ve been expelled from the sect, the Heavenly Ice Heart Palace belongs to me, your junior sister!”

Lu Qianqian said coolly, “Only after I left did you become qualified to inherit it.”

A flash of anger crossed the woman’s bright eyes, but she spread her long sleeves and smiled. “I knew this day would come sooner or later, so I prepared this festive red dress early to celebrate. Does Sister Qianqian think it looks good?”

Lu Qianqian said, “No matter how beautiful the clothes, they can’t cover your filthy heart.”

The woman’s smile vanished, her voice turning cold. “Just you are pure as ice and jade, just you are pure as snow—but so what? Weren’t you still stripped of your martial arts and expelled from the sect, becoming a pitiful stray dog!”

Lu Qianqian said coolly, “I have sage-grade spiritual roots, you don’t. I have the Supreme Mystery Ice Heart Body, you don’t. Even if expelled, you’ll forever be nothing but trash before me.”

“You…” The woman’s face turned red with anger.

Lu Qianqian took a breath, looked toward the sky, and murmured, “The outside world is vast. If this place doesn’t want me, Lu Qianqian, somewhere else certainly will.”

“Without the sect’s heart technique, your Supreme Mystery Ice Heart Body is nothing but a crippled constitution. You still expect others to take you in?” The woman laughed coldly.

Lu Qianqian said nothing more, dragging her body down the steps.

That day, heavy snow arrived, freezing ten thousand li of rivers and mountains, making the not-yet-winter season exceptionally cold.

The superstitious villagers, seeing the abnormal weather, called that day—the Ice God Descending to the Mortal Realm.

“Phew!”

In her room, Lu Qianqian withdrew her thoughts. She came to the window and looked at the sky full of stars, thinking silently, “Grand Elder, you must have anticipated I would be expelled, which is why you secretly passed the Supreme Mystery Ice Heart Formula to me.”

Outside in the great hall.

Jun Changxiao, having just finished cultivating in the sculpting chamber and sat down, noticed from the angle that the woman still hadn’t slept. He shook his head. “My eldest disciple, when will you change that cold temperament of yours?”

…

I’m an expert, expert, expert expert expert, unrivaled under heaven.

Fill the wine!

Tonight we won’t stop till we’re drunk…

Music played on the martial arts grounds in the early morning.

The disciples did their daily morning exercises as usual. The flamboyant Jun Changxiao stood at the front leading the dance.

Long Ziyang, Yang Yuhua, and the others seemed to have already gotten used to it. Casting aside that shame, they completely integrated into the joyful atmosphere.

After morning exercises ended, Jun Changxiao snapped his fingers. “Qingyang, did you call over the people who signed up?”

“Sect Leader, I called them.” Li Qingyang said.

Jun Changxiao swept aside his bound black hair and called out, “Su Xiaomo, open the door for this seat.”

“Swoosh! Swoosh!” Su Xiaomo tumbled and stopped in front of the red lacquered gate, then swept both arms. The two doors opened, welcoming gusts of fresh breeze.

“Whoosh—”

“Smack!”

Jun Changxiao caught the happy soccer ball flying from the side, kicked it out with one foot, hitting Li Fei squarely in the face. The person also crashed into the wall behind him, creating an indentation in the shape of the character for “grand.”

“Stinky brat.”

Jun Changxiao dusted off his hands while adjusting his collar and walking. “If this seat doesn’t kick peach blossoms all over your face, you won’t know why flowers are so red.”

As he spoke, he walked out of the sect dashingly.

Su Xiaomo stood at attention and raised his thumb. “Sect Leader, awesome!”

…

Outside the mountain gate.

Several martial artists of varying ages stood waiting anxiously. When they saw Jun Changxiao walking out adjusting his sleeves, they hurriedly swarmed over.

“Sect Leader Jun, my name is Li Shangtian!”

“I want to reach the heavens, please give me a pair of wings!”

A frail-looking youth shouted first.

Jun Changxiao sat down at the registration table and stroked his chin. “With your build, you don’t need wings—a gust of wind will send you to heaven.”

“Hahaha.”

The registering disciples burst out laughing.

Even the steady Li Qingyang, standing behind the sect leader, couldn’t help but smile.

“What are you laughing at!” The youth named Li Shangtian glared at everyone and said earnestly, “Sect Leader Jun, I want to join the Iron-Boned and Upright Sect to create my dreams!”

Jun Changxiao made a gesture. “Please speak your dream.”

Li Shangtian said, “My dream since childhood has been to become an upstanding powerhouse!”

His childhood dream wasn’t even to be a singer—what difference was there from a salted fish?

Jun Changxiao felt this kid had some sass and was clever. After inquiring about the basic information, he stamped the sect leader’s seal. “Next.”

The second registrant was a young girl, dressed plainly—probably from a poor family. Though her face was somewhat dirty, it couldn’t hide her delicate features.

She kept her head lowered shyly. “I… I’m called Ling Yuanxue.”

So timid?

Jun Changxiao said, “What is your dream?”

Ling Yuanxue lowered her head. After a moment, she gathered her courage. “Everyone says women are inferior to men. I want to cultivate the martial path to prove to you stinky men that— no no no… I’m not saying the Sect Leader is a stinky man.”

Jun Changxiao didn’t mind. He pulled over the entry form. “In a male-dominated world, women’s status has always been low. You have a dream, and this seat will provide you a stage to realize it.”

“Smack.”

He stamped the entry form.

Li Qingyang’s mouth twitched as he said in a low voice, “Sect Leader, you only filled in a name. Isn’t this too hasty?”

Jun Changxiao said in a low voice, “The sect is full of big burly men—too much yang energy. If we don’t add some female disciples, I’m afraid it’ll develop in the direction of a gay sect.”

Gay sect?

Li Qingyang looked completely confused.

“Next.”

The third registrant stepped forward.

It was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old youth. He scratched his head. “Sect Leader Jun, does your Iron Bone Sect need a medicine master?”

Note: Medicine masters are different from medicinal herb masters—similar to the medical profession.

Jun Changxiao caught the scent of medicine and asked curiously, “You’re a medicine master?”

“Mm.” The youth took out a wooden plaque and placed it on the table. “This is my identity certification.”

Jun Changxiao looked over and saw written on it—Medicine Emperor’s Successor, Sun Bukong.

Medicine Emperor?

Jun Changxiao’s mouth fell open.

In his view, anyone who could be called “Emperor” was absolutely one of the continent’s strongest!

Casually opening the mountain to recruit disciples, and he encountered a Medicine Emperor’s successor?

Sun Bukong scratched his head and smiled. “My master, the old man, told me to go down the mountain for training, so I decided to first experience things at the Iron Bone Sect.”

Jun Changxiao’s mouth twitched. “Little guy, you should go to the neighboring Huadu City. That place is full of successors trained by great powers going down the mountain. If you do well, you’ll definitely have no problem hooking an ice mountain female CEO.”

“Huadu City?”

Sun Bukong looked confused. “I’m sorry, I haven’t heard of that place.”

Jun Changxiao picked up the entry form, preparing to inquire.

Li Qingyang said in a low voice, “Sect Leader, this type of identity plaque can be bought by the dozens for one or two taels of silver in town. Forget Medicine Emperor’s successor—even Medicine Emperor’s son can be carved out.”

Huh?

Jun Changxiao’s eyes widened.

Holy crap, identities could be faked in this otherworld too?

Sun Bukong heard Li Qingyang’s words and scratched his head rather embarrassed.

Then he placed over a dozen successor plaques on the table and said earnestly, “Sect Leader, I carved all of these myself. Whichever identity you like, just choose it—as long as you let me join the sect!”

Sword Emperor’s Successor, Sun Bukong.

Demon Venerable’s Successor, Sun Bukong.

Demon Emperor’s Successor, Sun Bukong.

There were many more various successor identities, all different!

Impressive!

If these identities were real, my little Iron Bone Sect couldn’t contain such great buddhas.

“Accepted!”

Jun Changxiao stamped the seal.

Though the successor identity was fake, being able to use a little cunning to sign up—that right there was a person with dreams and talent.

“Next.”

“Smack.”

As soon as the words fell, someone placed a black cloth-wrapped object on the table, revealing an ancient sword hilt. “Sword cultivator, Zhou Hong.”