### Chapter 35: Outer Sect Disciples Stir Up Trouble
Before long, Pan Yu returned and resumed meditating beside Lin Yi's cottage, focusing on his cultivation.
"Junior Brother Pan, come here for a moment," Lin Yi called out.
"Senior Brother Lin, what do you need?" Pan Yu hurried over, his posture respectful.
"I have three Great Replenishing Pills here. Take them. They should help you reach the First Level of Qi Refinement," Lin Yi said, holding out three glistening pills.
"Great Replenishing Pills?!" Pan Yu's eyes widened. He'd heard of these pills—rare treasures that could accelerate cultivation. Joy flashed across his face, but it quickly turned to hesitation. "Senior Brother, these are too valuable. I can't accept them."
"Can't accept them? Why not? Don't you want to reach the First Level of Qi Refinement?" Lin Yi feigned anger, raising an eyebrow. "Without these pills, with your Four Spiritual Roots, it'll take at least six months to break through. Think of what you could accomplish in six months."
Pan Yu bit his lip, torn. With the pills, he could instantly become a First Level Qi Refinement cultivator, shaving half a year off his progress. In that time, he might even grasp a chance to reach the Second Level.
"Just take them!" Lin Yi stuffed the pills into his hand. "A grown man shouldn't hem and haw like this. In cultivation, the first priority is always improving your strength—never miss an opportunity."
"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Pan Yu's voice trembled. "I'll repay your kindness someday."
"Repay? It's just three pills. I'll be satisfied if they get you to the First Level. If you're going to follow me, you need some real strength, don't you?" Lin Yi brushed it off with a laugh, though his words masked a deeper intent—nurturing reliable allies.
Pan Yu clutched the pills, their weight seeming to burn into his palm. Since joining the Dianxuan Sect, he'd been swamped with menial tasks, leaving no time to cultivate. That's why, even with Four Spiritual Roots, he'd stagnated for nearly three years. Thanks to Steward Qiao assigning him to serve Lin Yi, he'd finally escaped the drudgery. Now, this kindness felt heavier than any burden.
Lin Yi sent Pan Yu off to cultivate, then wandered to a secluded spot to test his new sword technique: *Nine Strikes of the Sky-Shattering*. He unleashed the first strike, "Crescent Moon."
Whoosh! A surge of spiritual energy erupted—then Lin Yi stumbled, gasping. The attack had drained nearly half his energy.
"Damn, this technique's as energy-hungry as the Purple Demon Gourd!" he muttered, staring at the ground in shock. Where a thousand-jin boulder had stood, only fine dust remained.
Incredible power—but terrifyingly costly. He'd need far more cultivation to wield it freely. "No more tests for now," he thought. Passing out from exhaustion was the last thing he needed.
He returned to his cottage to meditate, restoring his energy through the *Eternal Life Art*. By dawn, his spiritual energy had fully replenished.
When he opened the door, Pan Yu was already waiting—now radiating the aura of a First Level Qi Refinement cultivator.
"Congratulations," Lin Yi grinned.
Pan Yu bowed deeply, gratitude shining in his eyes. "Thank you, Senior Brother. I'll never forget this."
After a simple meal, Lin Yi delved into studying the *Guicang Sword Art*. Its three basic stances hid endless variations, but with time pressing, he only grasped the fundamentals, resolving to refine them later.
Noon arrived with a commotion outside. Lin Yi frowned, opening the door to find two dozen outer disciples crowding his yard, clutching gifts. Pan Yu stood in their way, his pleas ignored.
They'd noticed Pan Yu's sudden breakthrough and guessed Lin Yi was responsible. "We must see Senior Brother Lin!" they shouted, pretending to rush inside—hoping to force Lin Yi to出面.
"What do you want?" Lin Yi's voice turned cold.
These were the same disciples who'd mocked him for years. Word had spread: Lin Yi had reached the Fourth Level of Qi Refinement, enough to qualify as an inner disciple after the upcoming sect tournament. Now they scrambled to curry favor.
"Senior Brother Lin, I'm Zhang Mu—here's a small gift!"
"Senior Brother, I'm Yan Song. Congratulations on your breakthrough! Two low-grade spirit stones, please accept them!"
"Senior Brother, I brought fine bamboo wine—heard you like it!"
Lin Yi's fists clenched. Their sycophancy reeked. "Get lost! Take your trash and leave!"
The disciples froze, then scowled. "Arrogant! So what if you're Fourth Level? You'll still lose to Senior Brother Mu Rongfeng in the tournament!"
"Even if you become an inner disciple, a Five Spiritual Roots loser like you will never progress past Fourth Level. You'll just get bullied there!"
"Better die in the tournament. A Five Spiritual Roots inner disciple? The sect would be laughed at!"
Laughter erupted.
"找死!" Lin Yi's eyes flashed. He lunged forward, slamming his palm into the loudest disciple's chest.
Boom! The disciple spat blood, flying backward in disbelief. Sect rules forbade infighting—he'd thought Lin Yi wouldn't dare strike.
"Lin Yi! How dare you hurt a fellow disciple? I'll report you to the Law Enforcement Hall!" one yelled.
"Wait for your punishment!" another added.
"Want to die too?" Lin Yi's gaze cut to them.
The disciples scattered. Some dragged the injured man to the outer sect stewards; others raced to the Law Enforcement Hall on the mountain peak.
"Senior Brother, they're going to report you! What do we do?" Pan Yu panicked.
"Relax. I only injured him, and he provoked me first. The Law Enforcement Hall isn't their toy—they'll judge fairly. As for the stewards…" Lin Yi冷笑. "They won't bother me."
He was right. The stewards—Qiao, who wanted to recruit him, and Zhang Wanshan, who'd always protected him—dismissed the disciples with flimsy excuses.
Defeated, the disciples pinned their hopes on the Law Enforcement Hall.
Surely, they thought, the hall would punish Lin Yi for breaking the rules.