"I..." Under normal circumstances, Ban Ji would have cursed out loud, as he wasn’t someone with a good temper, nor did he possess the demeanor of the Righteous Path.
But just as he was about to curse, he suddenly realized the setting.
This wasn’t the Ban Family; it was the Main Mountain Gate of the Myriad Images Sect, with so many people watching.
He could only swallow back the curse, glaring at Ning Zhuo with bulging eyes, his gaze so intense it seemed like it could burst into flames.
"This little brat really treated me like a Demon Cultivator. This Righteous Path facade is truly hateful!"
"No, that’s not right. Although I am a Demon Cultivator, I’m from the Ban Family, I’m Righteous, I am Righteous too!"
Ban Ji realized something was wrong and immediately spoke out to refute Ning Zhuo, accusing the latter of slander.
To his surprise, Ning Zhuo raised his head and looked at Ban Ji with his nostrils, disdainfully saying, "Ban Ji, your reputation precedes you, but now it seems you dare to act but not take responsibility, deceitful and treacherous, just so."
After saying that, he swung his sleeve and left.
"You..." Ban Ji was furious, subconsciously clenching his fists.
In the past, for cultivators who provoked him like this, he would have already used force against them. Even if he couldn’t handle it himself, he could call upon the family forces to gang up.
But not now!
Ban Ji’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Ning Zhuo’s back, wishing he could punch him straight through his back.
It was truly infuriating!
Ban Ji had never been provoked like this or had his face slapped so publicly.
And yet, he couldn’t even refute it.
Because he indeed had done it. Even his previous refutation felt lacking in confidence.
"I really want to punch him to death!"
"I really want to step on his head and directly tell him, I did it, so what?!"
A strong impulse surged in Ban Ji’s heart, his Demon Skill operating instinctively, causing Demonic Qi to overflow around him.
But he couldn’t do it.
If he acted like that, he would be openly violating the rules of the Myriad Images Sect. By then, not even the entire Ban Family could protect him.
"It’s one thing for me, but how would my father and mother face the family?"
"Unbearable, truly unbearable!"
For a moment, Ban Ji was so angry that he wanted to roar at the sky.
It was truly suffocating.
"If only there was no family." Such a thought flashed through his Divine Sea, unprecedentedly strong.
The Demon Path emphasizes indulgence and personal nature, fully expressing one’s emotions. I don’t care about the vast heavens and earth; I am the greatest! My personal emotions are the most important; the world revolves around me.
Only by doing so can Demon Cultivators smoothly progress in their Demon Skill cultivation.
Just from this point, Demon Cultivators naturally conflict with rules, finding it hard to integrate into a tightly-knit organization.
However, Demon Cultivators are also adept at manipulating others’ emotions.
But now, Ban Ji’s intense anger and hatred were fiercely stirred up by Ning Zhuo.
Ban Ji gritted his teeth hard, making grinding noises.
"I’ve decided!"
"I must crush you to dust."
"I will trample you underfoot and reclaim my honor."
"Just wait, just you wait."
"Why hasn’t this Xingyun Trial started already?!"
Ban Ji’s entire being exuded killing intent.
Many of the spectators had eyes shining brightly.
They were witnessing a spectacle, enjoying the show.
Someone nodded inwardly: "Ning Zhuo indeed lives up to the reputation of a rising star of the Righteous Path; under the Three Questions of the Heart, his righteousness is evident. Seeing him today, it truly is so."
Someone frowned in confusion: "How does the respectable Ban Family allow someone like Ban Ji? His Demon Skill is considerably powerful."
Another shook their head in secret: "In just a few words of verbal exchange, Ban Ji was provoked by Ning Zhuo to the point of losing control. The difference between the two is instantly discernible."
Everyone wants to be unrestrained, to be the greatest in the vast world; no one wants others to become such Demon Cultivators.
Therefore, everyone naturally inclined towards Ning Zhuo in their hearts.
In this first round of confrontation, purely through words, Ning Zhuo had gained the upper hand, using Ban Ji to highlight himself, earning a group of supporters.
Upon their first meeting, Ning Zhuo had already calculated against Ban Ji, initiating the challenge and leaving voluntarily. After scanning the crowd, he walked over to Lu Zeng and bowed respectfully.
"Is this esteemed gentleman Elder Lu Zeng?" Ning Zhuo asked with a composed smile, courteous and polite.
He naturally paid more attention to Mechanism Cultivators. This Lu Zeng was among the information he had collected.
Lu Zeng was dressed in indigo clothes, with numerous tool pouches around his waist. A bronze ruler hung from his chest, and a wooden mechanism box was strapped to his back.
Ning Zhuo knew he primarily practiced the Silk Coupling Technique, and his Lifebound Magical Treasure was a mechanical artifact called the Thousand Mechanism Lotus.
Lu Zeng, facing Ning Zhuo, felt a great deal of goodwill and showed a broad smile, waving his hand repeatedly: "I don’t deserve such respect; just consider us peers."
Ning Zhuo only had a Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage cultivation level, but Lu Zeng would never underestimate him for it.
Ning Zhuo was a genius who emerged in the first wave, with future prospects at least at the Golden Core Level, and had already gained the favor of the Confucian Cultivator community and Evil Slaying Hall. By openly opposing Ban Ji and the Ban Family, he proved he had ample confidence.
Such a person had an undeniably bright future, visible even to someone blind. Lu Zeng, not being blind, readily treated him as an equal.
After a few exchanges, Lu Zeng proactively gifted Ning Zhuo a jade token, stating that for future transactions, he could use this token to receive some discounts.
Lu Zeng himself managed multiple stores. If he successfully joined the Myriad Images Sect this time, he planned to establish a shop within the Main Mountain Gate of the Myriad Images Sect as well, selling a large number of mechanism external components.
He excelled at manufacturing these mechanism parts, and the wonders of the Silk Coupling Technique were fully demonstrated on these parts. Once attached to mechanical artifacts, countless fine threads would condense and link the two closely together.