Neither Zhang Ergou nor Xu Chengtao had expected Jin Yuan to make a decision so quickly.
In just a few words, Zhang Ergou's guilt and fate a month later were decided, but even a month was too long for Zhang Ergou to wait.
He had promised Chi Yu that he would enter the top twenty of the inner sect rankings within a month.
Now that he had broken through to the early stage of Golden Core, Zhang Ergou was no longer overly concerned about his strength and cultivation. He was confident he could contend with the experts on the inner sect rankings.
However, if things progressed in the direction of Jin Yuan's judgment, and he was imprisoned in that blasted Cold Ice Cave for a month.
When would he have time to challenge the remaining experts on the inner sect rankings?
Now was not the time to discuss this matter, and besides, he had no way to tell Jin Yuan.
Although the peak master of the Discipline Peak seemed to have a clear intention of favoring him, Zhang Ergou was not familiar with him. Who knew if a huge turn of events would occur if he brought up the issue?
Zhang Ergou could only hide his thoughts and silently observe the two people in the hall.
To defend Zhang Ergou, Jin Yuan did not even let other elders and disciples of the Discipline Peak participate in this matter.
Xu Chengtao's appearance was indeed an accident, but Xu Chengtao's shouting and provoking Jin Yuan after entering the Discipline Peak hall directly led Jin Yuan to make a swift decision.
"Senior Brother Jin, what are you saying? Zhang Ergou killed my disciple Qian Wenchao by accident?"
Xu Chengtao's expression was extremely complex at this moment, with anger, shock, and disappointment all converging on his round face, making him look quite troubled.
"Are you satisfied now, Junior Brother Xu!"
With the result in hand, Jin Yuan was in a much better mood, but he had no intention of letting Xu Chengtao off the hook immediately.
It was this arrogant fellow who completely disregarded him, the peak master of the Discipline Peak.
Since you want me to be fair and just, and give your deceased disciple justice.
I will act arbitrarily, and what are you going to do about it?
Jin Yuan looked at Xu Chengtao with a playful gaze. This was a world where strength was paramount; without strength, everything else was just a facade.
Xu Chengtao naturally understood this principle. When Jin Yuan looked at him with a hint of amusement, he understood Jin Yuan's intention.
A bitter smile flickered through his heart. Who told him he didn't have the same strength and cultivation as Jin Yuan?
With a bitter smile, Xu Chengtao collected the corpse of his disciple Qian Wenchao into his storage ring. After giving Jin Yuan a deep look, he got up and prepared to leave.
Before leaving, Xu Chengtao glared fiercely at Zhang Ergou. If looks could kill, Zhang Ergou would have been dismembered by Xu Chengtao by now.
Zhang Ergou glared back without backing down, which angered Xu Chengtao so much that he stomped his foot and left without another word...
"Haha, good boy, facing Xu Chengtao, who is at the peak of the Golden Core stage, yet showing no weakness. It's not for nothing that this old man favored you today."
Jin Yuan had seen the actions of both Zhang Ergou and Xu Chengtao. Seeing Xu Chengtao finally falter under Zhang Ergou's pressure.
Jin Yuan felt a surge of satisfaction and found this kid even more pleasing to the eye.
Zhang Ergou, of course, was unaware of Jin Yuan's thoughts at this moment. His most pressing concern was the matter entrusted to him by Chi Yu.
He was pondering whether to tell the seemingly kind peak master of the Discipline Peak.
If he didn't tell the truth, he would definitely be imprisoned in the Cold Ice Cave that the other party had mentioned. By the time he got out, it would likely be too late.
The grand sect competition was only a month away. If he went to the Cold Ice Cave to serve his sentence, he would definitely miss this opportunity.
He remembered that Chi Yu had once said that the grand sect competition was not just a simple test of strength for the young disciples of the two sects.
More importantly, through the grand sect competition, twenty of the most outstanding disciples would be selected to participate in the exploration of a secret realm.
It was said that this secret realm only opened once every three years, and only cultivators under thirty years old and below the mid-Golden Core stage were allowed to enter.
This was also why Chi Yu was so anxious for Zhang Ergou to increase his strength so quickly.
However, what she hadn't expected was that Zhang Ergou did break through to the early Golden Core stage at a critical moment, and then the matter of killing someone was something she hadn't foreseen.
Chi Yu and Chi Ling had already learned about Zhang Ergou's killing, but they didn't impulsively appear at the Discipline Peak like Xu Chengtao.
Chi Yu understood that due to her special relationship with the Sect Master, the peak masters and elders of the major inner sect peaks had always shown respect to her and her sister.
If she appeared at the Discipline Peak at this moment, it would inevitably be labeled by some as using her status to pressure the Discipline Peak.
She needed to avoid suspicion. Of course, she was confident that Jin Yuan, the peak master of the Discipline Peak, would give her face.
Even if she didn't appear at the Discipline Peak, Jin Yuan would definitely not give Zhang Ergou an unbearable sentence.
This was, of course, not due to Chi Yu's own influence, but because she had a brother who was the Sect Master!
Therefore, when Lin Yichen and Lin Yueru rushed to Lingyu Peak and saw Chi Yu and Chi Ling leisurely playing chess, they naturally became anxious.
"Senior Aunt Chi Yu, Zhang Ergou has been taken away. Please think of a way to save him!"
Lin Yichen and the others remained silent. They were not familiar with Chi Yu, and only Lin Yueru had met Chi Yu once when she was in the outer sect.
So, the person who spoke naturally was Lin Yueru.
"How about that, little sister? Wasn't I right? You lost!"
Chi Yu said triumphantly to Chi Ling opposite her. Chi Ling pouted in disagreement. With the juniors present, she naturally did not argue with her sister.
Lin Yueru and the others then noticed that the two beautiful women before them looked exactly alike.
The person Lin Yueru had just spoken to was Chi Ling, not Chi Yu. When Lin Yueru realized this, her face instantly turned crimson.
"This must be Senior Brother Qiao's prized disciple from Baodan Pavilion. My sister was just mentioning you."
Chi Ling curiously stared at the blushing maiden before her, her face filled with gossip.
When she heard that her sister and Qiao Yun, the pavilion master of Baodan Pavilion, were trying to matchmake Zhang Ergou and Lin Yueru, her interest was immediately piqued.
Every woman has a matchmaking streak, regardless of her cultivation level.
When she heard that Chi Yu and Qiao Yun had failed, Chi Ling thought it was due to Lin Yueru. She believed Lin Yueru looked down on Zhang Ergou.
This led to Lin Yueru's urgent plea for help, and Chi Yu's statement that she had lost.
Chi Yu had confidently stated that the root of the problem was not with Lin Yueru, but Chi Ling did not believe it.
The sisters then made a bet: whether Lin Yueru would be the first to speak when Lin Yichen and the others arrived at Lingyu Peak.
If it wasn't Lin Yueru, then Chi Ling would win. If it was Lin Yueru, then Chi Yu would win.
Lin Yichen and the others had no idea about this hidden matter. Seeing that Chi Yu and Chi Ling were not asking about Zhang Ergou, but instead questioning Lin Yueru, they became anxious.