At that very moment, Lewis, the leader of the Welkin Sect looked around at everyone, turned his
attention to Bruce, and then asked, "Bruce, why did you attack Zachary?" Lewis' voice wasn't loud, but
it rang with authority.
"Because he insulted me, provoked me and wounded disciples of our sect, including Benjamin. So I
taught him a lesson. But I didn't intend to beat him that hard," Bruce answered calmly. He had known
from the beginning that he would be questioned. So, he cooked up a good excuse beforehand.
"Benjamin, why did Zachary fight you? Even if he could fight other disciples with his current strength,
he definitely couldn't have beaten you!" Lewis pressed. He was suspicious the moment he heard
Bruce's explanation. The whole fight seemed very strange to him. Everyone at the Welkin Sect knew
that Zachary only became a formal disciple not too long ago. Thus, he couldn't possibly have gained
that much strength in such a short time. And since Benjamin possessed the strength at the eighth
grade of Mortal Level, which was a much higher level than Zachary's, Zachary couldn't have injured
him that easily.
"Sir, Zachary must have learned something by the back door. He seemed to have eaten something
when we fought," Benjamin replied, beating around the bush.
"How is that possible? Even if he took the most powerful pill, he still wouldn't be able to hurt you."
Lewis eyed Benjamin. Of course, he didn't believe his words. The other stewards observing the
conversation were doubtful as well. Such a thing didn't make any sense.
"It's true. The disciples who were with me witnessed everything," Benjamin insisted.
"In that case, I will confirm it with the other disciples later. But you still haven't answered my question.
Why did Zachary fight you? As far as I know, the treehouse where Zachary lived was burned beyond
recognition," Lewis said very seriously. He was already aware of the incident before he even asked
them. It was Benjamin who initiated the trouble, leading a few disciples to burn Zachary's treehouse.
"The treehouse got burned accidentally because the campfire that I and some disciples made to warm
ourselves got out of control. And yet, Zachary attacked us so violently without giving us a chance to
explain what had happened," Benjamin stated calmly. He directed all the responsibility to Zachary in an
attempt to defend himself.
Zachary huffed with annoyance at the blatant excuse. He knew that Benjamin had practiced his calm
demeanor to avoid any suspicion and punishment from Lewis.
"Zachary, is what Benjamin said true?" Lewis asked, looking straight into Zachary's eyes as if he could
see right through him.
"It doesn't matter if he intentionally burned my treehouse or not because he seems to have already
learned his lesson," Zachary responded with indifference as he cast a glance at Benjamin's broken
arm.
"Sir, I think the situation was caused by simple misunderstandings. My disciple Benjamin would never
cause anyone trouble or mess around," Barton, one of the five stewards, cut in immediately. He was
always protective of his disciples.
"Master, I didn't do it on purpose," Benjamin told Barton as he feigned innocence.
"Sir, I can also guarantee that Benjamin had no intention of harming anyone. It was clear that Zachary
was the one carrying malicious intentions," Bruce said, adding fuel to the fire.
"I believe that Benjamin didn't mean to cause trouble as well. A small punishment for him would be
enough."
"Yes, what's done is done. It would be useless to investigate their respective sides now."
"I don't think Benjamin would make such an obvious mistake. Zachary must have provoked him first..."
The stewards said one after another. It was clear that they were trying to cover for Benjamin. After all,
Benjamin was Barton's disciple. None of the others wanted to offend Barton.
Hearing the stewards' opinions, Lewis felt like he was in a dilemma. But after thinking it over, he
became determined to enforce the rules of the Welkin Sect on every member equally. He would handle
the situation with no biases and would not give unprincipled protection to anyone!
"The Welkin Sect strictly forbids disciples from having personal fights and forbids any form of bodily
injuries among peers. Yet, considering that one of your arms is broken and needs medical treatment,
you, Benjamin, will be grounded for three days. You shall use this time to reflect on your mistakes,"
Lewis declared after his contemplation.
Benjamin pursed his lips. Though displeased, he knew the punishment was very light. So he accepted
the disciplinary measure with a nod.
"And Bruce, as a senior disciple, you were supposed to handle the situation wisely. What you did was
unacceptable. Zachary has been seriously injured and disabled because of your violent attack, and I
expect you to shoulder the blame and responsibility. With that, you are grounded and expected to
reflect on your mistakes for three months until the Celestial College begins to enroll the new disciples,"
Lewis orders Bruce.
'I'll be grounded for three months?' Bruce repeated to himself. He was taken aback, not expecting that
Lewis would give him a punishment that would last three months.
"Sir, I apologize for the intrusion, but Bruce cannot be grounded that long. I plan to train him for the
next three months so that he bests the others when he enters Celestial College," Herman, one of the
five stewards, quickly intervened. As Bruce's master, he almost jumped, his expression horrified as
soon as he heard his disciple's punishment.
Bruce's strength was quite impressive. His qualifications exceeded his peers in the Welkin Sect.
However, such skills were not very outstanding compared to disciples of the Celestial College. At most,
Bruce's qualifications would be regarded as average, and wouldn't match with those of the elite
disciples. Herman had hoped to train Bruce before he entered the college. If he lacked the training and
preparation, he wouldn't stand a chance in the fierce competition.
"If any disciple of our sect does wrong, they must be punished. This is the iron rule of our Welkin Sect,"
Lewis declared with authority. As the top leader, he had to be tough in upholding his decisions.
Realizing that the leader wouldn't budge with his decision, Herman was helpless. He glared at Zachary
in anger.
Bruce also stared at Zachary with rage. He felt like Zachary was the one who caused him to lose three
precious months of training.
"As for Zachary, he has already been seriously injured. He can no longer become a warrior because of
this. Thus, he will receive no punishment. He must first heal from his wounds, and I will decide what to
do with him after he has fully recovered," Lewis said as he looked at Zachary and sighed.
"Sir, since he can't be a warrior, shouldn't he leave the sect?" Herman said with loathing.
"Herman is right. Now that he is a good-for-nothing and is basically useless, why would he remain in
our Welkin Sect?" Barton echoed.
Hearing the two stewards' words, Zachary despised them for trying to push him into a more miserable
situation. He sneered coldly in his mind, 'You two old farts better be careful. One day, I will pluck all
your beards. Just wait and see. I will soon make you two beg me to be your disciple.'
"Even if he becomes disabled and useless, we should wait for his injuries to heal. Let's talk about these
concerns after his recovery." Lewis vetoed the two stewards' suggestion with a wave of his hand.
With their leader's objection, the two stewards could say nothing more.
"Elva, take Zachary to the Pill Hall and get a bottle of second-grade white therapeutic pills. I shall
examine his injuries later," Lewis said, signaling for Elva to do as he instructed.
She nodded, glanced at Zachary, and walked out of the Heavenly Martial Hall. Zachary followed suit.
When Bruce saw this, he became jealous of Zachary's chance of getting closer to Elva. His fists
clenched with bitterness. Bruce tried to comfort himself by thinking that Zachary was now disabled. And
he knew Elva's personality—she wouldn't start a relationship with a lame disciple. Despite this, Bruce
couldn't help but feel jealous.
Zachary followed a few paces behind Elva as they exited the Heavenly Martial Hall, and soon he
caught up with her. Putting on an innocent expression, he asked, "Are you still mad at me? I'm sorry,
but last time I didn't mean to... I only did that because I wanted to save you."
Elva rolled her eyes at Zachary, making it clear that she didn't believe him. She then replied coldly, "If I
were the one who fought you, I would try harder to break more of your meridians."
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