The Corruption Dragon God: Lust System Chapter 852 - Fattie's Training Session (01)

After that grand display of power, it didn't take long for Bai Hu Lie to receive official approval from the Celestial Orthodox Martial Alliance.

Normally, he would have had to wait a few more days, wading through countless tedious bureaucratic procedures that he certainly didn't have the patience for.

Fortunately, the elders of the Myriad Beasts Sect took care of all that.

It wasn't standard procedure, but the Alliance's elders also felt much more at ease dealing with the sect's elders—masters of diplomacy—than with a battle-crazed heir.

With Bai Hu Lie finally free and Ling Xiaohu nearly in tears, Qingyi crossed the grounds of the Celestial Orthodox Martial Alliance.

He had his own room in the Tianjin Palace, but the Alliance had also granted him a luxurious pavilion not far from it, entirely private for him and his wives.

It was a relatively large place, with a huge arena in the back courtyard.

And in that arena, two people were training.

Well, a one-sided beating would be the more accurate term.

Every punch Bai Hu Lie threw made the air crackle. The stone floor was already spiderwebbed with cracks, and a fine cloud of dust hung over the entire arena.

"Stop whining—you're doing just fine. Bai Hu Lie isn't going to kill you that easily," Qingyi teased, watching the tiger and the fattie in the arena.

"You run really fast for someone so big!" Bai Hu Lie shouted, his fist tearing through the air at terrifying speed.

The blow missed Xiaohu by a hair's breadth, the wind of it grazing his cheek.

The shockwave that followed swept across the arena, kicking up dust and sending birds scattering from the nearby trees.

"Fuck you—you must weigh about three times as much as I do!" Xiaohu shouted, throwing himself to the ground and rolling away, his robe already caked in dirt.

He scrambled back to his feet, panting, his face red and drenched in sweat, his heavy belly heaving with every breath.

"Oh… he cursed at me!" Bai Hu Lie roared with laughter, turning toward Qingyi. "Did you see that? He cursed at me! This human's gutsier than he looks! I just need to beat him up until he stops being afraid of fists!"

Qingyi merely shook his head, casting a pitying glance at Xiaohu.

The poor fellow had really come off badly in his attempt to form a bond of friendship with him.

The idea itself might even have been good for him, but he was paying the price for it with a beating.

As he watched the two of them train, Qingyi sensed a slight disturbance in the arrays protecting the pavilion.

After checking who it was, he granted entry, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

Seconds later, a voice sounded behind him.

"Ah… it seems you've already found my boy," Elder Ling said, and Qingyi turned his head.

"Well, he found me, to be more precise. It probably wasn't the outcome he was expecting, hahahaha," Qingyi laughed, observing the old man he hadn't seen in a few months.

The Elder seemed even more full of vitality than before, his white beard carefully trimmed and his body draped in luxurious blue robes.

With his hands elegantly clasped behind his back, he slowly descended from the skies, his robes billowing with each shockwave from Bai Hu Lie's punches.

His feet touched the soft grass without a single sound, and he sat down beside Qingyi.

"I believe you already knew my identity, even back then. Is that correct?" Qingyi asked. "You're a Neutral Elder. Wouldn't you gain more by handing me over to the elders who oppose my existence?"

"They would pay more than Tianjin, yes." Elder Ling nodded. "But do you know what the basis of the Neutral Elders is?"

"Cowardice?"

"Hahahaha!" Elder Ling burst out laughing, taken by surprise. "To a certain extent, yes." He shook his head, an amused expression on his face.

Cowardice. It wasn't the answer he'd expected, but it pleased him nonetheless.

"Many are cowards. They're unwilling to step outside their comfort zone and prefer to simply support whichever side emerges victorious from the conflict. That much is true."

The old man watched as his adopted son finally tried to counter an attack.

Xiaohu's palm shot forward, charged with qi, only for Bai Hu Lie to deflect it with a lazy swat, as if shooing away a fly.

The impact cracked through the air, and Xiaohu staggered sideways, arms flailing to keep his balance.

It was a bit pathetic, considering that Xiaohu's cultivation was far superior to the great tiger's. Still, Elder Ling didn't care.

After all, he hadn't chosen Xiaohu for his strength. He was simply happy that the young man had found such powerful friends.

"But still, above and beyond the cowards, the foundation of the Neutral Faction is to put the Alliance's best interests before any personal agenda," Elder Ling said, his voice deep and full of pride.

"I did not become a Neutral Elder out of cowardice. I did so because, above all, I want what's best for the Alliance, and because joining any other faction would make me a slave to its leadership."

"The elders who defend you and those who oppose your existence do so for many reasons: respect for Tianjin—something even those against you possess—fear, greed, arrogance, loss, revenge."

He paused, his eyes following Xiaohu as the boy circled the arena once more, yelping whenever a fist whistled too close.

"None of them are in any of these factions simply because they want what's best for the Alliance."

"Almost all of them do want what's best for it, obviously. But they let their personal opinions get the better of them, and that keeps them from judging you coldly and objectively, from deciding whether or not you're good for the Alliance's future."

Qingyi didn't question the old man's opinion.

It was the truth.

He understood the elders who defended him because of his connection to Tianjin, and he also understood those who opposed him out of fear.

Two hundred thousand years had passed, and the Alliance was still recovering from the damage a mad Long Wujin had left behind.

It would have been strange if they had welcomed him with open arms.

But that didn't mean he would accept their condemnation willingly.

Qingyi didn't judge them for the hatred they felt. Still, he would fight.