Chapter 5 I Will Certainly Revisit It On You

• Francis traveled along the mountain path and arrived at a bustling square. It was exceedingly lively, with people coming and going. Past it were the gates to the outer sect.
• “Francis.” A gentle voice rang out from behind him.
• A smile appeared on his face as he turned around. The person who spoke was a man in his thirties and had a rather ordinary appearance. He grinned at Francis.
• Francis walked over to him and bowed respectfully. “Mr. Highmanes.”
• The man was Connor Highmanes. Just like Queben, he was an outer sect elder. He was Queben's junior and also held great admiration for his extraordinarily talented senior back then. Even when Queben fell from grace later, their relationship remained strong. After Queben's death, he looked out for Francis a lot. Without him, Francis' life would have been miserable these past few years.
• Connor smiled before letting out a sigh, lamenting, “Francis, I'm afraid I won't be able to look out for you when it comes to resource allocation in the future.”
• “What happened?” Francis asked in surprise.
• “I've been reassigned to work elsewhere and am no longer in charge of Resources Hall.”
• Previously, Connor was in charge of the Resources Hall, responsible for the monthly resource allocation for outer disciples. He looked out for Francis a lot, always allocating the latter some high-quality spiritual stones. If it were someone else, it would be hard to say whether they would do the same. Francis felt a bit melancholic. But it wasn't because he wouldn't be able to get good quality spiritual stones anymore in the future. Instead, he was reluctant to part with the only elder who treated him well.
• Seeing through him, Connor flashed him a reassuring smile and said, “Don't worry. Even though I'm no longer at Resources Hall, I'll still be at the outer sect. We can still meet in the future.”
• He lowered his voice further, adding, “The person in charge of Resources Hall now is Mr. Sutton. He was beaten up badly by your master back then and has held a grudge against your master ever since. Worse still, his son had a conflict with you before. You need to be careful, for he might make things difficult for you.”
• Francis' heart sank, and he nodded solemnly.
• Since I'm still inferior to him now, it's fine for me to yield to him for the time being. Once I'm strong enough, I'm going to reclaim everything that should be rightfully mine!
• Speak of the devil, a mocking voice resonated from behind Francis at just that moment. “Look who's here. Isn't this the good-for-nothing disciple of the useless master? Why, are you here to squander the outer sect's resources again?”
• Francis turned around. The person who spoke was a finely dressed young man of about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was very handsome, but his thin lips gave him an air of frivolity, making him seem somewhat vile. Beside him stood a middle-aged man in his forties.
• The young man was Sion Sutton, while the middle-aged man beside him was Kain Sutton, one of the influential figures among the outer sect elders.
• Before Francis could even respond, Connor glared at Sion and warned in a cold voice, “I dare you to repeat that, Sion Sutton!”
• His gaze was as sharp and icy. It was so intimidating that Sion lowered his head, not daring to meet Connor's eyes straight on.
• “Hmph!” A cold snort split the air. Kain sneered, “Connor, it seems that you're regressing as you age. What is so great about picking on the younger generation? No wonder the elders of our sect lost faith in you and entrusted me with the management of Resources Hall. Haha!”
• Looking at Connor, he laughed uproariously, feeling extremely smug.
• He had always harbored great envy and resentment toward Queben, a sentiment that extended to Connor and Francis.
• Connor took a step forward, his voice icy. “Whether I'm great is not something for you to decide, Mr. Sutton. Let's see who's better in actual combat! Do you dare compete with me?”
• Following those words, a glint of fear flashed across Kain's eyes, and he instinctively took a step back.
• He knew very well that his cultivation was inferior to that of Connor's, so he naturally dared not answer that challenge.
• But if he backed down in front of so many people in the square at that moment, he would lose all dignity and wouldn't have the face to stay in the outer sect anymore.
• Just then, a voice echoed from the side. “What's going on here?”
• It was indifferent, devoid of emotion.
• Once everyone had a clear view of the speaker, they all bowed, including Connor and Kain.
• It was an elderly man whose hair and beard were entirely white. He was none other than Targon Sawyer, the outer sect grand elder. Distinguished, he was one of the top figures in the outer sect. His indifferent gaze swept over Connor and Kain. His eyebrows furrowing slightly, he chided, “Both of you are outer sect elders, yet you're having a row in front of the younger generation. What sort of example are you setting? Especially you, Connor. You even issued a challenge. Do you have nothing better to do? It seems that I indeed made the right decision in reassigning you from Resources Hall to hunt demonic beasts. You're a disappointment!”
• He then turned to Francis. “Then, there's you! Why are you here to stir up trouble instead of staying by your useless master's grave, you good-for-nothing?”
• Targon was blatantly favoring Kain and Sion. With a smug and baleful smile playing at the corners of his mouth, Kain stared at Connor.
• At the public reprimand, Connor's face flushed beet red, and his entire body trembled. All these years, I managed Resources Hall with fairness and transparency, acting with integrity. Yet, I'm now being dismissed as worthless!
• However, he didn't dare talk back since the other party was the grand elder, someone of immeasurable power, capable of obliterating him in just one move.
• Francis hung his head low and clenched his jaw, fury blazing secretly within him.
• Targon Sawyer, I will certainly revisit the humiliation you inflicted on me and Mr. Highmanes today on you! That was the vow he made soundlessly through gritted teeth.