Fury and hatred were written all over the faces of the kneeling disciples. With their useless hands tied behind their backs and their swords broken, all they could do was stare at the woman who had put them in this hopeless situation. Lu Baiyu, on the other hand, had an odd expression on his face, his gaze fixed on the ground. He seemed to be deep in thought. For some reason, Shu Yue had an inkling of what was going on in his head.

"Don't do anything stupid," Ye Fan warned the man who had just confidently challenged Shu Yue.

The man frowned. "What?"

Ye Fan set his jaw. "Don't say a word about her demihuman to the clan leader and the elders."

The man's eyes flickered with irritated anger. "Are you submitting to her for real? I didn't know you were this stupid and cowardly, Ye Fan."

"Si Bai," Ye Fan said, his voice low and hoarse. "Do you even know what you're saying? You're the one being stupid here."

"Y-you!"

"You've got the guts to oppose her when you're all tied up there," Ye Fan argued. "Can't you see it? We've already lost; there's nothing we can do but obey them if we don't want to die, and how would you report without being killed first?"

Si Bai was unable to say a single word of rebuttal. He just glared at Ye Fan.

"No, you can't report her," Lu Baiyu said, and all eyes turned to him.

"M-master?" Si Bai looked at him in disbelief. "But we have-"

"Ye Fan is right," Lu Baiyu interjected, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. "There's no point in provoking them when we're at their mercy. Let go of your pride if you want to be spared, and never, ever speak a word about the demihuman."

"I don't understand, master."

Lu Baiyu looked at him, his face twisted with anger and frustration. "I'm your master, so just do what I say!"

The disciples flinched at their master's sudden blow-up. Even Ye Fan was surprised.

"We can't let her get into trouble unless we're willing to bear the consequences as well," Lu Baiyu snarled.

"What do you mean, master?" Fa Xiang asked. A piece of cloth torn from his robe was wrapped around his wounded chest.

"The sin of the disciple is the sin of the clan," Shu Yue declared, drawing everyone's attention. "If you report me, you are putting the entire clan in danger. Unless you can bear the guilt that follows, you are free to do so. However, disciples who do not have a position in the imperial court are not allowed to leave their clan's territory and report directly to Emperor; only the clan leader and elders are permitted."

When Si Bai opened his mouth to speak, Shu Yue cut him off.

"But do you think they would let the clan get into trouble?" Shu Yue chuckled mockingly. "They will face some punishment for overlooking such a rule violation, so they wouldn't dare tell the Emperor. Our clan's standing in the empire's hierarchy had already plummeted; I'm sure they wouldn't want Ophiuchus to fall any further, with no hope of ever rising again."

She sighed. "Don't forget, you're still a disciple of the Ophiuchus Clan. If I'm punished, so are you. And, of course, so is your family. Worse, we might be barred from participating in the recruitment event forever. If that happens, our lifelong ambition of becoming stronger will be a distant dream."

Si Bai and the other disciples averted their gaze in dismay and understanding. None of them could offer any argument.

"As an elder of the Ophiuchus Clan," Lu Baiyu stated sternly. "I'm not going to let any of you ruin things any further; if you insist, I'm afraid I'm going to have to silence you myself."

The disciples' eyes widened in terror, but they did not argue with him. Lu Baiyu was their master, and he was the only one who had contact with the Scorpio Clan. And, as an elder, he had the power to forbid them from participating in the recruitment event in order to prevent them from spreading information. With just a simple arrangement, a disciple could be disqualified from participating in the event. Shu Yue was certain that someone like Lu Baiyu could do it easily.

Her gaze swept over the agitated disciples. She considered getting rid of them at first, but that would only cause more problems. Killing them was a poor move she couldn't undo. Furthermore, Lu Baiyu had personally chosen them, which meant they had great potential. It was a waste to throw them away.

Unless they insisted on becoming a threat to her and the Ophiuchus Clan.

"So," Shu Yue said, breaking the silence around them. "Will you report me and share the consequences with me?"

"We won't dare!" the disciples answered in unison, their eyes round with agitation.

Ye Fan, who was watching the whole scene, let out a breath of relief. He seemed pleased with the way things were going. Unlike the others, he had already made up his mind and had submitted completely to Shu Yue. A softhearted person like him would always choose the safest option, which was to avoid further offending Shu Yue. Because if he didn't, the consequences could end in tragedy. He cared about his companions and didn't want to see them hurt or, worse, killed.

"One more thing," Shu Yue added. "Do you want to learn a new skill?"

Lu Baiyu gave her intense scrutiny, but Shu Yue ignored him.

"What are you trying to say?" Si Bai asked.

Shu Yue smiled at him. "You've seen my demihuman's skills, and I'm sure there's no denying that he's good. He's as fast as lightning. What if I told you that he's using a footwork technique unknown to the clan?"

The disciples looked nonplussed.

"A footwork technique?"

Shu Yue nodded in response to the girl who had spoken. "Yes, in fact, this footwork technique is what helped me win against Dishan. I'm sure you saw our sparring."

Their silence and expressions announced that they did. Shu Yue's smile widened.

"With this technique, you can move like the wind and master the art of dodging. My performance on the sparring ground, as well as your fight with my demihuman, should be enough to convince you of how good and useful this skill is. So... would you like to learn it?"

A tense silence fell over the group for a few seconds before they nodded, eager as a puppy. None of them could say no to such an enticing offer.

"This footwork technique is called Lightwind Steps, and before I teach you this skill, you must swear an oath that none of you will go behind my back, and everything that happens here will stay here."

The disciples all bowed to Shu Yue and swore an oath to her. Shu Yue grinned as she looked at them.

Lightwind Steps was no doubt an amazing set of footwork techniques. This was also the one Shu Yue planned to share with Dishan. However, what they didn't know was that this technique was more effective in demihumans. Humans could never use it to its full potential unless they had beast blood running through their veins.

That was why Shu Yue didn't mind teaching them this technique, and Xiao Ran had no issues with her plans.

"What are you on about?" Lu Baiyu demanded, scowling.

Shu Yue faced him. "Negotiating? I'm offering them something in exchange for their service."

"What service? And where did you even learn this technique?"

The corners of Shu Yue's lips slowly rose. "If you tell me where the soul-binding scroll came from, I'll let you know."

Lu Baiyu flinched. He didn't say anything after that.

Shu Yue gave him a look that said, "I'll get back to you" before returning her attention to the delighted disciples.

"All right, my fox will teach you, and if any of you betrayed me, expect him to collect your heads." She flashed them a gentle, but somehow menacing smile.