The young woman, however, looked at William Clark's handsome face, a hint of hesitation appearing in her eyes. She turned to the young man beside her and whispered, “Senior Brother Brooks, maybe we should just let it go. It’s just a lingzhi mushroom, and it’s not even that old. It’s not worth much spirit currency…”

Seeing the young woman speak up for William Clark, Mr. Brooks felt a surge of anger in his heart. Wasn’t it just because William Clark was good-looking? In the cultivation world, strength is everything—what use is a pretty face? Such a shallow woman…

Mr. Brooks said with a dark expression, “Junior Sister Carter, stay out of this. This isn’t about spirit currency…”

Hearing this, the young woman couldn’t say anything more. She knew that David Brooks and William Clark and Emily Thompson had some old grudges and were always in conflict. Although William Clark and Emily Thompson were both very good-looking and she couldn’t bear to see them bullied, David Brooks had successfully condensed qi half a year ago and officially entered the Qi Refining stage, making him a bit stronger than her. Some of the dangerous tasks in the temple often required the two of them to work together, so she couldn’t afford to offend David Brooks.

But looking at William Clark's pitifully handsome face, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of protectiveness.

She secretly clenched her delicate fists. Once her cultivation improved, she would never allow David Brooks to bully them again.

David Brooks looked at William Clark's flushed face. The better-looking this face was, the more he disliked it. It wasn’t just because Brooksland and Clarkland were enemies, but also because his teammate Junior Sister Carter always favored William Clark and Emily Thompson. Of course, the most important reason was that two years ago, when he first arrived at Whitecloud Abbey, Emily Thompson and William Clark had given him a brutal beating…

So, ever since he entered the Qi Refining stage, he had targeted these two hateful guys at every turn.

Although a hundred-year-old lingzhi wasn’t worth much spirit currency, it was enough to let him vent a little.

“Hand it over!”

David Brooks reached out to snatch the lingzhi, but unexpectedly grabbed at empty air. A figure appeared in front of William Clark, shielding him behind. Seeing that figure, David Brooks was momentarily stunned.

He would never forget that hateful face. If he had to name the person he hated most at Whitecloud Abbey, Emily Thompson would be second—no one could be first. After all, during that beating two years ago, it was Emily Thompson who kicked the hardest, leaving him bedridden for half a month…

But at this moment, Emily Thompson left David Brooks completely baffled.

His hair was loose, his whole body naked, not even wearing shoes. All he had on was an ultra-short grass skirt around his waist. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was some wild man from the mountains.

This outfit left the other two young men dumbfounded, while the young woman’s gaze wandered back and forth over Emily Thompson’s faintly visible abs and chest muscles, her pretty face flushing with color.

After a brief daze, David Brooks snapped back to his senses and asked Emily Thompson, “What do you want?”

“I want to beat you up!”

What greeted him was a punch from Emily Thompson without the slightest hesitation.

After successfully condensing qi, Emily Thompson had fully digested the memories in his mind and was no stranger to the person before him. The other was a prince of Brooksland, and since Brooksland and Clarkland were neighboring countries with constant friction, on the very first day at Whitecloud Abbey, after learning of William Clark’s identity, he had deliberately picked a fight and clashed with William Clark.

At that time, Emily Thompson had just arrived at Whitecloud Abbey, dressed in rags and looking utterly destitute. Other than William Clark, no one was willing to associate with him.

When his only friend was bullied, of course he couldn’t stand by and do nothing. He immediately teamed up with William Clark and gave David Brooks a merciless beating. Because they broke the rules on their first day, both were locked in a dark room by Elder Harris for three days. It was during those three days that they forged a deep revolutionary friendship.

At Whitecloud Abbey, the two were almost inseparable, leaving David Brooks with no chance for revenge.

It wasn’t until half a year ago, when David Brooks advanced to the Qi Refining stage ahead of them, that everything changed. The difference between Qi Drawing and Qi Refining was like that between mortals and immortals. From then on, Emily Thompson and William Clark could only avoid him.

Even so, he still managed to snatch their spirit herbs and tasks a few times. Over the past half year, Emily Thompson and William Clark had been living in utter frustration.

Having merged those memories, Emily Thompson naturally also felt that frustration. Seeing David Brooks now, he couldn’t control his emotions.

If you’re not strong enough, of course you should bow your head when necessary.

But now, could he swallow this humiliation?

He had just broken through to the Qi Refining stage…

This punch came with a whooshing wind. David Brooks was startled, but as a first-level Qi Refiner, his reaction was extremely fast. Almost the moment Emily Thompson threw his punch, he also swung his fist to meet it.

“Overestimating yourself!”

David Brooks snorted coldly. Although his counterpunch was a bit rushed, the huge gap in strength between them was enough to make up for it. With everyone watching, and since Emily Thompson struck first, even if he crippled his arm, Elder Harris couldn’t blame him.

Bang!

The two fists collided with a dull thud. Their strength was close—one punched with full force, the other countered hastily. Emily Thompson only trembled slightly, but David Brooks was sent flying backward.

Bang!

Another dull thud as David Brooks crashed heavily to the ground, looking at Emily Thompson in disbelief, unable to understand how he could be so strong.