The "Annoyance" of Xuan Yangzi

Gu Changge looked at Xuanyangzi's smug appearance, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes before he asked, "Then, for the Seven Sects Tournament in two months, who does Senior Brother plan to send?"

Upon hearing this, the smugness on Xuanyangzi's face instantly collapsed, replaced by a very real, almost happy dilemma.

He sighed heavily, his brows knitting into a knot, and spread his hands. "Sigh! Junior Brother, to tell you the truth, I am agonizing over this exact matter!"

He paced back and forth a couple of steps, counting on his fingers as he explained to Gu Changge.

"I've had people look into it carefully. Right now, the top core disciples of the other six great sects are generally still stuck in the Core Formation realm. At best, there are a few at the peak of Core Formation.

Only the Chief Disciple of the Myriad Laws Pavilion, who I heard luckily broke through to the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm a while ago, is being hidden away like a treasure, preparing to shock everyone at the tournament."

Speaking of this, he stopped and looked at Gu Changge. The expression on his face was too complex to describe, as if he wanted to laugh but was holding it back, ultimately turning into a deeper sigh.

"But look at our Azure Profound Sect! Thanks to your immense fortune, Junior Brother, and the countless resources we obtained, along with those previous fortuitous encounters...

Now, every single one of those core kids from the various peaks has securely reached at least the Cave Heaven realm!

This cultivation level is a full two major realms higher than theirs!"

The more Xuanyangzi spoke, the more absurd he felt it was, his tone filled with the helplessness of "being too strong is also a mistake."

"Junior Brother, tell me, if we send renowned core disciples like Xuanfeng, Mochen, or Jingxian, they never hold back and are used to fighting with their full strength.

When they get on the arena, after their opponents finally manage to charge up an ultimate move, what if they casually strike back out of reflex? At best, they'd shatter the opponent's Dao heart; at worst, they'd critically injure them on the spot. That's hard to manage, isn't it? If their acting is too exaggerated, even a fool would see something is wrong!

"But if we deliberately choose a batch of ordinary disciples or newly accepted disciples to go,"

Xuanyangzi stroked his chin, a conflicted look appearing on his face.

"Like Ruobai or Jinghong, their cultivation can be controlled at the Core Formation realm. But when people ask and find out that even the ordinary disciples of the Azure Profound Sect are at the Core Formation realm, just how terrifyingly strong must your world-renowned core disciples be?

Wouldn't that arouse even more suspicion and make it impossible to wrap things up!"

He finally spread his hands and looked at Gu Changge, his eyes carrying a sincere plea for help. "It's so hard! Junior Brother, you have no idea. Every day I watch our disciples' cultivation skyrocket, and I feel both happy and worried.

Who to send and how to fight so that we can win the competition without devastating their sects, all while maintaining the harmony and stability of the Profound State's cultivation world... Sigh, it's worrying me to death!"

His serious demeanor, as if he were shouldering the heavy responsibility of maintaining world peace, was less about worrying and more of a low-key flex, perfectly demonstrating the "new troubles brought by the sect's skyrocketing strength."

Just as Xuanyangzi was pouring out his grievances to Gu Changge, his face full of sorrow over "the sect being too strong and not knowing who to send into battle," the light screen at the entrance of the Eternal Genius Pagoda rippled once again.

Immediately after, a slightly round figure was teleported out. It was none other than Fatty Wang.

He looked quite battered at the moment. His Daoist robe was covered in dust, his face had streaks of black soot, and his aura was chaotic, clearly having gone through a bitter struggle inside the pagoda.

He grimaced and rubbed his arm. Looking up, he happened to see Sect Master Uncle Xuanyangzi standing in front of his master, Gu Changge. His brows were tightly knitted, sighing constantly, with a dismal and sorrowful look on his face, as if he had encountered an insurmountable disaster!

Fatty Wang's heart skipped a beat, and his arm-rubbing motion instantly stopped. He had never seen his Sect Master Uncle show such a sorrowful expression!

"Oh no! With Sect Master Uncle looking like this... something huge must have happened to the sect! Could it be that a powerful enemy is invading? Or have we run into an insurmountable hurdle?"

Thinking of the sect's cultivation of him over these days, the dense spiritual energy of the Purple Bamboo Peak, his master's gracious guidance, and the care of his senior brothers and sisters, a surge of hot blood instantly welled up in Fatty Wang's heart.

Ignoring his own exhaustion and disheveled state, he rushed up to Xuanyangzi in a few quick strides. His chubby face was filled with a rare seriousness and urgency, forgetting most of his manners as he asked:

"Sect Master Uncle! You... what's wrong? Has the sect encountered some difficulty?"

Seeing Xuanyangzi hesitate to speak and his expression grow even more solemn, he became even more convinced of his guess.

Fatty Wang took a deep breath, straightened his back, and looked at Xuanyangzi with exceptionally firm eyes. Using an unprecedentedly serious tone, he said word by word:

"Uncle! The sect has treated me with great kindness! My, Fatty Wang's, cultivation is low, and I don't have much ability, but I am still a part of the Azure Profound Sect!

If the sect truly needs it, just give the order! Whether it's going into battle against enemies or running errands, I won't utter a word of complaint! Even if I have to risk my life, I will definitely do my part for the sect!"

His voice trembled slightly from excitement, but that unquestionable sincerity and determination were clearly conveyed.

If the sect was in trouble, his life belonged to them; now was the time for him to repay them.

Xuanyangzi, who was just about to continue airing his "sweet dilemma," was stunned by Fatty Wang's sudden, death-defying declaration.

Looking at this kid's resolute expression of "willing to brave a mountain of swords and a sea of flames, undeterred by ten thousand deaths," and comparing it to his own worry of "not knowing who to send to win appropriately," the sorrow on Xuanyangzi's face was instantly replaced by an extremely complex expression. It was a mix of amusement, being touched, and a bit of awkwardness.

"This kid's heart is pure and kind, to actually think the sect has reached the point of fighting for its life? But this pure and innocent heart is truly rare..."

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, he waved his hand and quickly explained, "Ahem! Yuechen, it's nothing, it's nothing! The sect is perfectly fine! Your Uncle here is just worrying about something else, the sect is not in trouble. Stop letting your imagination run wild!"

Fatty Wang was half-believing and half-doubting. He looked at Xuanyangzi, then secretly peeked at his master Gu Changge, who had a calm expression nearby. Seeing his master give a slight nod, he finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

But the concern in his eyes had still not dissipated as he muttered softly, "Is it... is it really nothing? But the way you looked just now, Uncle..."

Xuanyangzi looked at his earnest appearance, and his little worry about "who to send into battle" was significantly diluted by this simple and honest concern. He shook his head with a helpless smile and said, "It's really nothing. Go rest and recover."

Fatty Wang was finally completely relieved. He bowed respectfully and retreated to rest, though he was still wondering in his heart: just what was Sect Master Uncle worrying about?

The helplessness on Xuanyangzi's face quickly faded as he thought of the puppet he had just obtained.

He took a deep breath, turned to Gu Changge, and cupped his hands. "Junior Brother, I will make a trip to the secret realm first to discuss with the ancestors how to settle this puppet."

Gu Changge nodded slightly, not saying much, and simply replied calmly, "As you wish, Senior Brother."

Wasting no more time, Xuanyangzi's figure blurred as he transformed into a streak of flowing light, shooting straight toward the depths of the forbidden grounds in the back mountain of the Qingxuan Sect.