Lu Mengran looked at Chen Chang'an with a complicated expression.
Deep down, he was troubled—should someone like this really become an honorary elder of the Qingyun Sect?
Though he had the authority, if the other elders found out, it would be hard to justify.
Yet, for a prodigious talent like Ye Zhiqiu, Lu Mengran felt it might be worth taking the risk.
"You are Ye Zhiqiu's master?" Lu Mengran asked.
"Indeed," Chen Chang'an replied calmly, nodding.
His composed demeanor made many curious—what was he trying to pull?
It was your disciple who was impressive, not you. Why put on such airs?
Even if you didn’t want to appear overly excited, the Qingyun Sect’s Sect Master was speaking to you. Couldn’t you at least show a little more reaction?
"You must have heard everything just now," Lu Mengran continued.
"So, what is your decision?"
To his surprise, Lu Mengran realized that aside from anticipation, he also felt a hint of unease. He was actually afraid of being rejected.
The thought amused him. Ye Zhiqiu had refused because he had a master, but what about this guy? What reason could he possibly have to decline?
"An honorary elder?" Chen Chang'an mused.
"I truly have no interest. Besides..."
He left the rest unsaid, but the implication was clear—the Qingyun Sect wasn’t even worthy.
Chen Chang'an’s half-spoken words and faint smile only fueled irritation.
Just spit it out already! Besides what?
This was infuriatingly vague!
And most importantly—he refused too?
Ye Zhiqiu had the skills to back up his refusal, but who the hell are you? Without Ye Zhiqiu, who would care whether you joined or not?
"You… do you not know the strength of our Qingyun Sect?" Lu Mengran pressed.
"Or are you unaware of our standing?"
"Have you never heard of the Qingyun Sect before?"
Confusion and disbelief filled Lu Mengran’s mind. He refused to believe there was anything lacking about the Qingyun Sect. Instead, he wondered if Ye Zhiqiu’s master was simply ignorant.
Hearing this, Chen Chang'an couldn’t help but laugh. Did he really look that foolish? Or did Lu Mengran genuinely think the Qingyun Sect was some kind of prize?
The laughter made Lu Mengran feel awkward, as if he’d said something incredibly stupid.
"Brat, are you looking down on the Qingyun Sect?"
The Peak Master of Qinggang Peak had a notoriously short temper. Chen Chang'an’s attitude infuriated him. If not for his position, he might have already taken action.
"I have no intention of looking down on anyone," Chen Chang'an replied.
"Neither I nor my disciple, Ye Zhiqiu, will join your Qingyun Sect."
"As for the reason, you’ll soon find out."
"But right now, I do have another matter to discuss with your sect."
"Last night, someone infiltrated Xiaoyun Peak and attempted to assassinate my disciple, Ye Zhiqiu."
"The Qingyun Sect owes us an explanation for this."
The moment these words were spoken, Lu Mengran and the others were stunned.
An assassination attempt on Ye Zhiqiu?
Impossible!
They would never do such a thing.
"Wait, did I hear that right? Someone tried to kill Ye Zhiqiu last night?"
"Could there be someone in the Qingyun Sect who wants him dead?"
"Looking at Sect Master Lu’s expression, even he seems shocked. Maybe it was a disciple acting out of resentment?"
"No, wait—have you forgotten Ye Zhiqiu’s other identity?"
"Other identity? Oh, right, he’s…"
At this, everyone’s gaze shifted toward Lu Yun—including that of his father, Lu Mengran.
Seeing the suspicion in their eyes, Lu Yun’s expression darkened. What was this? Did they really think so little of his character?
"Father, it wasn’t me," Lu Yun said firmly.
"I know my own son. Of course it wasn’t you."
"Where is Cao Jinxiu? Where is she now?" Lu Mengran demanded coldly.
If anyone in the Qingyun Sect had motive to kill Ye Zhiqiu, Cao Jinxiu was the prime suspect.
Lu Yun was also a likely candidate, but Lu Mengran knew his son well. Even if he had the thought, he likely lacked the nerve to act on it.
"Jinxiu? Father, you can’t possibly suspect her! She would never—"
"I asked where she is."
"She… she was here earlier, but she wasn’t feeling well and went back to rest."
Lu Yun felt a pang of unease. Part of him refused to believe Cao Jinxiu could do such a thing, but another part feared the worst.
"Not feeling well? A cultivator at the Divine Ability Realm, suddenly unwell today?"
"Go. Bring her here," Lu Mengran ordered coldly.
"Wait—"
"No need," Chen Chang'an interjected.
"She’s already here."
Lu Mengran and the others were taken aback. Already here?
Before they could react, Gu Xian'er stepped onto the stage, dragging an unconscious Uncle Tu in one hand and a struggling Cao Jinxiu in the other.
Thud! Thud!
She unceremoniously tossed them onto the platform, gave Ye Zhiqiu a nod, then vanished in a flash, reappearing beside Chen Chang'an.
"Such speed! Who is that woman?"
"She looks young, yet she’s already at the Divine Transformation Realm?"
"How is it that Chen Chang'an is surrounded by prodigies, while he himself remains utterly ordinary?"
"Another monstrous talent?"
Gu Xian'er had been standing quietly by Chen Chang'an’s side, unnoticed until now.
Lu Mengran and the others could tell she was young, yet her cultivation had reached the first level of Divine Transformation.
Such talent couldn’t belong to an unknown. Was she on the Human Ranking?
There weren’t many women on the Human Ranking. Could she be Gu Fengyao? No, Gu Fengyao should be older.
Then who was she?
While the others speculated about Gu Xian'er’s identity, Lu Yun’s attention was fixed on Cao Jinxiu.
"Lu Yun, save me!"
Earlier, Cao Jinxiu had been weighing her options, ultimately deciding to flee.
She no longer cared about the consequences for the Cao family—she just wanted to escape before it was too late.
She was afraid. Afraid that even Lu Yun wouldn’t be able to protect her.
But just as she was about to run, a stranger appeared, dragging an unconscious Uncle Tu.
Cao Jinxiu knew the woman was after her, but the gap in their strength was too vast. Now, she had been hauled onto the stage.
At this moment, Lu Yun was her only lifeline.
"Jinxiu? Uncle Tu?"
Lu Yun frowned. What exactly was going on?
Meanwhile, Lu Mengran observed his son closely, gauging whether he could remain composed under pressure.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Yun steadied himself and looked at Cao Jinxiu.
"Don’t be afraid. This is the Qingyun Sect. If you’re innocent, no one can harm you here."
Lu Yun's restraint in acting impulsively left Lu Mengran thoroughly pleased. But for Cao Jinxiu, his words plunged her heart into despair.
It's over!
Lu Yun truly couldn’t defy all reason for her sake. If that was the case, did she even have a chance to escape now?
At that moment, Chen Chang'an flashed onto the arena with a flicker of movement. With a light tap of his finger, the unconscious Uncle Tu slowly stirred awake.
The moment his eyes opened, Uncle Tu’s expression twisted in alarm, his instincts screaming at him to flee.
But when he took in his surroundings, his heart sank into hopelessness.
It's over!
How had he ended up at Qingyun Peak?
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
