"Wu Tian, Sir," Zhan Yu gazed at the receding figures of the crowd and said, "we neither keep guests nor entertain them. I'm afraid this might be seen as a lack of proper hospitality."

"What's the harm? For years, Holy Hall has been intent on infiltrating the Huaxia sects, likely harboring ulterior motives. This year's competition for chief disciple—no, I fear that all three major factions will struggle to come out ahead. Instead of putting on a show, it's better to tear off the facade and sever this relationship. I hope they will know better and withdraw."

Chewing over Wu Tian's words, the young protector asked in puzzlement, "I don't understand what the sect leader means. Our Jade Clear Sect is full of masters with peerless martial arts, and among the inner disciples, we have Butterfly, the top disciple from the previous session. What is there to fear from the mere Holy Hall? Moreover, there are the other three great Huaxia factions."

Mingfei spoke up at the right moment, her voice tinged with a touch of helplessness, "The Nangong Family has remained silent about this year's competition for the chief disciple; I suppose they do not intend to participate. As for Butterfly, she has been steadfastly neglecting the Wood among the Five Elements for a long while now and might no longer use it."

The young protector, Zhan Yu, and even the many elders in the back row were all momentarily stunned... The Nangong Family didn't plan to participate? Among these Ancient Martial Arts sects, the Nangong Family's Illusion Technique was particularly effective against Holy Hall, while their Daoist techniques had minimal effect.

And Mengdie, who could remain undefeated against anyone, was actually giving up the Wood of the Five Elements, plunging everyone into silence for a moment...

It was during this silence that Wu Tian spoke quietly, "Holy Hall is full of elite disciples, and in recent years, it has produced countless promising talents. In terms of combat ability, they are no longer inferior to any of you."

Hearing this, everyone was shocked again. It was known that to reach the level of protector was to possess immense strength. In modern terms, it would be recognized as reaching Rank 1 standard. Few nations could boast many individuals of such power, yet Wu Tian was saying that Holy Hall had produced many capable of battling these protector elders. How could this not surprise them!

"Is the strength of Holy Hall truly so great?" Mingfei asked with seeming casualness.

"Heh, is Protector Mingfei questioning Wu Tian, Sir?" Zhan Yu blurted out, prompting a chilly look from Mingfei, "I am merely astonished by Wu Tian's words. I implore Protector Zhan Yu to be more cautious with his words."

Wu Tian paid no attention to their exchange, "Nothing is absolute, alas, fate is fixed..." His ethereal voice faded away, leaving the crowd in a brief silence.

Indeed, it was unfortunate that the Jade Clear Sect hadn't produced a genius with the strength of a protector in these years. Not even a single elder position had been filled, with no one to take the spot. It seemed as if Mengdie alone had commandeered the luck of many years.

However, other than feeling regret, the crowd did not dwell on it too much. There's a saying that fortune changes every thirty years, and if one were to trace back the history of the secret struggles between the great factions, it would span over a century, with geniasts born in every era. What puzzled them, however, was the hidden intent in Wu Tian's words. What was Holy Hall's true motive? According to tradition, even if Holy Hall inadvertently won the chief disciple title, it would at most only result in a promise from the major factions.

Perhaps they would learn and absorb some martial arts techniques, understand the history of the sects for intelligence, or recruit a few exceptional disciples. As long as it didn't betray the principles of the Ancient Martial Arts sects, so be it. Besides these reasons, what else could there be to gain?

Meanwhile, at the base of Immortal Mountain, although the Holy Hall contingent was small in number, with just over a hundred disciples, each of them possessed unique skills. Some could cast great prophecy spells, had extensive theological knowledge, or had astounding physical prowess, boasting formidable boxing and grappling skills.

However, compared to the hidden great families of Huaxia, these disciples mostly specialized in one particular skill, unlike the broadly knowledgeable elders and protectors of the Jade Clear Sect. For instance, Mingfei of the Jade Clear Sect was highly skilled in the arts of fate, charm, astrology, and insight.

Mengdie had many attributes rolled into one, excelling in assassination, stealth, physiognomy, mind reading, along with a variety of superpowers that common people couldn't match.

The young protector and Zhan Yu, among others, each had their strengths. Compared to the aforementioned four, the disciples of the Holy Hall seemed much more one-dimensional, but it was precisely because they upheld tradition that the competition for chief disciple prioritized martial prowess over literary grace, causing other abilities to fail to shine as they otherwise might.

Red Cloak Bishop Forbes descended the mountain summit with a face full of anger. Those Huaxia disciples were simply too much, not even a word to detain them. Well, things have already come to this point, it's all good now. In three days, he would show them what real Holy Hall martial arts were.

"Bishop, just descending the mountain like this seems a bit too…" A disciple couldn't contain his anger, but didn't finish his sentence.

"Their superficial hypocrisy is contemptible, young man, I hope you can teach these people a good lesson." Red Cloak Bishop glanced at the disciple, then turned to look at the others, "Of course, compared to friendship, our sparring should be based on the foundation of victory. If any brave young man performs outstandingly, I will propose marriage to the girl of his liking in the traditional way."

If they wanted to infiltrate the Huaxia hermit sects, intermingling like this was undoubtedly a flawless choice. Ever since Nangong Family proposed a marriage, Red Cloak Bishop Forbes had realized this approach.

A burly and seemingly naive man scratched his head and said roughly, "Bishop, that young and pretty girl in yellow looks good. If I win, can I marry her?"

As soon as he spoke, a man with skin as black as coal from the mountain mimed, "I prefer the older sister type. The red-clothed woman's temperament is otherworldly. She's mine."

Red Cloak Bishop gave a laugh, "Ignorant children, those women are protectors of the Jade Clear Sect, one named Little Protector and the other Left Protector. Of course, if we are fortunate enough to win the battle, it's not impossible. We could propose this condition to the Jade Clear Sect through victory, assuming they have not yet found marriage partners. May the Holy Cross's light bless you."

The straightforward man who first spoke suddenly laughed, saying excitedly, "Is that true?"

"Hehe, absolutely true. I hope that young girl won't fool with your feelings, which I can't guarantee. Of course, everyone can also conquer them in their own way."

Hearing this, many of the Holy Hall men already understood the subtext of Red Cloak Bishop's words, but there were still some who couldn't grasp it and kept asking questions.

Red Cloak Bishop explained with a smile that through wisdom, he actually didn't mind; on the contrary, if he could matchmake a few couples in this way, it might enable Holy Hall's influence to expand rapidly. As a sect with orthodox roots challenging Tianyin Sect, they would conquer the Huaxia sects with the purest martial arts.

Thinking of this, Red Cloak Bishop sighed silently to himself. This big fellow, named Shu Ke, was an orphan raised by Holy Hall, gifted but not the brightest. Little Protector's playful personality, her plain appearance, and reserved pride were not this kid's type.

Even if he won, and even if Little Protector was forced by sect orders to interact with him, he would probably end up getting dumped. But for the sake of Holy Hall's continuous growth, the bishop couldn't help but encourage the youth in this manner.

---

The splendor of the White Tiger Hall was resplendent and luxurious, totally matching the saying of spending money like water. However, at this moment, Little Protector in her boudoir was continuously sneezing… How strange. It was odd that she, with her constitution, would sneeze for no reason. Could it be some handsome guy thinking about her?

She thought hard but didn't know many handsome guys, eh. Despite being born with beauty that she couldn't abandon, it was a pity that there were many male disciples in her sect, either rugged or overly gentle, none with a temperament she admired. Her revered status as a protector would also quell the longing of most male disciples.

Blinking her perky eyelashes, Little Protector suddenly realized something. Could it be those Holy Hall guys gossiping behind her back just now? Hmm, quite possible. She hoped they were gossiping about her merits and not out of jealousy among the female disciples.

(End of the month, thanks to all the book friends who have been rewarding, recommending, and giving monthly votes, there will be an early update today.)

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