Gululu~

Adam's apple bobbing.

This kind of physiological fear is like a rabbit seeing a tiger. Even if the other party has no intention to harm you, just a glance can make you feel the overwhelming pressure of terror.

"Yes, Master Xie."

Lan Zhu Peak Master He Niu, who is robust with a head of white short hair, stood up very respectfully, covering his mouth with one hand to lower his voice.

"This is a second-generation disciple from my Lan Zhu Peak, named Yang, raised personally by me. He entered Core Formation at 27, reached Nascent Soul at 40, and achieved Divinity Transformation at 70. At just 120, he started peeking into the Void Refinement level, and has cultivated to the peak of Void Refinement now."

"Some time ago, wasn't Nephew Liu fighting the two Jiu He bandits in Country Liang? He was there, too, and fought them for half a day, achieving considerable merits. Now, he is already a candidate."

Keeping his voice low to prevent eavesdropping, they all knew their Junior Master didn't like others being too showy, so everyone consciously never mentioned it to anyone.

With this mention, the old man seemed to recall something. He stroked his chin, thought seriously for a few seconds, and then his eyebrows twitched.

"I remember now."

"It was at the martial arts grand ceremony 160 years ago, I have some impression. I heard that it was shortly after Xiao Liuer joined the Mountain Gate, and coincidentally, there was the martial arts grand ceremony. Liu Jian let her try out."

"In the first match, she defeated one of the favorites for the championship. If I remember correctly, it seemed to be this Yang, but at that time, I thought it was too embarrassing for him to reveal his real name."

"Turns out it was his real name all along."

He laughed.

The others followed suit in laughter, as the martial arts grand ceremony of that year was still vivid in their minds. The only one present who couldn't laugh…

"Sigh."

...was Master He.

He couldn't help it; he was the victim.

Originally, he thought his disciple could shine in that martial arts grand ceremony. Seeing his opponent was a newly joined disciple, not just him, even Yang himself opened a bottle of champagne at the time.

In the end...

He was utterly crushed.

The previous Chief Disciple of Lan Zhu Peak, a strong contender for the championship, was beaten out in the first round. After that incident, Yang almost had his Dao heart shattered, and several times later during cultivation, he nearly went into a deviation.

But a genius is always a genius, different from ordinary people. After the setback, he quickly escaped the predicament, turning his shame and indignation into motivation for progress. Soon after, during another martial arts grand ceremony, he challenged Liu Tangxi again, and then…

It was even worse than last time.

Yes, the first time it was a Core Formation against a Nascent Soul, and Liu Tangxi took an hour to defeat him. During the second encounter, Liu Tangxi's realm had already surpassed his, even somewhat overwhelming.

You can imagine what it looked like when this woman lifted her sword against someone with a lower realm than hers.

Since then, Yang changed from the initial 'don't underestimate a poor young man' to 'don't underestimate a poor middle-aged man,' finally to 'don't underestimate a poor old man.'

He looked at the young Protector Yang with interest, at two hundred years old, he was in his prime, arguably the age when a cultivator is most capable and energetic, nodding in satisfaction.

"This kid you've taught is not bad, just that his temperament is unlike yours. If you have the chance, you can teach him my 'Thousand Suns Ten Thousand Laws,' it should suit his mental method quite well."

"Thank you, Master Xie."

The wrinkled old face immediately changed color, joy evident in his expression.

"Yuan Shan, is this your grandson?"

The old man's gaze quickly shifted to the man in the center of the Martial Arts Arena.

"Yes, please have a look, Master Xie."

Compared to the other junior brothers and sisters, Gu Yuanshan's expression was undoubtedly much calmer. He also knew the reason Master Xie came here was not solely for what he said, being worried. He likely also intended to pass on skills, so he personally came to investigate.

Just as Zhang Shanyuan said, if any of you were promising enough, I wouldn't need to come.

Since these first-generation disciples couldn't fully inherit the mantle, he could only choose talented disciples to pass on knowledge to the next generation.

"Hmm..."

"Blood energy is vigorous, strength abundant, there's integrity, courage, and spirit, Daoist skills are naturally clear and thorough. Although his demeanor seems carefree, in reality, he is quite strategic. He indeed shows the demeanor of a Chief Disciple, not bad, a good candidate to inherit Dragon Head Peak."

Seeing through it all at a glance.

This is why elders of the sect can often see who has talent at a glance.

For those who have gone through much in life, many things for them are akin to being written on the face.

Gu Miyun truly has such a character, seemingly somewhat unreliable and likes to stir up trouble, yet he never truly angers people. And those whom he provokes a little often unavoidably follow his lead.

This was exactly the case a few days ago at the Swordmaster Peak Mountain Gate.

He would deliberately point out the dilemma between Yan Fengchun and Bai Yu, and subtly remind them using the guise of playing the bad guy about the sect's rules.

He would deliberately use his information gap to strategize and provoke. With his understanding of Jiang Feng and his control over the sect, his connections, could he not know that Jiang Feng had a liaison with the Southern Border Saintess?

Could he not know about Jiang Feng's rendezvous with the Southern Border Saintess in Country Liang? He even knew about the Scarlet Pill, couldn't he find out where this thing came from? How many forces in the Southern Border can refine this thing?

Clearly, it was all a scheme he had set up.

Deliberately provoking Jiang Feng, deliberately stirring things up, deliberately arranging the martial arts competition to the last round, deliberately giving the other party enough preparation time.

Even the restriction on using magic treasures and Mountain Gate's heirloom items was spoken by him.

It was just to bring a glimmer of hope to Jiang Feng, making him attempt to grasp this little bit of hope, putting in his utmost effort.

If Jiang Feng admitted defeat directly in this battle, it would be too dull. The gap in strength between the parties was too large. Without intervention, direct confrontation might be nothing more than a symbolic martial arts match, hitting a few times and then admitting defeat. Why would he bother observing?

He needed to push Jiang Feng to his limits, and the reason was very simple.

Because he is the third-generation Chief Disciple.

He is the leader.

Upon entering the Phoenix Heavenly Cave, the lives of the entire sect's third-generation disciples would be in his hands. He must clearly understand each disciple's strengths, abilities, limits they can reach, and what trump cards they're holding.

Only this way can he maximize the role of each disciple in the Grotto Heaven, figuring out how to pit tiger against wolf, or use strategies like Tian Ji's horse racing. Especially with Jiang Feng, he is the most unstable factor among all the third-generation disciples, the highest-risk card.

But without a doubt, he is also the most intriguing card. If used properly, this kid might even determine the outcome of battles.

Smiling at the elder on the stage, bowing, then standing still in place waiting quietly for about a half quarter-hour.

"Here they come, here they come."

"Come, come, come, place your bets, make your guesses... there's a reward..."

"Bet my ass, do you think there's suspense in this match?"

"Of course, there is. You guys should be careful of jinxing Senior Brother Gu to lose with your curses… I'm betting on Senior Brother Gu."

"Me too."

"Same here."

"The main issue is a mid-grade Nascent Soul against a low-grade Core Formation. Should we change the bet to, like, how long this battle will last? That would be more practical."

"That's a good idea. I'm betting an hour, based on Senior Brother Gu's personality, he probably won't make the opponent lose too embarrassingly."

"Wait a minute, do you guys smell something, what's going on?"

"What smell? It's kind of fishy, a bit pungent. Why does it smell like saltpeter, what did he do last night?"

Covering their noses, but everyone was still engaged in lively discussions.

The other protagonist finally took the stage.

Those near Jiang Feng couldn't help but be a little puzzled about what kind of smell this kid had on him. It was somewhat irritating, and although the man stepping into the Martial Arts Arena was tall and imposing, he didn't look to be in the best spirits.

Upon stepping into the field, only Zhang Shanyuan fixed his gaze on Jiang Feng's left hand, and after smelling that aroma, he immediately thought of what he saw on East Sea Extreme Island.

"The same exact smell."

Slightly squinting his eyes, he still chose to speak slowly.

"The 23rd day of the Nine Peaks Martial Arts, from the sixteen to the eight."

"Dragon Head Peak's Gu Miyun against Swordmaster Peak's Jiang Feng."

"For this battle, I hope you both..."

"...give your all."

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