Chapter 23: Senior Chen

"Look, he's back. It's been forty minutes already. Does that mean he's already a Spirit King?" One tall youngster in the queue asked quietly.

"No way he advanced to Spirit King in a day. He probably got extra tokens because he's the Clan Leader's son," his buddy explained.

"Yeah, probably. Now that he has black talent, the clan will focus heavily on cultivating him," the tall youngster agreed with a hint of jealousy.

They weren't angry about the special benefits Xuefeng received from the clan. If they had black talents, they would also receive them.

"We can still achieve something if we work hard. What rank do you think the Spirit Artifact he got is?" A black-haired lad with dark blue eyes joined their conversation.

The tall youngster clasped his hands towards the newcomer and answered, "Oh, Senior Chen, welcome. I think he got at least a Rank 4 Spirit Artifact. What does senior think?"

"I think he got at least one Rank 5 Spirit Artifact and three Rank 4. I heard that the new Purple Talent, Liu Mei, left the Spirit Treasury with a Rank 4 Spirit Sword. If she can get a Rank 4 Spirit Sword, what do you think someone with black talent will gain?" Senior Chen theorized.

"Senior Chen's words make sense. He just got out; maybe he will show us his Spirit Artifact," they speculated, watching Xuefeng walk out of the hall.

Unaware of their conversation, Xuefeng exited the building and searched for the two beauties he had left behind. He spotted them talking to two men in their twenties, their expressions unhappy.

Xuefeng approached them and the ladies immediately turned around, their eyes lighting up. They ran to him and linked their arms with his, causing the smiles of the young men to fall.

These young men were proud Spirit Kings who had just returned from a mission. They thought it was a good opportunity to flirt with the beauties, but after five minutes of effort, the women ran into the arms of the "trash" Young Master.

'We risk our lives on missions while he plays with beauties at home,' they thought angrily.

"What is happening?" Xuefeng asked, surprised.

"Why did you take so long? Some flies started bugging us," Princess Shan complained as if she were his girlfriend, pressing her chest against his arm.

Wuying naturally did the same, not wanting to lose to her.

The crowd looked at him with jealousy. Even if you were a Young Master with black talent, did you need to flaunt it?

Wuying was already a stunning flower, but now he also had another beauty whose body was even more captivating.

Some of the youngsters in the queue recognized the two men trying to flirt with Xuefeng's ladies. They were Spirit Kings from the External Clan.

The Liu Clan was divided into two sections: the Main Clan and the External Clan. Only those who married into the Main Clan could belong to it. The External Clan consisted of people working for the clan, who could leave whenever they wanted.

These two young men had joined the Liu Clan for the opportunity to break through. They had just returned from a mission and didn't seem to know the recent news.

"Young Master, how about you introduce us to the ladies?" they asked while staring at their bodies.

"Where is Elder Ming?" Xuefeng asked Wuying, ignoring them completely.

"He left already to take care of something," she replied casually. "Did you get the Spirit Artifacts I told you about?"

"Yeah, I got all of them and more," he said proudly.

"What ranks did you get?" Princess Shan asked curiously.

"Hey, I'm talking to—mmm…" The man who had been ignored got mad and tried to make them notice him when his friend covered his mouth with his hand.

"Shhh, dude, didn't you hear them?" his buddy asked.

"What? They're just talking about Spirit Artifacts. Wait..." The man looked around and noticed they were near the Spirit Treasury. He checked Xuefeng's aura with his Spirit Awareness and panicked.

"He's in the Grandmaster stage... Since when could he cultivate? We were only away for a month," he commented, alarmed.

"Let's go. We need to get updated on the news." His buddy grabbed him by the shoulders, and they walked away.

They weren't stupid. Realizing the situation, they understood that if Xuefeng had advanced to the Grandmaster stage in less than a month, he likely had high talent. Coupled with his status as a Young Master, insulting him would be a huge offense.

"I'll show you when we arrive at my courtyard," Xuefeng replied, smiling as the two men left. He knew it was better to resolve conflict without fighting.

He tried moving forward but realized the girls didn't show any signs of letting go. It was a nice feeling for a virgin like him, but he had trouble walking. He wasn't a stranger to female touch, but being in public with everyone watching made him quite embarrassed.

"Are you going to hug my arms like that the whole way?" he asked, speechless.

"Hehe, I got used to it too fast," Princess Shan laughed boldly as she let go.

Wuying, reluctantly, also let go, though she enjoyed leaning on his shoulder.

As they disappeared on their way back, the youngsters in the queue sighed in disappointment. They had wanted to see the Spirit Artifacts their Young Master had taken, but their wish didn't come true.

Senior Chen was also interested, but he knew it would be revealed soon enough. He just hoped Liu Xuefeng didn't take the artifact he had his sights on.

"By the way, Senior Chen, why are you here? Did you advance to Spirit King as well?" the tall Grandmaster asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to try to get the Ancestor sword this time," he told them of his ambitious plans.

"Congratulations, Senior. Are you talking about the Black Flame Slayer our founder used to make a name for himself?" the surrounding cultivators congratulated him.

"Yes, with my Dark Blue talent, I think I have a chance now that I've entered the Spirit King Stage," he admitted proudly.

Although Liu Chen had advanced to Spirit King only yesterday, it wasn't because his talent was lacking. He had spent most of his time training his swordsmanship. Recently, he had even comprehended Sword Intent, making him confident in getting the legendary sword.

"Then, we wish you good luck. How about we let Senior skip the queue and go first?" a teenage girl proposed, trying to stand out.

"Yes, yes. Senior, go first," another person echoed.

After one proposed it, everyone followed. It would be bad to be the only one who didn't agree and receive criticism from everyone.

"Then I have to thank everyone," he bowed to the girl and went toward the counter to receive his token.