章 245: Geniuses of the Subordinate Sects
"I hope everyone is aware of your individual duties by now. If there is anything that you are unsure of, please ask now. If any of you were to mess up during the actual event, I will definitely not let you off easily, do you understand?" Fei Weng, the deacon in charge of the observer team, said at the end of the briefing.
"We understand, Senior Fei," the group of observers answered in unison.
"Good," Fei Weng nodded. "Let me remind you that the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm is not just an opportunity for us to nurture our talents and display our might to our subordinate sects. At the same time, it is also a friendly competition against the Vermilion Bird Sect, the White Tiger Sect, and the Azure Dragon Sect. And by friendly competition, I mean that we have to do everything in our power to assist our side to win. Remember that every time you mess up, it could potentially be the tipping point that causes us to fall behind!"
"Aren't you exaggerating a little, Senior Fei? We are just observers, so how can our work have such a great impact on the outcome?" one of the observers laughed.
However, Fei Weng was not amused.
"If you are going to do this with such a frivolous attitude, then perhaps it would be best for you not to partake at all," Fei Weng narrowed his eyes at him.
"I understand, Senior Fei. I was just joking a little. I will definitely do my best," the disciple immediately toned down upon realising that Fei Weng was not in the mood for jokes.
"That'd better be the case," Fei Weng said. "Any other questions?"
"No, Senior Fei!"
"All right, dismissed."
Along with the other members of the observer team, Zhao Yunxiao promptly left the room where the briefing was held.
This briefing clearly stated the details of their duties – the reporting time and place, the participants each person was in charge of, the exact spot where they would be positioned, the people to look out for, etc.
If they did not want to get into Senior Fei Weng's bad books, they definitely had to memorise all these by heart before the start of the event!
Exiting the room, Zhao Yunxiao and the rest naturally returned to the main area of the Outer Disciples Hall, where it was bustling with activity as usual.
After all, the Outer Disciples Hall was not just a venue for the briefing.
It was a place that at least hundreds of outer disciples visited on a daily basis, and footfall was high regardless of the time of day.
Therefore, Zhao Yunxiao was not surprised by the number of people present. Instead, he was more interested in how excitedly everyone was discussing similar topics.
And with such a huge event occurring the next day, the topic was naturally related to the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm.
"Have you heard? The core disciples of the Flying Swords Hall have arrived last night!"
"Flying Swords Hall? Does that mean the Yin Yang Sword Sisters are here?"
This piece of news immediately drew the attention of the male disciples present.
"That's right! They did not come during the New Year, so I was starting to get worried. Thankfully, they made it this time!"
"Who are you to worry about them? Did you forget that they are core disciples of the Flying Swords Hall? Even if Flying Swords Hall is our subordinate sect, their core disciples are still way above your league!"
"I'm just being worried! Can you not be such an ass?"
"It's not just the Yin Yang Sword Sisters. I heard that Tidal Fairy Chen Pingxi of the Origin Lake Sect has arrived as well!"
"Tidal Fairy Chen Pingxi? Wow, I sure hope that I would get a chance to speak to her this time!"
"Speak to her? What would someone like you ever speak to her about?"
"What do you mean? We can definitely exchange our insights regarding the path of cultivation. Who knows? If we get to spend some time together, she might just realise how charming I am and fall for my superior intellect!"
"Keep dreaming! You guys are really hopeless, only hankering after the girls from other sects!"
"It's not just the girls. Feral Claw Xiong Yekong is here as well."
"Xiong Yekong!"
This time, it was the female disciples' turn to gush, and it was difficult to blame them. After all, even the male disciples could not help but feel excited upon hearing this name.
Out of all the chatter, this was also the piece of information that attracted Zhao Yunxiao's attention the most.
During the annual opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm, the Black Tortoise Sect would not only send its own talented disciples into the mystic realm. In addition to that, the sect would also open up a few slots for its subordinate sects.
But with only a limited number of slots available, the subordinate sects naturally focused on sending the geniuses whom they would like to nurture further – their core disciples.
And among the core disciples of the subordinate sects, Feral Claw Xiong Yekong had the greatest fame.
Despite being from a subordinate sect, his strength was said to be comparable to even core disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect, making him quite the force to be reckoned with.
Even Zhao Yunxiao could not help but look forward to seeing his results for the upcoming event!
Just like that, Zhao Yunxiao smoothly joined in the chatter, jumping from group to group as he tried to draw out as much information as possible.
Information was key.
Even though he had to sacrifice some of his precious cultivation time to arm himself with this figurative weapon, Zhao Yunxiao strongly believed that the benefits would definitely outweigh the costs in the long run!
***
The Inner Grounds.
Elder He Luoxuan sat in the main seat of a large hall, slowly raising his wine cup towards the others present.
"It must have been difficult for everyone to make the long journey. Allow me, He Luoxuan, to raise a toast to everyone here!" Elder He Luoxuan said.
Seated before him were various inner disciples of the sect, as well as the elders and core disciples of the many subordinate sects. None of them dared to dally as they quickly returned the toast.
"It is our honour to be invited. How can it be considered difficult?" an elder of the Flying Swords Hall said.
Elder Yi Nian looked to be in her seventies, with white hair and wrinkles showing all over her face. Nevertheless, her sharp features showed that she must have been a great beauty during her younger years.
Unlike her, the two young beauties seated behind her were still in the prime of their life. They looked identical, with the only difference between them being the hairpins on their heads. One of them wore a black hairpin, while the other wore a white one.
The Yin Yang Sword Sisters – not only were they beautiful, but they were also the strongest core disciples of the Flying Swords Hall by far.
Even though they merely sat there without speaking much, their presence alone was already sufficient to draw plenty of attention from the others in the hall, especially from the young male cultivators.
"Elder Yi is right. It is our honour indeed!" Elder Ming Leishang of the Origin Lake Sect quickly added from the table beside them.
Behind him were two faces that Zhao Yunxiao would have recognised immediately – Chen Pingxi and Zhou Qin.
As the prime disciple and greatest talent of the Origin Lake Sect, it was no surprise that Chen Pingxi had been given a slot to join the event. As for the second slot that the Origin Lake Sect possessed, it had been given to the cultivation maniac Zhou Qin, whom Zhao Yunxiao had first met at the Origin Lake Sect's Jade Force Cliff.
At this moment, both of them were looking around curiously at the Black Tortoise Sect inner disciples present.
"Do you see Brother Zhao?" Chen Pingxi whispered.
"Not at all. He must be busy elsewhere," Zhou Qin answered.
"Yeah, I guess that must be the case," Chen Pingxi sighed helplessly.
She was still hoping to have a short chat with Zhao Yunxiao before the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm, but it would seem like that was impossible now.
Perhaps it was only to be expected as well.
In the end, this gathering was just a superficial welcome party, meant more for networking than anything constructive.
Elder He Luoxuan might not have a choice since someone of a corresponding status had to host the elders of the subordinate sects, but why would someone like Zhao Yunxiao bother wasting his time at a gathering like this?
Surely, he had far more important things to do than that!
Thinking up to this point, Chen Pingxi stopped looking around for him and looked straight ahead at the opposite table.
Seated there was Elder Xiong Yan of the Armed Ape Tower. Similarly, there were two disciples seated behind him, but the presence of one completely overshadowed the other.
Feral Claw Xiong Yekong.
He looked similar to Elder Xiong Yan, boasting a muscular body paired with a naturally handsome face. His chest pecs and broad shoulders could hardly be hidden beneath his robes, giving off a form of majestic manliness. His short brown hair was neat and tidy, not obstructing his face one bit.
Xiong Yekong was attractive for sure. But rather than his looks, it was his renowned talent that truly made him stand out.
Despite hailing from the Armed Ape Tower, his talent was regarded to be on par with even core disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect. Some even believed that once he had been allowed sufficient time to grow, he would be able to single-handedly usher in a golden age for the Armed Ape Tower!
It was not just Chen Pingxi who was keeping an eye out for Xiong Yekong.
Everyone present, be it the core disciples of the other subordinate sects or inner disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect, was seeing him as the greatest variable in this year's opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm.
Unfortunately, he had missed out on this for the past two years due to being at a crucial point in his cultivation.
Now that two years had passed and he had broken through in terms of his cultivation, who knew just how much stronger he had become?
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