"Brother, please calm down. It's not worth getting upset over a small fry from the Heaven Mending Realm, especially since you've already obliterated him. There's not even dust left of him in this world."
Emperor Capital was still cautiously trying to soothe Chen Xia.
"Indeed, if there's anything else bothering you, just tell me. I'll definitely do something to satisfy you, even if it means turning this ancestral star upside down!"
Qiu Li chimed in from the side.
Chen Xia exhaled and shook his head, "I'm not angry about killing him. It's mainly that this cultivator's words were too absurd. He even went as far as to curse me. Wasn't he just asking for death?"
Emperor Capital nodded and said indignantly, "He deserved to die. This Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect doesn't understand proper etiquette. Their lower-ranked cultivators speak and act terribly. It's fortunate that it's Chi Yu's sect, otherwise I would have wiped them out right now!"
Qiu Li frowned and added, "Chi Yu is thoughtless too. Come on, let's call him out and question him properly. Back then in the Blue Sky Sword Sea, Brother Chen took such good care of him. How could he turn into such an ungrateful wretch once he left?"
Emperor Capital and Qiu Li made as if to go find Chi Yu.
Chen Xia waved his hand to stop them, "Forget it. He's still in seclusion. We'll talk when he comes out. Don't disturb him."
Emperor Capital and Qiu Li quickly stopped in their tracks, smiled at Chen Xia, and hastily said, "It's best that you've thought it through. This way, we two won't have to have an unpleasant confrontation with Chi Yu. After all, they're all important to you, and you'd be the one getting a headache in the end."
They were quite adept at putting themselves in a good light.
Chen Xia didn't say much more. With a light flick of his finger, the barrier formed by spiritual energy dissipated, revealing the three of them.
By now, many cultivators had gathered outside. An old man stood at the forefront, his black robe adorned with three large dragons. He waited with a solemn expression.
Given this level of spiritual energy and such mystical abilities, he dared not speculate about the identity of the newcomers. He could only wait respectfully, his heart filled with fear.
If the newcomers were truly on the same level as the Flame Saint, the ancestral star would likely be shaken today.
As the spiritual energy dispersed, the scene within was revealed.
The old man glanced over. He didn't recognize the young man in the cyan robe, but the other two instantly shocked him to his core.
Emperor Capital and Qiu Li!
As the Fifth Elder of the Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect, he naturally recognized them at a glance. His body trembled, feeling as if he had fallen into an icy pit, even his spiritual energy becoming sluggish.
Emperor Capital and Qiu Li stood on either side, as if elevating the young man in cyan between them. Emperor Capital glanced at the Fifth Elder and said domineeringly, "Tell your Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect's patriarch to find me at the Celestial Curtain."
The Fifth Elder didn't dare to object. He quickly nodded, his mouth slightly open, trembling for a while before managing to stammer out a reply.
"Y-yes... yes."
The aura of a saint was too overwhelming. The Fifth Elder was so frightened he could barely speak clearly.
"Everyone, disperse," Chen Xia said calmly, while raising his hand. Many sword energies flowed around.
Bai Lu and the others fell from the Spirit-Binding Pillar, regaining their freedom.
Emperor Capital and Qiu Li naturally followed Chen Xia's wish, waving their hands and shouting, "Everyone, disperse. Don't crowd around."
The cultivators hurriedly left. The Punishment Field, which had been packed moments ago, now only had a few people remaining.
Bai Lu first thanked Yu Jun and Hao Lin, then turned to Chen Xia with a complex expression. He scratched his head and said awkwardly, "Sorry for troubling you."
"It's no trouble. Considering our decades-long friendship over chess, this is just a small matter," Chen Xia waved his hand, disliking Bai Lu's formal attitude towards him.
Bai Lu chuckled, then looked at Emperor Capital and Qiu Li. He wasn't very knowledgeable and didn't know their backgrounds, but he could tell they were extraordinary. He immediately bowed and said, "Thank you, respected elders, for coming to our rescue!"
Emperor Capital shook his head and said, "It's nothing. We didn't really save you."
The two of them had come to save the ancestral star, not to deal with Bai Lu's affairs.
Bai Lu nodded, his expression gloomy, as if something was weighing on his mind. He didn't say anything.
Chen Xia didn't say anything either, just looked up at the deep stars.
This seemed like a small matter, yet it strictly separated Bai Lu and Chen Xia's status.
An affair that could have cost Bai Lu his life was nothing more than a trifle to Chen Xia, resolved with a mere flick of his finger.
People are indeed divided into different classes, and he was of the highest class.
Bai Lu had already accepted this fact. He shook his head with a bitter smile, glanced at Chen Xia, and asked, "Want to drink today?"
"Why?" Chen Xia asked in return.
"We've grown up. We should drink more," Bai Lu replied with a light chuckle.
Chen Xia took a step forward and suddenly asked, "How old are you?"
"Almost a hundred," Bai Lu replied.
"Then you still have a long way to go. Even if you don't follow the path of cultivation, you can do other things. People are divided into different classes, but the things they do aren't necessarily so."
Chen Xia's eyes held a hint of sadness. He rarely tried to persuade someone like this, or even spoke words of persuasion at all.
Well...
Perhaps he had grown up too.
A youth who had lived for thirty thousand years was just a joke after all.
When a youth grows old, this is how it is.
It was still a fine day with the sun high in the sky.
The streets were bustling with activity as cultivators came out one after another, preparing to participate in the sect selection.
Bai Lu had tidied himself up nicely, changing into a new white robe which made him look much more spirited. He was ready to set off.
He and Chen Xia joined the queue of cultivators, intending to participate in the selection process between sects.
They should have slowly queued up with everyone else, but when they were halfway through the line, cultivators from the Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect came over and respectfully said to them,
"Please, you two, proceed to the VIP entrance."
With just this simple sentence, Bai Lu found himself at the front of all the cultivators, starting the selection process in the first position.
Chen Xia stood beside him, while Bai Lu was still in a daze.
"Begin the test!" the examining elder shouted.
The gazes of all the cultivators present turned towards Bai Lu and Chen Xia.
There were a total of three thousand cultivators in the selection arena, with five hundred sect elders seated at the front. If they saw a cultivator they liked, they could directly extend an invitation.
As Bai Lu stepped onto the stage, they began to discuss among themselves.
They knew about the incident in the city a few days ago, but because the Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect had suppressed the news so thoroughly, the information hadn't spread, and they had no way of knowing the details.
However, judging from how quickly Bai Lu had made it to the stage, he must be the scion of some great family. Otherwise, his position would have been at least several hundred places back.
The elders continued their discussion.
Among them, Emperor Zhou, who was seated at the very front, suddenly stood up, pointing at Bai Lu and excitedly said to Elder White Jade,
"Get him! We must get him into your sect!"
Elder White Jade frowned, "Does he have extraordinary talent, or a prominent family background?"
"Don't worry about that, just recruit him!" Emperor Zhou urged.
Elder White Jade was confused but didn't ask further. After all, it was just one disciple spot. If they wanted to give it, so be it.
Bai Lu exhaled, his emotions excited but his movements calm as he began to demonstrate the mystical techniques he had cultivated over the years.
His talent was indeed not great, so the techniques he had cultivated were also ordinary.
But all the cultivators present seemed hesitant, no one speaking up to evaluate him first. They were worried that Bai Lu might be from a powerful family, and if they said something wrong, they would offend a great clan.
While everyone was hesitating, a clear voice called out,
"My White Jade Sect wants this young man!"
The other elders nodded. It seemed that the power behind Bai Lu was not small, for him to be recruited by the White Jade Sect with such ordinary talent.
Emperor Zhou had been observing Chen Xia the whole time. Seeing that Chen Xia's expression hadn't changed, he signaled to the White Jade Patriarch,
"Not enough, raise his status more, be more sincere."
Elder White Jade frowned but didn't hesitate much. He continued,
"If you're willing to join, the White Jade Sect is prepared to offer you the status of an inner disciple!"
This statement caused a stir among everyone present. It seemed that the power behind Bai Lu was truly formidable.
Chen Xia's expression remained unchanged.
Emperor Zhou kept signaling, "Not enough, add more."
Although Elder White Jade was puzzled, he didn't ask questions and said,
"We'll give you the status of a true disciple!"
The whole arena immediately erupted in exclamations of surprise. Bai Lu was somewhat dazed, unable to help but wonder if he really was a once-in-a-generation prodigy.
Chen Xia's expression remained as calm as ever.
"Still not enough, show more sincerity," Emperor Zhou continued to urge.
"Any more and we'll be offering an elder position!" Elder White Jade transmitted back.
"Then bring out more sincerity. Don't ask questions, it will definitely benefit you!" Emperor Zhou pressed.
Elder White Jade then directly flashed to the selection arena, standing beside Bai Lu, and said with a kindly smile,
"Are you willing to join our White Jade Sect as a true disciple?"
Bai Lu was somewhat excited, momentarily unsure how to respond.
The White Jade Patriarch looked up and noticed Emperor Zhou frantically making eye signals, his eyes nearly squinting to one side.
He turned his gaze this way, looking at Chen Xia, who was dressed in a blue robe.
All of Emperor Zhou's eye signals were directed towards this young man.
The White Jade Patriarch smiled knowingly, understanding Emperor Zhou's intention. He stepped forward, patted Chen Xia's shoulder, and asked with a smile:
"Young man, are you willing to join the White Jade Sect and become a true disciple?"
The scene fell silent.
Emperor Zhou patted his cheeks, his expression regretful, already wanting to leave the White Jade Sect.
You can't even seize an opportunity when it's handed to you on a silver platter!