The Great Elder of the Misty Cloud Sect, Yun Leng.
"Chen Guan recognized him at a glance, remembering him from the coming-of-age ceremony. When the young man's gaze fell upon him, Yun Leng didn't look away. Instead, he offered a meaningful smile that was undeniably like that of a poisonous snake."
Behind Yun Leng sat another acquaintance, the Great Elder of the Mo Clan, Mo Cheng. It was impossible to know what they were discussing telepathically, but his eyes were also fixed on the young man.
Seeing the two of them colluding, Chen Guan had a strong feeling their conversation was about him and that it was nothing good.
His spiritual power stirred slightly. After a moment's thought, Chen Guan decided against sending it out to "eavesdrop." It would be too obvious; the strength of the people present was formidable. Even if the others said nothing, Fa Ma and Gu He would definitely be able to sense it. They, too, offered intriguing smiles from their seats of honor, keeping their thoughts carefully hidden.
What Chen Guan never expected, however, was that his momentary impulse had given someone the wrong impression.
As luck would have it, Mo Cheng happened to meet his eyes just as his spiritual power surged. He suddenly felt his mind go blank, and it took him several moments to come back to his senses.
What kind of eyes are those?!
Mo Cheng was shocked. He never considered that the phenomenon was simply because Chen Guan's spiritual power was far superior to his own. He ruled out the correct answer immediately and assumed he had discovered a pair of legendary strange pupils.
As a man of action, he came up with a bold idea. He wanted those eyes.
He glanced at Jia Xingtian, who was chatting with Fa Ma on the opposite side. The old emperor was powerful, the gap between them so vast it was daunting. But then he thought of Yun Leng beside him and the entire Misty Cloud Sect behind them. Mo Cheng felt there might be room to maneuver.
"That's our Misty Cloud Sect's Great Elder," a cool voice said from his side. "Behind him is the Great Elder of the Mo Clan from Rock Desert City. Mo Cheng has always followed our Great Elder's lead."
Nalan Yanran had taken the initiative to introduce them. She had been watching the boy's actions and thought he was curious.
Nalan Yanran felt a certain resistance toward Yun Leng and Mo Cheng. Her master was the Sect Leader, but these two showed her little respect. It would be one thing if Yun Leng was simply relying on his seniority, but Mo Cheng was even more excessive. When he saw her master, he would offer only a perfunctory greeting, acting every bit the lackey of the Great Elder.
Though Nalan Yanran had only been Yun Yun's disciple for a few years, her master was very caring, and their relationship was excellent. They were like master and disciple, but also like sisters. As a staunch supporter of her master, it was naturally difficult for her to feel any goodwill toward those two.
"Thank you," Chen Guan nodded. The Mo Clan? They are small fry. No need to take them too seriously. Only Yun Leng has some strength, but unfortunately, he has a low IQ.
In the original timeline, the Misty Cloud Sect's miserable end was ninety-nine percent due to this old man. If it weren't for him, the three-year agreement would have ended after Xiao Yan regained his face, and the two parties would have had nothing more to do with each other. But Yun Leng, relying on his own strength, had practically committed suicide and dragged the entire sect down with him. If he were Yun Shan, he probably would have wanted to kill the man himself. One rotten apple truly does spoil the whole barrel.
No longer paying attention to Yun Leng, Chen Guan turned his gaze to the training grounds. After a lengthy speech from an elder, the disciple competition finally began.
The disciples were divided into the outer sect, inner sect, and direct disciples, and the competition was divided into three stages accordingly. The outer disciples were just novices fighting each other, with few who could truly impress the guests. The inner sect competition was far more exciting, with disciples displaying strength above that of a Dou Practitioner. Their various Dou Skills complemented each other, dazzling the audience. In general, the level was good, showing the vigorous and prosperous state of the Misty Cloud Sect.
Chen Guan glanced at Jia Xingtian and saw that the smile on the old man's face had faded considerably.
After the outer and inner sect competitions, it was time for the direct disciples. This was the part everyone was most interested in. Though their strength was not yet high, each was being trained as a successor, the future backbone of the sect.
Nalan Yanran appeared in this segment. As Yun Yun's personal disciple, she undoubtedly became the focus of the entire audience.
Undeterred by the pressure, Nalan Yanran's performance was stunning. With the strength of a nine-star Dou Practitioner, she defeated six of her peers in a row, only withdrawing due to excessive consumption of her Dou Qi. This battle was enough to make her name remembered by everyone present, and it defended the reputation of the Sect Leader's personal disciple.
Listening to the crowd's overwhelming admiration, Nalan Su laughed heartily, filled with pride. Even Yun Yun, seated in the main position, showed a satisfied smile, like a spring breeze gracing the solemn occasion.
Nalan Yanran had already become Yun Yun's staunchest follower. After stepping down from the stage, the first person she looked for was her master, completely ignoring her even prouder father on the other side. Seeing her master's smile, her own face beamed with joy.
After returning to her seat, she unexpectedly turned to the unfamiliar boy beside her. "How did I perform?"
She didn't believe the rumors about Chen Guan at first, but she knew her master wouldn't lie. She might not have realized it herself, but deep down, she had already made catching up to him a personal goal. She was curious about his evaluation.
"Amazing," Chen Guan replied sincerely. "Your future is promising." He was a man who told the truth to some and lied to others. In any case, kind words cost nothing. And she did perform well. You couldn't compare her to a cheat character, after all.
But what he didn't expect was that such a high evaluation not only failed to make Nalan Yanran happy but actually annoyed her.
"Are you mocking me?"
Turning his head to glance at Nalan Yanran, whose face had turned cold, Chen Guan was baffled. You're not satisfied with my praise? Do I have to mock you condescendingly for you to feel comfortable? Do you have some kind of tendency?
Too lazy to argue with her, Chen Guan stood up and walked away, heading toward Yun Yun. The competition was over; it was time to get down to business.
Nalan Yanran was left ignored. She gripped her sword tightly, a mixture of anger, shame, and a dozen other emotions swirling within her. She felt she had never suffered such an injustice in her life. Especially when she clearly heard the boy mutter "idiot" as he left. She almost went berserk on the spot. In the blink of an eye, the boy had shot to the top of her list of jerks who needed to be taught a lesson.
Chen Guan didn't know what she was thinking, and even if he did, he wouldn't care.
How to describe Nalan Yanran now? She was still a bit childish and idealistic. When she encountered something unsatisfactory, she tended to go to extremes, her temper that of a self-righteous young lady. Only someone with Yun Yun's temperament could handle her. To put it simply, she had yet to experience the beatings of society.
It wasn't that she was a bad person. At her age, growing up in that environment, it was normal for her to be immature. Chen Guan could understand it, but he didn't have to like it, and he had no intention of playing house with her. Compared to the silly Nalan Yanran, he much preferred to get along with mature, considerate women like Yao Ye and Yun Yun.
Here, Chen Guan solemnly declares that he has no ill feelings toward Sister Yao Ye, and he doesn't hold that one joke to heart. Really.
***
(End of Chapter)
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