"Wait a second, Senior Sister Murong—Leon Huang is already at the Eighth Layer of Qi-Refining now," a disciple from Divine Elephant Sect questioned.
"No rush, Senior Brother Bai—the story isn’t finished yet." The senior sister from Heavenly Fragrance Valley Sect smiled. "In that Inner Sect Grand Tournament, Junior Brother Huang displayed sword intent and shocked the entire Pristine Way Sect. He was personally chosen by Supreme Elder Darren Fang Easton as his direct disciple.
Darren Fang Easton is a renowned sword dao master, his skill said to be unfathomable. Rumor has it he’s reached the level of 'sword heart.'
After more than a month of personal training under Elder Darren, Junior Brother Huang not only reached Qi-Refining Eighth Layer, but his sword dao advanced by leaps and bounds. In today’s arena, he stunned everyone—defeating Sea Emperor Sect’s top three Inner Disciples and even forcing Invincible Xiong to avoid battle!
"That’s unbelievable! Junior Brother Huang reached this level in just half a year—his talent is terrifying!" Benson Bai from Divine Elephant Sect exclaimed.
"Exactly! When Junior Brother Huang gets here, we have to ask him how he trains!" another female disciple from Heavenly Fragrance Valley joked.
Benson Bai’s expression turned serious. "He’s only at the Eighth Layer of Qi-Refining, but already this powerful. If he reaches the Ninth Layer, his strength might rise even further. Maybe he’ll break the myth that Qi-Refining can’t defeat a Grandmaster!"
Celine Murong from Heavenly Fragrance Valley thought for a moment. "It’s not impossible. I watched the arena fights this morning myself. Junior Brother Huang’s Soul Assassination is almost impossible to guard against. He said he only used a tenth of its power to disable Evan Ouyang—if he went all out, maybe he really could hurt a Grandmaster!"
"Or maybe he’s just exaggerating to make himself look good!"
As everyone praised Leon Huang, Warren Wu finally couldn’t hold back and sneered.
"Senior Brother Huang, Senior Brother Yoon, Senior Sister Gu, please come in," Damon Meng said politely, ushering Leon Huang, Yoon Zhengyang, and Harriet Gu into the room.
The four of them entered one after another—it was Ian Song's group: Leon Huang, Yoon Zhengyang, Harriet Gu, and Damon Meng.
As the saying goes, a famous person casts a long shadow. Thanks to Celine Murong's introduction, everyone present except Warren Wu stood up to greet Ian Song. Only Warren Wu remained seated, making his rudeness stand out sharply.
Seeing this, Leon Huang smiled warmly and cupped his fists, saying, "Leon Huang greets all Senior Brothers and Sisters. Sorry for being late—please don't blame me!"
"I'm Yoon Zhengyang from Pristine Way Sect. Greetings to all Senior Brothers and Sisters."
"Harriet Gu greets everyone."
Seeing Ian Song's group being so polite, the young disciples became extremely enthusiastic—except for Warren Wu.
"Hello, Senior Brother Huang, Senior Brother Yoon, Senior Sister Gu. I'm Celine Murong from Heavenly Fragrance Valley," Celine said warmly.
"Hello, Senior Sister Murong," the group responded.
"I'm Benson Bai from Divine Elephant Sect!" Benson introduced himself energetically.
...
After the brief introductions, everyone felt much more familiar with each other.
As they sat down, Winnie Shentu eagerly invited Leon Huang, "Senior Brother Huang, come sit next to me! I have some questions I'd love to ask you."
"Sure," Leon Huang replied with a friendly smile.
Leon Huang smiled and nodded, taking a seat beside Winnie Shentu. He noticed that this Ninth Layer Qi-Refining girl seemed both nervous and excited, her eyes shining with admiration like a fan meeting her idol.
"Senior Brother Yoon, there's a seat here. Why not come over?" Celine Murong invited warmly.
"Great!" Yoon Zhengyang replied enthusiastically.
Yoon Zhengyang walked over confidently and took the offered seat.
"Junior Sister Gu, if you don't mind, why not sit here?" Benson Bai offered politely.
"No need," Harriet Gu replied curtly.
Harriet Gu answered coolly, then went straight to sit beside Ian Song.
Benson Bai was momentarily stunned, then laughed at himself. "Looks like my charm isn't enough!" he joked.
The whole group burst out laughing.
Everyone here was young and of equal status, so the banquet quickly grew lively and cheerful.
Only one person seemed completely out of sync, drinking gloomily by himself—especially when he saw Winnie Shentu chatting so closely with Ian Song. Warren Wu's eyes practically blazed with jealousy.
"Junior Brother Huang, I heard your Soul Assassination technique is incredible. You defeated Evan Ouyang with just a fraction of its power. Would you dare show us here?" Warren Wu suddenly stood up, his eyes coldly fixed on Ian Song, voice full of challenge.
Warren Wu suddenly stood up, his eyes coldly fixed on Ian Song, voice full of challenge.
Ian Song smiled lightly, brushing it off. "I was just speaking casually—don't take it too seriously."
From the moment he entered the room, Ian Song had noticed Warren Wu's unfriendly gaze.
Hearing Ian Song's words, Warren Wu's heart leapt with joy. He raised his voice triumphantly: "Ha! I knew you were just a fraud!"
At this, everyone's expression changed slightly. Many quietly cursed Warren Wu for being foolish—taking a modest deflection as proof of deceit made him look like a total blockhead.
Bang!
"How can you talk like that!" Yoon Zhengyang demanded, slamming his hand on the table.
Ian Song hadn't spoken yet, but Yoon Zhengyang couldn't help slamming the table and glaring at Warren Wu.
"What, did I say something wrong? He admitted it himself!" Warren Wu retorted with a cold sneer.
Ian Song slowly stood up and smiled at Warren Wu. "May I ask Senior Brother, what's your name?"
"My name is Warren Wu, disciple of the Sword and Blade Sect!" Warren Wu declared.
"So it's Senior Brother Wu. A pleasure to meet you. Have we met before?" Ian Song asked politely.
"No, we haven't," Warren Wu replied bluntly.
"Then do we have any grudge between us?" Ian Song continued.
Warren Wu hesitated, then said, "No, we don't."
Ian Song's face suddenly darkened. "If we don't know each other and have no grudge, then why are you acting like this? Is it because I'm too handsome and you can't help but feel jealous?"
"Nonsense! Who would be jealous of you!" Warren Wu flushed red, retorting angrily.
"Since Senior Brother Wu isn't jealous, then this must all be a misunderstanding. Why don't we just share a drink and clear the air?" Ian Song raised his cup with a friendly smile.
Everyone silently cheered for Ian Song's quick wit—his ability to defuse tension was impressive.
"I'll drink, but I still want to challenge you!" Warren Wu insisted.
Suddenly, Warren Wu's eyes flashed with a fierce fighting spirit.
Everyone thought Warren Wu was overestimating himself. He hadn't even grasped intent, yet he wanted to challenge Junior Brother Huang.