Chapter 720: Gathered Together
When Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen walked into the central stone cave together, the first person to notice them was naturally Mu Lingxi.
Mu Lingxi wore a loose black robe, exuding a temperament completely different from usual—purity, seductiveness, eeriness, and coldness all converged in her, making her look like a dark fairy.
However, she only glanced at them briefly before immediately withdrawing her gaze and continuing to converse with other demon sect cultivators.
"Sister Huang, over here."
Chang Qiqi stood up, laughing loudly as he waved at Huang Yanchen.
Huang Yanchen nodded at Chang Qiqi, then shot a glance at Zhang Ruochen and said indifferently, "They are all the genius holy disciples of the Eastern Domain Holy Academy. Do you want to get to know them?"
"Of course," Zhang Ruochen said.
Led by Huang Yanchen, Zhang Ruochen walked over and gathered with the holy disciples of the academy.
There were more than twenty genius holy disciples present, evenly split between men and women. They were all very young—at least, there was no sign of age on any of them.
Zhang Ruochen swept his gaze across the crowd and instantly saw through everyone's cultivation levels.
Apart from Ao Xinyan, Luo Shuihan, Chang Qiqi, Si Xingkong, and other new-generation holy disciples, there were also eight or nine slightly older ones.
Although they appeared to be around twenty years old, their actual ages were all over fifty.
Their cultivation levels were all at the Fish-Dragon Ninth Change, their bodies radiating colored glaze treasure light, and their auras were quite powerful. They were clearly top-tier sword cultivators selected by the Holy Academy to participate in the Sword Discussion Conference.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen following behind Huang Yanchen, Chang Qiqi's rough face immediately showed a very unfriendly expression. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing two thick arms, and said coldly, "Sister Huang, who is this kid?"
In Chang Qiqi's heart, Huang Yanchen had always been Zhang Ruochen's fiancée, and he was extremely hostile toward anyone who tried to make a move on her.
He firmly believed that as long as Zhang Ruochen's bones hadn't been found, Zhang Ruochen was definitely not dead and would return one day.
Si Xingkong, who was drinking, also shot a glance at Zhang Ruochen, narrowing his eyes and revealing a chilling killing intent.
Facing the hostility of his former brothers, Zhang Ruochen could only smile bitterly.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Chang Qiqi and Si Xingkong and nodded slightly. Their progress was indeed remarkable—they had already broken through to the Fish-Dragon Realm.
It seemed that the cultivation resources Zhang Ruochen had given them before had played a significant role.
Although these two didn't have top-tier innate talents, they had strong potential and were among the fastest holy disciples in the Holy Academy to break through to the Fish-Dragon Realm.
After Zhang Ruochen's supposed death, Chang Qiqi and Si Xingkong had pledged allegiance to Huang Yanchen, becoming retainers of the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor and receiving plenty of cultivation resources. Naturally, their cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.
The reason Chang Qiqi and Si Xingkong voluntarily submitted to Huang Yanchen was also because they felt they owed Zhang Ruochen a great debt.
Since Zhang Ruochen was no longer around, they repaid that debt to Huang Yanchen by going to the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor to assist her.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen being treated with hostility, Huang Yanchen remained expressionless and didn't intend to explain for him.
She had brought Zhang Ruochen here for this very purpose—to make him back off.
Zhang Ruochen remained very composed, cupping his hands and smiling, "I am Lin Yue from the Liangyi Sect. Greetings to all friends from the Eastern Domain Holy Academy."
Upon hearing the name "Lin Yue," the several holy disciples at the Fish-Dragon Ninth Change all revealed sharp glints in their eyes and looked toward Zhang Ruochen.
"Could you be the sword prodigy from the Liangyi Sect?" one of the Fish-Dragon Ninth Change holy disciples asked.
This person was named Xu Yunling, a top expert in the Holy Academy. He wore a luxurious purple robe, appeared to be around twenty years old, and had sword-like eyebrows and eagle-like eyes, exuding an extraordinary demeanor.
Zhang Ruochen smiled, "There are countless sword prodigies in the Eastern Domain. Who dares to claim they are the sword prodigy?"
These Fish-Dragon Ninth Change holy disciples, having been selected to represent the Eastern Domain Holy Academy at the Sword Discussion Conference, were naturally first-rate sword geniuses, each one unruly and proud.
Upon hearing the name "Lin Yue," they had already revealed intense battle intent, wanting to challenge this so-called sword prodigy.
However, seeing that Lin Yue kept a low profile, they actually developed some goodwill toward him, thinking to themselves, "This Lin Yue is indeed someone who knows when to yield."
"This guy has no spirit at all. Is he really the sword prodigy of the Liangyi Sect?" Huang Yanchen shook her head, feeling she had overestimated him.
Huang Yanchen found a spot and sat down beside Luo Shuihan.
Zhang Ruochen originally wanted to sit next to Huang Yanchen, but Chang Qiqi blocked him.
"Hey, Lin, I don't care if you're some sword prodigy or not, but if you dare to mess with Sister Huang, you're dead meat!"
Chang Qiqi's tiger-like eyes glared coldly at Zhang Ruochen, as if he would fight him to the death if Zhang Ruochen dared to take another step forward.
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly, not wanting to argue with this reckless man, so he stepped back and sat down beside Ao Xinyan.
Huang Yanchen had been secretly observing Lin Yue. Seeing that even Chang Qiqi could scare him off, she became even more contemptuous. She hadn't expected her master to misjudge someone—this Lin Yue was completely useless.
The Fish-Dragon Ninth Change holy disciples of the Eastern Domain Holy Academy also revealed mocking smiles, feeling that the Liangyi Sect's sword prodigy was completely undeserving of his reputation.
Or perhaps it was just a coincidence of names.
This Lin Yue wasn't the Lin Yue they had heard of.
Zhang Ruochen, however, ignored everyone's opinions. Just being able to sit together with his former senior brothers, junior sisters, and fiancée was already very satisfying.
Ao Xinyan shot a glance at Zhang Ruochen, rolled her eyes, and said coldly, "With an attitude like that, you want to pursue Huang Yanchen? I suggest you give up that idea."
"Why?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Ao Xinyan didn't hide her disdain at all, saying, "Huang Yanchen is not only a disciple of Xuanji Sword Saint but also the heir of the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor. Countless geniuses and outstanding talents are pursuing her, including even the descendant of the Sword Emperor. Do you think you have a chance?"
"Listening to you, I really do seem like a toad wanting to eat swan meat," Zhang Ruochen said with a self-deprecating laugh.
"You do have one advantage," Ao Xinyan said.
"What advantage?"
Ao Xinyan stared at him for a breath's time, blinked her eyelids lightly, and then said slowly, "At least you have self-awareness and know when to yield. People who know when to yield always live longer than those who don't."
Even a fool could tell that Ao Xinyan was mocking him.
The surrounding holy disciples also heard Ao Xinyan's words and started laughing. They all felt that this proud daughter of the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan was being too harsh on Lin Yue, after all, he was at least a sword prodigy.
Zhang Ruochen knew Ao Xinyan's personality—she liked to provoke people—so he didn't take her words to heart. He stared at the pair of crystal-clear dragon horns on Ao Xinyan's forehead, her two light green eyebrows, and finally landed on her rosy lips.
Thinking of some past events, Zhang Ruochen spread his hands and smiled faintly, "You're right, I am indeed someone with self-awareness."
Ao Xinyan rolled her eyes at him again, truly unable to understand how this guy still had the face to sit here.
If Ao Xinyan knew that the man sitting beside her, whom she was despising, was the group leader she had once deeply admired, who knows what she would think?
Just then, a short holy disciple, about one meter and two in height, widened his crimson eyes and said in a low voice, "Have you all heard? In the past few days, a huge upheaval has occurred in the Liangyi Sect."
Regarding the upheaval in the Liangyi Sect, almost all cultivators who came to participate in the Sword Discussion Conference had heard something about it.
But very few knew the inside story.
"It is said that the disciples of the Medieval Aristocratic Clan, the Qi Clan, disappeared overnight, including half-saints and saint-level figures, all missing without a trace."
Another holy disciple thought for a moment and said, "With the Sword Discussion Conference imminent, such a big incident has happened. I wonder what kind of unexpected change they encountered?"
The Qi Clan was a Medieval Aristocratic Clan with immense power, its members spread across the entire Eastern Domain. The Qi Clan disciples cultivating in the Liangyi Sect were only a small part of the clan.
If a conflict broke out between the Qi Clan and the Liangyi Sect, it would definitely affect the Sword Discussion Conference.
Ao Xinyan's beautiful eyes turned to Zhang Ruochen, and she said coldly, "Aren't you the sword prodigy of the Liangyi Sect? You should know some inside information, right?"
The other holy disciples also looked at Zhang Ruochen with curiosity.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the crowd and smiled, "Indeed, some things have happened, but it's not convenient for me to talk about them. Everyone can rest assured that this matter will have no impact on the Sword Discussion Conference."
Zhang Ruochen's words naturally disappointed everyone, making them feel even more that this so-called sword prodigy was unreliable.
Ao Xinyan turned to Luo Shuihan, giving her a questioning look, and said, "Sister Luo, I heard that because of this matter, Senior Luo Xu personally went to the Liangyi Sect this morning to visit Sect Leader Ning."
"That is indeed the case."
Luo Shuihan remained very calm and said indifferently, "Two hundred years ago, the old ancestor owed a favor to the Qi Clan. Not long ago, he received a letter. After reading it, he personally went to the Liangyi Sect, seemingly to plead for someone from the Qi Clan."
Hearing Luo Shuihan's words, Zhang Ruochen immediately guessed that the person who wrote the letter to Luo Xu was definitely Lin Suxian, the number one beauty of two hundred years ago.
Although Zhang Ruochen didn't know the content of the letter, he could roughly guess some of it.
After all, Lin Suxian's daughter, Qi Feiyu, was now imprisoned in the Liangyi Sect. It was likely that Lin Suxian had written to Luo Xu for help, hoping he could rescue Qi Feiyu.
The other holy disciples clearly didn't understand when Luo Xu had owed a favor to the Qi Clan.
On the scene, probably only Zhang Ruochen knew the inside story.