"Brother Fengyang, I owe you a great deal for looking out for me all these years in Qingzhou. Between the two of us, such pleasantries are unnecessary."
"But, as the patriarch of the Qilin Prince's Manor and the Qi Clan, can you really afford to be away for so long?" The cloth-robed elder smiled and placed a chess piece on the board.
"As long as I can break through to the Heaven Martial Realm, I'll stand shoulder to shoulder with the Manor Master. That old bag of surnames Lin won't dare oppress my Qi Clan while I'm away—once I return, he'll have no choice but to submit."
"Today, across the
"Heh." At these rather pointed words, Qi Fengyang could only manage a bitter smile, offering no rebuttal.
There had been a time when Qingzhou had produced experts in abundance and had always been the strongest of the Nine Provinces. But that was then, and now Qingzhou's decline was a plain fact. Naturally, the blame for that decline fell squarely on their generation for being too mediocre.
At this thought, Qi Fengyang couldn't help but sigh. "Looking at the younger generation in Qingzhou today, none truly stand out.
"No. Qingzhou has already produced one remarkable young talent. Given a little time, he will certainly surpass Dugu Aoyun," the cloth-robed elder said with a faint smile.
"Brother Hengyuan, what do you mean?" Qi Fengyang's calm expression shifted instantly, and he hurriedly pressed for details.
"The Hundred Serpentine Gorge isn't home to just the two of us. Besides you and me, there's been another person stuck in the gorge for the better part of a year."
"And in that time, he's made quite the haul—raiding the treasure vault where demon beasts hoard mystic herbs, sweeping through the entire gorge. Most importantly, he's a gray-robed Spirit World Master, and a youth at that. At his age, with achievements like that, his potential is truly limitless." The cloth-robed elder chuckled again.
"A youth with the abilities of a gray-robed Spirit World Master?" At this, Qi Fengyang could no longer keep his composure. He shot to his feet in excitement—a gray-robed Spirit World Master was no small matter for Qingzhou.
A youth? For a youth to become a gray-robed Spirit World Master was indeed something remarkable, something that demanded attention.
But after a moment's thought, Qi Fengyang found the notion hard to swallow. "Brother Hengyuan, this is the Hundred Serpentine Gorge. You yourself said that, apart from a blue-robed Spirit World Master or a powerful Heaven Martial cultivator, no one can withstand the pressure here once the gorge's formation activates. A gray-robed Spirit World Master—how could he survive in this place for half a year?"
"Ha ha, isn't that exactly what makes the boy so extraordinary? If you want the truth, his survival is partly thanks to your help, Brother Fengyang. If you hadn't given him that protective jade token I gave you that day, he never would have been able to study the formation that condenses the token."
"But even so, I have to admit the kid's talent. After all, my formation isn't something anyone short of a blue-robed Spirit World Master can replicate—yet he pulled it off. So tell me, doesn't that qualify as a truly remarkable youth?" The cloth-robed elder said with a light laugh.
"Brother Hengyuan, are you saying that youth who survived the gorge for half a year is that
"Of course it's him." The cloth-robed elder nodded.
"I said the boy was a rare genius, but I never imagined he'd be this exceptional. No wonder he received the Elder of Void Flight's inheritance." Now everything fell into place. Amid his shock, Qi Fengyang broke into a broad grin, growing ever more convinced that his decision that day had been the right one.
"The Elder of Void Flight? What's he? Just a peak Xuan Martial cultivator who never touched the Heaven Martial Realm in his life. That he created a technique for flying through the void was simply a stroke of fortune and timing."
"That boy is far more impressive. You see, half a year ago, a mysterious figure appeared in Qingzhou—Gray-Robed Mister. This Gray-Robed Mister stirred up not only the Lingyun Sect but also your Qilin Prince's Manor. Though he vanished for half a year, he's still the talk of every teahouse in Qingzhou."
"And if my guess is correct, that Gray-Robed Mister is none other than the youth called Chu Feng." The cloth-robed elder continued.
"There's even more to it than that? It seems this Chu Feng really is a restless one."
At the cloth-robed elder's account, the smile on Qi Fengyang's face only deepened, and his heart raced with excitement. After all, the most restless ones were often the ones who became truly great.
Every generation's supreme experts had shown their brilliance in their youth, standing above all their peers. Now that such a youth had appeared in Qingzhou, it was as if Qi Fengyang had glimpsed a ray of hope, and he was overjoyed.
"However, this boy may be heading for a great tribulation," the cloth-robed elder said abruptly.
"A tribulation? Brother Hengyuan, what do you mean?" Qi Fengyang's expression changed dramatically.
"The boy has a life-and-death duel approaching, and the day is nearly upon him. His opponent is the son of the Xuan Wu City's Lord, and the boy enjoys the deep favor of that old scoundrel Lin of your Qilin Prince's Manor—
"And the youth, talented as he is, has no backing in Qingzhou. So I'd say his odds in this fight are grim." The cloth-robed elder explained.
Hearing this, Qi Fengyang's brow furrowed deeply. He turned to the cloth-robed elder and said, "Brother Zhiyuan, I..."
"Go on. I know you've always wanted Qingzhou to produce a worthy junior. This boy is worth your help." Before Qi Fengyang could finish, the cloth-robed elder waved his hand dismissively.
"You truly know me, Brother Zhiyuan. Then I'll take my leave." Qi Fengyang turned to go, but stopped at the entrance, spun around, and cupped his fists. "Thank you for sparing the boy's life. I owe you on his behalf."
"He earned that life himself. His talent was enough for me to let him go, and it's enough for you to lend him a hand," the cloth-robed elder said with a smile. Qi Fengyang returned the smile, said nothing more, and headed down the mountain.
After Qi Fengyang departed, the cloth-robed elder's expression grew solemn, his eyes filled with worry. He stood at the mountain's peak, gazing at the distant sky, and murmured:
"It's been six years. Why haven't you appeared? A Heavenly Bestowed Body shouldn't vanish into obscurity like this. Could it be that something truly went wrong?"
At this, the cloth-robed elder let out a sigh and slowly closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting back to that night six years ago.
That night, above the celestial river of the Nine Heavens, Nine-colored Divine Thunder had appeared, shaking the entire continent before finally striking Qingzhou.
That night, tens of thousands of experts from the