"Elder Qian, congratulations!"
"Elder Qian, what sharp eyes you have!"
"To have found such an outstanding disciple — recruiting someone of this caliber is enough to earn a mid-tier reward from the sect."
In the blink of an eye, nearly every elder present wore a fawning smile as they offered their congratulations to the yellow-faced elder.
At that moment, the yellow-faced elder wore an expression of smug satisfaction. He even made a point of glancing at Duan Liufeng and casting a mocking look toward Chu Feng before finally turning his gaze back to Hua Xu.
"Hua Xu, you truly have not disappointed your Master."
Elder Qian stroked his beard and spoke with a beaming smile.
"Your Master?"
"Elder Qian, does that mean Hua Xu is going to take you as his master?"
"Can you be certain about that?"
Hearing this, the surrounding elders all widened their eyes and asked in tones of disbelief.
And what was rather peculiar was this — accepting a master was supposed to be a simple matter. Yet these elders seemed skeptical. The looks in their eyes made it seem as though they thought Elder Qian was lying, that they didn't quite believe what he was saying.
"Indeed. Hua Xu agreed long ago that if he passed the talent test, he would take me as his master," Elder Qian said.
"Congratulations, Elder Qian! Blessings upon you, Elder Qian!"
"Elder Qian, this truly calls for celebration. With such an outstanding disciple under your belt, you'll be able to return to the Northern Mystery Hall. Don't forget about us in the future, will you?"
"With Elder Qian's cultivation, you could have entered the Northern Mystery Hall and become an elder there long ago — you simply lacked the right opportunity."
"Now that you've taken in a disciple like Hua Xu, even within the Northern Mystery Hall, your status will be a cut above the rest."
At that, the flattery from those elders only intensified.
But at the same time, they kept glancing over at Hua Xu. When it came to Hua Xu becoming Elder Qian's disciple, they remained skeptical.
"Elder Qian, thank you for bringing me into the Wulong Martial Sect."
"However, I actually have no intention of taking you as my master."
Finally, Hua Xu spoke.
He had publicly refused Elder Qian.
And what was most peculiar was that the elders showed hardly any surprise at Hua Xu's public refusal. Instead, they looked on with glee at Elder Qian.
As for Elder Qian, his face was not only awkward but filled with visible rage, his complexion shifting with anger.
"Hua Xu, what are you saying?"
"After I brought you into the sect, I personally asked you — if you passed the talent test, would you be willing to take me as your master?"
"You yourself said that as long as you could successfully enter the sect, you would be willing to accept me as your teacher."
"Now… are you going back on your word?"
Elder Qian's voice was sharp with fury.
"To tell you the truth, Elder Qian, there is a senior in my clan who joined the Wulong Martial Sect many years ago."
"On one occasion, while away on a mission, he was rewarded by his master with the chance to return home and visit our clan. That is how I came to hear about the Wulong Martial Sect's disciple selection."
"Had I only produced white light from the testing platform like that piece of trash over there, then accepting you as my master would not have been out of the question."
As he spoke those words, Hua Xu deliberately looked toward Chu Feng. He hadn't said it outright, but everyone knew that the "piece of trash" he was referring to was none other than Chu Feng.
"But now, I have produced blue light."
"With talent like mine, I am fully worthy of catching the eye of an elder from the Eastern Dragon Hall."
"Yet if I were to take you as my master, given your level of cultivation, you could only bring me into the Northern Mystery Hall."
"Elder Qian, as an outer sect elder of the Wulong Martial Sect, you should know the gap between the Eastern Dragon Hall and the Northern Mystery Hall."
"They say men die in pursuit of wealth and birds perish in search of food. Cultivators, above all, must consider their own futures. So I humbly ask that you not hold this against me."