"Supreme Elder!" At Seven Stars Workshop, led by Shangguan Ji, all the elders and guardians who had been fortunate enough to meet Yang Kai that night bowed in unison.
The ordinary Seven Stars Workshop disciples, after recovering from their initial shock, hurriedly followed suit. However, each one was inwardly bewildered — when had their sect gained such a Supreme Elder? They had never heard of him before.
And judging by the Supreme Elder's display just now, he seemed even more formidable than Shen Xing, who had come to observe the ceremony!
Shen Xing was a second-stage Emperor Realm cultivator from Nandou Palace. If the Supreme Elder was more powerful than him, didn't that make him third stage? The disciples' hearts surged with excitement.
Following that, the representatives from various major sects who had come to observe the ceremony also rose and bowed.
With a third-stage Emperor Realm cultivator standing right before them, how could they dare show any negligence?
Only Shen Xing couldn't get to his feet. Not because he didn't want to, but because he truly couldn't. It was as if an entire mountain sat upon his shoulders — he didn't even have the strength to move a single finger.
At first glance, the scene made him appear somewhat arrogant, sitting there brazenly while his cold sweat flowed ever more profusely.
He had previously faced the pressure of a third-stage Emperor Realm cultivator, but it had never been this intense. A single word from the man rendered him completely immobile — such a third-stage Emperor Realm cultivator was far more powerful than any he had ever encountered.
Yang Kai waved his hand lightly, without a word, and everyone involuntarily sat back down.
The Jintang Gate Master's expression was complex as he looked at Shangguan Ji with a bitter smile: "Brother Shangguan, you've hidden this from us quite well. When did your sect gain such a Supreme Elder? You should have made an announcement so that we could have come to pay our respects earlier."
Previously, he had gone to great lengths to persuade Shangguan Ji, all because he didn't want to see Seven Stars Workshop, a fellow second-rate sect, grow too powerful. But now it seemed that all his persuading had been utterly pointless.
Even without Zhao Ya, having such a Supreme Elder anchoring their sect, their promotion to a first-rate power was a foregone conclusion. Jintang Gate simply couldn't compare.
From now on, Jintang Gate would truly have to depend on Seven Stars Workshop's goodwill to survive, and he naturally wanted to improve relations between them.
Shangguan Ji's face was flushed with a healthy glow as he stroked his beard with a smile: "It's not that Seven Stars Workshop deliberately kept this secret. It's just that the Supreme Elder values his tranquility and dislikes being disturbed, which is why no announcement was made."
The Jintang Gate Master nodded: "I see!"
Shangguan Ji suddenly adopted a look of realization: "That day, the Supreme Elder was traveling the world and made a late-night visit, saying that our Seven Stars Workshop had a fated connection with him, which was why he chose to settle here. But after divining, the Supreme Elder said the fated connection had not yet arrived. Now it seems that connection was this girl Zhao Ya. The Supreme Elder truly has heaven-defying foresight!"
The Jintang Gate Master stood nearby with his mouth agape, only now learning that Seven Stars Workshop had essentially gained their Supreme Elder for free.
His heart ached with envy — why was Seven Stars Workshop so fortunate? Such a powerful figure had volunteered to serve as their Supreme Elder, becoming their unshakable pillar. Why couldn't Jintang Gate enjoy such luck?
He looked at the pair on the circular platform — one tall, one small — and couldn't help but be consumed with jealousy.
Seven Stars Workshop now had a Supreme Elder anchoring their older generation, a Zhao Ya of heaven-defying talent in the younger generation, plus a Miao Feiping with upper-grade aptitude. This was a sign of great prosperity!
On the circular platform, Yang Kai and Zhao Ya continued staring at each other. Though Zhao Ya didn't fully understand what was happening, she was an intelligent and perceptive girl. Reading the expressions around her, she vaguely sensed that the person standing before her must be someone extraordinarily powerful. And for reasons she couldn't explain, this person gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if she had met him somewhere before.
While she stood there in a daze, the Seven Stars Workshop's senior figures were growing frantic.
Being accepted as a disciple by the Supreme Elder — what an extraordinary stroke of fortune! Forget about a seven- or eight-year-old girl; even if the Supreme Elder had said the same to them, they would have immediately dropped to their knees in gratitude. Yet here was the little girl, too naive to grasp the situation, blinking her big eyes at the Supreme Elder.
What more could she possibly learn by just staring?
The impatient elders one by one sent voice transmissions to Zhao Ya, urging her to quickly accept him as master.
Zhao Ya had never experienced anything like this. She only found the noise in her ears incessantly annoying, and waved her hand as if trying to shoo away a few flies.
Yang Kai didn't rush her, merely smiling as he gazed down at the little girl.
After a good while, Zhao Ya finally spoke: "I suppose I wouldn't mind taking you as my master, but only if I can be apprenticed together with Brother Xiaobai."
On the observation platform, Shangguan Ji and the others looked on with expressions of shock and admiration. Now this was truly the fearlessness of a newborn calf — the Supreme Elder himself had appeared to take on a disciple, and anyone else would have joyfully agreed on the spot. Yet this little girl, oblivious to the heights of heaven or depths of earth, wanted to negotiate terms?
And who was this "Brother Xiaobai"?
Not only did Shangguan Ji and the others not know, but among the surrounding crowd, only a handful of people from the Seven Stars Fair recognized who Zhao Ya was referring to.
In the crowd, Miao Feiping stared at Zhao Yebai with a speechless expression. This guy had truly struck it lucky — a massive piece of pie had fallen from the sky and landed right on his head for no reason at all.
"Who is Brother Xiaobai?" Yang Kai asked, already knowing the answer.
Zhao Ya turned and glanced back.
Zhao Yebai hurriedly stepped out from the crowd and came to Zhao Ya's side, bowing deeply: "Zhao Yebai greets the Senior!"