"Liu Yuan, you tell them." Elder He pointed him out by name. Of everyone present, the old man understood their characters well — and he trusted Liu Yuan more than most.
Liu Yuan was the same green-robed cultivator who had been the first to arrive at Crane Mountain.
"Elder He, after Jiang Chen defeated the Barbarian Race last time, no one in the various domains of human territory doubts his position as leader anymore. He must have recently achieved a breakthrough in his martial cultivation, and feeling quite pleased with himself, he's sent out a wide announcement — inviting us reclusive Heaven's Equal powerhouses to the Myriad Crystal King City for a martial dao tea gathering. He also claims that at this gathering, he'll be distributing generous rewards."
"Generous rewards?" Elder He smiled faintly. "He's still a mortal-world youth who hasn't even ascended to the Heaven's Equal throne. What kind of generous rewards could he possibly offer us?"
Elder He wasn't mocking — merely voicing his doubts.
"We found it suspicious as well, which is why we came to ask for your judgment, Elder He."
Elder He smiled ruefully. "Surely you didn't need to come bother this old man over something like this? If you want to go, then go. What if Jiang Chen really does have something generous to offer?"
Beside him, Zhu Yun blinked eagerly and looked at Elder He. "Will you go, sir? If you personally showed up, us reclusive powerhouses would have the presence to truly overshadow the Myriad Crystal King City."
Elder He paused, surprised. "Overshadow? Why would we need to overshadow Jiang Chen?"
Zhu Yun scratched his unkempt hair. He didn't actually know why they would — the words had simply tumbled out of his mouth.
"Heh heh, if Elder He says no overshadowing, then no overshadowing." Zhu Yun grinned with a simple, honest laugh.
Elder He ignored the Zhuque cultivator entirely and turned his gaze toward Xi Yanbing. "Younger Brother Xi, I recall you visited the Myriad Crystal King City once before. I even spoke with you about it afterward. In your assessment, does Jiang Chen — does the Myriad Crystal King City — truly need to be kept in check?"
Xi Yanbing hadn't expected Elder He to direct the conversation straight at him. He stammered, caught off guard. "Perhaps… that young man's arrogance is growing too brazen, and one day he'll threaten our very existence? Even if it's not a direct threat, he could bring calamity upon human territory."
It was a hastily assembled excuse, but passable.
The two men beside him nodded instinctively, endorsing Xi Yanbing's words.
The others, however, remained silent.
From Elder He's attitude, they had a vague sense that he neither particularly resented Jiang Chen nor particularly resented the Myriad Crystal King City.
At a time like this, it was better not to rush into taking a stance.
After hearing Xi Yanbing's words, Elder He remained unhurried. He smiled mildly. "You can't condemn a man based on a possibility."
"Moreover, in this old man's opinion, Jiang Chen is far from what you'd call arrogant."
He looked around at the others. "Do any of you think Jiang Chen is arrogant?"
Liu Yuan considered for a moment, then spoke in a measured tone. "I've paid particular attention to Jiang Chen as well. The boy generates a great deal of talk, but to call him arrogant — that's a stretch. From what I've seen, Jiang Chen is actually a rather responsible young man."
Behind Xi Yanbing, a gaunt, wizened man cut in. "But he's making enemies left and right! The Barbarian Race today, the Nandou Li tribe tomorrow — who knows which clan the day after? He might even draw the Demon Race here eventually! Will human territory ever know peace?"
Liu Yuan smiled faintly. "That's a rather one-sided view. The Barbarian Race came on their own because the Boundary Stele fractured. They weren't drawn here by Jiang Chen. In fact, not only did Jiang Chen not attract them — he was the first to intercept them when they invaded. As for the Nandou Li tribe, they have nothing to do with Jiang Chen either; if anything, he was the one who drove them off. The matter of the Demon Race, I don't know enough about to comment. However, it is a fact that he recently sent two of his subordinates to slay a Demon Emperor. That alone speaks volumes — Jiang Chen is absolutely a man who shoulders responsibility."
Liu Yuan looked refined and soft-spoken, but in this moment, he didn't shrink back simply because the opposing side had three people on their side. He spoke his mind plainly and with conviction.
The gaunt man let out a soft scoff. "Fellow Daoist Liu, are you saying you plan to rush off to this martial dao tea gathering? Forget the dignity of a Heaven's Equal powerhouse and just deliver yourself to his doorstep? Doesn't that lower your station?"
"Whether I attend the tea gathering or not, I haven't made up my mind yet. That's precisely why I came to Crane Mountain to seek Elder He's counsel."
Liu Yuan clearly had no interest in a war of words with the gaunt man. He turned back to Elder He instead. "Elder He, that's the gist of what I know. My assessment of Jiang Chen is merely a personal opinion."
Elder He nodded. "Is the real reason you've all come here to sound out whether this old man plans to attend this martial dao tea gathering?"
Though none of them nodded in agreement, their silence was as good as an admission.
"Elder He, will you go?" Liu Yuan asked with genuine curiosity.
"I'll go." Elder He's answer was brief and decisive.