"Brother Chen, in this Supreme Zone, there's always been talk of the Four Great Heavenly Kings. They are Shen Qinghong, Jun Mobai, Ling Bi'er, and Nie Chong — four geniuses. Shen Qinghong and Jun Mobai are both at the peak of the Yuan Realm, known as half-step Saint Realm. Ling Bi'er and Nie Chong are both at the ninth level of the Yuan Realm. Among them, Ling Bi'er is Ling Hui'er's twin sister. She follows a similar alluring style, and her talent in alchemy is the strongest. The rest of the people here have a considerable gap compared to the Four Heavenly Kings."
Mu Gaoqi transmitted via voice message.
Jiang Chen's expression suddenly turned a bit odd, and Mu Gaoqi seemed to sense something was off.
Because, in an instant, all those who had their eyes shut suddenly opened them. Their gazes were sharp, and in unison, they shot toward Mu Gaoqi.
Those looks were like sword qi unleashed all at once, sending a chill through Mu Gaoqi's entire body.
Shen Qinghong smiled faintly. "Junior Brother Gaoqi, I forgot to tell you — my palace is called the Gentleman's Hall. It has a special restriction; no one can use voice transmission here. Once you transmit your voice, it travels through various paths and enters everyone's ears, no different from speaking aloud."
Mu Gaoqi was deeply embarrassed. This was his first time visiting Shen Qinghong's cave dwelling — how was he supposed to know about these things? Only now did he realize why everyone had turned to look at him in unison.
So every word of his voice transmission had been heard crystal clear by all of them?
Ling Bi'er in particular — her stunningly beautiful face had frosted over with a layer of cold, her proud eyes staring down at Mu Gaoqi as if she could kill him with her gaze alone.
Mu Gaoqi gave an awkward laugh.
Jiang Chen, however, was perfectly at ease. He smiled casually. "The Gentleman's Hall, the Gentleman's Hall — excellent! Very good indeed. If everyone in the Gentleman's Hall is truly a gentleman, that would be a tale for the ages."
"Hmm? Jiang Chen, what do you mean by that? Are you insinuating that someone here isn't a gentleman?" A genius at the eighth level of the Yuan Realm stared at Jiang Chen with a provocative look.
Jiang Chen didn't seem to care in the slightest. He smiled faintly. "Whether someone is a gentleman or not doesn't change because of my words."
The man slapped his armrest, his voice turning sharp. "What an arrogant brat! That you get to sit here today is your honor — it's Senior Brother Qinghong's generous allowance. Don't think you actually qualify to sit as our equal. Mark my words: someone who's just filling a spot will be exposed sooner or later and kicked out of the Supreme Zone sooner or later."
The insinuation toward Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi was unmistakable.
Mu Gaoqi felt like he was sitting on needles, but Jiang Chen remained as calm as ever. "Well said. In that case, you should take care of yourself."
The man was stunned for a moment before he realized Jiang Chen was throwing his own words back at him — calling him the one who was just filling a spot. He flew into a rage.
"Jiang Chen, what do you mean by that?"
Although this person wasn't listed among the Four Heavenly Kings, he had nonetheless been a resident of the Supreme Zone for many years. He was part of the original eight-man group.
Toward people like Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi, he had a natural sense of superiority, and deep down he was thoroughly resistant to their presence.
He felt the Supreme Zone cave dwellings should never have been expanded. There should always be just eight spots — only then could his prestige and uniqueness be preserved.
The sudden addition of four people made him feel the Supreme Zone's value had plummeted, that it cheapened him.
And when he saw Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi, his anger only intensified.
Because Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi, at the Minor Yuan Realm, were sitting as his equals, enjoying the same treatment as him — a man of the Heavenly Yuan Realm.
How could he accept that?
The others, seeing this person step forward, didn't try to stop him. Instead, there was even a hint of schadenfreude in their eyes, a provocative gleam.
How could Jiang Chen not see all of this?
"So this so-called Supreme Zone monthly gathering is just to give us newcomers a show of force? Senior Brother Qinghong, is this what you call hospitality?"
Jiang Chen's words sent a shock through the room.
This Jiang Chen was actually this bold — not only had he talked back to Rong Zifeng, the genius of the eighth level of the Yuan Realm, but he was openly questioning Shen Qinghong's manners as a host.
Everyone was astonished and couldn't help but take a few more looks at Jiang Chen.
Shen Qinghong's brow furrowed slightly. Clearly, given his status and his usual domineering manner, even the other three among the Four Heavenly Kings wouldn't have the audacity to challenge him like this.
This Jiang Chen — an outsider genius — even with some backers, how dare he be this impudent?
Just then, a young scholar in black-and-white Daoist robes smiled. "Everyone, please calm down. We're all disciples of the Supreme Zone, and we represent the face of the Dan Qian Palace. If we blush and shout over such trivial matters, it would be most unseemly. I, Jun Mobai, propose we set this aside and discuss pills and the Dao — talk at leisure about the great trends of the Myriad Phenomenon Region. What do you say?"
Jun Mobai, in his black-and-white robes, looked more like a well-read scholar. He carried himself with an air of refinement and gave people a sense of gentle wisdom.
Among the Four Heavenly Kings, only he gave off a warm and approachable feeling. The other three were quite different — Shen Qinghong was domineering and aloof; Ling Bi'er was cold and forbidding; and Nie Chong was sharp-edged and fierce.
Hearing Jun Mobai speak up, Mu Gaoqi quickly chimed in. "Senior Brother Mobai makes a fair point. Since we're all members of the same sect, we should be harmonious and united."
"Mu Gaoqi, who do you think you are? Do you even have the right to speak here?" Rong Zifeng, who had provoked Jiang Chen earlier, sneered at Mu Gaoqi. "Being a genius in alchemy is all well and good. But if that genius dies young, then you're nothing but garbage. Leave aside that you haven't even reached that level yet — even if you had, you'd still need to step aside in front of real martial arts geniuses. You have no right to speak."
These words were a direct slap in the face.