Since Jiang Chen's identity had not been exposed, he had disguised himself as Mu Gaoqi to join the expedition.
This naturally led the rest of the team to harbor some doubts about "Mu Gaoqi's" inclusion.
Mu Gaoqi's talent had already been widely recognized. At the Huanbo Mountain Pill Competition, he had indeed performed outstandingly and made tremendous contributions.
But even so, hadn't he recently been said to have just attempted a breakthrough to the Tianyuan Realm?
Even if he had entered the Tianyuan Realm, he could only be at most at the seventh level of the Yuan Realm, right?
With such cultivation, how could he represent Dan Qian Palace at the Myriad Grand Ceremony?
In Danxiao Valley, there were absolutely no fewer than twenty geniuses at the eighth level of the Yuan Realm or above. Several had even reached the ninth level.
Not a single one of them had been brought along. Instead, they had picked Mu Gaoqi.
Everyone believed this was Elder Yunnie pulling strings through the back door. But though they harbored doubts, no one dared speak up.
After all, Mu Gaoqi's talent was plain for all to see—who would dare offend him?
Offending him meant offending a future powerhouse of Dan Qian Palace. An Innate Wood Spirit Body of superior grade—such talent was universally acknowledged as capable of influencing a sect's fortune for a thousand years.
In a hundred years, even Palace Master Danchi would likely have to treat Mu Gaoqi with the utmost courtesy.
Dan Qian Palace had not produced a single Pill King in the past several hundred years. Even the most outstanding Elder Yunnie had fallen short of the Pill King test by a single step.
Mu Gaoqi, however, was considered by the sect to have the potential to become a seventh-grade Pill King.
Such talent would make him a sought-after commodity even in a first-rank sect.
Therefore, throughout the journey, aside from Elder Liancheng's sour expression, no one else raised any objections. On the contrary, they chatted and laughed with "Mu Gaoqi," occasionally putting on displays of camaraderie between fellow disciples.
They were all clever people who understood the wisdom behind the saying that one should view a person with fresh eyes after even a brief separation.
Mu Gaoqi was destined to be someone none of them could afford to cross. So why antagonize him? Better to build a good relationship early on.
Even Shen Qinghong, after breaking through to the Saint Realm, had become much more outgoing and was quite intimate with "Mu Gaoqi," occasionally offering a few pointers on cultivation.
This left Jiang Chen struggling to keep up. Disguising as Mu Gaoqi wasn't difficult—as long as he carefully restrained his Saint Realm aura from leaking, no one could detect the flaw.
But having to play the clueless novice and accept Shen Qinghong's martial guidance was something he could barely endure.
Fortunately, Ling Bi'er stepped in to rescue him in time.
Only Ling Bi'er knew the truth—that the "Mu Gaoqi" before them was an impostor, and his true identity was Jiang Chen. Whenever everyone enthusiastically tried to get close to "Mu Gaoqi," Ling Bi'er would always find a way to steer the conversation toward pill refinement and challenge "Mu Gaoqi" on the subject.
A beautiful woman had priority, and the others had no grounds to complain.
This proved to be a great help to Jiang Chen.
This situation was precisely what Elder Liancheng least wanted to see. He felt a sense of loss, because even Shen Qinghong—his martial arts disciple—seemed lately to be slipping beyond his control.
Ever since breaking through to the Saint Realm, Shen Qinghong's personality had changed considerably.
These changes were not necessarily bad.
But every time Elder Liancheng complained about Palace Master Danchi and Elder Yunnie joining forces to suppress him, Shen Qinghong would simply smile it off, saying that the two probably had no personal grudge against their master but were acting in the sect's interest.
These words, ostensibly meant to console Elder Liancheng, actually annoyed him to no end.
You're my direct disciple, for heaven's sake—how do your words sound more like you're excusing Palace Master Danchi and Elder Yunnie?
Could it be that during the trip to Huanbo Mountain, those two had brainwashed Shen Qinghong?
The changes in his direct disciple threw Elder Liancheng further off balance, making him feel as though something that had belonged to him had been forcibly taken away.
This time in particular, Elder Liancheng had repeatedly hinted that Shen Qinghong should perform brilliantly—not necessarily overpowering the other geniuses of the Myriad Region, but at the very least surpassing Dan Qian Palace's younger generation.
Only then could he claim the last remaining Heaven Grade Spiritual Medicine.
Though Elder Liancheng had hinted repeatedly that Shen Qinghong should seize this Heaven Grade Spiritual Medicine and then offer it to him, Shen Qinghong's responses always fell just a bit short, never quite satisfying him completely.
This made Elder Liancheng even more displeased, feeling that Shen Qinghong's wings had grown and he was no longer under his command. Now seeing Shen Qinghong chatting and laughing with Elder Yunnie's disciple Mu Gaoqi, he naturally grew even more unhappy.
Palace Master Danchi had faintly sensed the awkwardness but pretended to know nothing.
He understood that Elder Liancheng harbored certain emotions, but if the man himself couldn't resolve those feelings, nothing anyone else said would make a difference.
……
The venue for the Myriad Grand Ceremony was the ruins of the former Myriad Empire.
It was held once every thirty years, as always.
The Myriad Grand Ceremony was, in plain terms, a memorial ritual—a ceremony honoring the former glory of the Myriad Empire and commemorating the powerhouses who had perished in that catastrophe, reminding the geniuses of the Myriad Region never to forget the shame they bore.