“Disciple Wen Ruan of Tianxuan Peak greets the Peak Master of Tianquan Peak!”
“Disciple Ji Hongmei of Tianshu Peak greets the Peak Master of Tianquan Peak!”
Beside Elder Cigu, the two female disciples stepped forward one after another, respectfully saluting Nan Xi.
Compared to Wang Quan, their cultivation was significantly higher, having already reached the level of Late Foundation Establishment. They could be considered senior Inner Sect Disciples.
As for the last one…
A disciple dressed in a Gold-threaded White Robe stepped forward and cupped his fists to salute Nan Xi.
The moment Nan Xi saw him, his brow furrowed slightly.
‘A Gold-threaded White Robe!?’
In the Tianhe Sect, while there were no rigid requirements for the disciples’ attire, one’s status could still be distinguished by the color of their robes on formal occasions.
For example, a Miscellaneous Disciple generally did not have the right to wear formal robes and often wrapped themselves in coarse grey cloth.
Outer Disciples wore more formal black robes. Upon reaching the level of an Inner Sect Disciple, these would be replaced with grey robes; the lighter the color, the deeper their seniority within the Tianhe Sect.
Further up were the white robes of the Elders.
As for this Gold-threaded White Robe…
“Disciple Yun Peng of the [Seven Stars of Tianhe], belonging to Tianji Peak, greets the Peak Master!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the disciples present were stunned, looking at the disciple named Yun Peng in shock.
Did he say… the Seven Stars of Tianhe?
Wait, there was actually a member of the Seven Stars of Tianhe on this trip?
One must know that the Seven Stars of Tianhe held extraordinary significance within the Tianhe Sect.
They did not just symbolize the title of chief disciple, but were also among the very best in the entire Tianhe Sect.
Every member of the Seven Stars of Tianhe would inevitably be groomed to become a First-class Elder or even a Peak Master in the future.
Not to mention, the best among the Seven Stars of Tianhe were strong candidates for the position of Sect Master of Tianhe Sect!
And now, one of the Seven Stars of Tianhe had appeared right before them!
“Ma-ma-ma-master, he’s one of the Seven Stars of Tianhe!”
Xia Xia, who was standing beside Nan Xi, had turned into a little stutterer. She pulled at the corner of Nan Xi’s sleeve, unable to stammer out a coherent sentence.
One must realize that the entire Tianquan Peak did not have a single member of the Seven Stars of Tianhe.
This was the first time Xia Xia had seen a living member of the Seven Stars of Tianhe!
‘Can I ask for an autograph!?’
Seeing Xia Xia’s inexperienced behavior, Nan Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Her Master was clearly the even rarer Peak Master of the Tianhe Sect, so why was she so shocked by one of the Seven Stars of Tianhe?
There were seven of them, but there were only four Peak Masters!
Nan Xi gave a click of his tongue in admiration and shifted his gaze back to Yun Peng, looking him up and down.
“You say you are one of the Seven Stars of Tianhe from Tianji Peak?”
“This disciple is unworthy. I only recently became one of the new generation of the [Seven Stars of Tianhe].”
Yun Peng bowed slightly. From the slight smile at the corner of his mouth, it was clear he quite enjoyed everyone’s astonishment at his status.
This was not surprising.
In terms of strength, the cultivation radiating from this disciple named Yun Peng had clearly reached the Golden Core Stage.
It could be said that he far surpassed the other disciples present — especially you, Xia Xia! He was more than an entire major realm higher than her!
Under normal circumstances, even a Third-Level Elder of the various Ling Peaks would only be at the Golden Core Stage.
It was no wonder he dared to be so arrogant in front of everyone.
With this talent, he indeed had the capital for arrogance.
As for Nan Xi…
“Oh, I see.”
“Huh???”
Yun Peng’s eyes instantly widened. In the past, whenever he mentioned he was one of the [Seven Stars of Tianhe], those Elders would always praise him as a young genius.
Why did this Peak Master of Tianquan Peak look like he wasn’t seeing anything out of the ordinary?
After a moment of thought, he continued.
“Cough… This disciple has had some realizations recently and has shown signs of a slight breakthrough toward the late Golden Core Stage.”
As soon as he said this, the disciples present gasped.
‘No, brother. We’re still struggling through Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, so how is someone already aiming for the late Golden Core Stage?’
Comparisons really were odious!
On the other side, Nan Xi finally seemed a bit moved by these words.
He glanced at Yun Peng again and asked calmly, “How old are you this year?”
“Uh, I am 23 this year.”
“…”
Nan Xi was suddenly speechless.
‘Please, man, you’re older than me. Why are you acting so smug?’
Furthermore, at 23, he had only just broken through the early Golden Core Stage and was heading toward the late stage. Among genius disciples, this was actually a bit slow.
“Fine, then keep working hard!”
Nan Xi spoke calmly. His tone was exactly the same as when he faced Wang Quan, as if even one of the [Seven Stars of Tianhe] was no different from an ordinary disciple in his eyes.
After speaking, he turned back to Elder Cigu, who had been silently watching the show.
“Elder Cigu, is the transport for the trip ready?”
“Hehehe, it has long been prepared. Peak Master Nan Xi, please, this way…”
Elder Cigu gestured with her hand, guiding Nan Xi toward the outside of the hall. Xia Xia blinked and followed with small steps, leaving Yun Peng still dazed in the wind.
Beside Yun Peng, Wang Quan also stepped forward quickly, preparing to follow Nan Xi.
But as he passed Yun Peng, he felt he should say something. After some thought, he cupped his fists and saluted him.
“Brother Yun Peng, keep working hard!”
“Wait…”
“Senior Brother Yun Peng, keep it up!” “Keep going, Senior Brother Yun Peng!”
Behind Wang Quan, Wen Ruan and Ji Hongmei followed one after another, cupping their fists to encourage Yun Peng… but why did these words of encouragement feel so strange!?
……
Outside the Main Hall of Tianquan Peak.
Elder Cigu and several other Elders were leading the way, heading toward the “Heaven-Patrolling Flying Boat” that would serve as their transportation for this trip.
Behind them, Nan Xi was strolling leisurely, a few paces back.
Suddenly, there was a slight tug on his sleeve.
Nan Xi looked down and met a pair of emerald-green eyes.
It was none other than his little piece of trash, Xia Xia.
Nan Xi raised an eyebrow and asked, “What is it, Xia Xia?”
Xia Xia looked around and then lowered her voice, whispering to Nan Xi.
“Master, Master, have you seen a lot of geniuses?”
“Why the sudden question?”
“Because you seemed so unimpressed by that member of the [Seven Stars of Tianhe]. That was one of the [Seven Stars of Tianhe]!” Xia Xia said in surprise.
“I felt he was just so-so,” Nan Xi said indifferently. He had seen many geniuses. Just his old rival, the [Saintess of Tianhe Sect], was much stronger than one of these so-called [Seven Stars of Tianhe].
Furthermore —
Nan Xi suddenly gave a mysterious smile and looked down silently at Xia Xia. That mischievous look in his eyes made Xia Xia shiver instantly…
Her intuition told her that whenever her Master smiled like that, nothing good would happen.
“Xia Xia, I’m giving you a mission.”
“W-what mission?”
“In three years, I want you to go and beat up the [Seven Stars of Tianhe] one by one.”
“Huh!?”
Xia Xia’s eyes went wide, and she pointed at her own nose.
‘I’m supposed to fight the [Seven Stars of Tianhe]?’
“Naturally.” Nan Xi smiled casually. “Besides, on this business trip, you are our absolute main force!”