Nan Xi looked out over the crowded lecture hall and let out a helpless sigh.
‘I still underestimated the Old Headmaster’s connections.’
He had originally thought it was only the two rivals, the Tianhe Sect and the Wuxing Sect, coming to Daye Village School for promotional lectures.
Who would have expected there to be so many other experts present?
Not only was Cloud Pleat Valley there—a place known for its strange rules—but over ten sects of various sizes were currently gathered in the lecture hall.
Cloud Pleat Valley, Zhenyue Peak, Duanjiang Tower… there were at least five that Nan Xi could name. That did not even include the smaller sects whose names Nan Xi didn’t even recognize.
And that was just the lecture hall.
The martial arts field where the Wuxing Sect was located likely had just as many sects gathered.
‘How lively.’
In the words of the eccentric Luo Lin from Cloud Pleat Valley, it was all fate.
Sure enough, while Nan Xi was spacing out, Luo Lin had already begun chatting with other sects.
Naturally… he didn’t forget to promote his obsession with blonde-haired, beast-eared little girls.
“It’s so lively!”
A small head poked out from behind Nan Xi, eyes sparkling as she looked at the crowded assembly.
Needless to say, it was Nan Xi’s little trash-tier disciple, Xia Xia.
After a short break, Xia Xia had finally recovered from the exhaustion of her overnight cultivation session.
The full-health Xia Xia was back!
Before leaving the meeting hall, Xia Xia had even pulled a fierce face and stuck her tongue out at Huazhu.
She didn’t understand the conflict between her Master and Huazhu, but since the woman was someone her Master disliked, she disliked her too.
She would be fierce toward anyone her Master was fierce toward.
The only problem was that Xia Xia couldn’t actually pull off being fierce. A little white rabbit baring its teeth, no matter how much it tried to look tough, was still just a little white rabbit.
“Do you want to go play? Go ahead, just don’t go too far,” Nan Xi said lazily, giving the little rabbit’s head a gentle rub.
Xia Xia’s eyes lit up, and she instantly dashed out.
She spent two laps wandering around the Cloud Pleat Valley booth and then headed over to the Zhenyue Peak area to listen to them brag… but from start to finish, she never strayed more than ten steps away from Nan Xi.
Not only that, her bright eyes would look back at him every few moments, as if she were afraid Nan Xi might suddenly disappear.
‘Where else could I go?’
Nan Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Throughout the whole event, he sat leisurely in the seat specially arranged for him by Daye Village School, watching Ji Hongmei and the other disciples bustle about. He was the picture of a hands-off boss.
A grown man wouldn’t just vanish into thin air.
“Master, Master! Duanjiang Tower is giving out little scented sachets!”
Xia Xia’s excited voice rang out again. She ran toward Nan Xi waving an exquisite little sachet, looking like she wanted to share her joy with him.
However, before Xia Xia could reach him, a thin figure blocked her path.
If she hadn’t braked in time, she would have crashed right into him.
Nan Xi frowned slightly and looked up at the figure that had suddenly appeared.
Unlike the muscular Luo Lin, the man who had appeared was extremely thin, to the point of appearing frail. In stark contrast, a savage scar ran across his face, making him look particularly fierce.
But what left an even deeper impression were the tall ears on his head. They looked exactly like wolf ears.
‘A Yao Cultivator!?’
Nan Xi was stunned, instantly identifying the man’s identity.
Seemingly realizing he was blocking the way, the Yao Cultivator looked down at Xia Xia. His vertical pupils trembled slightly before he spoke in a weak voice. “My apologies.”
“Eek!”
Xia Xia was startled by his demonic appearance and quickly ran back to Nan Xi’s side. She hid behind him, only daring to peek out with one eye to observe the stranger.
“Hmm?”
Noticing Nan Xi’s presence, the Yao Cultivator let out a soft sigh and turned to give him a respectful bow.
“I am Lang Ya of Zhulu Plain, Dong Qing Prefecture. I have caused trouble for the two of you. Please, forgive my intrusion.”
“Zhulu Plain?”
Nan Xi raised an eyebrow. It was a sect he had never heard of.
However, he didn’t dislike Lang Ya’s friendly attitude. He stood up and returned the greeting.
“Nan Xi of the Tianhe Sect, Mulan Prefecture. It is a pleasure to meet you, Brother Lang.”
“So you are from the Tianhe Sect?” Lang Ya’s vertical pupils constricted slightly, clearly surprised by Nan Xi. “I have heard much of your great name. Today was truly rushed, and I have nothing prepared…”
As he spoke, a loud cry that sounded like a wolf’s howl suddenly came from behind Lang Ya.
Lang Ya’s ears twitched. He hurriedly stopped speaking and bowed to Nan Xi once more.
“I have urgent matters to attend to. I must take my leave. I hope you can forgive me.”
After finishing his sentence, Lang Ya turned and quickly disappeared from their sight.
Behind Nan Xi, Xia Xia cautiously poked her head out, still seemingly shaken by Lang Ya’s appearance.
“He looks so scary, Master.”
“That is only natural. Most Yao Cultivators are like that; a part of their body remains like that of a monster.” Nan Xi’s eyes suddenly darted around, and he spoke with a hint of a tease. “Then why don’t you guess? Is he a Human-to-Yao or a Yao-to-Human?”
“Human-to-Yao… Yao-to-Human… are these all Yao Cultivators?” Xia Xia blinked.
“Of course.”
“But, if it’s a Yao-to-Human, why isn’t it called a Human Cultivator?”
Nan Xi froze and looked down at Xia Xia in surprise. This question had actually stumped him.
In his understanding, whether they were Human-to-Yao or Yao-to-Human, they were all collectively called Yao Cultivators.
He had never considered that the term “Human Cultivator” could be used that way.
‘Is she actually a genius!?’
“Good name. I’ll start calling them Human Cultivators from now on.”
Nan Xi gave Xia Xia a thumbs-up. The praise made her a bit embarrassed, and she could only shrink back to Nan Xi’s side, giggling silly.
….
After the brief interlude, the presentations in the lecture hall moved to the next stage.
Each sect present would send a representative to the center to promote and introduce their sect to all the students of Daye Village School to increase their understanding.
As for the order, it naturally began with the highest-status group present: the Tianhe Sect.
“Ahem—”
In the center of the lecture hall, Ji Hongmei cleared her throat. She spoke in a gentle yet dignified voice.
“I am Ji Hongmei of the Tianhe Sect, an Inner Sect Disciple of Tianshu Peak. It is an honor to meet everyone. Next, let me introduce our Tianhe Sect to you all…”
Ji Hongmei lived up to her status as an Inner Sect Disciple of Tianshu Peak.
Her speech was rich in content and well-organized, covering everything from the history of the Tianhe Sect to the layout of the Spirit Peaks and Spirit Veins, and even the training procedures for disciples.
Everything was in perfect order.
As for why the speaker wasn’t the Peak Master, Nan Xi?
Please. He was giving them enough face just by sitting there. To make him show his face in public before so many people would be a bit too much of a nuisance for him.
It was better to leave such things to a professional.
After a brief introduction, it was time for the student Q&A session. The questions were nothing more than the usual inquiries about disciple benefits or whether the sect had holidays.
Nan Xi leaned against his chair and stared up at the high ceiling.
‘So tired. I want to go home and sleep.’
Just then, a clear female voice rang out, asking Ji Hongmei on the stage.
“Senior, hello! I would like to ask, which Spirit Peak does the senior sitting in the middle of your group come from? We would like to know more about him.”
Nan Xi was startled and stopped staring at the ceiling.
In an instant, every gaze in the room focused on him, making him feel quite uncomfortable.
It made sense, though. From the beginning, he had been sitting lazily in the primary seat of the Tianhe Sect.
Combined with his white Elder robes and his decent temperament, it wasn’t surprising that he would attract the curiosity of the students.
Seeing that Nan Xi had no intention of speaking, Ji Hongmei hesitated for a moment before deciding to answer for him.
“Uh, well, this is the Peak Master of Tianquan Peak, one of the four Great Spirit Peaks of our Tianhe Sect. As for more information…”
Ji Hongmei also froze.
She didn’t actually know much more about Nan Xi than the students present.
Before setting out, she only knew that this newly appointed Peak Master was named Nan Xi, and that he was male… beyond that, there was no other information.
Ji Hongmei turned her gaze toward Nan Xi, her hopeful eyes seemingly begging him to say something.
As for Nan Xi…
“Why are you looking at me?”
Nan Xi raised an elbow and leaned against the back of the chair in a more comfortable position. He spoke in a lazy tone.
“I’m not taking disciples.”