"Alright, I understand now. You should rest for a while, it's nothing serious!"
After comforting Duan Shuang, Shi Mo stood up.
"Wait a second, Senior Brother Shi, why did I faint?" Duan Shuang grabbed his sleeve and asked in confusion.
Shi Mo raised an eyebrow, surprised. Did she really not even know that she was knocked out?
"You'd better not ask," he shook his head and sighed, "It's rare for people to be confused like that..."
Duan Shuang was even more puzzled. Seeing that Shi Mo didn't answer, she turned her gaze to Ye Chuan, who was nearby.
Ye Chuan immediately lowered his head, feeling guilty, and struggled to stand up.
"Senior Brother Shi, I'll take my leave for now. I need to ask the Master what exactly happened to me..."
"Huh, did you really fall into a delusion?" Shi Mo asked in surprise.
"Does Senior Brother Shi think I'm pretending?" Ye Chuan blushed a little, his voice rising.
"No, no, no, I believe you, I believe you!" Shi Mo quickly replied, "Then you should hurry and ask the Master, this kind of thing can't be delayed!"
In Shi Mo's past impression, Ye Chuan had always given off the aura of someone who looked down on the world.
When he was younger, he ventured alone into the Henglin Mountain Range with his cultivation at the third realm, slaying three four-realm demons.
After receiving guidance from Lord Chongwu Hou, his strength rapidly grew, easily surpassing everyone in the Jianghai Palace.
Currently, within the Chongwu Guard, with Elder Qin having abandoned his cultivation, Ye Chuan was probably the only one who could challenge Yan Nan.
With a genius like Ye Chuan, all other talents were destined to only serve as his backdrop.
That's how Shi Mo had always thought, until he met Fang Yuan.
...
Ye Chuan left in frustration, not even calling his most beloved senior sister.
But Duan Shuang still followed him.
Shi Mo returned to the central loft and immediately gathered the top fifteen members.
"My butt hasn't even warmed the seat yet..." Fang Yuan muttered, reluctantly standing up and slowly walking out of the wooden house.
"Here comes Brother Fang, everyone, quickly give way for him, let him go in first!"
At the door of the central loft, the sharp-eyed Lu Tianran immediately noticed Fang Yuan's movement, shouted out, and moved aside.
"That's right, let Brother Fang go in first!"
"Yes, yes!"
The other disciples quickly followed suit.
"Damn, this Lu Tianran is really kissing up. Why should Fang Yuan go in first?"
"Exactly, it's just entering a room, why all this nonsense?"
Some disciples complained, but their bodies honestly made way.
As soon as Fang Yuan reached the entrance of the loft, he saw the disciples lined up on both sides, standing upright, revealing the central entrance of the loft.
"Stop with the formalities, all of you get inside!" He furrowed his brow and scolded, "What's with all the show? If someone didn't know, they'd think I was some gangster!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the disciples scattered. Even those who had just been dissatisfied with him now felt a bit of goodwill toward Fang Yuan, for no apparent reason.
Once all the members arrived in the loft, Shi Mo announced:
"You will all immediately follow me to the Weiwu Hall to meet Lord Chongwu Hou!"
"If I'm not mistaken, Lord Chongwu Hou will select a few of you to become his disciples!"
Upon hearing this, the entire central loft erupted.
Every genius was excited and showed anticipation.
Chongwu Hou represented the peak of both martial power and authority in Jianghai State. To become his disciple... how promising would their future be!
"Brother Fang, with your strength, becoming Lord Chongwu Hou's disciple is definitely no problem!"
Bai Feng spoke with envy on his face.
But he wasn't without his chance. Over the past few days, he had been in closed-door meditation and had successfully broken through to the second realm, ninth level, which caused him to miss the earlier drama. Otherwise, he would've turned into a crazy fangirl for Fang Yuan.
"I'm fine either way..." Fang Yuan casually said. He was also excited, but not because of becoming Chongwu Hou's disciple, but because after meeting Lord Chongwu Hou, he could ask him about the cultivation method for the fifth realm.
After all, he had been stuck at the fourth realm for too long, and he was eager to progress.
...
The Weiwu Hall was the core area of Jianghai Palace and also where Lord Chongwu Hou cultivated.
Usually, no one was allowed to enter, and except for Chongwu Hou, only Ye Chuan had free access.
After a short while, everyone arrived at a grand, ancient hall.
"Master, the top fifteen disciples have arrived," Shi Mo bowed respectfully at the entrance.
"Enter."
A deep and powerful voice came from the deepest part of the hall.
The young geniuses immediately became nervous, their hearts racing. Even the usually calm Lin Jing was breathing a bit faster.
The most noticeable one was Xiang Yang. As a fan of Chongwu Hou, he was already trembling all over.
Fang Yuan, however, didn't show much emotion. He had heard that voice before when he was at the Treasure Pavilion.
Under Shi Mo's lead, the nervous youths entered the hall.
In the cold and vast main hall, someone was already waiting.
On the left side sat Qin Hai, Yan Nan, Yin Fifteen, and others, while Ye Chuan and Duan Shuang sat on the right, both of them glaring.
The geniuses lowered their heads, especially Mo Wuhen, who wished he could escape right then and there!
Why did they have to provoke Chongwu Hou's disciples!
Oh right, what about Fang Yuan? He had provoked them even more!
Mo Wuhen secretly looked at Fang Yuan, only to find that he looked completely unfazed, as if nothing had happened.
At this moment, Mo Wuhen couldn't help but admire him.
"You don't need to be nervous." At that moment, the deep voice sounded again:
"My two useless disciples brought this upon themselves. If they dare to cause trouble, I'll break their legs."
These words were quite down-to-earth, like a spring breeze, immediately soothing everyone's hearts. It was only then that they noticed someone was sitting in the center of the hall.
It was a middle-aged man, wearing a slightly plain white robe, with a thin frame and deep features.
He exuded no aura of a martial artist, as if he were an ordinary person.
And he was the highest leader of the entire Jianghai State: Lord Chongwu Hou.
"Master, the top fifteen geniuses have arrived," Shi Mo bowed.
"Mm, everyone sit down," Chongwu Hou waved his hand.
The group of disciples sat down on cushions, surprised to find that the famous Lord Chongwu Hou looked so unremarkable.
As expected, a master doesn't necessarily have to be handsome; it's just the misguided perception of ordinary people from Xingdou City.
Just as this thought crossed their minds, the geniuses suddenly shivered as a pair of jet-black eyes seemed to appear in their minds, suddenly opening wide!
At this moment, it felt as though they were struck by lightning. Those eyes, like a blazing sun, illuminated everything about them!
In the blink of an eye, Lord Chongwu Hou had seen through everyone in the room, except for Fang Yuan. His "Good Man Sutra" prevented even Chongwu Hou from seeing into his mind.
The geniuses hadn't recovered from the experience when they heard Lord Chongwu Hou directly say:
"Unfortunately... none of you can become my direct disciples."
Upon hearing this, the geniuses felt as though the sky had fallen. It meant that none of them, out of the fifteen, were good enough for Lord Chongwu Hou!
On the left side, Ye Chuan showed a victorious smile.
"Master, are you sure?" Yin Fifteen was the first to speak, clearly surprised, "Not even Fang Yuan?"
"Yes, Master, in my opinion, Fang Yuan has immense potential..." Qin Hai followed.
"Master, could you reconsider?" Yan Nan also chimed in.
Having seen Fang Yuan's terrifying feats in Henglin Mountain, they found it hard to accept this result. After all, even Ye Chuan couldn't achieve what Fang Yuan had!
The other geniuses quickly realized that not only were they not good enough, but even someone like Fang Yuan, such a genius, was also not chosen by Chongwu Hou!