"Where did so many Flying Boats come from? Is a Sect going to war with us?"
"If it were truly war, they would send War Boats equipped with cannons."
"Looking at the totem on the boat, it seems to be the Tian Jian Sect."
"The Tian Jian Sect! Aren't they one of the Great Han's Ten Great Sects? Our Qingcheng Sect and them have always kept to themselves, right?"
"Fool, does it even need to be said? The Tian Jian Sect must be here for that young couple with top-tier talent."
As soon as this was said, the others suddenly understood, believing this to be the correct answer.
"The Tian Jian Sect is here, why is no one greeting us!" From above the Flying Boat, the roar of a middle-aged man echoed through the mountains.
Though the Qingcheng Sect Disciples were displeased, they couldn't do anything about it, as the Tian Jian Sect was one of the Ten Great Sects. No matter how unwilling they were, they could only swallow their displeasure.
They couldn't afford to offend them, truly couldn't.
Hearing this, Li Sifan, as the Grand Elder, had no choice but to instruct someone to guard the Cultivation Room door in his place.
He then quickly moved, appearing in the air above the Qingcheng Sect in a flash, only a few feet away from the shouting man.
"Qingcheng Sect Grand Elder Li Sifan greets all Fellow Daoists." Li Sifan cupped his hands.
The Ten Great Sects deserved the proper respect.
As the Grand Elder, he did not want to go to war with the Tian Jian Sect, knowing full well that if a fight broke out, the Qingcheng Sect would likely be erased from history.
"Stop with the nonsense, hand them over quickly!" Even when facing a Sect's Grand Elder, the middle-aged man spoke without a hint of politeness, his tone commanding.
In an era where the strong were revered, he considered himself strong, so he naturally didn't need to be polite to Li Sifan, whose strength was inferior to his.
"People? May I ask what kind of people Fellow Daoist is looking for?" Li Sifan asked knowingly, feigning ignorance.
"Those two Geniuses with Heaven Rank top-grade Spiritual Roots. I don't want to say the same thing a second time!"
The middle-aged man emphasized his tone, "Your Qingcheng Sect isn't qualified to keep such Geniuses."
"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. These two have not joined my Qingcheng Sect. They are merely borrowing my Sect's Cultivation Room to Cultivate. As for whether they agree to leave with Fellow Daoist, we will only know after they emerge from seclusion," Li Sifan replied truthfully.
His greatest fear had come true, and sooner than he had imagined.
He was certain that the Tian Jian Sect was not the only one eyeing Qing Chen and Han Qingyue's talents; they were just faster than others.
How many other forces were still on their way?
"Take me there." If Li Sifan could think of it, how could the middle-aged man not?
His purpose for this trip was to get ahead of other Sect forces and bring the two great Prodigies back to the Tian Jian Sect for Cultivation, so they could become the hope for the Tian Jian Sect's future rise and promotion to the strongest Sect.
"Fellow Daoist, this way please." Li Sifan did not want to cause trouble for himself or the Qingcheng Sect, so he stepped aside.
Seeing that Li Sifan was sensible enough, the middle-aged man did not make things difficult for him.
Along the way, Li Sifan learned that the middle-aged man's name was Zhao Tianyou, an Inner Elder of the Tian Jian Sect.
Before long, Zhao Tianyou, led by Li Sifan, entered the Cultivation Room in the Gongfa Pavilion.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, those two are Cultivating inside." Li Sifan pointed to two adjacent Cultivation Rooms.
"Open them." Zhao Tianyou remained arrogant.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, you may not know, but once the doors to our Sect's Cultivation Rooms are closed, they can only be opened from the inside," Li Sifan explained.
"Since that's the case, Fellow Daoist Li, you don't mind if I use some forceful methods, do you?" Zhao Tianyou said, a green-edged longsword already in his hand.
Before Li Sifan could speak, Zhao Tianyou continued, "Don't worry, we won't shortchange you on compensation. Our Tian Jian Sect is a renowned and righteous Sect!"
These words directly made the decision for Li Sifan, giving him no chance to speak.
"…" Seeing that Zhao Tianyou had already drawn his sword, Li Sifan had no choice but to swallow the words he was about to say.
Otherwise, he couldn't guarantee whether the sword would land on himself or the stone door first.
Seeing that Li Sifan had no objection, Zhao Tianyou felt smug.
He arrived at the Cultivation Room where Han Qingyue was.
He raised his sword and injected Spiritual Qi into it, intending to forcibly break the door and take the Genius away.
As for Han Qingyue and Qing Chen's wishes? They were not important.
At least for now, Zhao Tianyou didn't think that with their abilities, they could resist him, or resist the Tian Jian Sect!
Before he could strike with his sword.
Rumble!
The adjacent stone door slowly opened.
Before he appeared, Qing Chen's voice was heard first, "What kind of scoundrel dares to disturb my wife's Cultivation?"
Qing Chen lightly raised his hand and waved, and powerful Spiritual Qi, like a mountain tsunami, pressed towards Zhao Tianyou.
"Naive." It was still the same sentiment; in Zhao Tianyou's eyes, the current Qing Chen was not yet fully developed and had no right to contend with him.
He cleanly struck with his sword, intending to break Qing Chen's Move and give him a warning!
However, his sword only fell halfway. No matter how much strength Zhao Tianyou exerted, he couldn't make it go down another inch.
Then, what shocked Zhao Tianyou even more was that the precious sword in his hand, made of profound iron, was covered in dense, spiderweb-like cracks.
Even if Zhao Tianyou used all his might, he still couldn't change the outcome of the blade breaking. Iron fragments flew everywhere, scratching his face, and only the hilt remained in his hand.
In the next moment, the force Qing Chen unleashed with his wave transformed into a raging flood in Zhao Tianyou's eyes, instantly sending him flying over ten meters away, smashing through a supporting stone pillar in the main hall, and creating a large crater.
Although Qing Chen's seclusion period was not long and he primarily focused on Cultivation Technique, he also managed to advance his Cultivation by a minor Realm, reaching the eighth level of the Soul Emergence Realm.
In contrast, Zhao Tianyou's strength was at the fifth level of the Soul Emergence Realm, a full three minor Realms lower than Qing Chen. Without the aid of Magic Treasures, he was naturally no match for him.
"Soul Emergence Realm eighth level!" Grand Elder Li Sifan, who witnessed all this, was greatly astonished. He knew Qing Chen's talent was top-tier, but he never expected that at such a young age, his Cultivation would be so much higher than his own!
'With such talent, given time, he will likely become a strong contender for the Great Emperor!'
Li Sifan saw the potential for a Great Emperor in Qing Chen!
"Soul Emergence Realm eighth level?" Zhao Tianyou clutched his chest and climbed up from the ground.
He wiped away the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, forcing a calm demeanor, "Not bad, truly a good seedling for Cultivation. Young man, join my Tian Jian Sect, and I guarantee that the Sect will spare no effort to mold you into an unparalleled Genius! A future overlord! Standing above all others!"
This wasn't just empty promises to Qing Chen; Zhao Tianyou genuinely felt that the Tian Jian Sect could achieve such things, and Qing Chen had no reason to refuse.
He spoke with sincerity and earnestness, a completely different person from when he faced Li Sifan, a Sect's Grand Elder. He had completely changed his attitude.
There was no other way; Qing Chen was simply stronger than him.
Thinking of Qing Chen's status and influence after joining the Tian Jian Sect, Zhao Tianyou had even less reason to be his enemy.
He clearly understood the importance between himself, an Elder, and Qing Chen, a Genius.
In contrast, Qing Chen paid no attention to Zhao Tianyou's words.
At this moment, his attention was entirely on the pop-up System panel, ready to claim his wife-protection reward.