"To think they’re holding a banquet in the Prince Mansion and inviting all the Cultivators in the city to celebrate Zhong Ming—this is an imnse honor!"
"It’s more than just an honor. The most important thing is that Prince Qinghe has acknowledged Zhong Ming’s title as ’Number One of Qinghe Prefecture City’! This is a genuine, official endorsent!"
"Besides, being number one in Qinghe Prefecture is a matter of face for the entire Qinghe County. The Prince’s recognition of Zhong Ming’s title ans he places great importance on him. After this, Zhong Ming’s path in the Qinghe Commandery Mansion will be completely unobstructed. If he were to join the army, high positions would be his for the taking with his reputation and strength. Even marrying a Commandery Princess wouldn’t be out of the question!"
"...I’m so jealous!"
"What’s the use of being jealous? If you had Young Master Zhong Ming’s strength, Prince Qinghe would naturally look at you differently too!"
He had killed Mingya with a single glance, stunning all the Cultivators in the city and leaving no one from the younger generation daring to take the stage and challenge him.
At this mont, Zhong Ming’s reputation in the Qinghe Commandery Mansion had reached its absolute peak.
"Like the midday sun"—the phrase was the most precise description of Zhong Ming’s fa.
Because of his legendary feat, Zhong Ming’s na was on everyone’s lips throughout Qinghe Prefecture City that day.
In the taverns, patrons set down their cups, sighing with admiration as they passionately discussed his one-glance kill. In the teahouses, custors forgot their tea, arguing with others about the true extent of Zhong Ming’s power. The city’s streets and alleys were the liveliest of all, where children, chasing each other in play, shouted Zhong Ming’s na and mimicked his arrogant posture when facing his enemies.
"You... are already dead!"
Amidst such heated discussion, Zhong Ming’s influence on the situation in the Qinghe Commandery Mansion had only just begun to fernt.
...
Faced with a Zhong Ming who had demonstrated such transcendent strength, Prince Qinghe was the first to act, followed closely by the Prefecture City’s six Major Sects.
Their eting had already concluded. During the conference, the Guardian Elders of the six sects had all acted as if Zhong Ming were their mortal enemy, racking their brains for every possible sche to utterly defeat him.
But as soon as they dispersed and left, the expressions of these elders changed in unison. They all independently summoned their sect’s most outstanding female True Disciples and, with grave expressions, began discussing the matter of Zhong Ming with them.
Fa Xuan, a Guardian Elder from the Celestial Sound Sect, was one of them. He imdiately summoned Miaoyun before him.
"These past few days, there have been rumors circulating outside that you and Zhong Ming have so... emotional entanglent?"
Fa Xuan’s words first stunned Miaoyun for a mont, then she shook her head with a complicated expression. "Elder, those are all just rumors..."
Before she could finish, the Guardian Elder of the Celestial Sound Sect cut her off with a wave of his hand and said in a deep voice, "Those rumors... can be made true."
"Huh?"
While Miaoyun was still dazed, Guardian Elder Fa Xuan’s expression turned solemn, and he spoke in a serious tone, "Just consider it for the sake of the sect... Zhong Ming’s Talent is extrely high. He is a prodigy on the sa level as our sect’s Daoist."
"Although we are confident we can defeat him by working with the other Major Sects, as long as Prince Qinghe is around, we don’t want to completely fall out with him. This ans we can only defeat Zhong Ming, not kill him."
"A man like Zhong Ming, under the protection of Prince Qinghe, is destined to beco a powerhouse."
"Our sect has always valued harmony. We are more than willing to foster a closer relationship with a prodigy like him."
The Celestial Sound Sect was no fool. Upon realizing that Zhong Ming could not be killed and possessed transcendent Talent, they swiftly changed their attitude from hostility to amity and recruitnt. For the sake of facing the great catastrophe to co, stockpiling another top-tier combatant and adding a powerful external ally was the only long-term plan for the sect’s survival.
Such tactics were already commonplace among the six Major Sects.
—Many of the female True Disciples of these Major Sects didn’t actually et the standards for strength. The title of True Disciple was given to them, fundantally, for the purpose of marriage alliances with super-prodigies or the True Disciples of other Major Sects, thereby consolidating the sect’s status and influence.
Now, Zhong Ming, with his heaven-defying Talent of challenging a Foundation Establishnt expert while at the Qi Cultivation stage, was seen by the Celestial Sound Sect as a high-potential asset they had to secure. They were intent on pulling him over to their side.
As for why soone with such thoughts would still target Zhong Ming so fiercely at the eting of the six Major Sects—the two things weren’t mutually exclusive. He valued Zhong Ming’s Talent, but he coveted the rich resources of the Qinghe Commandery Mansion even more.
The world is never simply black and white. It was normal for two powers to compete and clash on one hand while cooperating for mutual benefit on the other. The current relationship between the six Major Sects and the Qinghe Commandery Mansion was the perfect illustration of this.
He even felt that defeating Zhong Ming first and dampening his spirit might actually make Miaoyun’s approach to him smoother.
While Fa Xuan was lost in thought, Miaoyun’s face was also filled with complex hesitation. But after a mont of deliberation, she finally lowered her head, her gaze falling, and said in a soft, gentle voice, "For the sake of the sect, this disciple is willing to go to Young Master Zhong Ming’s side."
"Good!" Fa Xuan nodded in satisfaction. "I will be sure to rember the sacrifice you are making for the sect, and I will report it truthfully to the sect’s leaders."
With that, he proceeded to tell Miaoyun every single one of the strategies for dealing with Zhong Ming that the six Major Sects had just discussed in their eting. Seeing that Miaoyun had committed it all to mory, Fa Xuan added, "You may tell Zhong Ming all of this. If he asks who proposed these ideas, you tell him it was all the Spirit Illusion Sect and Qianqiu Valley’s doing."
"This disciple understands," Miaoyun replied in a low voice.
And so, having received her orders, Miaoyun headed for the Seven Profound Sect’s residence.
After she left, a figure quietly appeared. It was the Celestial Sound Sect elder who had been protecting Miaoyun all this ti. The affairs of the Qinghe Commandery Mansion were quite important, after all; it was only natural that each Major Sect had sent more than one elder.
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