The whispers came.
"It's Long Yifei!"
"Look, Fairy Long!"
The first wave was mostly the males of the younger generation that could not resist their urges and blurted out their thoughts. But who could blame them? Even Chen Wentian had a hard time resisting the pure virginal aura around Long Yifei, let alone a bunch of mortals.
Countless pairs of eyeballs followed her every step, every movement. They had all seen the final results and knew she would be here today. Even though she was not ranked first, she was considered the main attraction!
"Wow…"
"The rumors were true!"
There were many desperate souls among the audience. Many stood up to get a better look, causing others to stand up as well to not have their view be blocked. Her beauty which had only been drawn on canvas and written about was on display for all to see and there not a single bit of untruth. She was every bit as beautiful as their imaginations and even more.
Snow Fairy Long! She was here!
Her reputation was spotless and resounded across the whole subcontinent. She had dropped out of the top one hundred due to tragedy but managed to claw her way back. This made her even more amazing in the eyes of the young geniuses and princes of capital. She was the perfect woman in their eyes. She was the ideal wife.
Long Yifei ignored the noise and quietly followed her sisters down the stairs. Their seat was at the very bottom, the front row. It was natural since Ten Thousand Flower Valley was the highest-ranking sect in the Immortal Sect Competition.
As she walked down, the voices soon included not just the mortals but the immortals as well. Only, the immortals were much more daring and their sharp words could be clearly heard by everyone.
"Why is she walking behind them all?"
"Is she a low-ranking disciple?"
"Who are these girls in front of her?"
There were many dissatisfied people. They could not believe that the most beautiful and talented woman of the land would not be the first disciple. They were shocked that she was relegated to walk behind not just one or two disciples but eight!
The verbal barrage continued even after Chen Wentian and his disciples took their seats. It was as if the entire amphitheater was criticizing him!
Chen Wentian finally had enough and stood up.
"I thought this was the Eastern Sanmu Metropolis and not a brothel for people of low mortal quality and no manners to ogle at women. There are so many immortals among the audience today. I thought my peers were lords amongst men and women but it seems I was mistaken." He said, his voice clear and strong.
"Arrogant!"
"You dare?"
"Is this how you treat Snow Fairy Long?"
"You don't deserve a disciple like her!"
Chen Wentian looked around the entire place, noting down those that were being the most vocal. They were mostly men and the immortals among them tended to be so old that they looked almost ready to fall over and die. There were also some old grandma immortals, probably angry because he had a bunch of youthful female disciples.
He shook his head. These kinds of people were those that managed to break through by sheer luck. They were unable to capture that same kind of fortune for the rest of their immortal lives and would die with regrets. They were also incapable of raising any disciple with any remote chance of achieving the same heights. Their complaints stemmed mostly from jealousy, jealous of his talent, his luck, and his disciples.
There were others that were more interesting and that other motives. From their appearances, they seemed as young or even younger than He Xinghan. Their talents were obvious and each of them surely had some special backing. They were brazen and their words were laced with ill-intent. They were simply seeking trouble!
Chen Wentian found his target and turned to the man with a mocking smile, "Immortal Light Warder Ming Hai, I didn't expect a person like you to stoop to the level of these plebians. Is this how your father told you the reputation of the Eastern Light Clan should be squandered?"
There was a sudden hush. Many were shocked by these words that held absolutely no trace of friendliness. Chen Wentian was not holding back at all.
Immortal Light Warder Ming Hai was young, even younger than He Xinghan. He looked only in his mid-forties, which was nothing at all for a man. Being able to ascend during his golden years meant that he retained his extremely handsome features while some of the immature aspects had been chiseled away with age. This made him even more elegant and noble, like a perfect and righteous man.
However, this man currently sported a heavy frown. He had indeed participated in the public condemnation but he did not expect Chen Wentian to pick him out directly. He didn't think this abnormal Spirit Lord from the frontier would be so daring.
What kind of background did Ming Hai have? He was a Spirit Lord of the Eastern Light Clan. His father was one of the four Spirit Kings of the Immortal Association and one of the rulers of the whole capital. Everyone treated him with the utmost respect!
"Ming Hai, I didn't know you had a habit of coveting other people's disciples. Did your father not teach you properly? Coveting disciples is forbidden by the Immortal Association. Do you know what the punishment is?" Chen Wentian mocked.
Disciples were the most important part of an immortal sect. They represented the future when the master could no longer progress. Stealing a prized disciple was equivalent to cutting off an immortal sect at the roots, especially for small sects.
To facilitate independent immortals and continuous growth of the human race, larger sects were forbidden from bullying smaller sects and stealing their disciples. This was a rule laid down by the Immortal Association for thousands of years.
"You should be careful with your words. This is the capital, not your hometown." Ming Hai said, "Don't you know, mistreating one's disciples is also forbidden."
"Oh?" Chen Wentian didn't even bother to reply but looked at Ming Hai with ridicule.
"Esteemed guests, immortals and alike, you have all heard and seen everything." Ming Hai continued, "Now I want to ask for everyone's opinion. Chen Wentian was assigned as the administrator of the remnants of Glacier Palace and Divine Blazing Mountain after the demise of their immortal masters. He was responsible for the well-being of both sects and yet he merely took in Long Yifei and ignored the rest. On top of that, he is even mistreating the Snow Fairy! Look at her, being relegated to such a low ranking among his disciples. With her talent and bright future, this is absolutely a travesty and an offense to the cultivation world. Everyone, do I speak the truth?"
"That's right!"
"He's bullying her!"
"Apologize!"
The crowd once again regained their energy and resumed denouncing Chen Wentian. Ming Hai had vented their frustration and spoken the words they wanted to say. In their eyes, Long Yifei was obviously not living a good life under her new master.
Ming Hai smiled and pointed at Chen Wentian, "You were simply lucky to have been in the right place at the right time. Any of my fellow immortals here today could have been in the same situation, you're nothing special. They would have given it their all to provide an amazing environment to foster her growth and not waste her potential. Compared to you and the brand-new sect that's only been established for a few years, it would have been many times better!"
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