Hearing Li Ming's sudden exclamation behind him, Pan Haicheng trembled noticeably. Even so, he was quick to turn around, looking in Huang Xiaolong's direction.
Both men's eyes met in midair. An invisible energy collided as their gazes met, releasing a pressure in the hall, akin to a rope stretched taut that was about to snap any moment.
Huang Xiaolong was the first to move, walking toward Pan Haicheng.
Pan Haicheng was inwardly stunned, but he too walked toward Huang Xiaolong. Before he even reached Huang Xiaolong, a radiant smile blossomed on Pan Haicheng's face, "This Pan Haicheng has long admired Brother Huang Xiaolong's great reputation ah, and has long been wanting to pay a visit to Brother Huang Xiaolong's Golden Dragon Peak. I didn't expect that we'd run into each other here instead!" There was humility in his smile.
By the time his long greeting speech ended, he was standing in front of Huang Xiaolong. At the same time, Pan Haicheng bent slightly at the waist.
However, Huang Xiaolong showed a deadpan expression, walking past Pan Haicheng as if he had not seen him.
Pan Haicheng stiffened on the spot, his humble but radiant smile froze. A nerve on his face twitched as a grim expression replaced the smile.
Every pair of eyes in the hall was looking at Pan Haicheng, but no one made a sound. A deathly silence filled the hall.
Pan Haicheng's hands clenched into fists, his fingers digging into his palms. Fury swirled in his eyes as his killing intent surged violently.
Huang Xiaolong actually dared to ignore him!
In front of a crowd of elite disciples, he dared to ignore a greeting from him, Pan Haicheng!
Dead! Dead! Dead! His eyes turned scarlet red, however, recalling Huang Xiaolong's terrifying strength, Pan Haicheng forced himself to endure in the end.
By this point, Huang Xiaolong had reached the inner hall, stepping over the door threshold.
Watching Huang Xiaolong's disappearing figure, the look in Pan Haicheng's eyes grew cold and sinister.
Seconds later, Li Ming approached Pan Haicheng cautiously from the back, "Leader, that Huang Xiaolong is too arrogant, but he won't be able to jump around for long. Wait until Vice-Institute Principal Wang Na ascends, his time will be up!"
Pan Haicheng's cold gaze swept over Li Ming in a side glance, then over the other disciples gathered in the hall. The surrounding disciples shifted several steps, lowering their heads to avoid Pan Haicheng's cold gaze.
Without a single word, Pan Haicheng strode out from the hall with a frosty expression. Li Ming followed hastily behind him.
Once both of them were out from the hall, Pan Haicheng's strained voice sounded, "Are you certain that the Xuanji Treasure is located in the Nine Dragons Constellation?"
Li Ming nodded: "Absolutely certain!"
"Have everything prepared in two days. After two days, we're departing to the Nine Dragons Constellation!" A light glinted in Pan Haicheng's eyes, "As as long as we get our hands on that treasure, what can a mere Huang Xiaolong amount to?"
In a flicker, their figures disappeared from the Red Flood Peak.
As for Huang Xiaolong, after stepping into the inner hall, he headed straight to the stone chamber for the Elder promotion. Although it was called a stone chamber, in reality, it was more like a huge square.
In the square, a tall skinny old man was sitting in a meditative pose.
When Huang Xiaolong saw this old man, he felt genuinely amused. This tall and skinny old man was the very same one that came to his Golden Dragon Peak some time ago, demanding he take out the Swallowing Sky Starquake Divine Pill formula as a contribution to their Black Warrior Institute—Li Jiarong!
Hearing the sound of someone entering, Li Jiarong opened his eyes, but when he saw Huang Xiaolong, his expression tightened.
"Huang Xiaolong, what are you doing here?!" Li Jiarong jumped to his feet, half out of anger, half out of trepidation.
Huang Xiaolong answered indifferently, "Isn't this the place for the Elder promotion? I came to have my Seventh Order God Realm cultivation verified for the Elder promotion."
Li Jiarong blanked for a moment. This answer was the one he least expected the most. When he regained his wits, a scheming light flitted in the depth of his eyes, sneering at Huang Xiaolong, "You want to be promoted to an Elder? Naturally, that is only if you can split this lump of iron ore." After he finished saying that, Li Jiarong took out a blackish piece of iron ore that closely resembled charcoal.
This piece of iron ore was something that he stumbled upon by chance, called Blackwood Iron. It was an extremely hard piece of iron that could endure his full force strike while using a divine artifact, leaving only a faint sword mark. Li Jiarong believed that not even an early Eighth Order God Realm master could split this Blackwood Iron.
It was impossible for an average Seventh Order God Realm to split it open.
Huang Xiaolong's eyes narrowed as he stared at Li Jiarong, a fierce light flitted past his eyes. The verification process for the Elder promotion did not have this rule. One merely needed to released their Seventh Order God Realm aura to pass, this Li Jiarong was deliberately making things difficult, picking a fight!
A cold complacent smile spread over Li Jiarong's face watching Huang Xiaolong being backed into a hard wall, "If you really can't split this Blackwood Iron, then roll back to where you came from and cultivate for a few hundred years more. Come back when you think you're strong enough to split this Blackwood Iron!"
Roll back where you came from and cultivate a few hundred years more!
Huang Xiaolong's patience was thinning at a rapid pace, his voice grew frosty, "I only need to split this Blackwood Iron, is that right?"
Huang Xiaolong's calm demeanor made Li Jiarong raise an eyebrow in doubt. After thinking briefly, he said solemnly, "Right, as long as you can split this Blackwood Iron, you pass!"
Although he knew that Huang Xiaolong had the Mulberry Sword given by the Institute Principal Feng Yang, he felt that at Huang Xiaolong's current strength, even if the Mulberry Sword was used, he still wouldn't be able to split open the Blackwood Iron.
Just as Li Jiarong's voice fell, a golden light flashed from Huang Xiaolong's hand, revealing a golden flame longsword.
This golden flame longsword was formed from his dantian's immortal essence fire. Without another word, Huang Xiaolong chopped at the Blackwood Iron.
Dang! A loud crisp noise rang in the air. The piece of Blackwood Iron didn't split but was instead shattered into a dozen pieces.
Li Jiarong stared stupidly at the dozen pieces of Blackwood Iron; it actually shattered?! Into a dozen pieces too!
He couldn't help looking at the flaming longsword in Huang Xiaolong's hand.
Huang Xiaolong couldn't be bothered with Li Jiarong's reaction. As he retrieved the golden flame longsword into his body, his indifferent voice sounded, "Li Jiarong, take out the Elder's token and robe."
Li Jiarong's expression wavered. He was unwilling, but he did not say anything as he took out a token representing an Elder's position and the Elder robe.
Taking them items from Li Jiarong, Huang Xiaolong pricked his finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the Elder token. The token shone brightly the instant blood touched its surface, and a few breaths later, the drop of blood seeped into it.
From this moment on, Huang Xiaolong was an Elder of the Black Warrior Institute.
An Elder!
In order words, Huang Xiaolong had entered the higher echelon of the Black Warrior Institute, possessing a certain level of authority, not to mention the fact that his status had gone up several levels. Holding the Black Warrior Institute Elder status, he would receive high level treatment anywhere he went within the Black Tortoise Galaxy.
Precisely at the same instant that his blood merged into the Black Warrior Institute Elder token, Huang Xiaolong acted. Before Li Jiarong could react, he felt a throbbing pain on his right cheek. He was sent flying back with one slap from Huang Xiaolong.
Climbing up from the ground, he roared at Huang Xiaolong, "Huang Xiaolong, how dare you rebel against your superior, I'll have the Grand Elders convene for another meeting, you'll definitely be punished this time! They'll kick you out from the Black Warrior Institute!"
But, just as his last word came out from his mouth, Huang Xiaolong was already in front of him, landing a kick on Li Jiarong.
A burst of sharp pain came from Li Jiarong's stomach. His whole body shot backward, crashing into a wall, sliding down to the ground.
"Rebel against a superior? It seems you've forgotten. I'm now an Elder, just like you. What we're doing now is seeking pointers from each other." Huang Xiaolong mocked in a frigid cold voice, "Even if you have that old witch Wang Na convene the Grand Elders a hundred times, you still won't be able to expel me!" Saying this, Huang Xiaolong reached Li Jiarong's side. Lifting his foot, he stomped down hard on Li Jiarong's lower part.
"You're just a shameless bag of bones begging for a spanking!"