"Young master Qingyuan, I didn't expect you to come back so soon. The Master of the family is still talking about you."
The guard at the gate was very respectful. He did not look like the arrogant person he was when speaking to Gu Xi.
Gu Qingyuan jumped down from the horse. His movements were smooth and graceful. He said with an indifferent expression, "Yes, I came back as soon as I received the news from uncle."
Gu Xi had heard of Gu Qingyuan before. He was a genius from the younger generation of the Gu Clan. He was talented at such a young age and had already broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. He was the hope of everyone in the Gu Clan.
Gu Qingyuan had also noticed Gu Xi. He glanced at Gu Xi and found that his cultivation was not high. "Who is this?"
The gatekeeper realized that Gu Xi had not left yet. He said disdainfully, "A good-for-nothing in the Body Refining stage. He refused to enter through the side door. Who does he think he is?"
Hearing this, Gu Qingyuan frowned slightly, especially when he realized that Gu Xi was wearing a white robe and was an in-name disciple who had yet to enter the sect. He said coldly, "If you want people to respect you, you should improve your cultivation instead of wasting your time here and arguing with others."
Hearing this, Gu Xi felt it was funny. It was the gatekeeper who was in the wrong, but everyone seemed to be against him. He did not want to talk too much with these people, so he turned around and entered the gate.
Gu Qingyuan's eyes turned extremely cold. He did not expect Gu Xi to ignore him in public. After all, he was famous at a young age, and he was the best in the clan. Besides the elders, everyone else would show him some degree of respect.
The gatekeeper was even more dumbfounded. "You!"
Seeing Gu Qingyuan's unpleasant expression, he quickly said, "Young Master Qingyuan, do you want me to chase this man back? It's really rude."
Gu Qingyuan shook his head, his tone extremely cold, "It's okay. This kind of person will suffer sooner or later."
After arriving at the family meeting hall, Gu Xi realized that almost everyone had arrived. They were all gathered together and discussing. Gu Xi could only stand outside.
"I wonder who the Clan Head will choose as the successor this time."
"I heard that not long ago, someone in the clan had already been promoted to an inner disciple. He is now in the Foundation Establishment stage, and his future will surely be bright."
"The person you are talking about must be Gu Qingyuan, right? He has outstanding talent and great strength. He has always been entrusted with an important task by the Clan Head, and he even went on a trip some time ago."
"He said he was going on a trip, but it seems like he was carrying out some kind of mission. I think it's most likely him. According to his cultivation and speed, he is likely to be the candidate to become a personal disciple in another five years."
While the crowd was discussing, Gu Qingyuan walked in.
"Gu Qingyuan is here!"
Someone shouted, and the crowd parted like Moses parting the sea.
Gu Qingyuan strutted forward. When he passed by Gu Xi, his footsteps paused, and his expression seemed to turn cold.
Gu Xi met his gaze calmly.
No one noticed this small incident.
Even the Clan Head, Gu Zhen'an, personally welcomed him, "Qingyuan, you're back. You've had a long journey. You must have worked hard."
Seeing the Clan Leader pay so much attention to Gu Qingyuan, everyone looked at each other. If they had guessed correctly, the successor of the Clan Leader should be Gu Qingyuan. After all, he was very powerful and the Clan Leader had taken a fancy to him. Today's grand ceremony of the successor was just a formality.
The others soon got excited and gathered around Gu Qingyuan.
"Congratulations. I heard that you've entered the inner sect and the elders have taken a fancy to you. It seems that you'll be able to become a personal disciple soon."
Gu Qingyuan smiled and said humbly, "That's not true. I'm just lucky. I must thank the elders for my achievements."
Although he said so, the arrogance in his expression could not be concealed. Hearing Gu Qingyuan's confirmation of their guess, they became even more eager to please him.
It was only a matter of time before he became a personal disciple. The smile on their faces became even wider.
Gu Xi, who was at the end of the crowd, felt extremely bored when he heard such flattery. If he had time to listen to their flattery, he might as well go hunt some demonic beasts.
Gu Qingyuan's gaze swept across the crowd and inadvertently landed on Gu Xi. Then, he said coldly, "Everyone, you should also cheer for me. I believe that you will enter the inner sect sooner or later, unlike some people who have been cultivating for more than ten years and are still an in-name disciple who has yet to enter the inner sect."
The only thing missing from that sentence was Gu Xi's name.
Although Gu Xi was like an invisible person in the clan, everyone knew about his deeds. After all, it was rare to see someone who had been cultivating for more than ten years and was still in the Body Refining stage.
Those with sharp eyes could see that Gu Xi and Gu Qingyuan were not on good terms with each other. They did not know how these two people were related. After all, one was a publicly recognized genius, and the other was publicly recognized as trash.
However, this did not stop them from pleasing Gu Qingyuan.
"That's right. Even though his talent is below average, he still stubbornly stayed in the sect. All of his batchmates have already become outer sect disciples, only he has been standing still."
"This kind of person is simply a waste of resources. If I were him, I would have long been ashamed of myself and would have left the sect. I simply could not stay there."
Everyone ridiculed Gu Xi, but he remained calm. He did not pay any attention to them.
Gu Qingyuan smiled coldly and did not say anything. He did not even need to personally deal with this kind of trash. Some people who wanted to please him would deal with him.
"I don't know why our Gu Clan has such trash."
Because of Gu Qingyuan, Gu Xi became the target of public criticism, so much so that everyone avoided Gu Xi like he was some ferocious beast.
"Alright, everyone, please be quiet. Don't waste time on this kind of thing."
Gu Zhen'an's gaze was like a dragonfly skimming the water. It swept over Gu Xi with a hint of disgust, but it was indifference. This kind of indifference and disregard hurt more than words.
As Gu Zhen'an spoke, everyone quieted down.
Everyone quickly forgot about Gu Xi
"Qingyuan, do you think you should go to the sect to hire a consecrator to conduct targeted training for you?"
This was a treatment that the other disciples of the sect had never received before. To put it bluntly, it was special treatment. Gu Qingyuan would receive special training. After all, hiring a consecrator would cost a lot of money.
If he was not the next successor, Gu Zhen'an would not need to spend so much effort.