The trembling disciples in question were the Execution Squad that was led by Chen Liwei. Of course, now that Chen Liwei was dead, they've since been disbanded.
"Y-yes, Sect Leader," said one of them; Jiayi, whom Ryker had fought with last night.
"Hm."
Nervous sweat dripped from Jiayi's face, as he inwardly cursed. Those seniors with him couldn't even have lived? Now he had to take the blame as the most senior member!
The wizened old woman, Xia Qiao, just looked down on them with an uncaring gaze, though every one of them knew how much trouble they were in.
"Elder Ye, take them to the mining pits," the sect leader finally said, waving them away.
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
The elder named Ye led the unlucky disciples away, all of them wearing looks of dread at the thought of the mining pits. Although the name was rather unassuming, horror stories from those disciples who were sent there and lived to return had been circulating throughout the sect even from the day it was formed.
Xia Qiao sighed softly, lamenting the loss of almost a dozen Golden Core and Soul Wandering disciples. They were already stretched thin as it were, but if they weren't made an example of, their reputation as one of the Great Sects would tarnish.
At least they'd be of some use in gathering spirit stones. Who knew, some of them may even survive.
"Elder Shi."
"Yes!"
Elder Shi quickly moved to kneel in front of Xia Qiao, saluting with his head bowed low.
"Take some disciples and finish what Elder Chen could not finish. And do be sure to take some competent ones, this time," she said dismissively, sitting unnaturally still on her throne as her beady eyes bore into him.
"Understood!"
Elder Shi hurriedly took his leave, grimacing as he went. Of course that bastard Chen Liwei would leave him with the difficult work. And with the sect leader's expectations squarely on him, as well!
The other elders gathered in the audience hall inwardly sighed in relief. Luckily Elder Shi was the strongest of them, or one of them might have been chosen, instead.
Xia Qiao just sat back slightly on the throne, contemplating whether to send more manpower or not. She'd planned this infiltration for too long to have it fail on her, now...
--
Two days later, on the day of the Young Geniuses exhibition, Yuliang City Amphitheater...
Massive crowds gathered on the streets, hoping to get a seat for the Young Geniuses exhibition. Although the amphitheater could seat almost 100,000 people, spots were already getting scarce, and many citizens had to resort to standing on the roofs of nearby tall buildings.
Cultivators who were lucky enough to have reached the Soul Wandering realm flew leisurely in the sky above the amphitheater, chatting amongst themselves about the upcoming festivities.
"So, who do you think will be the most outstanding, this year?" one of those Soul Wandering cultivators asked his compatriots, standing with his hands clasped behind his back as he looked down at the stage.
"Of course, Li Daoming has the highest cultivation of those in his generation," another answered, a beautiful woman who was standing on a giant, elegantly painted paper fan.
"Hmph, just because he has the highest cultivation, doesn't mean he's outstanding!" a burly man shot back, "Long Meiling is definitely the most stunning youngster of this generation!"
"Aren't you a bit old to be lusting after a young girl, like her?"
"T-this has nothing to do with lust! Are you saying she isn't an outstanding genius?"
"Oh, quiet down, you two," the last among them, a petite woman sitting on a floating cauldron, said, "The opening ceremony is about to start!"
They all turned their eyes to the stage, where a man regally dressed in brocaded robes walked up to the podium at the center, clearing his throat.
"Welcome, one and all, to the 3,483rd annual Young Geniuses exhibition!" he shouted, voice booming throughout the amphitheater thanks to some vocal strengthening technique.
"The Zhou royal family is very glad to have you all here, today, and would like to say a few words to mark the beginning of the event!"
The man on the podium turned and gestured towards the back of the amphitheater, to a luxuriously decorated theater box.
Inside of the box, a man and woman sat side by side, both dressed in elegant robes that actually weren't too fancy, by local standards. The man nodded and rose from his seat, moving to the front of the box to start his speech.
"Good citizens of the Zhou Empire," he began, "It fills me with pride to see all of these young talents gathered, here."
"We are happy that so many of you look forward to this, every year, and can join us for this special event."
"As always, we of the Zhou royal family appreciate talents from all aspects of cultivation, and so have prepared numerous different contests where our young and talented can flaunt their skills."
"I hope you all enjoy and are amazed by the displays these young talents have to offer, and let the exhibition begin!"
The crowded amphitheater exploded into cheers and applause, the roaring din heard from even the outskirts of the city.
The cheering was accompanied by the sound of music, still heard even through the cacophony. And through all this fanfare, countless young men and women walked out from the entry gates to the stage, the young geniuses of the hour.
Some of them waved to the crowd cheerfully, while others stoically kept their eyes in front of them, whether it be from calm or from nerves.
Long Meiling was among those stoically walking on to the stage, trying to mentally prepare herself for the challenge, ahead. Even though she should be concentrating on the outcome of the exhibition, her mind couldn't help but wander, worry plaguing the back of her mind.
She had seen the state Ryker had returned in, two nights ago.
Although he said everything was fine, his meridians had been severely damaged, and his physical body had been strained to the limit from the attack he had taken, as well.
Although his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm had luckily healed many of these issues, she couldn't help but worry when she knew he was about to face off against a Nascent Soul cultivator, again...
--
A few hours earlier, in the morning...
"You have to be careful, okay?"
"Hey, I'll be fine! I'm in the Foundation Establishment realm now, after all."
Long Meiling stood with Ryker just outside of her family's estate, seeing him off before he went to meet up with Luo Shuchang.
"And a Foundation Establishment expert would usually just be an ant to someone in the Nascent Soul realm. Just try not to take any unnecessary risks, okay?" she said, crossing her arms and looking away in worry.
"Sure thing. Don't worry, we prepared most of what we'll need, yesterday, now we just gotta trap that elder dude," Ryker answered back.
"What did he have you doing yesterday, anyway?"
"We just ran around and gathered a whole bunch of things. Like, a lot of plants and animals, and stuff? Uh, and we sabotaged this stone thing..."
Ryker scratched his chin, trying to remember what exactly they had been doing the night before, but shrugged his shoulders, drawing a blank. There were just too many things they had went to do; Luo Shuchang really ran him ragged, that night.
"Anyways, I'll see you later. And hey, maybe we'll be done in time to go watch your fight!"
With a final salute, he leapt off towards the designated meeting place, leaving Meiling to watch him as he went.
"...You'd better return, safely," she muttered under her breath.
--
Back in the present, waiting rooms of the amphitheater...
"Testing, testing. You read me, Twin?"
Ryker lurked backstage in one of the amphitheater's many waiting rooms, where the contestants had been waiting just moments before.
- Loud and clear, Ryker, - came Luo Shuchang's voice from the compad.
Mini C had been working on enchanting some long-range communications equipment while they were helping Long Meiling in her training, to give to her after they left to find Ryker's friends.
They came in handy now, however, to facilitate this operation he and Luo Shuchang were carrying out.
Luo Shuchang had suggested he pretend to be a participant in the exhibition to gain access to the venue, where he would need to find the Li family patriarch, and with him, the Great Void Sect elder. He'd even seen Long Meiling while he was sneaking in, but he refrained from calling out to her in interest of keeping a low profile.
- Remember, let me know the location as soon as you've found them. I'll head over to start setting the formation. -
"Well, easier said than done. How am I supposed to figure out where they're staying, anyway?" Ryker asked into the compad.
- Try near the royal family's theater box, first. You should be able to recognize the Li family's crest on the patrolling guards; that's when you'll know you're in the right area. -
"Got it. Then it's business as usual, right?"
- I do sincerely appreciate your way of taking these things in stride, - Luo Shuchang said, a hint of amusement coming through in his voice.
- Just keep the elder busy for as long as you can. I'll try and complete the formation quickly. -
Witht that, the communication cut off, as Luo Shuchang split off to help find the Great Void Sect elder, as well.
{Oh, boy! It's like we're in a spy movie!} Bestie gushed from within the compad.
"What's a 'movie'?"
{Hm? Oh, it's like--}
[Perhaps we should focus on the task at hand,] Mini C said, interrupting them.
"Right, right. Focus."
Ryker took a deep breath and exhaled, slapping his cheeks a few times to psych himself up.
"Alright. Time to start some trouble!"