After witnessing Zhao Wei completely vanish from his sight, with his aura now non-existent at the Summit, the Qiu Elder hastily revealed himself from his hiding place.
Qiu Mengyu was instantly taken by surprise by his current state.
She didn't seem surprised that an elder of their clan had been watching all of the events that had happened at the Genius Summit.
The Elder had been stationed there specifically to oversee the overall security of the mountain venue and to defend against external forces that might have sought to disrupt the smooth proceedings of the Genius Summit.
Another hidden agenda was to see if the other clans had any excellent youngsters and if such individuals were found, the Elder was supposed to come up with a strategic plan on how to poach them into their clan.
Under such circumstances, if their attractive proposals and benefits are rejected, they can only nip the bud while it's still young before it germinates into a future powerhouse that can't be controlled.
The three clans were in a constant struggle against each other, refusing to allow any of them to thrive or accumulate more power than the others.
"Elder Qiu, are you okay?" Qiu Mengyu asked in worry as she rushed to offer her hand but the Elder stretched his palm out in rejection.
His face was pale white like a sheet of paper and the cool breeze of the night only served to make his beads of sweat colder.
"I am oka-" Elder Qiu tried to reply but instead coughed up a mouthful of blood on the ground.
Elder Qiu then used his left hand to wipe the blood off his mouth.
Qiu Mengyu's worry only intensified, seeing the sorry state of a prominent elder of their clan.
'He's injured.' Qiu Mengyu swiftly thought but any person would have come up to such a conclusion.
What bothered her was what had exactly happened to leave Elder Qiu, who was a Seventh Rank Martial Master, in such a weakened state.
Or maybe who had injured him?
Many questions clouded her mind and she yearned to know the answers from Elder Qiu's mouth.
But Qiu Mengyu didn't rush to pressurize him and intelligently chose to give him some time.
After a few minutes of self-healing, Elder Qiu's complexion began to regain some color but the deep-seated fear from his eyes couldn't be easily erased.
Elder Qiu deeply breathed the cool night air into his lungs but the smell of iron still remained present inside his nostrils.
He then released a heavy sigh while shaking his head in indignation and fresh understanding.
"I am sorry for showing such an unsightly sight."
Qiu Mengyu arched her eyebrows as if asking why he was apologizing.
She still didn't have high authority in the clan yet so Elder Qiu didn't have to be extremely courteous with her.
"Elder Qiu, you still haven't told me what had rendered you into such a state on our own turf?" Qiu Mengyu frowned but slight concern could still be seen on her face.
"T-That young man…" Elder Qiu's lips trembled when he said those words but still tried his best to curb that terrifying memory from replaying in his mind.
What was that skill? Elder Qiu asked himself,
What type of skill attacks you with only words? Even if he's a master of the transformation state, doing what that Zhao youth had done was almost unthinkable!
Words? Sound? When you utter words, there will be sound produced, right? sound produced? Elder Qiu thought crazily, seemingly unaware that Qiu Mengyu was still there.
'So he attacked me with a sound-attributed skill that uses sonic waves to attack through the air? But to cultivate such a rare skill to perfection is completely unprecedented.' Epiphany started settling inside his old eyes and drove away the initial confusion he had after being assaulted by Zhao Wei.
'He nearly shattered all of my eardrums and injured my internal organs.'
"Elder?!" Qiu Mengyu slightly raised her voice, seeing how absent-minded Elder Qiu was.
Elder Qiu blinked a few times as he gradually returned to the world of the living.
He then looked at Qiu Mengyu before releasing a weak apologetic laugh.
"So who was it? Don't tell me it's Zhao Wei. Wasn't he talking before he discovered you? I didn't see him attack." Qiu Mengyu talked quickly without catching a break.
Elder Qiu sighed deeply as he gazed at the darkness which Zhao Wei had disappeared from. "The young are truly surpassing the old. Zhao Wei is probably someone that I shouldn't ever think about messing with. Our clan can't afford to mess with him."
"He's already at a level where a Seventh Rank Martial Master like me wouldn't give him any pressure. Given the fact that he is very young, not more than fifteen years, makes him even more terrifying."
"The word 'genius' doesn't even begin to describe him. He is simply more than that." Elder Qiu finished with veneration laced in his voice. The only thing he regretted in his life was showing slight killing intent toward Zhao Wei. As even a little leak of it had been enough for Zhao Wei to spot him as if he had been advertising himself out in the open.
Qiu Mengyu listened keenly as her almond-shaped eyes widened in slow realization and shock.
"So it was him. How can someone like him be considered an individual of the younger generation after what has happened?" Her lips twitched uncomfortably.
"I am truly a clueless clown to think I could easily seduce a monster like him. Truly stupid." Qiu Mengyu had a self-deprecating smile plastered on her mouth as she palmed her forehead in frustration.
Qiu Mengyu understood that the Zhao youth was beyond outstanding but following Elder Qiu's exposition, the image of him inside her mind reached the skies and became even more mysterious.
"My mind and heart are imprinted with goals transcending the boundaries of this reality," Qiu Mengyu recalled Zhao Wei's words perfectly. His masculine voice remained vivid and fresh, as if time had reversed to that point in time.
"So he said such words, huh? No wonder he is that powerful at such a young age." Elder Qiu released a weak laugh as he struggled to sit on the sofa.
After sitting, he closed his eyes with a lethargic look on his face.
Qiu Mengyu sighed to herself after witnessing Elder Qiu's state once again. She then tentatively walked toward the edge of the Bamboo house with a forlorn expression on her face.
"Thinking for myself? That was never possible," she mused as she stretched her right hand towards the sky.
"I am a prisoner, unlike you, who is free. I am untalented. The difference between us is as vast as the sky above and the earth below."
"We come from entirely different worlds." A sad smile adorned her luscious lips as she languidly dropped her hand to her side.
"It was good knowing you even if it was only for a few minutes."
***
Meanwhile, Zhao Wei could be seen leisurely walking towards the well-designed, huge black gates of the Zhao Clan.
He then suddenly sneezed, making him stop his movements for a moment.
"Someone seems to be so in love with me." Of course, he didn't necessarily believe in such superstitions.
"Anyway, once a single dog always a…" Zhao Wei didn't finish his words as a tired yawn escaped his mouth.
"Oh my, I should enjoy my sleep while I still can."
His figure then merged with the night once again.
A few moments later, inside a certain residence in the inner sect, a youth could be seen sprawled on his bed and sleeping like a koala.
***
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