"You are all here." Third Guard availed himself and subtly gazed at the group of exceptional ten youths.
"Follow me then."
He was a man of a few words and he immediately began to walk away.
The ten sky guards began to follow him in earnest.
Most of the youths couldn't contain the excitement bubbling inside them as seen by the radiant smiles on their faces.
The opportunity that they had been handed was a one-way ticket to greatness.
Zhao Yufei also looked forward to the occasion that involved the heavily lauded figure of Cloud Country.
She was mostly after the promise of greater resources and better techniques than what she currently possessed.
Zhao Yufei had already begun to realize something about herself. With each passing day, her cultivation speed seemed to be amplified little by little.
She couldn't really understand it herself but she had an inkling that her body was somehow special or maybe she was just mistaken.
Anyway, it was definitely a good thing and what she needed the most to make use of her growing cultivation speed were consumable resources.
As she walked, Zhao Yufei wondered what Zhao Wei was feeling about meeting Lord Guanjun.
Everyone was excited about it. Could he be an exception?
As she gracefully walked, Zhao Yufei tried to sneak a glance at the young man she had been interested in ever since Sun Feather City.
'Typical of him.' Zhao Yufei clicked her tongue before chuckling internally.
Zhao Wei felt someone look at him. It was a familiar gaze that he had come to imprint in his senses and even without looking, he knew who it was.
Zhao Wei had a normal expression on his face. He showed neither happiness nor sadness.
Zhao Wei then slightly turned his head to give the sneaky lady a side glance.
But guess what? Zhao Wei's eyes were met by a middle finger and a goofy smile from Zhao Yufei before she ignored him.
Zhao Wei, "..."
He was simply rendered speechless.
'Did I just get bamboozled by Yufei?' Zhao Wei had a faint one-sided smile lingering on his lips as he continued walking.
Soon, Third Guard led them to an ancient building. It was the Spiritual Martial Hall - Lord Guanjun's cultivation residence.
Some youths looked at the building in anticipation and curiosity. They wondered why it looked very different from all the buildings they had passed.
Of course, the way the hall looked gave them the feeling that it belonged to someone very important and powerful like Lord Guanjun.
"This is the Spiritual Martial Hall. Your destiny will be decided once inside." Third Guard began to speak in a low voice as he gazed at the ten youths.
"One or two of you might be taken in as Lord Guanjun's disciple depending on your luck." Those were probably his last words of consolation to the group.
"Master, I have brought them!" Third Guard spoke loudly, his voice echoing in the spacious hall despite the huge silver doors being closed.
"Come in!"
After a few seconds, a clear, powerful voice sounded behind the doors. The masculine voice made some of the youths feel pressured.
To add more dramatic effect, the huge doors slowly opened up by themselves and a small gust of wind made its way inside.
The whistle of the wind made it even more impactful.
'Are we by chance entering Count Dracula's lair?' Zhao Wei mildly thought.
'But something is missing? Hmm, it's definitely the theme song that's missing.'
TAP TAP TAP!
With Third Guard leading the way, the others followed suit, their feet making numerous audible footsteps like a legion of Spartans.
The youths couldn't help but study the interior design of the hall as they walked, only to realize that it was…bland.
There were no drawings or anything along those lines.
The walls were truly dull.
Zhao Wei thought that they, maybe, mirrored Lord Guanjun's inner self.
So what type of man was he?
Zhao Wei already had a general understanding of the man from a reader's perspective.
He only had one word to describe him and it was "pitiful".
Yeah, Zhao Wei found Lord Guanjun unlucky, pitiful, slightly naive, and a little bit optimistic.
His woman got stolen and later on, his super genius disciple Bei Moi also got poached right under his nose due to his powerlessness.
It was understandable due to the massive differences between him and his long-term mortal enemy, Hai Yun.
Hai Yun was another piece of dogshit that Zhao Wei quite disliked since he was so petty.
Why did he have to scar our boy Lord Guanjun 'till he began searching for super geniuses to carry on his revenge?
Zhao Wei found it illogical to even try to carry on the man's hatred and thirst for revenge.
How the hell did it concern him?
How the hell would he waste his time to shoulder the inadequacy of someone else's sorry ass?
The world he was in was a cruel one and if one couldn't use others for their own benefit, then one should just be prepared to be used.
Zhao Wei preferred being the latter. Karma be damned, he was a bastard that gave zero f*cks to filial piety.
To him, Lord Guanjun, or better Xu Ran was just a means for him to climb the ladder.
Third Guard's eyes widened slightly when he saw that Ye Lingyun or rather Brother Ye was already there with master together with Bei Moi and Nan Gongfan.
"Master!" Third Guard bowed to Lord Guanjun who sat on a futon at the center while his three disciples sat around him.
Lord Guanjun nodded at him and Third Guard immediately sat near Ye Lingyun.
He then gestured to the ten youths to sit on the already prepared futons according to their appropriate positions.
"What's up, brother Ye?" Third Guard greeted the handsome young man whose age was between 20 and 30.
"I am good. I see that you have quite the promising bunch." Ye Lingyun whispered.
Third Guard revealed a proud smile as he eyed the Ten Sky Guard and remained quiet.
Lord Guanjun silently studied the ten Sky Guards from the tenth position.
His ocean-blue eyes shone brighter as he assessed the energies of each individual.
When he reached Zhao Yufei, he stopped for once before slightly nodding his head.
When he reached Zhao Wei, Lord Guanjun's expressionless face finally changed into one of surprise.
'So this is the young man that trampled on both Bei Moi and Nan Gongfan.'
'What a perfect body suited for body cultivation but his potential…'
After Lord Guanjun finished observing the Ten Sky Guards, he offered his final verdict albeit one filled with slight disappointment.
"There are extremely good seedlings but…" Lord Guanjun said slowly and paused.
A large portion of the Sky Guards was filled with apprehension at Lord Guanjun's words.
Even Third Guard and Ye Lingyun were left on edge.
As for Bei Moi, his eyes never left Zhao Wei ever since he entered the Spiritual Martial Hall.
How could he not be conscious of him?
"I think it would be meaningful if I tested their aptitudes for more clarity." Lord Guanjun finally finished his words which made everyone release breaths of relief.
'Here comes the man obsessed with potential.' A shadow of a sly grin showed on Zhao Wei's lips.
***
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