A storm brewed in the heavens as raindrops began to slowly fall in full might.
Nighttime had already arrived, and the full moon that was supposed to brighten up the world with its dazzling moonlight had already been submerged by the ominous nimbus clouds.
Heavenly lightning flashed from the clouds every now and then, effectively offering glimpses of the might of heaven and earth.
The special flowers on the road, leading to the Spiritual Martial Hall, bloomed happily at the gentle caresses of the rain.
They swayed back and forth as if dancing to a celestial tune meant to invigorate anything related to nature.
It was truly a beautiful scene which was in stark contrast with the current situation at the place where the Spiritual Martial Hall used to be.
Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, the light momentarily giving a clear view of a calm-looking young man who seemed to be facing the group of individuals before him.
He looked indifferent and a wild, unrestrained spirit seemed to be emanating from his very being.
This vague sense of freedom, if being unhinged, subconsciously made the other people mentally feel some form of pressure.
No, the people before the young man weren't enemies, they were just simple individuals, each one of them with their unique personalities.
Each of them looked at Zhao Wei with shock as they couldn't believe what he had previously said without care, without stuttering.
The young man had been carefree, wild, and, unprincipled.
He had straightforwardly and verbally betrayed Lord Guanjun without batting an eyelid.
They just couldn't believe it!
Talk about being shameless!
Initially, when Lord Guanjun had chosen Zhao Wei as his second core disciple, someone to carry on his legacy, the latter had been humble and filial.
Zhao Wei had shown qualities of a good disciple worth grooming right from the start and everyone believed that he might even surpass Lord Guanjun's expectations.
Who would believe that the same guy that took his kowtows seriously and acted very gentlemanly like a righteous scholar, was a chameleon that could change its colors in an instant?
It was simply the fastest act of betrayal that they had ever witnessed!
Even both Lord Guanjun and Quan Chen had their mouths hanging wide open in unadulterated surprise at Zhao Wei's light-speed decision-making skills.
What sort of decisiveness was that?!
"Why are you all acting gobsmacked? Did I say something wrong?" Zhao Wei acted dumb.
What? You just betrayed your master and that is what you have to say!
How much more shameless could this guy get?
From whence did this Little Demon originate from?
Ye Lingyun had an angry expression on his face, wondering what he was thinking for failing to notice the flaw in Zhao Wei's personality.
He began regretting ever setting foot in Sun Feather City.
He regretted being captivated by the genius of Zhao Wei's mind.
Ye Lingyun felt he had truly been utterly deceived.
He was the biggest sinner, Ye Lingyun blamed himself.
"Hehe, you made the right decision Brother Wei. I didn't know that you were so straightforward." Quan Chen had the brightest smile on his mouth as he laughed in pure joy.
"I truly like your overbearing attitude."
Quan Chen suddenly found Zhao Wei to be pleasing to the eye.
He even saw himself in him, just like a mirror.
Quan Chen felt closer to Zhao Wei after analyzing his behavior and attitude.
It would have been a pity if he had been forced to cripple him under the pretense of him disrespecting the entire sect, hehe.
'A dead or crippled genius isn't a genius, right?' Quan Chen thought as a cold killing intent briefly flashed in his eyes.
'What an easily-pleased simple-minded lad.' Zhao Wei hid his inner thoughts under the facade of an ignorant, happy smile.
He was already aware of Quan Chen's alternate course of action and the intentions of the master behind him.
Geniuses that couldn't be used were threats to Master Hai Yun and had to be eliminated early on.
In case, Quan Chen left someone like Zhao Wei to be accepted by the other elders or even the sect leader, Master Hai Yun would surely be dissatisfied with him and could even severely punish him.
Hai Yun didn't want to see such an outcome come to fruition.
Such matters Zhao Wei understood too well, both from his knowledge of the future and literary experience from reading 'countless' cultivation novels.
Be it, Hai Yun or Quan Chen, they were not his enemies.
Justice? What was that?
Should he stand by Lord Guanjun's side and carry on his regrets and failures for him?
Should he act according to what was in line with the word "righteous"?
Then what about his feelings?
What about his goals and ambitions?
Did he, Zhao Wei, need to be selfless and sympathize with Lord Guanjun?
No, why would he need to do that?!
It was simply a waste of his time and served no benefit to him in the grand scheme of things.
Zhao Wei looked at the eerie darkness in the heavens that truly resembled his inner heart and emotions.
Zhao Yufei, who wasn't far off from the three, looked at Zhao Wei's profile with surprise on her beautiful face.
Though she was aware of Zhao Wei's unpredictability, it would be a lie if she said she wasn't surprised by his actions.
She even had mixed feelings about it.
It was then that she remembered Zhao Wei's words when they had still been disciples of the Zhao Clan.
"Don't simply trust anyone, even me. Remember, I don't even trust myself."
"Betrayal is such a blurred concept to yours truly!"
Zhao Wei could envision his past casual smile, the way he had deeply looked at her and said those words without blinking.
She could never have predicted that the person Zhao Wei betrayed was going to be Lord Guanjun.
Was there a possibility in the future that she could still be treated the same as she was the closest person to him?
The turbulence inside Zhao Yufei's heart showed on her visage as she subconsciously bit her lip in thought.
***
[Author's Note]
We are slowly reaching an arc where things(plot) will go faster/fast-paced and a lot of research moments as the MC learns of other paths(auxillary)
Enjoy!
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