720 A Gathering

Mu Lingxi was the first to notice when Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen entered the central rock cave.

Mu Lingxi wore a loose black robe and looked different from her usual self. She was like a dark siren, pure and seductive, evil and cold.

She glanced at them and then looked away and kept on conversing with other Monks from the Demonic Sect.

"Senior Sister Apprentice Huang, over here."

Chang Qiqi rose up and smilingly beckoned to Huang Yanchen.

Huang Yanchen gave a knowing nod and then said to Zhang Ruochen indifferently, "They are all geniuses and Saints from the Eastern Region Saint Academy. Do you want to make their acquaintance?"

"Of course." Zhang Ruochen said.

Led by Huang Yanchen, Zhang Ruochen walked over to join the Saints of the Saint Academy.

There were over 20 geniuses and Saints in total. Half of them were male and half were female. They looked fairly young and ageless.

Zhang Ruochen's eyes swept over everyone and saw through their cultivation.

Apart from the new generation of Saints like Ao Xinyan, Luo Shuihan, Chang Qiqi, and Si Xingkong, there were eight or so elder Saints.

Although they looked like they were in their twenties, they were actually over 50.

They were all Monks with a cultivation of the Ninth Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm, aglow with colored glaze and overwhelming aura. Obviously, they were the top sword masters chosen by the Saint Academy to attend the Sword Technique Conference.

After seeing Zhang Ruochen behind Huang Yanchen, Chang Qiqi became nasty. He rolled up his sleeves, bared his two strong arms, and coldly asked, "Senior Sister Apprentice Huang, who is the lad?"

Chang Qiqi had always regarded Huang Yanchen as Zhang Ruochen's fiancee, so anyone who had designs on Huang Yanchen was his enemy.

As long as Zhang Ruochen's body was not found, he was convinced that he was not dead and would come back someday.

Si Xingkong looked up from drinking his wine and narrowed his ferocious eyes at Zhang Ruochen.

Zhang Ruochen could do nothing but bitterly smile away the hostility of his former buddies.

He looked at Chang Qiqi and Si Xingkong and nodded in recognition of the significant improvement that they had made in breaking through to the Fish-Dragon Realm.

Obviously, the cultivation resources that Zhang Ruochen had given them had served their purpose.

These two people were not highly talented, but they had great potential. Therefore, they were the quickest among the Saints to have broken through to the Fish-Dragon Realm.

When Zhang Ruochen supposedly died, Chang Qiqi and Si Xingkong turned to Huang Yanchen and became followers of the East Region Saint Mansion. They gained lots of practice resources that improved their cultivation by leaps and bounds.

Chang Qiqi and Si Xingkong had offered to submit themselves to Huang Yanchen because they had felt that they owed Zhang Ruochen a big favor.

Since Zhang Ruochen was gone, the favor naturally transferred to Huang Yanchen, so they had come to the East Region Saint Mansion to assist her.

Seeing Zhang Ruochen greeted with animosity, Huang Yanchen remained expressionless with no intention to explain for him.

She had brought Zhang Ruochen here for this very purpose—to make him shrink from difficulties.

Zhang Ruochen cupped his hands casually. "I'm Lin Yue from the Yin and Yang Sect. I'm happy to meet you all."

Hearing the name "Lin Yue,"all the Saints who had reached the Ninth Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm cast piercing glances at Zhang Ruochen.

"Are you the sword genius from the Yin and Yang Sect?" One of them asked.

He was Xu Yunling—a top master from the Saint Academy. He was clad in a luxurious purple robe and looked around 20 years. He had sharp eyes under his straight eyebrows and looked exceptionally dashing.

Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Sword geniuses in the East Region are numerous. Who dares to claim to be a Genius?"

The fact that these Saints in the Ninth Change in the Fish-dragon Realm could attend the Sword Technique Conference on behalf of the East Region Saint Academy showed that they were all geniuses—not easy to tame.

As soon as they heard the name "Lin Yue," they showed intense hostility and wanted to challenge this so-called Sword Genius.

However, when they saw that Lin Yue lowered himself, they changed their attitudes and thought to themselves that Lin Yue knew what was good for him.

"This guy is so spineless. How does he deserve the reputation of a Sword Genius from the Yin and Yang Sect?" Huang Yanchen shook her head, thinking that she had overestimated him.

Huang Yanchen chose a seat beside Luo Shuihan.

Zhang Ruochen wanted to sit next to Huang Yanchen, but he was blocked by Chang Qiqi.

"Hey, man. I don't care whether you are the Sword Genius or not. I am telling you that if you dare to piss off Senior Sister Apprentice, you will be dead meat."

Chang Qiqi glowered sharply at Zhang Ruochen as if he was ready to fight to the death if Zhang Ruochen as much as took a step forward.

Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly and backed off, sitting beside Ao Xinyan instead.

Huang Yanchen watched all of this quietly and grew more contemptuous of Zhang Ruochen. She never thought that the Master could be so wrong in judging a person. Lin Yue was nothing but a silver-waxed spearhead.

The saints with a cultivation of the Ninth Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm from the East Region Saint Academy all sneered, thinking that the Sword Genius from the Yin and Yang Sect had not lived up to his reputation.

Or maybe he just shared the same name.

This Lin Yue was not the one they had heard of at all.

Zhang Ruochen did not care about what they were thinking, he was just happy to be able to sit with his former elder brothers, junior sister apprentices, and his fiancee.

Ao Xinyan rolled her eyes at Zhang Ruochen and said coldly, "People like you dare to woo Huang Yanchen? I'll give you a word of advice. You better stifle your desires as early as possible."

"Why?" Zhang Ruochen asked.

Ao Xinyan could not conceal her inner contempt."Huang Yanchen is not only a disciple of Sword Saint Xuanji but the heiress of the East Region Saint Mansion. Her suitors are numerous, including descendants of the Sword Emperor. Do you think you still stand a chance?"

"If you say so. I feel like she is out of my league." Zhang Ruochen smiled self-deprecatingly.

"But you still have merit," Ao Xinyan said.

"What?"

Ao Xinyan stared at him for a while and then blinked her eyes and said, "At least, you know yourself well, and you are a smart guy. Smart guys always outlive those who are not."

Even a fool could feel that Ao Xinyan was mocking him.

When she finished speaking, the saints around them laughed loudly, thinking that the God's favored daughter from the Divine Dragon and Half-Human clan was really embarrassing Lin Yue. After all, he was at least a sword genius.

Zhang Ruochen knew that Ao Xinyan had her own way of mocking people and therefore did not take her words to heart. His eyes glided from the two crystal-clear dragon horns on her forehead and the two light cyan eyebrows down to her red lip.

Recalling things, Zhang Ruochen reached out his hands flat and smiled vaguely. " You are right! I know myself very well."

Ao Xinyan rolled her eyes at him again, not understanding how this guy still had the nerve to sit here.

If she knew that the man sitting next to her was the Group Leader she had worshiped so badly, how would Ao Xinyan have reacted?

At this point, a short Saint around 1.2 meters tall widened his red eyes and asked in a low voice, "Have you heard that the Yin and Yang Sect has undergone a major change lately."

All Monks who had come to attend the Sword Technique Conference had heard about this.

However, few knew what had actually happened.

"It is said that disciples from the Qis, an Aristocratic Family in the Middle Age, were wiped off the face of the earth overnight. Even those at Half-Saint or Saint level are nowhere to be found."

Another Saint pondered for a while and said, "Such an event happened right before the Sword Technique Conference is taking place. What really happened?"

The Qi family was an Aristocratic Family from the Middle Age and had a heavy presence in the entire Eastern Region. The disciples in the Yin and Yang Sect were only a small part of it.

If the Qis and the Yin and Yang Sect had a fight, it would affect the Sword Technique Conference.

Ao Xinyan stared at Zhang Ruochen with her beautiful eyes and coldly said, "Aren't you a Sword Genius from the Yin and Yang Sect? You must have some inside information."

The other Saints all looked at Zhang Ruochen curiously.

Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Something did happen, but I am not at liberty to say. You can rest assured that the Sword Technique Conference will not be affected."

They were disappointed with Zhang Ruochen's answer and felt that the so-called sword genius was unreliable.

Ao Xinyan turned to look at Luo Shuihan and asked, "Senior Sister Apprentice Luo, I heard that Predecessor Luo Xu went to the Yin and Yang Sect this morning to visit Master Ning himself regarding this matter."

"That is correct."

Luo Shuihan remained composed and calmly said, "Two hundred years ago, our ancestor owed the Qis a favor. Not long ago, our ancestor received a letter, and then he headed to the Yin and Yang Sect himself to plead for the Qis."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruochen figured out who had written the letter. It had to be Lin Suxian, the No. 1 beauty 200 years ago.

Not knowing exactly what was in the letter, he still had a general idea.

After all, Qi Feiyu—Lin Suxian's daughter—was being held by the Yin and Yang Sect. Lin Suxian must have asked Luo Xu for help to save Qi Feiyu.

Other Saints apparently did not know how Luo Xu owed the Qis a favor.

Zhang Ruochen was the only one among them who knew the inside story.