"Hmm." Lei Ping raised an eyebrow as he felt something buzzing from his robes and pulled out his communication token.
'Elder Shu is calling me. Has disciple Wang Ming returned?' Lei Ping thought, raising an eyebrow.
"Hmm, what happened, Elder Lei?" Jiang Hong asked with a raised eyebrow when he noticed the Supreme Elder's attention was elsewhere.
"Elder Shu is calling me," Lei Ping replied as he brought out the communication token.
"Elder Shu, huh? It's been years since I took a mission outside," Zhou Huixin remarked, recalling that after becoming a Peak Master, she rarely went on missions. The last time she did was when she was still a regular Elder.
"Elder Shu, why did you contact me so suddenly?" Lei Ping asked in a curious voice.
Gulp
Jiang Hong frowned when he heard the nervousness in Elder Shu's voice.
"S-Supreme E-Elder, it's about the disciple you mentioned to me," Elder Shu replied nervously, catching everyone's attention.
"You mean disciple Wang Ming, right?" Jiang Hong asked in an impatient voice before Lei Ping could.
"Y-Yes, Sect Master, the one who took an S-Rank quest," Elder Shu replied, surprised to realize the Sect Master was also present.
"Is he alright?" Jiang Hong asked, now in a nervous voice. He knew Wang Ming had gone out to complete an S-Rank mission, and he approved it, confident nothing would happen given Wang Ming's cultivation. But hearing the nervousness in Elder Shu's voice, he couldn't help but fear something bad had happened to him.
"No, he came back unharmed and also completed the S-Rank quest," Elder Shu hurriedly explained, almost breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Wait, wait, time out. Are you trying to say a disciple completed an S-Rank quest?" Zhou Huixin cried out in surprise. Honestly, when she first heard about the disciple the Supreme Elder mentioned, she became interested. Her curiosity grew even more when she learned the disciple was Wang Ming, and she was eager to hear what Elder Shu would say.
Then her mouth hung open when she learned that he had completed an S-Rank mission.
"Huh, Peak Master Zhou Huixin, you're also there?" Elder Shu's voice rang from the other side.
"Yes, now answer my question," Zhou Huixin demanded.
"Then do you think he's from a powerful cultivation family that lives in seclusion?" Zhou Huixin asked, wondering if he might belong to a prestigious family from outside the kingdom. Such talented disciples usually come from powerful families, but she had never heard of a Wang family, leading her to conclude it might be a reclusive one.
"No, he doesn't belong to any powerful family—I can be sure of that. He also mentioned that he had only cultivated for a few months before joining our sect," Jiang Hong said in a calm voice, glancing at Elder Zhou to gauge her reaction. As expected, her expression was priceless; she looked at him in complete disbelief.
"What did you say, Elder? You're saying he reached the Golden Core Realm in just a few months, something most people can't achieve in their entire lives? That's impossible!" Zhou Huixin said firmly.
"Sigh, I understand your doubt, but I can also confirm that what the Sect Master says is true," Lei Ping said from the side, recalling his own shock when he first heard the news. For a few minutes, no one said anything.
"He's not an old expert in disguise, he doesn't belong to a powerful family, and he cultivated to the Golden Core Realm in just a few months... I'm starting to wonder if he's favored by the heavens," Zhou Huixin said with a sigh after calming down.
'Damn, what kind of monstrous cultivation talent does this Wang Ming have?' Zhou Huixin thought inwardly, becoming even more determined to recruit him into her peak. .net
"Elder Shu, did you call just to inform me that disciple Wang Ming completed the mission, or is there something else?" Lei Ping asked, sensing there was more to report based on Elder Shu's earlier nervousness.
"That's right, Elder Shu. Why the fuck were you so nervous earlier when he succeeded in completing the mission? You almost made me think something bad happened to disciple Wang Ming!" Jiang Hong said in a voice full of displeasure.
"P-Pardon me, Sect Master, but it's because of what's written in the mission report submitted by the employer," Elder Shu replied, having calmed down from the shock he had just received.
"Oh? What's so special about the report?" Lei Ping asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's the number of enemies he killed," Elder Shu said hesitantly.
"Oh, did he kill a few hundred? Why are you making such a big deal? Even I can do that," Jiang Hong said nonchalantly, thinking this was the first time Elder Shu had heard what a Golden Core Realm cultivator could do. He himself could achieve the same, as most Golden Core Realm cultivators could.
Gulp.
"I-It's not hundreds... but thousands," Elder Shu said, gulping down a mouthful of saliva.
"..." Jiang Hong.
"..." Lei Ping.
"..." Zhou Huixin.