After a brief period of silence, Elder Harrius continued, "Young Master Asher, allow me to guide you to the location of the selection trial along with the three respected guests over there." He pointed to a group of individuals who had arrived earlier.
Asher responded with a nod, "All right. Let's go." Then he proceeded to walk in their direction, with Scarlet and Cecil walking along with him.
Seeing them approach, Li Wang, Cai Xinyi, and Kong Yu examined the three youngsters with sharp eyes as they moved closer to them.
When they arrived, Elder Harrius introduced them to Asher in a casual manner, as though he were introducing ordinary people and not the leaders of major clans and factions on the continent.
However, when he got to the young man, Elder Harrius' tone of voice shifted to a respectful, almost reverent one. "This young man here is Young Master Asher. He is an esteemed guest of the Twilight Mist Sect and will also be participating in the disciple selection trial along with all the others.
And, of course, the two young ladies beside him are the Inner Disciples of our sect, Scarlet Claymore and Cecil Sylphiria." He spoke, pointing at the two girls.
After listening to the elder's introduction, a frown appeared on their faces due to being ignored. They felt as though Elder Harrius regarded them as inconsequential and that the young man in black was much more important than they were.
Moreover, they found it strange that Elder Harrius would talk about this young man who'd be participating in the trial the same way he would describe a prestigious guest visiting the Twilight Mist Sect. He also didn't reveal his background or where he came from, causing their suspicion to grow.
"Greetings, Seniors." Scarlet and Cecil said at the same time, with a respectful bow, towards the three adults before them.
Asher also gave a simple greeting by nodding his head to them, but his attitude wasn't as humble as the two girls standing behind him. Instead, he maintained a confident posture, showing the other three that he didn't consider them superior figures.
Kong Yu, in particular, felt his face heat up as he observed the elder's disrespectful behavior and the young man's arrogant demeanor, but he managed to calm himself down and took a deep breath to ease his emotions, as he didn't want to embarrass himself by losing composure in public.
Yet, there was someone else who was unable to hold back. This individual was none other than Li Wang, whose expression had grown more and more clouded with displeasure the longer he watched Elder Harrius lavishing the young man with so much praise.
He spoke in a stern, demanding tone, "Why do you seem so disrespectful towards us, young man? Are you not aware of who we are? Or are you just acting without a brain?" He asked with a sneer on his face.
Just when he was about to hit the young man in black, however, an arm reached out and grabbed onto his wrist, stopping him from lashing out further.
Elder Harrius looked at Kong Yu with a stern expression and cold eyes before stating, "That's enough, Elder Kong Yu. Please don't forget that we are still in the Twilight Mist Sect, which means that whatever happens here will reflect on the reputation of both the sect and Heaven's Glory Palace.
Furthermore, if you injure or kill someone in the sect, then it's the Twilight Mist Sect's responsibility to deal with that issue. And if you harm this young man, the repercussions that the Heaven's Glory Palace will have to suffer might be too great to bear, as it might endanger the entire Heaven's Glory Palace.
So, for your own sake and for the sake of Heaven's Glory Palace, don't be rash and keep your anger in check."
A profound light shone in Elder Harrius' eyes as he spoke these words. Although his words sounded respectful, the truth was that he was threatening Kong Yu to stop before he crossed a line that he couldn't return from.
"Nonsense! How can such a young man pose any threat to us? No matter how powerful his background is, they would never have the guts to offend Heaven's Glory Palace, which stands as a dominant power." Elder Kong Yu said as he retracted his aura and pulled his hand away from Asher.
Then he turned to face Elder Harrius and glared at him as if he were annoyed by his presence. However, the latter didn't back off and returned the glare with an icy stare. "Are you sure about that? That young man's background might be stronger than you think." Elder Harrius said in a low voice with a serious face.
Upon listening to Elder Harrius, Kong Yu frowned. He found it hard to believe that this young man in front of him possessed a more terrifying background than the Heaven's Glory Palace, yet the confidence in the elder's voice made him think otherwise.
At that moment, everyone noticed the intense atmosphere between Elder Harrius and Elder Kong Yu, causing them to feel nervous about the situation unfolding in front of them.
After a brief moment of silence, Elder Kong Yu scoffed before turning around and leaving the hall with another elder as a guide. He was unwilling to spend a single second longer with this young man, who caused his pride as an elder of the Heaven's Glory Palace to be hurt.
Li Wang also followed them alongside his son, Li Xueli, and they disappeared into a corridor.
Soon, a sigh escaped from Elder Harrius' lips after they left, and the aura he exuded disappeared along with it. He then turned to face Asher and said, "Young Master, I apologize for what happened here. It was my mistake to not handle the situation better. I assure you that this will never happen again."
Seeing the genuine expression of concern on his face, Asher shook his head and responded with a gentle laugh, "You don't have to apologize, Elder Harrius. There are people who always seek opportunities to pick fights with others for no reason. Therefore, it's normal for such conflicts to happen even in places like this."