Chapter 55: Yuan Shuchun, again.

Elder Lai Chang stared at the door from which Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang had gone down to the Lower Floor.

After some time, he sighed as he thought, 'How long will this keep on going? I don't have much time left, and the Grand Spirit Hunt is already knocking the door. We can't miss this opportunity. Next six months will pass by in a blink, and if I stay idle here, it won't do me any good. I hope the sect gives me new tasks to finish.'

Just as he was lost in his thoughts, he heard footsteps of someone approaching him from the hallway.

He turned and found a beautiful female disciple, with her head held high, coming towards him.

'Time to butter up this princess,' He inwardly shook his head.

As the female disciple came near, she said, "Good day to you, Elder Lai Chang."

"Likewise, Miss Shuchun." He returned the greetings with a polite smile and said, "How may I help you, Miss?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask, did Disciple Xiao Ming come for his token and robes?" She asked with seemingly no change in her expression.

Elder Lai Chang shook his head and said, "Not yet, Miss. Only a few top disciples have come this early. The real powerful disciples will come later when the crowd below is even denser, haha."

"Yes, that's true. These people would want to stand out as much as possible. By the way, who are the ones that have already received their tokens and robes?"

"Not many, only three disciples. Mu Xing from the Fifth Peak arrived the earliest, and Fang Chen and Zheng Xiang from the Seventh Peak came just as he was about to leave, in fact both of them have just left for the Martial Book Pavilion."

"Hmm, how did they perform in the Hunt?"

"Mu Xing and Zheng Xiang performed exactly how it was written in the Report. The only variables I know of in the event are Xiao Ming and Fang Cheng. In fact, Xiao Ming's performance wasn't much out of predictions, but Fang Chen on the other hand wasn't supposed to even pass the first round."

"Oh? What is Fang Chen's cultivation?" Yuan Shuchun now had an expression of interest.

"This… we don't really know but he is most probably in the Eighth Level of Qi Refining Realm."

"Hmm this is surprising that you weren't able to sense his cultivation, but still, it's not too high. However, how was he able to hide his talent? And why is he hiding it?"

Elder Lai Chang shook his head and said, "Unfortunately we don't have much information on this. What baffles me most is the fact that even Fang Clan doesn't know about his talent and cultivation. And the two guards who used to follow Fang Chen everyday have now disappeared. Miss, should I investigate more about this Fang Chen?"

"Ah, leave him for some time, we have much more important tasks at hand. I think those guards have most probably returned to the Fang clan after learning about Fang Chen's cultivation and reassuring themselves of his safety. With his cultivation, Fang Chen doesn't need his guards."

"For now, I want you to investigate more about Xiao Ming. The Nine Supremes have noticed him, we need to act fast and get him in our Heavenly League."

"The Nine Supremes? Isn't that natural for them to notice him?"

"Don't forget that they don't even care about the disciples who are not on the Gracious Sword Rankings. And Xian Ming has just entered the Inner Court."

"Ah, yes. However, last time we did investigate him properly and found nothing out of ordinary, do you wish me to look into anything specific?"

"Nothing specific. But I want you to know that this time Grand Elder is the one who has asked for him to be investigated. He clearly told me that this Xiao Ming may become a huge variable in the coming future due to his luck and talent."

Elder Lai Chang was surprised, "Oh? Don't worry, Miss. I will carefully assess and submit the report to you within a few days."

Yuan Shuchun nodded and said, "Hmm, and one last thing, keep an eye on Elder Mu. I know he is a good friend of yours, but we don't know where his loyalty lies. These days, his actions have been very suspicious."

"Ah? Has he joined the Sect Leaders bandwagon?"

"No, if this had been the case, there wouldn't be anything to care about. But now his actions are going against both, the Sect Leader and Grand Elder's interests. I am just advising you to steer clear from him."

"I will be careful. Thank you for the heads up, Miss." Elder Lai Chang replied.

Yuan Shuchun nodded, "Alright, I will head back to cultivate. The Grand Spirit Hunt is approaching fast, I need to prepare. This is the time to prove my worth and contend against Jiang Yun."

Elder Lai Chang nodded as he cupped his fists and said, "Good day, Miss. I will soon report to you about my investigations on Xiao Ming."

Yuan Shuchun nodded and left.

Elder Lai Chang sighed as he stared at her disappearing figure, 'Looks like Brother Mu is going to be in big trouble. But he isn't stupid enough to go against Sect Leader and the Grand Elder. What is giving him so much courage?'

…

While all this was happening, Zheng Xiang and Ye Tian Yun had arrived on the lower floor, Zheng Xiang lightly whispered to Ye Tian Yun, who was just in front of him, "Brother Fang, are you also thinking what I am thinking? I was blown away by what just happened. Elder Lai Chang's actions were quite weird today."

Ye Tian Yun nodded and said, "Let's discuss this outside the Resource Hall. We will be getting too much attention as soon as we get to the counter."