"Enough, Senior Brother Zhang. What this junior brother says is not wrong. We haven’t even seen a shadow of a demon cultivator, so how can we fight amongst ourselves?"
Just as Zhang Kaisheng was about to make a move, the serene woman spoke up to Zhang Kaisheng, preventing him from taking action against Lin Chen.
Since the woman had spoken, it was not appropriate for Zhang Kaisheng to proceed with his attack. He glared fiercely at Lin Chen for a few moments before giving up temporarily, but he harbored no intention of letting Lin Chen go. He was looking for an opportunity to leave Lin Chen in the secret realm forever.
Dying in the secret realm meant the sect could not trace whether Lin Chen died at the claws of a magical beast, by the hands of a fellow disciple, or a demon cultivator.
The women of White Phoenix Hall were each as beautiful as flowers, and everyone from White Clothes Hall had someone they admired. When they entered the secret realm, they had agreed that they would perform well in front of the female disciples of White Phoenix Hall to win their favor.
Yet now, because of Lin Chen’s arrival, the leader of White Phoenix Hall, Li Caixia, uttered such words, clearly showing some dissatisfaction with their earlier behavior.
This was not a good sign, as it would no doubt leave a poor impression with the ladies. All of this was blamed on Lin Chen’s arrival, and that woman Lu Feishuang, who had newly joined White Phoenix Hall, even dared to invite Lin Chen to their group without permission. Did she not realize that White Clothes Hall was looking after White Phoenix Hall on this trip?
The strength and cultivation of those from White Clothes Hall was generally higher than that of White Phoenix Hall, which was why White Phoenix Hall had approached White Clothes Hall for cooperation. The fact that Lu Feishuang invited Lin Chen without consulting Zhang Kaisheng and the others, irritated Zhang Kaisheng greatly.
Zhang Kaisheng was secretly plotting in his heart, looking for an opportunity to teach Lin Chen and Lu Feishuang a lesson.
With three months remaining before the secret realm closed, Zhang Kaisheng believed there would be plenty of opportunities.
Seeing Zhang Kaisheng hold back, Lu Feishuang quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Lu Feishuang was not worried that Lin Chen would be harmed by Zhang Kaisheng, but rather that Lin Chen retaliating and severely injuring Zhang Kaisheng might affect the relationship between White Phoenix Hall and White Clothes Hall. If they couldn’t cooperate in the secret realm thereafter, her decision to invite Lin Chen would truly be a disaster.
Last time, in Lianhuo City, Lin Chen had fought a shape-shifting great demon without falling short. Although the great demon was injured, it had the strength of the Eighth Level of Spirit Gathering Realm, equal to that of Zhang Kaisheng. If they really did fight, Zhang Kaisheng would likely gain no advantage at the hands of Lin Chen. Google seaʀᴄh novel-fire.ɴet
"Since we are all fellow disciples, then let’s follow Junior Sister Li’s suggestion and allow this young man to travel with us."
From within White Clothes Hall, a gentle and refined man resembling a scholar walked out, holding a feather fan. He glanced at Lin Chen and spoke indifferently before giving Zhang Kaisheng a meaningful look.
Zhang Kaisheng immediately understood; it seemed the leader had the same idea as him, to find an opportunity to get rid of Lin Chen.
"Then, I thank all the senior brothers and senior sisters. I shall accompany you on part of this journey," Lin Chen said to everyone, smiling slightly and speaking indifferently.
Lin Chen had no intention of always travelling with the group, but at the moment, he was unaware of the situation regarding the Black Cloud Sect.
According to what Xu Ma’an and others had said, even though the secret realm opened every year and the disciples who entered were the best of the sects, only about thirty percent managed to come out alive, highlighting the dangers within the secret realm.
Lin Chen did not believe that the people of White Clothes Hall truly agreed with his joining; since they harbored ulterior motives, he would not blame himself for using them in return.
"Hmph, your joining us is indeed an honor for you, kid. Otherwise, someone as useless as you, not to mention encountering people from Black Cloud Sect, would certainly die at the hands of a few low-level magical beasts. If I were you, I’d be kowtowing to thank us," Zhang Kaisheng arrogantly said to Lin Chen.
"Then why don’t you kneel down and kowtow to me!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen remained indifferent in his response, feeling that this guy really had issues with his brain and decided to not bother with him.
"What did you say, kid, you want me to kneel? You’re courting death."
Zhang Kaisheng grew enraged by Lin Chen’s words and was about to get physical again.
"Stop it, since we’re already companions, what’s the point of such verbal disputes? And you too, kid, we’ve agreed to let you join us. Technically, we’re all your senior brothers and sisters, and you should naturally show some respect to us."
Liu Changfeng first scolded Zhang Kaisheng and then turned the topic back to Lin Chen.
Hearing this, Lin Chen outright ignored Liu Changfeng’s words. Just a mere Eighth Level of Spirit Gathering Realm, not even a True Disciple, and he expected to be respected by Lin Chen?
Indeed, he was relying on being the group’s leader to try and intimidate Lin Chen. Had it not been for promising Lu Feishuang and Li Caixia, Lin Chen would have turned and left without a second thought.
Lin Chen’s disregard caught Liu Changfeng off guard; he hadn’t expected Lin Chen to ignore him completely. If it weren’t for the presence of the beauties, which could damage his image, he would have slapped Lin Chen dead immediately – a mere Second Layer of Spirit Gathering Realm daring to ignore him.
"Alright, let’s continue on our way."
As a mediator, Li Caixia spoke softly, and after Liu Changfeng snorted coldly, the group continued on.
Along the way, Lu Feishuang came over and struck up a polite conversation with Lin Chen.
The others didn’t know Lin Chen’s identity, but Lu Feishuang did; Lin Chen was a True Disciple of Jade Bird Peak.
Getting on Lin Chen’s good side was always the right move. Perhaps Lin Chen would speak in her favor in the future, which could greatly benefit her advancement within the Sect.
Through chatting with Lu Feishuang, Lin Chen found out that their destination was also Dragon Pond.
Gathering the Dragon Whisker Polygonum meant one could become a True Disciple – the reward offered by the Sect was too tempting. The group had joined forces early on with the intention of harvesting the Dragon Whisker Polygonum. Together, even if they encountered a Second Rank Transformed Great Demon, they could put up a fight.
According to Lu Feishuang, among the ten people from White Phoenix Hall, three were ranked among the top hundred Inner Sect Disciples.
The leader of White Clothes Hall, Liu Changfeng, ranked eighty-seventh in the Inner Sect; the man who had just clashed with Lin Chen, Zhang Kaisheng, ranked ninety-fourth, and there was also the tall and silent man who ranked ninety-eighth. The strength of their White Phoenix Hall was slightly inferior; only their leader, Li Caixia, was ranked eighty-ninth.
Lin Chen was familiar with the rankings of the top hundred Inner Sect Disciples. The individuals on the list all had great potential to become True Disciples.
In fact, there were similar rankings outside, but compared to the Inner Sect’s top hundred, the rankings of the Outer Sect didn’t carry much weight.
Among the True Disciples, there were also rankings, which represented the genuine Pride List of the Jade Cauldron Sect. For instance, Lin Chen’s senior sister, the Little Witch Xu Lianyu, was the tenth ranked on the Pride List.
The top hundred of the Inner Sect might not compare with the Pride List, but those at the top of the rankings were also formidable in strength, and they were at the Melding Earth Realm, which is why they didn’t enter the secret realm this time.