The mission hall was located in the southwest region of Cangxuan Sect. It was a large and majestic hall that stood atop a misty peak, from which a long stone stairs extended from the mountain top. It was quite a majestic sight to behold.
The mission hall was one of the most popular places in the Cangxuan Sect. Numerous disciples would fly over everyday to receive and hand in tasks from the mission hall.
At this present time, the mission hall was exceptionally rowdy.
Many purple sash disciples from the various peaks were gathered here, as they quarreled with one another. They were clearly bickering over who should have a spot in the Black Flame Province Heaven task that was set to begin tomorrow.
"The selection process for this Heaven task is simply too unfair. I am fine with the others, but Zhou Yuan is merely a newly promoted purple sash disciple. What gives him the right to partic.i.p.ate in this Heaven task?!"
"That"s right. Even though Zhou Yuan is quite talented, he is still lacking in experience. He may have the qualifications In one or two years, but I am afraid he is still lacking now."
"Heh heh, I heard he was nominated by senior sister Li Qingchan. To think that he could actually catch her eye, I wonder what"s so special about him."
"Bulls.h.i.+t. Stop trying to insinuate something. Just think about senior sister Li Qingchan"s status, and how many talented geniuses has she seen over the years. How can someone like Zhou Yuan possibly catch her fancy? There must be some other reason behind it."
"......"
Noisy discussions continuously rang out across the mission hall, with no lack of bitter voices amongst them. Zhou Yuan had after all been strongly recommended by the Cangxuan sect"s most famous ice queen, Li Qingchan. Countless disciples were huge fans of her, and naturally felt rather sullen at the sight of their G.o.ddess pus.h.i.+ng so hard for Zhou Yuan.
Within a side hall on the mountain peak.
Ten figures were present in this room. Li Qingchan sat at the head of the group with a frosty expression on her pretty face. Beside her sat a young man with long and narrow eyes. A sword rested on his legs as his slim fingers gently tapped it.
A powerful but indistinct sword aura spread from his body, as the faint cry of a sword echoed in the room.
This person was the second Chosen from Sword Cometh Peak, Zhao Zhu.
Seated under these two were numerous young individuals with extraordinary presences. Upon closer inspection, one would realize that they were all well-known purple sash disciples. Compared to them, even the likes of Xu Yan was substantially weaker.
"Haha. Senior sister Li, this mission is extremely important. You should know that we are headed for the Black Flame Province, and will be up against three of the sacred sects, Sacred Palace, North Sea Dragon Subduing Hall and Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace. All of them will surely be sending their most elite disciples, which will be quite a challenge for us."
While the atmosphere within the side hall was a little stifling, Zhao Zhu smiled faintly and said, "However, senior sister Li keeps insisting that Zhou Yuan should be a part of the team. Aren"t you making light of the sect"s interest?"
Several figures inside the hall could not help but nod at Zhao Zhu"s words.
Li Qingchan"s gorgeous face was covered in frost as she coldly said, "This is my right as the captain. I believe that he is qualified."
"Snort."
A disciple below Zhao Zhu snorted. The individual had disheveled hair, while his completely black fingernails gave off a cold and sharp sensation.
This person was called Qin Hai, and was one of the most famous purple sash disciples of Sword Cometh Peak.
Qin Hai smiled and said, "Senior sister Li, we"re a team for this mission. If you insist on bringing this burden along, you may potentially jeopardize the mission, and none of us will be able to receive any Heaven Credits. Even if you are one of the Chosens, this is something that we cannot accept."
"I will make up for him." Li Qingchan stared coldly at Qin Hai. "Or are you doubting my abilities?"
Under Li Qingchan"s icy glare, Qin Hai froze as he gave a dry laugh. Though he was quite famous among the purple sash disciples, he was naturally much weaker than the third ranked Chosen, Li Qingchan.
"Haha senior sister Li, Qin Hai does not mean to questioning your abilities." Zhao Zhu chuckled softly when he saw this, before he slowly said, "However, what he said previously makes sense. We are a team, and we cannot afford to bring a burden along."
"I will not deny that Zhou Yuan is indeed very talented. However, he is a newly promoted purple sash disciple, and is still lacking in experience. Therefore, I would like to suggest that junior brother w.a.n.g Lei take his place instead."
His eyes turned towards the last seat in the side hall, where a tall and muscular young man could be seen. A surge of ferocious Genesis Qi undulations pulsed from his body.
w.a.n.g Lei was also a disciple from Sword Cometh Peak.
As it was not easy to encounter a Heaven task, Zhao Zhu was doing everything in his power to rope in his Sword Cometh Peak disciples. Although this was the case, the disciples he recommended were of fitting strength and fame. Hence, the others had nothing to say even if they saw through his intentions.
Li Qingchan"s gaze turned even colder.
"Senior brother Zhao Zhu, although this task is important, not every partic.i.p.ating member will end up playing a key role. Senior sister Li Qingchan barely brought any Snow Lotus Peak disciples along, while your Sword Cometh Peak disciples have already taken up four spots."
"I feel that both of you should take a step back and compromise so we can quickly finalize the team members. We"ll then be able to proceed with the mission as a team. Don"t you think that this will be for the best?"
The one who spoke was a young lady under Li Qingchan. The girl was wearing a black s.h.i.+rt and long pants, and was quite tall, mostly due to her especially long and slender legs.
She was quite pretty as well, while her fair hands gave off a healthy glow.
This girl was called Bai Li, and was quite a famous purple sash disciple from Hongya Peak. Even though she did not know why Li Qingchan insisted on bringing Zhou Yuan along, she was close to Li Qingchan and naturally chose to stand up for the latter.
Furthermore, Li Qingchan had already given in to Zhao Zhu in order to protect Zhou Yuan. This was why there were so many Sword Cometh Peak disciples in the team. In spite of this, Zhao Zhu was still being too overbearing, refusing to compromise and constantly trying to push his luck.
Zhao Zhu"s finger gently slid across his sword, as he smiled and said, "Junior sister Bai Li, I am not acting selfishly, but for the sake of our mission."
"I believe junior sister Bai Li also doesn"t want us to fail and return home empty-handed, right?"
Bai Li was at a loss for words. Logically speaking, what Zhao Zhu said made sense. After all, none of them wanted to carry a burden that was only there for the Heaven Credit.
When Zhao Zhu saw this, he continued to speak with a smile, "I believe that senior sister Li Qingchan has already sent someone to deliver a message to Zhou Yuan. However, we have been waiting for nearly half a day now, and yet this junior brother refuses to show himself, leaving senior sister Li to fight his battles for him. His actions show that he lacks courage."
His words were extremely biting.
After he spoke, even Bai Li began to frown, clearly a little upset. She also felt that Zhou Yuan"s behaviour showed that he was an irresponsible individual. Why was Li Qingchan still protecting such a person?
Li Qingchan was the one who nominated him after all. However, he had not dared to show his face even till today. Was this because he knew that he couldn"t handle the pressure?
Li Qingchan expression was still unreadable and cold as ice. However, a look of irritation flashed across her eyes.
Just as she was about to speak, a commotion was suddenly heard outside the hall. Following which, all of them saw a slim young man walk in.
"I was training earlier and I lost track of time. I hope my senior brothers and sisters can forgive me."
That young man looked inside, as he cupped his fists and smiled. Finally, he looked directly at Zhao Zhu, who was seated beside Li Qingchan.
"Senior brother Zhao Zhu, I wonder how I can convince you that I will not be a burden to the team?"
"Why not tell me your conditions? I"ll just go ahead and fulfill them today."