Chapter 1636: Message Wan Guiyi, Wu Xiaofan, and Lou Wucheng all lowered their heads in shame and sat down. They seemed to have every ounce of strength sucked out of them. Several seconds before, they had still had the burning fighting spirit and the will to challenge Zu An. They had felt that he was worthy of being their opponent. Now, however, they discovered that they were far from that. At the same time, they were a bit alarmed. They were all known as the ones with the greatest talents, the greatest geniuses among the younger generation. They had believed that they wouldn’t lose to any of their peers, and that even if there was a difference, it would be close. And yet they had ended up encountering Zu An… Is this monster still human?! “Ah Zu is so handsome!” Qiu Honglei cried, grabbing Yun Jianyue’s arm and shaking it excitedly. She was so excited that she seemed almost to be trying to share her pride in her man. “It’s nothing surprising. It’s still not as special as when your master slaughtered her way in and out of Violet Mountain,” Yun Jianyue said with a hint of disdain, but inwardly, she thought to herself, That kid is indeed a bit handsome. However, as far as she remembered, Zu An’s sword ki had been blue. Why had it become gold? Zu An was also confused about that. After he passed Level 70, his sword formation’s color had changed on its own. However, he hadn’t looked too deeply into it, seeing as it still looked cool. Meanwhile, Yan Xuehen’s expression moved a bit. She was a bit regretful, thinking that she shouldn’t have made Chuyan cultivate in seclusion. Once she found out that she had missed this scene, she’d definitely be really upset. But I’m doing this for her sake. Otherwise, if she had seen Zu An carrying Pei Mianman so intimately, she might have just died from anger. … Amid the court’s ranks, Zhang Zijiang proudly told the other soldiers, “Don’t you remember what I said? Our Sir Zu’s strength is unparalleled. It’s just some trifling sect elder; how can he be Sir Zu’s match?” Xie Daoyun thought to herself, That’s not what you said earlier. You were clearly so worried. However, she wasn’t in the mood to argue over such things. She rested her chin on her hand and looked at that man with a smile, thinking, Big brother Zu is so handsome. Of course, if he didn’t have that woman in his arms, he would be even more handsome. “Why is this guy so strong?!” Compared to the others’ excitement, the Heavenly Sorrow Sect’s disciples were all deeply distressed. After all, they had been opposed to Zu An before. Cai Yu had looked down on Zu An for not accepting his challenge, but now his face fluctuated between red and white. In the end, he threw the sword in his hand onto the ground. Zu An’s cultivation was higher than he could possibly have imagined! What was the point of even training in the sword anymore? … Tranquility Temple’s little monk Jie Se turned to Master Jian Huang and asked, “Master, would you be able to receive that attack?” Master Jian Huang smiled and replied, “I share no grudge with Benefactor Zu. Why would I need to consider something like that?” “Master, you’re cheating.” “It’s called being resourceful.” … Zu An landed on the ground again. He brought the completely red-faced Pei Mianman in front of Elder Huo Ling, saying, “Elder, Miss Pei has exhausted her ki quite severely and needs rest.” They were in front of too many people, so it wasn’t too appropriate to expose their relationship. “Alright. Thank you, young master,” Elder Huo Ling said, snapping out of her daze and quickly receiving Pei Mianman. At the same time, she took out a pile of Jadefall Palace’s medicines for Pei Mianman to take. She secretly gave Wan Tongtian a look. In the past, if he had done that for her, they wouldn’t have had to carry such bitterness against each other. Zu An then turned around to look at the crowd, saying, “I feel that Lady Pei won in an honorable manner and there is no need for further investigation. What do you all think?” All of the sect elders’ expressions immediately became conflicted. The ones who had supported Guan Chouhai began to hesitate. Now that Jadefall Palace had Zu An’s support, it would be hard to predict who the final victor would be. After all, this Zu An’s cultivation was unexpectedly strong. Furthermore, he represented the court, so there was no need to make an enemy out of him. Guan Chouhai’s expression changed several times. However, this was related to Heavenly Sorrow Sect’s glory, so there was no way he would back out. He thought to himself, That move was formidable, but I refuse to believe that you can defeat a grandmaster at your young age! He was about to say something when Yun Jianyue said with a smile, “I agree with what Sir Zu says. Everyone saw Miss Pei win against Zhi Yin, so there is no need to argue about anything else.” Guan Chouhai’s expression changed. Emptiness Isle had never said anything, but now that they did speak, it was actually in support of Zu An. However, it was merely Emptiness Isle. He didn’t have to fear them. He was just about to speak when an icy voice called out, “Let us let matters on the stage be decided on the stage. If a senior stepped forward every time someone lost, this competition would completely lose its intended meaning.” The others were all shocked. None of them had expected Yan Xuehen, who was as cold as a frozen mountain, to speak. Furthermore, she had voiced a different opinion from Elder Li, who was also from the White Jade Sect! There’s something strange! Isn’t that stone cold woman treating Zu An a bit too well? It’s not like her at all, Yun Jianyue thought as she stared at Yan Xuehen with a pensive look. Qiu Honglei couldn't help but grumble, “Why do I feel as if master treats Ah Zu even better than I do? It’s not like you! For example, just now, you spoke out for Ah Zu even before Sect Master Yan did.”𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂 “Is that the same thing? Aren’t I just doing that for you?!” Yun Jianyue cried, almost jumping. “Really? I thought it was because, after you and Sect Master Yan made that trip around the Fiend Races, you ended up becoming friends,” Qiu Honglei said with a big smile. “That’s part of the reason too, I guess,” Yun Jianyue said, feeling a bit guilty. She avoided eye contact and changed the topic. “Let’s just wait and see how things end up.” … Just then, Wang Wuxie stepped forward and said, “What Sect Master Yan says makes sense. This is a competition, so we as seniors should indeed refrain from interfering. Brother Guan, have worthy nephew Zhi Yin rest for now. With his strength, he should be able to obtain a quota later.” Even after witnessing Zu An’s strength, he had been a bit hesitant at first, but now that Yan Xuehen had spoken, he naturally pushed the boat with the current. At the same time, he secretly implied to Guan Chouhai that the Heavenly Sorrow Sect still had a chance. Now that the host had spoken, the ones who supported Guan Chouhai all changed sides and echoed what he said. Guan Chouhai cursed them for being opportunists, but he knew that with the way things had turned out, there was no meaning in persisting with the issue. He could only harrumph and storm off in a huff. The other disciples quickly carried Zhi Yin away. While leaving, Zhao Xiaodie couldn't help but give Zu An a look. She felt as if she hated him, and yet didn’t. She was starting to become really confused. … Guan Chouhai and the others left. Meanwhile, because most of the stages had been destroyed, there was clearly no way of continuing the competition. As such, Wang Wuxie declared that the competition would be stopped briefly and would continue the next day. The crowd gradually dispersed, but they were all excitedly discussing the previous fights. Zu An’s battle in particular was just too spectacular, leaving all of the disciples filled with endless envy. However, the older generation’s sect masters were a bit more composed. They had been extremely shocked at first, but they quickly realized that Zu An hadn’t revealed any trace of a domain in his attack. He clearly hadn’t reached the grandmaster rank yet. Furthermore, even though that attack was formidable, they could tell that it was a long range attack. If Zu An had to fight in close combat, things could become troublesome for him. After thinking through those things, the sect masters sighed in relief, recovering their usual cheer. At the same time, they explained the situation to their disciples to calm them down. That task was quite important. The ordinary disciples were one thing, as they had just been enjoying the drama. However, the mental shock the elite disciples had experienced was extremely great! If they ended up developing inner demons and self-doubts, that would really be bad. … After she returned to Jadefall Palace’s side, Pei Mianman wanted to find Zu An to tell him about everything she had gone through, but everyone from Jadefall Palace took up too much time congratulating her on her feat of defeating the Heavenly Sorrow Sect’s representative disciple. Furthermore, Elder Huo Ling was very worried about her injuries, and almost always remained at her side to help with her treatment. There was no chance for Pei Mianman to privately seek him out at all. When Yan Xuehen returned, Chu Chuyan quickly asked her what happened. She had seen a huge burst of golden light and felt as if she had sensed Zu An’s aura. Helpless to do anything else, Yan Xuehen could only tell her about what had happened. Chu Chuyan listened, her eyes sparkling. “Those people looked down on Ah Zu way too much! Master, you haven’t seen Ah Zu really fight yet. I can still clearly recall the magnificence of his sword right now!” Chu Chuyan exclaimed. She was no longer ice-cold like before; instead, she was like a little girl showing off her favorite toy. She continued to tell her master about all sorts of different things related to Zu An. Yan Xuehen sighed and thought, You silly girl, I know way more than you… She didn’t want to continue talking about the subject and said, “That brat is good in every other way, but he’s just a bit too fickle in love. You didn’t see how he was carrying Pei Mianman in front of everyone else. That little lady was probably so happy she was going to faint from excitement.” Chu Chuyan laughed helplessly and said, “That guy is really annoying in that respect; almost all of the women around me have something to do with him. If you weren’t my master, he might already have gotten his hands on you too.” “Cough cough!” Yan Xuehen had been leisurely sipping on some tea, but she choked as soon as she heard that. Chu Chuyan was startled and quickly patted her back apologetically, saying, “Master, I was just giving an example! Please don’t be angry…” Yan Xuehen wiped at the corners of her lips and replied without batting an eyelid, “Weren’t you curious as to who gave you that warning? I have deduced that it might have been Ah… Ahem, one of that Zu brat’s lovers. However, I still have not found anyone who fits the bill. Now that I think about it, could it be Pei Mianman?” Chu Chuyan shook her head and replied, “It shouldn’t be her. We were close friends when we were in Brightmoon City. I understand her personality well…” “She is your close friend, and yet she is still fighting over your man?” Yan Xuehen suddenly retorted coldly. Chu Chuyan was a bit at a loss for words. Only after a moment did she say, “Manman is someone who dares to love and dares to hate. Even if she liked Ah Zu, she would fight against me overtly and not do such a despicable thing.” Yan Xuehen wanted to say something else, but she suddenly felt that she wasn’t in the position to talk about such things with her status. As such, she got up to leave, feeling grumpy as she said, “You should just continue cultivating in seclusion.” Chu Chuyan looked in the direction of where Zu An was staying through her window. Her gentle expression carried a hint of hesitation as she muttered, “I wonder what Ah Zu is doing, is he with Manman right now? Hmph!” … Zu An naturally wasn’t carrying out romantic endeavors at the moment, though. His expression was grave because he had just received a secret message from the Embroidered Envoy.