The Opening (Part Two)

As time passed, more and more people entered the arena. The once-empty seats gradually filled up, and the noise of the crowd never ceased.

Whoosh... whoosh...

The fierce wind cut through the clamor, accompanied by a dim "black shadow."

"Th-that is..."

"The Thunder Warship..." Qi Panjian spoke slowly, his tone heavy. "It is the Si Family's Ancestral Mystic Vessel. It is incredibly fast, and it is said to contain a Mystic Artifact—the Thunder God Cannon. At its peak, its power can supposedly even obliterate a Divine Lord!"

Rather than shaking Xiao Feng, Qi Panjian's solemn tone only made the corner of his mouth twitch. He struggled not to laugh as he thought, Thunder Warship, Thunder God Cannon... The Si Family's ancestor must have been quite the talent!

The Thunder Warship slowly sailed above the eastern seating area. With a flash of lightning around it, a group of figures landed precisely in the designated purple seats.

"Tch, they just love putting on all these flashy displays." Qi Panjian curled his lip, though envy was unmistakable in his eyes.

Xiao Feng gave him a slightly surprised glance. He suddenly felt that Qi Panjian seemed to enjoy showing off. And whenever he could not show off himself, he would pretend to disdain it instead?

"Hahahaha... Welcome, Si Family, from afar." A hearty laugh rang out. A middle-aged man dressed in plain white robes, with streaks of gray in his hair, approached them.

It was Qi Yunlong, the Qi Family's patriarch!

Situ Hao was holding a little girl in his arms. The girl was looking around curiously, though no one knew what she was searching for.

Situ Hao patted Qi Yunlong on the shoulder and said, "Haha, Brother Qi, you are still as sturdy as ever."

"Haha..." Qi Yunlong laughed awkwardly, then looked at the person standing beside Situ Hao. "Could this be your eldest son, Situ Xiu, Young Master Xiu?"

Situ Hao patted Situ Xiu's shoulder. "Why haven't you greeted your Uncle Qi?"

Situ Xiu had handsome features, dark skin, and a faint air of determination in his eyes. He bowed and said, "Greetings, Uncle Qi."

"Hahaha, rise quickly. The Si Family is truly blessed. At such a young age, you are already Level 3 of the God Spirit Realm. Your future is limitless!"

"Thank you for your praise, Uncle Qi..."

"..."

"Brother Feng~" A young girl's voice rang out. Xiao Feng looked over and saw Situ Yao. His heart sank. He had clearly promised a few days ago that he would visit the Si Family and play with her, but he had become absorbed in cultivation and three days had passed in the blink of an eye. He had completely forgotten until he saw Situ Yao now.

Xiao Feng was currently seated in the Qi Family's white seating area, right beside the Si Family's section. When Situ Yao saw Xiao Feng, she wanted to climb out of Situ Hao's arms and run over.

"Oh, my little ancestor, wait for me..." He gave Qi Yunlong an apologetic glance. "Patriarch Qi, let's talk later, later..."

With that, he carried Situ Yao toward Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng took Situ Yao from Situ Hao's arms. The moment she reached him, Situ Yao pounded his chest with her tiny pink fists. "Brother Feng is a liar... Hmph! You clearly said you would come to my house and play with me."

"But you still haven't come. I had to come find Brother Feng myself."

Xiao Feng explained with an awkward smile, "I'm really sorry, Yao'er. I was cultivating before. I was going to visit you once I finished, but who knew three days would pass just like that?"

"Don't worry. Brother Feng promises that once the Mystic Dao Assembly is over and I finish handling everything, I'll go to the Si Family and play with you, all right?"

"Hmph! You are not allowed to lie again."

"Don't worry, I definitely won't lie. Shall we make a pinky promise?" As Xiao Feng spoke, he held out his little finger.

Hearing that, Situ Yao extended her little finger as well and hooked it around his. In her sweet, childish voice, she recited, "Pinky promise, hang yourself, one hundred years without changing. If you change, you have to... play with me more."

Xiao Feng immediately laughed. The familiar rhyme somehow became strangely amusing. "All right, all right... I'll listen to Yao'er."

Xiao Feng then handed her back to Situ Hao. Situ Hao took her and glared at Xiao Feng irritably. "You brat, you have gotten me into deep trouble. You never came, so Yao'er kept clamoring to see you. Last time, I secretly brought her out and got scolded badly by my wife. Now I have done it again. When I get back, my woman will nag me to death."

"You are not allowed to speak badly about Brother Feng. He did not come because he had something to do." Situ Yao defended Xiao Feng in her sweet voice.

Xiao Feng smiled, though warmth flowed through his heart. He had broken his promise, yet she did not blame him. She even defended him.

"Sigh..." Situ Hao looked utterly helpless.

As time passed, another Mystic Vessel arrived.

This Mystic Vessel was primarily blue. A thin mist of water rippled around it, flowing slowly like a small stream. Its shape was strange and wild.

"It is the Overturning Water Vessel." Qi Panjian told Xiao Feng its name.

"It is the Ximen Family's Ancestral Mystic Vessel, much like the Si Family's. However, the Ximen Family mainly cultivates ice-element techniques, so its color and power differ from the Si Family's Thunder Warship."

He did not forget to mock them. "Every one of them uses a Mystic Vessel for such a short journey. Their airs are so grand they could float straight into the heavens."

Xiao Feng was already used to it and pretended not to hear.

"When the Mystic Vessel arrived above the blue seats reserved for the Ximen Family, blue light flashed, and a group of people appeared in their designated seats."

Xiao Feng's attention was fixed on the person in the second row. If he was not mistaken, the person in the first row should be Ximen Ding, the Ximen Family patriarch, while the one in the second row was his eldest son—the man they had encountered at the city gates before.

That Ximen Qing whom Qi Panjian had called an "idiot"!

Ximen Qing wore a pale blue robe patterned with white lines today. He still held a folding fan in his hand, and his expression was calm and elegant, making him appear refined and courteous.

"Ugh, acting all proper again."

"..." Xiao Feng had known Qi Panjian would say something like that.

The moment he stepped off the Mystic Vessel, Ximen Qing looked around. At last, his gaze fell on Xiao Feng—or rather, on Qi Qingyun. Ximen Qing slowly walked over and cupped his hands toward the three of them. "Qing Yun, Xiao Feng, Brother Pan, it has been a long time."

Unexpectedly, none of the three responded. Qi Qingyun even moved a step to the side, avoiding his greeting.

Ximen Qing looked embarrassed. He did not know whether to lower his hands or keep them raised. Qi Yunlong noticed the awkward atmosphere and walked over to smooth things over. "Nephew, do not take offense. Qing Yun has always been like this toward those she does not know well."

Then he turned to Qi Panjian and rebuked him, "How did I teach you at home? You have no manners at all. Are you trying to disgrace the Qi Family outside? Apologize to Nephew Ximen at once."

"I..." Qi Panjian looked unwilling, but under his father's oppressive authority, he had no choice but to yield.

"No need..." Ximen Qing interrupted Qi Panjian. "Brother Pan can be considered my elder brother. He must simply have some misunderstanding about me, which is why he treats me this way. We can clear it up in time."

"Hmph... I will let it go this time for Nephew Ximen's sake. If you dare do it again, I will break your legs. Do you hear me?" Qi Yunlong shouted.

"I... I understand," Qi Panjian replied weakly.

Ximen Qing merely smiled calmly at the side, as though he had not taken what had just happened to heart at all.

As for Xiao Feng, he was directly ignored. He had no presence at all, and Qi Yunlong did not even spare him a glance.

Xiao Feng watched Ximen Qing's composed smile, and wariness rose in his heart. He did not believe anyone could be so easygoing. Ximen Qing had deliberately come over to greet them, only to be publicly snubbed, yet he had simply laughed it off without even the slightest displeasure. All he projected was the elegance of a gentle breeze.

Unless he truly was a saint without selfish desires, but Qi Panjian despised him so deeply. No matter how Xiao Feng looked at it, that did not seem likely...

"Patriarch Qi, go entertain your guests. There is no need to waste time here."

"Very well. The assembly has not begun yet, so Nephew Ximen, take your time looking around. I will go receive the other guests first."

With that, he left to greet the other mid-sized families. Their strength was not weak either; they merely lacked some of the deep foundations of the four great families. Their relationships still needed to be maintained.

Ximen Qing faced Qi Qingyun and smiled lightly. "My apologies for disturbing you. I will not interrupt your reunion any longer." Without waiting for a response, he turned and left.

Even as he turned away, he still appeared completely calm and unruffled...

Ximen Qing arrived at a desolate pavilion outside the training grounds. Before long, two figures passed through layers of soundproof barriers and came before him.

"Big Brother!"

"Big Brother!"

The two who had come were Ximen Qing's younger clansmen, Ximen Xue and Ximen Sheng.

They both came from branch families and held very low status within the clan. Only because their talent in the Mystic Dao was somewhat superior, allowing their cultivation to reach the God Spirit Realm, were they able to participate in this assembly.

Because of their low family status, they had always sought to cling to Ximen Qing, the Ximen Family's eldest young master. In secret, they had done many filthy and vile things for him.

Seeing Ximen Qing's gloomy expression, both of them were secretly alarmed. Ximen Qing had entrusted every dirty deed to them, so they understood his temperament perfectly.

Ximen Qing's mother had died when he was very young... Perhaps due to a lack of maternal love, something in his mind had become somewhat twisted.

Yet at the same time, he possessed an extremely strong sense of pride and cared deeply about his own "face."

Thus, they had rarely seen Ximen Qing reveal such a gloomy expression in public. In the past, no matter how furious he was outside, he would never show it. He would only reveal it after returning home.

Yet he was still in the Qi Family's territory and had already revealed such an expression. He had clearly been angered badly!

"Hmph!"

When he saw the two of them arrive, it seemed he had found an outlet for his anger. He snorted furiously. "That idiot Qi Panjian does not know what is good for him. I gave him face by calling him Brother Pan. If I do not give him face, I will send him straight into the ground!"

Ximen Xue's eyes flashed as he echoed, "Young Master, it is obvious that brat needs to be taught a lesson. Should we give him one?"

"Idiot! If it were possible, would I need you to say it?"

"Qi Qingyun is already at the peak of the God King Realm. It is practically certain that she will become an Abyssal Knight. Though she has no blood relation with the Qi Family, they did raise her. If Qi Qingyun still has feelings for the Qi Family, how could the Ximen Family withstand her settling accounts afterward?"

"This..." Ximen Sheng carefully chose his words. "Then why did Young Master call us here?"

"Hmph! Qi Panjian is in the Qi Family, so it is not easy to make a move against him. And although Xiao Feng is beside Qi Qingyun, making it inconvenient to attack him directly... once he participates in the Mystic Dao Assembly, an accidental mistake during the matches that costs him an arm or a leg would be perfectly normal..."

"But I heard Xiao Feng has no intention of participating in the Mystic Dao Assembly. What should we do then?" Ximen Xue asked in confusion.

"Hehehe..." Ximen Qing laughed with a vicious expression. "You do not need to worry about that. I have already made preparations... When the time comes, I want to see whether Xiao Feng will step onto the stage."

"So that is how it is. Young Master is truly brilliant, capable of turning heaven and earth in his palm." Ximen Xue said respectfully. "I am utterly impressed by Young Master's schemes!"

"Me too!" Ximen Sheng hurriedly agreed.

"Hmph! A piece of trash who cannot even break through to the God Tribulation Realm... How could Qi Qingyun possibly fall for him!"

"I will make Qi Qingyun watch with her own eyes just what kind of trash he is!"

"..."