The middle-aged man in green was Ye Bingyun, patriarch of the Ye Family of Western Wilds. His gaze pierced through the void and settled on a figure undergoing the trials below. A barely perceptible flicker of peculiarity passed through his expression, as though he were identifying and contemplating something.
"Patriarch Ye, what is it? Could it be that you have truly taken a liking to young friend Chu and are considering recruiting him as a son-in-law?"
Beside him, a God King Realm expert whose aura was deep and immense as an abyss, clad in a black-iron battle robe, smiled faintly and teased him. He was the patriarch of the Iron Family of Western Wilds, which had long maintained ties with the Ye Family.
Hearing this, Ye Bingyun returned from his thoughts, his expression becoming calm once more. Shaking his head, he replied with a light laugh, "Brother Iron, you jest. This boy is indeed a dragon and phoenix among men, but my Ye Family's temple is too small to contain a true dragon like him. Do not mention taking him in as a son-in-law again, lest we become a laughingstock."
The several great figures exchanged smiles and said no more. Some subjects needed only a passing mention.
Yet the great figures all shared the same opinion: this boy was no creature meant to remain in a shallow pool. The future landscape of the Barren Domain might truly shift because of him.
Ye Bingyun continued watching those undergoing the trials, his gaze falling upon a young girl—Bai Xiaoqi of the Nine Nations Alliance. A faint trace of puzzlement flickered deep in his eyes, only to vanish at once.
Three hours later.
An ancient, desolate bell toll suddenly rang out between heaven and earth!
"Dong—!"
The bell seemed to have come from