Keep a Respectful Distance

That evening, Yang Chen contacted Wang Feng under the guise of buying resources. When they met, he noticed Wang Feng looked rather unhappy.

Yang Chen expressed his understanding. Wang Kui was his biological brother, and now that his advancement had failed, he could no longer remain in the Sun Moon Sword Sect. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say his martial path was broken.

He offered a few subtle words of comfort, and Wang Feng sat in his room, sighing deeply.

"Junior Brother Yang, I was just about to contact you. My elder brother's advancement failed, and he must leave the sect within three days. He's planning to host a few tables in town tomorrow night to entertain disciples he's close with, and he specifically asked me to invite you."

Yang Chen immediately nodded. "Senior Brother Wang, don't worry. I will definitely arrive on time tomorrow."

"Good!" Wang Feng nodded, then asked, "I remember Junior Brother just bought resources a few days ago. You must have something to ask by calling me over today, right?"

"I can't hide anything from Senior Brother Wang." Yang Chen thought for a moment and directly asked, "Senior Brother Wang Kui mentioned it to me once. That Zhou Han was in the same batch of disciples as him. I wonder if Zhou Han has made a move on the Outer Sect?"

Wang Feng shook his head decisively. He knew Yang Chen and Zhou Han had irreconcilable differences and wouldn't hide anything on this matter. He shared what he knew.

"As far as I know, Zhou Han has been keeping a low profile lately. It's certain he hasn't made a move on the Outer Sect."

"However, Junior Brother Yang, you need to be mentally prepared. Zhou Han has a very high chance of passing the advancement assessment!"

Yang Chen's brow furrowed, and he pressed, "Why do you say that?"

"Zhou Han's cultivation realm is on par with my elder brother's, but his swordsmanship is extremely high. It's said he has cultivated a Low-grade Sword Technique to perfection."

Yang Chen mused, "Senior Brother Wang, are you saying that swordsmanship attainment is related to the advancement assessment?"

"Exactly!" Wang Feng nodded vigorously. "The reason my elder brother failed the assessment was precisely because his swordsmanship was a bit lacking."

"Throughout the Sun Moon Sword Sect, everyone cultivates the sword path. Its reputation for lethality is unmatched in the world, and sword technique cultivation is a mandatory course for every disciple. This Outer Sect assessment is closely related to swordsmanship attainment."

Wang Feng revealed several key pieces of information, giving Yang Chen a preliminary impression of the Outer Sect assessment. He realized that his comprehension of swordsmanship could not be put aside, otherwise, he would undoubtedly suffer a great loss when facing the assessment in the future.

He clasped his hands solemnly. "Thank you for the information, Senior Brother Wang!"

Wang Feng waved his hand, not taking credit. Such information was not difficult to inquire about. When Yang Chen's cultivation reached a certain level, he would naturally obtain related intelligence.

Moreover, even if he didn't say anything, his elder brother would offer some pointers at the wine table tomorrow.

Although Wang Kui had to leave, Wang Feng was still here. Their family's connections with other disciples would not be severed.

He had already received a hint from his elder brother. If nothing unexpected happened, he would take over the position of supervisor until he had the chance to challenge the Outer Sect himself one day.

"I still need to deliver the message to other Senior Brothers' residences, so I won't disturb Junior Brother's cultivation. Farewell!"

Wang Feng stood up and left. Yang Chen saw him to the door before returning. He sat on the bed, his face filled with contemplation.

The news Wang Feng brought today was very important to him. Swordsmanship cultivation was a given, but more importantly, it was Zhou Han's actions.

He hoped Zhou Han would fail his advancement, but things might not unfold according to his wishes.

If Zhou Han passed the assessment, his situation would become even more passive. Given their conflict, the other party would not miss any opportunity to suppress him.

He rubbed his temples, pondering from which direction the unknown suppression might come.

After a while, he suddenly came to his senses, realizing he had let Zhou Han affect his emotions.

"When soldiers come, block them; when water rises, cover it up!"

Excessively worrying about things that hadn't happened yet was not a wise choice.

"Cultivate!"

All schemes were inferior to the strength in one's fists.

He calmed himself and ate a Nine Leaf Profound Spirit Fruit.

The night passed without incident. The next afternoon, Yang Chen rushed directly from the spirit field to the town on Nineteen Peaks and arrived at the appointed restaurant.

At the entrance, the Wang brothers were waiting. Upon seeing Yang Chen, they immediately stepped forward to greet him.

"Junior Brother Yang, thank you for gracing us with your presence!"

"Senior Brother has taken good care of me. How could I miss this farewell dinner?" As Yang Chen spoke, he took out three Nine Leaf Profound Spirit Fruits from his Storage Bag, adding, "I'm not good at comforting people. Consider these three Nine Leaf Profound Spirit Fruits as my farewell gift to Senior Brother. I hope when we meet again, Senior Brother will have already broken through to the True Martial Realm!"

"Junior Brother you..."

Wang Kui was moved. The Nine Leaf Profound Spirit Fruits, worth 15 Spirit Crystals, were not overly expensive. Rather, it was Yang Chen's words that made his heart restless.

He was in a low moment right now. For others to even show up for dinner was already considering Wang Feng's face, let alone giving gifts.

Yang Chen said earnestly, "Senior Brother, please don't refuse. After the meal, I might have a few words to bother Senior Brother with."

"What's there to bother about between brothers? Come up and sit down quickly."

Wang Kui accepted the Nine Leaf Profound Spirit Fruits and led Yang Chen to a private room on the second floor.

Before Yang Chen, several disciples had already arrived early. They nodded in greeting upon seeing him.

After Yang Chen took his seat, Wang Kui went downstairs again.

The private room was large and contained four round tables, enough to accommodate over thirty people.

However, after waiting for a long time, only a few people had arrived after half an hour.

Shortly after, Wang Kui, with a calm expression, led someone in. When the men in the room saw the newcomer, they were all stunned into silence.

Yang Chen's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Xu Qingqing to come. Judging by her appearance, she had probably bought quite a few resources from Wang Feng as well.

"Senior Brother Yang is here too?"

Xu Qingqing, poised and graceful, came to Yang Chen's table and sat down. Over this period, her relationship with Yang Chen had been quite good. She found him to be a complex person, sometimes cunning, sometimes generous, but she could sense that he wasn't bad at heart.

"I have some acquaintance with Senior Brother Wang Kui. I didn't expect Junior Sister to be the same."

Xu Qingqing blinked her eyes. "This means we have quite a bit of chemistry."

Yang Chen chuckled sheepishly and immediately fell silent.

Women are like fierce tigers; he firmly believed this.

Xu Qingqing felt a bit helpless. She never understood why Yang Chen kept a respectful distance from her.

She looked Yang Chen up and down, her beautiful eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Yang Chen's eye twitched. He knew she was probably thinking the wrong thing, but he had no intention of explaining. The path of martial arts was so brilliant, and he still didn't have enough time to cultivate. How could he possibly have the mind to worry about romantic entanglements?

He was determined to reach the pinnacle of martial arts and would never be entangled by love.

At another table, Wang Feng was quietly explaining the origins of Yang Chen and Xu Qingqing to a few eager individuals. When they learned that these were disciples from the new intake, the people at the table immediately abandoned any further thoughts.

Both Yang Chen and Xu Qingqing were at the Blood Martial Realm. Reaching this level in less than a year after joining the sect meant they would undoubtedly become Outer Sect disciples in the future. No one wanted to cause themselves trouble.

Shortly after, Wang Kui raised his wine cup, signaling that no one else would be coming.

This was Yang Chen's first time witnessing what it meant for people to leave when things cooled down. He couldn't help but think of Luo Wang, who had probably faced an even more desolate situation back then.

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