Elsewhere, inside an elegant pavilion, three elderly figures with unfathomably deep auras were sharing drinks.
Deng Ziheng and Gong Nansong sat facing each other, while the third was an old woman.
She was another highly esteemed elder of the main peak. Others respectfully called her Elder Feng, while few knew her true name.
Gong Nansong raised the white-jade-like wine cup before him, a blissful expression on his face as he smiled. "Today, I can be said to have basked in Old Deng's favor and finally tasted this 'Jade Mist Dew.'"
Elder Feng cast him a glance, her tone placid. "If you do not want to drink it, you can put it down."
Deng Ziheng burst into laughter at that and teased, "Old Gong, this 'Jade Mist Dew' may be worth ten thousand gold and impossible to buy even at a price, but with your wealth and thick skin, if you truly wanted some to drink, could you not get a jar or half a jar?"
Gong Nansong chuckled twice without refuting him, then happily took another sip. He was clearly enjoying it immensely and could not bear to put it down.
"Enough nonsense."
Elder Feng set down her wine cup and turned her gaze toward the bustling Tianbao Tower in the distance, her tone growing more serious. "The Sect Leader sent me here. You should know why. As for this batch of seedlings selected through the Hundred Sect Selection at Xuwang Mountain, after observing them these days, what do you think of them?"
At the words "Sect Leader," Deng Ziheng and Gong Nansong both grew slightly solemn, casting aside their relaxed manner.
Gong Nansong spoke first, saying seriously, "Overall, they are quite good. As expected of elites chosen layer by layer from the hundred sects under our command."
He thought