"Yuan Li Yue, I have guarded this Treasure Tree Sapling for years. I cannot possibly hand it over to you on a silver platter..."
There were already sixteen people in the tree chamber, all Abyss Clan disciples at Shore Reaching Realm Perfection. Among them, Yuan Zhuo—the particularly aloof one—wore a solemn expression as he spoke first.
As the twenty-first-ranked member of the main lineage's younger generation, Yuan Zhuo was absolutely not to be underestimated.
One had to know that he had earned this ranking while still at the Shore Reaching Realm!
Yuan Dongfeng was at Tree Connecting Realm Perfection, yet ranked far below him. This showed that, in the eyes of those Abyss Clan big shots, Yuan Zhuo's innate foundation and potential far surpassed Yuan Dongfeng's.
Once Yuan Zhuo obtained this high-grade Treasure Tree and used it to connect his tree and break through, he would surely enter the top twenty.
A figure like him would naturally not feel intimidated merely because of the formidable cultivation Li Qingyun had displayed.
Yuan Zhuo's sharp edge would only be fully stirred by Li Qingyun's arrival, becoming even keener and more dazzling.
Yet Li Qingyun seemed not to hear him at all, immersed in the subtle transformation wrought by the "Human Dao Factors" within the tree chamber. For the moment, he had no time to heed Yuan Zhuo's challenge or the greetings and pleasantries of the other Abyss Clan disciples.
To Yuan Zhuo and the others, this naturally seemed excessively arrogant and overbearing.
Everyone immediately grew displeased, their dissatisfaction plain on their faces.
The atmosphere fell into a brief stagnation.
"Hmm? What did you just say?"
Only after a moment did Li Qingyun slowly emerge from that oxygen-drunk state of mind. Turning his head toward Yuan Zhuo, who stood first on his left,