Tongtian Refused to Choose

The tea wafted gently from the cup at the head of the round table.

Tongtian Cult Master lifted his teacup, but his sharp gaze swept over Hu Fangyuan and Lin Yan.

Then he looked back at Li Shou, his tone carrying a hint of doubt and probing:

"Fourth Brother, you just said that your disciple, Hu Fangyuan, was lamenting how all living beings become 'guests caught in the calamity' during a Measure Calamity?"

"That doesn't sound like something a True Immortal would say."

He paused, smiling faintly:

"It sounds more like... the words of someone who has stepped outside the game and is watching from the sidelines."

Laozi lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Yuanshi's expression remained unchanged, though his hand paused slightly as he set down his teacup.

Li Shou's smile remained gentle, as if he hadn't heard the hidden barb in Tongtian's words:

"You're overthinking it, Third Brother."

"Fangyuan is a kind-hearted child. He's simply seen the suffering of the human race on the Coast of the East Sea and heard about the changes in the Dragon Clan, so he made a few remarks out of sympathy."

"Is that so?"

A playful curve touched Tongtian's lips. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed intently on Li Shou:

"But to me, it sounds as if he knows things... he shouldn't know."

The atmosphere suddenly turned tense.

Though the disciples seated farther away couldn't hear exactly what the Saints were saying, they could feel the invisible pressure.

They held their breath, not daring to move.

Hu Fangyuan's back broke out in a cold sweat.

"Third Brother."

Yuanshi spoke up, his voice calm but carrying unquestionable authority.

"Fourth Brother knows how to handle matters concerning the disciples of the Heart Sect."

"As their teacher, you should focus on your own teaching,