Friends? You're Not Worthy!

The moment Ling Qingzhu appeared, nearly everyone in the area turned their gaze toward her.

And the moment Ling Qingzhu spoke, she naturally drew everyone's attention.

"Oh? There's actually a genius here who's caught Miss Qingzhu's eye?"

Lin Langtian chuckled softly, but his gaze turned cold.

He had heard Ling Qingzhu's name before and knew she came from an extraordinary background. She was proud and haughty, and even geniuses like them were beneath her notice.

Yet now, this aloof, proud fairy had taken the initiative to invite someone. It had undoubtedly struck at Lin Langtian's pride.

Was there really someone in the Great Yan Dynasty more outstanding than him, Lin Langtian?

Lin Langtian's gaze sharpened at once as he scanned the area below, but he found nothing.

Wang Yan and the others searched as well, but they came up empty.

For a moment, many people exchanged bewildered looks, searching all around to discover which peerless talent had caught the attention of this fairy-like beauty.

Lin Dong, who had a guess, stared at Ling Qingzhu in surprise and asked Little Marten in his mind,

"Little Marten, how strong is this woman? How did she sense Senior's presence?"

As someone who possessed the Devouring Spirit Talisman, Lin Dong understood all too well how powerful, mysterious, and domineering the Devouring Power was.

During his training in the mountains, Lin Dong had figured out many ways to use it. For example, he could use the Devouring Power to conceal his aura so that demonic beasts couldn't sense him.

Given Senior Cang Wu's mastery of the Devouring Power, surely no one in the entire Great Yan Dynasty could sense his aura, right?

"I don't know, but she definitely isn't from your Great Yan Dynasty. See that Green Lotus beneath her feet? That's a treasure even beyond Heaven Tier Spirit Treasures."

Little Marten was just as curious. Even if Ling Qingzhu came from an impressive background, could it really compare to the origins of the Devouring Power? Across the entire Eastern Xuan Region, no matter what faction someone came from, their background was ordinary in the presence of the Lord of Devourment.

And yet this woman, whose origins were supposedly so ordinary, had sensed that lord's presence. It was truly baffling.

Little Marten wasn't the only one puzzled. Even Cang Wu himself was rather curious about how Ling Qingzhu had sensed his aura.

Looking up at Ling Qingzhu, who stared straight at him with a strange glint in her eyes, almost as if she were probing him, Cang Wu set aside his doubts and replied with a smile.

"Your perception is remarkably sharp, Miss. You're the first person with such modest strength to sense my aura. Impressive!"

Since he'd been discovered, Cang Wu decided there was no point in hiding anymore.

At his words, everyone turned to look. Cang Wu took a step, and in the next instant, the entire area was plunged into darkness.

Countless people felt their hearts tighten. Then, within the darkness, they saw a man in a black robe, strangely clear against the shadows, walking toward them at an unhurried pace.

As he walked, the darkness around him seemed to come alive. It stirred faintly, as if welcoming a noble king.

His black robe seemed all the darker and more mysterious against the surrounding shadows, while also exuding an air of elegance and grandeur.

At last, the man stopped. The darkness around him receded like a tide, and only then did everyone realize that their backs were drenched in sweat.

Even Wang Yan, Qin Shi, and the others looked wary as they stared at the black-robed figure suspended in midair.

As for Lin Langtian, he looked downright terrified, watching Cang Wu's back with trepidation.

Yet Cang Wu didn't look at any of them. He stared straight at the woman before him, shock in his eyes.

Because just a moment ago, Cang Wu had finally understood why Ling Qingzhu had been able to sense his presence.

The Supreme Induction Art!

Cang Wu had cultivated this art, passed down by the Symbol Ancestor, for many years. Though he had never truly mastered it, he had still acquired a trace of Supreme Power.

Ling Qingzhu had sensed Cang Wu's aura because she had detected the fluctuations of the Supreme Induction Art and followed them to him.

What truly shocked Cang Wu was that Ling Qingzhu's mastery of the Supreme Induction Art was nearly on par with his own.

"Impressive, impressive! Miss, your talent surpasses mine by far, and I've never seen anyone like you in my life. Truly remarkable!"

Cang Wu exclaimed repeatedly. When it came to the Supreme Induction Art, Ling Qingzhu's talent was probably greater than the combined talent of all eight of them.

But Ling Qingzhu furrowed her brows and stared at Cang Wu, a peculiar look in her eyes.

She could naturally tell that Cang Wu's praise was sincere.

She had heard such praise countless times before, but whether it had been false or heartfelt, it had never stirred the slightest ripple within her.

Cang Wu's praise, however, made her feel strangely unsettled.

The young man before her looked about her age, but she couldn't see through his cultivation at all. His astonishing methods were even more dumbfounding.

And yet someone whose strength, cultivation, methods, and talent all far surpassed her own was praising her talent as superior to his?

It struck Ling Qingzhu as incredibly strange, almost as if he'd just insulted her. But Cang Wu's tone was utterly sincere.

Fortunately, the light veil covering her face kept others from seeing her expression. She replied softly,

"You're too kind, Young Master. I wouldn't dare speak of talent in your presence."

"Haha, don't sell yourself short, Miss. There are very few people in the world who earn my praise."

Cang Wu chuckled. His calm expression made people instinctively believe him; no one thought he was being overly arrogant.

Ling Qingzhu's gaze grew even more peculiar. The man before her looked so young, yet he spoke with an air of age and experience. At the same time, there was a carefree quality about him. It was a striking contradiction.

Lin Langtian, standing nearby, looked even more displeased. The moment this fellow appeared, he'd stolen all the attention.

More importantly, Ling Qingzhu seemed to regard him differently, which left Lin Langtian both angry and anxious.

"Since everyone's here, why don't we join forces and break the seal? What do you think, my friend?"

Anxious, Lin Langtian didn't want Ling Qingzhu to keep talking with the other man, so he hurriedly spoke up. But Cang Wu showed him no courtesy at all. His expression darkened, and he let out a cold snort.

"Friend? You're not worthy!"