In the side hall, sandalwood incense curled through the air, but couldn't dispel the heavy gloom.
True Lord Huolian sat in the seat of honor. His crimson robe seemed like frozen lava, and his ancient features revealed nothing of his mood.
Gu Yu stood below him with his hands at his sides, his expression still grim, resentment and irritation roiling in his eyes.
"Can't figure it out?" True Lord Huolian lifted his spirit tea and took a slow sip. His voice sounded like two pieces of flint grinding together.
Gu Yu drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but his voice still carried an unmistakable note of resentment. "Peak Master, I truly don't understand! Fang Mo is an ant from a low-level world. He's been in the sect for barely a year, and his foundation is shallow. How does he deserve this? First, he inexplicably got the position of Vice Peak Master of Taichu Peak. Now the Sect Master personally appointed him to assist the purge team! That's real power, with the authority to mobilize the entire sect's resources! He's just a brat. What has he done to deserve it? If this goes on, Taichu Peak will inevitably outshine our Yuxiao Peak!"
True Lord Huolian set down his teacup and looked calmly at his most valued subordinate. "Because he survived the ninefold tribulation, because he excels in formations, alchemy, and artifact refining, because he helped four True Lords kill a Heaven-tier alien beast on Wind Splitter Plateau, and, more than anything, because he opened the ninth level of the Yin Ruins."
Gu Yu's throat tightened. How could he not know all that? Yet the feeling of being surpassed by a newcomer, then left far behind, only grew more stifling. "Even so, he's far too inexperienced! The purge team's responsibilities