Before the Misty Sect's main gate.
Two white-robed disciples immediately grew excited when they heard Xu Ling'er's name.
Their eyes lit up as though they had encountered a fairy.
The admiration in their eyes was impossible to hide. As they thought and yearned, they nearly drooled.
Chu Feng glanced at the two of them indifferently.
It was easy to see that Xu Ling'er had an unimaginably high standing in the Misty Sect.
It seemed that during this tournament, before Xiao Huohuo even stepped onto the stage, he would have to endure plenty of disdainful looks.
The two gatekeeping disciples came back to their senses, seemingly remembering something. The disciple on the left revealed a hint of mockery and sneered:
"You're that good-for-nothing from three years ago?"
"That miserable wretch who made the Three-Year Pact with the Young Sect Master?"
The two disciples showed no restraint as their eyes swept over Xiao Huohuo.
Seeing that the flesh on Xiao Huohuo's body was still as fresh as newborn skin,
the two froze for a moment before clutching their bellies and bursting into laughter.
They completely ignored the existence of Xiao Huohuo and Chu Feng and began chatting among themselves:
"Three years have passed, yet his cultivation hasn't budged at all. He's still a Third-rate martial artist."
"We thought he wouldn't dare come. Who would've guessed he'd have such guts—to challenge our Young Sect Master as a Third-rate martial artist?"
The disciple on the left forcibly suppressed his laughter and said strangely:
"Youngster, should I admire your shamelessness, or your fearlessness in the face of death?"
The disciple on the other side was clearly somewhat more serious. He reined in his expression and snorted disdainfully:
"Where did you get that courage?"
"Our Young Sect Master is a super genius rarely seen in the sect in a hundred years."
"She has already broken through the Houtian realm!"
"She has even mastered our Misty Sect's Wind Sword Scripture, which only Elders are qualified to learn."
"Placed outside, with her strength, even ordinary Houtian realm martial artists would not be her match."
"You're only a Third-rate martial artist, yet you came here. Could it be that you want to walk up the mountain and lie down on the way back, huh?"
After saying this, the disciple seemed unable to hold back any longer and burst into loud laughter again.
In their eyes, Xiao Huohuo was still that worthless Third-rate martial artist.
That was because once martial artists entered the Second-rate realm, the skin on their bodies would undergo a complete transformation, becoming as fresh as a baby's.
Especially in the eyes of these great sects and schools, one glance was enough to recognize a person's realm.
Having laughed to their fill, the two finally slowed down and said to Xiao Huohuo:
"Since you insist on bringing shame upon yourself, then go on, go on."
"Otherwise, we'd have one less bit of entertainment to watch."
With that, the two stepped aside. As the Vermilion Gate opened, the scene within, resembling an Immortal Palace, immediately entered the eyes of Xiao Huohuo and Chu Feng.
However, Xiao Huohuo had no mind to care about any of that now.
He clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth. In the end, he let out a sigh of relief and gently shook his head, feeling a sense of release.
He was no longer any good-for-nothing. He was the disciple of an immortal, walking the great path of Qi Refining Longevity!
Why bother quarreling with these ignorant ants?
Beside him, seeing Xiao Huohuo first grow furious and then calm down, Chu Feng secretly nodded:
"This youngster didn't choose to explain himself to anyone because of their humiliation."
"Unperturbed by honor or disgrace, at Sixteen years old, he has lost the impulsiveness of youth, yet he still went up the mountain to honor the pact without losing his fierce spirit."
"It seems that all these years of those countless gazes have tempered his temperament somewhat."
"With such talent, he truly ought to cultivate immortality!"
"He should let me return directly to the peak of the immortal path!"
Without thinking any further, under the disdainful gazes of the two gatekeeping disciples, Chu Feng and Xiao Huohuo went up the mountain together...
Misty Sect, Main Hall's first Training Ground.
At this moment, a young girl sat cross-legged on the platform.
The young girl wore a soft white robe. Her figure was slender, her features well-proportioned, and her entire body exuded an indescribable spiritual aura.
Directly above the young girl, approximately three thousand meters away, stood an Immortal Terrace wreathed in clouds and mist.
Seated atop the Immortal Terrace was a middle-aged man, accompanied by several old men.
This middle-aged man, with his beard and hair grown long, cloth shoes on his feet, and kind brows and benevolent eyes, was the current Sect Master of the Misty Sect, Wu Shan!
The few old men seated beside him were precisely the Elders who held the highest authority within the Misty Sect.
These people on the Immortal Terrace represented the pinnacle within a hundred li of this place!
Wu Shan and the several Elders looked toward Xu Ling'er below, all revealing satisfied expressions. As they conversed, they nodded repeatedly.
This disciple made them immensely proud.
Around the Immortal Terrace were several smaller Immortal Terraces connected to it. Seated upon them were all the heads of the surrounding powers.
The many mighty figures likewise looked toward Xu Ling'er below, their faces filled with envy.
The Sect Master of the Moon Sword Sect looked at the young girl and sighed:
"Seventeen years old, at the early Houtian stage, and she has mastered the Misty Sect's Wind Sword Scripture."
"Such a genius is truly enviable beyond words."
"With Xu Ling'er here, I'm afraid the Misty Sect will suppress us for another hundred years."
As they discussed this, the leaders of the various powers were all envious beyond measure.
Why was it that only the Misty Sect happened to produce a genius?
Above the several Immortal Terraces, several long corridors were connected. The corridors were packed densely with disciples.
The Misty Sect disciples all gazed at Xu Ling'er, the center of attention, their eyes filled with worship.
Every time Xu Ling'er appeared in a public place within the sect, the Misty Sect became this lively.
The Sect Master of the Moon Sword Sect swept his gaze around and spoke with the leaders of the surrounding powers:
"Today's grand spectacle is all because everyone is waiting for that Three-Year Pact."
"But I wonder, what do all of you think? Who will win this battle?"
"Does this Xiao Huohuo still have any hope?"
Beside him, the burly Mountain Gate Sect Master chuckled:
"I heard he was still a Third-rate martial artist two years ago. After two years, no matter how wildly he grew, it would be impossible for him to defeat a Houtian realm martial artist."
"Even if he comes now, it's fundamentally impossible."
"It seems we've come all this way for nothing."
The group of leaders all laughed and sighed.
They looked at Xu Ling'er's figure below, their expressions filled with complicated emotions.
They could not help asking themselves: faced with such a genius, would even they come to honor the pact?
Just as the leaders of the various powers were lamenting that they had come all this way for nothing,
suddenly, the heavy sound of footsteps approached from afar, coming up from the foot of the mountain.
The sound of footsteps instantly drew everyone's attention.
On the Immortal Terrace, in the corridors, the Misty Sect Master, the sect leaders, and the many disciples all looked toward the source of the sound.
Following the sound, everyone saw a thin figure.
It was a young man with an immature yet somewhat resolute expression on his face. Accompanied by an ordinary-looking young man, he strode forward.
Xu Ling'er opened her eyes and looked toward the young man.
Xiao Huohuo strode onto the Training Ground, swept his gaze across the strange looks around him, and his eyes flickered:
"Xiao Huohuo of the Xiao Household."
"I have come to honor the Three-Year Pact!"
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