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The middle-aged man laughed when he heard this.

"Brilliant, Dean! A Fifth Realm Martial Cultivator must have consumed countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. His flesh and blood would make top-grade alchemy ingredients!"

"Tell Pei Gan not to touch Qin Guan. As for everyone else connected to him, leave no one alive!"

"Understood!" The middle-aged man nodded.

Meanwhile, at the Cloud Mist Sect.

Sect Master Zheng Wanshou was furious when he learned that Black Dragon, the Law Enforcement Elder Zhao Zhijian, four Elders, and more than a dozen disciples had all been killed.

So many experts had died at once, dealing a heavy blow to the Cloud Mist Sect. The discontent within the sect grew especially loud after they learned that Chen Guanxiang had been framed.

As the sect's master, Zheng Wanshou could not shirk responsibility for this loss.

"Sect Master, what are you waiting for? We can't put up with this any longer. I say we wipe out the Nan Family first and tear Qin Guan limb from limb, then settle the score with Spirit Sword Academy—and, oh yes, Heavenly Treasure Pavilion too!" A middle-aged man raged in the main hall.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Zheng Wanshou shook his head. After learning the whole story, he felt there were too many suspicious details.

"Do you really think Qin Guan killed Elder Black Dragon, Sect Master? How could a mere Fifth Realm Martial Cultivator possibly kill the Black Dragon Protector?" The middle-aged man said gravely.

At this, Zheng Wanshou fell silent, lost in thought.

The middle-aged man looked at Zheng Wanshou and hurriedly said:

"Sect Master, even if there's room for debate over the Black Dragon Protector's death, the deaths of the five Elders and more than a dozen disciples are connected to Qin Guan and the Nan Family, aren't they? Everyone in the sect is waiting to see what you'll do. If you don't deal with this quickly, it'll seriously damage your standing!"

At this, Zheng Wanshou nodded. "We'll wipe out the Nan Family and Qin Guan first to put this matter to rest. As for Spirit Sword Academy and Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, we'll settle those scores in time!"

"Pass down the order. Have—"

"Foolish!"

A sharp rebuke suddenly rang out from outside the main hall.

Soon, a white-haired old man strode in.

"Father, what brings you here?"

Zheng Wanshou hurriedly stood up when he saw him.

"Greetings, Grand Elder!"

The middle-aged man beside Zheng Wanshou hurriedly bowed as well.

The white-haired old man looked at Zheng Wanshou, his face dark with anger. "You already made a mistake over Chen Guanxiang. Have you learned nothing? If you make another blunder, do you think you'll still be fit to sit as Sect Master?"

"Father..."

Zheng Wanshou had just begun to speak when the white-haired old man cut him off. "Watch and wait. Don't go looking for trouble with Qin Guan again!"

Zheng Wanshou found this hard to accept. "Father, everyone in the sect is waiting to see me set an example as their Sect Master. If we just sit back and watch..."

"How many times have I told you not to act rashly? Think things through before you act. Qin Guan is so young, yet he's already a Fifth Realm Martial Cultivator. Do you think he's an ordinary man? Do you know what it costs to nurture a Fifth Realm Martial Cultivator? Do you know what forces stand behind him? And Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would rather offend our Cloud Mist Sect than refuse to help him. Have you thought about any of this?"

The white-haired old man's barrage of questions left Zheng Wanshou speechless. Truth be told, he had considered these things too.

But deep down, he looked down on Qin Guan. To be honest, he didn't even think much of him as a Fifth Realm Martial Cultivator. The Cloud Mist Sect had deep foundations, after all, and dealing with one Fifth Realm Martial Cultivator shouldn't have been too difficult. That was exactly why he hadn't looked into the matter more closely.

He had grown arrogant and underestimated his enemy. He knew he had made those two fatal mistakes.

"Don't worry. Even if we don't act, Spirit Sword Academy's style suggests they'll make their move soon enough. For now, we need to keep our nerve and watch how things unfold. Let Spirit Sword Academy go first. Understand?"

"Thank you for the reminder, Father!" Zheng Wanshou hurriedly nodded.

"You're not suited to be Sect Master." The white-haired old man shook his head and turned to leave.

After the white-haired old man left, Zheng Wanshou's face darkened like a raincloud. His father's words—that he wasn't suited to lead the sect—had left him deeply unsettled.

"Sect Master, should we listen to the Grand Elder?" The middle-aged man glanced at Zheng Wanshou and asked.

"Father's right. We'll hold back for now and let Spirit Sword Academy make the first move." Zheng Wanshou spoke with restrained patience.

"But if Spirit Sword Academy wipes out the Nan Family and Qin Guan while our Cloud Mist Sect does nothing, won't people laugh at us and call our sect a bunch of cowards? They'll say you, the Sect Master..." The middle-aged man trailed off.

"Enough. We'll wait for now!" Zheng Wanshou said, then left the main hall.

The middle-aged man watched Zheng Wanshou's retreating figure and sneered. "Without your father at the helm, you're nothing."

Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, Imperial Capital.

"Grandfather, you're going to regret this!"

In a luxurious room, Jiang Lianyue was so angry that her pretty face turned icy.

"Regret it? I've made my way through the world for decades and never once misjudged anyone. Can a sixteen-year-old Fifth Realm Martial Cultivator compare to a sixteen-year-old Sword King?"

The old man in brocade robes opposite Jiang Lianyue spoke in a grave voice.

At this, Jiang Lianyue said angrily, "Why can't he compare? Qin Guan is stronger than Shen Huan, and I think his strength might even be beyond the Fifth Realm!"

"Beyond the Fifth Realm? Don't tell me you think Qin Guan is a Sixth Realm Martial Cultivator?"

The old man in brocade robes sneered. "Do you know how difficult it is for a Martial Cultivator to advance through the realms? Forget Sixth Realm Martial Cultivators—even Sixth Realm cultivators in Qingzhou number fewer than ten, and most of them are old fossils who've lived nearly a hundred years. A sixteen-year-old Sixth Realm Martial Cultivator? Yue Er, do you even believe what you're saying?"