Su Huang's Discontent

"Average talent?" Another Grand Elder, Wu Shuo, scoffed. "Thirteen years old and only at the fourth stage of Body Refining. To put it nicely, his talent is average; to put it bluntly, he's a martial arts waste!"

"Fourth stage of Body Refining? Any random chore disciple in our Ten Thousand Stars Sect could crush him to death!"

The Ten Thousand Stars Sect consists of chore disciples, outer sect disciples, inner sect disciples, and elite disciples.

As a super sect of the Great Feng Dynasty, even a chore disciple in the Ten Thousand Stars Sect must be at least at the fourth stage of Body Refining.

And this isn't just any ordinary fourth stage; out of a thousand fourth-stage candidates who take the assessment, only one passes.

Therefore, Wu Shuo was not exaggerating. If he were just an ordinary fourth-stage practitioner, the sect's chore disciples could indeed crush him with ease.

Sect Master Su Huang of the Ten Thousand Stars Sect pondered, "Master took Zhou Cheng as his closing disciple; perhaps Zhou Cheng has some extraordinary qualities."

The previous Grand Elder, Shi Fei, shook his head. "I heard that this Zhou Cheng shares a similar temperament with our Founder, and they spent the whole night drinking together."

Just as Su Huang, Shi Fei, Wu Shuo, and the others were discussing this, a Ten Thousand Stars Sect disciple entered to report that a youth named Zhou Cheng was outside the gate asking to see the Sect Master.

Zhou Cheng?

Shi Fei, Wu Shuo, and the others exchanged glances.

Su Huang thought for a moment and instructed the disciple to bring Zhou Cheng in and arrange accommodation for him.

After the disciple left, Grand Elder Shi Fei spoke up, "Sect Master, are we really going to let this Zhou Cheng become the next Sect Master of our Ten Thousand Stars Sect?"

Su Huang glanced at Shi Fei, Wu Shuo, and the others, saying, "Master is not here. Let's wait until he returns to discuss it further."

Originally, his eldest disciple, Gao Yi, was expected to become the next Sect Master, and he had high hopes for him. Now that Xing Yao had suddenly declared that Zhou Cheng would take charge of the sect in the future, he felt extremely dissatisfied with the boy.

At this moment, the sect disciple brought Zhou Cheng and his companions into the Ten Thousand Stars Sect.

"Is your Sect Master not in?" Zhou Cheng asked the disciple calmly.

The disciple smiled, "The Sect Master and the Grand Elders are currently discussing matters and cannot spare the time."

Cannot spare the time?

It seemed he was not well-regarded by Su Huang.

But that was only natural. Someone else's disciple was supposed to take over the sect, and now that he had suddenly appeared and inserted himself into the mix, they were bound to hold a grudge.

Zhou Cheng asked, "Where is your Founder?"

The disciple hadn't expected Zhou Cheng to ask about their Founder so suddenly and laughed, "The affairs of the Founder are not for us disciples to know."

He then led Zhou Cheng and his group to a designated courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, with several rooms that had been cleaned quite thoroughly.

After settling them in, the disciple departed.

Zhou Cheng stood in the middle of the courtyard. The sun was scorching, making the green jujube tree in the center look lush and vibrant. Zhou Cheng leaped up, plucked a green jujube, wiped it off, and took a bite. It was quite sweet.

Zhou Cheng had agreed on a ten-day period with Xing Yao, and the day after tomorrow would be the tenth day. With nothing to do, he began sparring with Qin Meng and Lin Ru, practicing blade techniques, fist techniques, and footwork.

By now, his three martial arts techniques had reached the peak of perfection.

He was only a hair's breadth away from reaching the realm of mastery.

A night passed.

The next day, all three of Zhou Cheng's martial arts techniques broke through to the realm of mastery.

Just as Zhou Cheng's techniques reached this level, Xing Yao, who had been away on business, finally returned to the sect.

As soon as Xing Yao arrived, Su Huang, Shi Fei, Wu Shuo, and the others, who had already arranged it, came to see him.

"Master, are you really going to take that Zhou Cheng as your closing disciple?" Su Huang asked.

He was quite reserved in front of Xing Yao.

"That is correct," Xing Yao replied.

Su Huang hesitated for a moment before saying, "I heard that you intend to let Zhou Cheng take charge of the Ten Thousand Stars Sect in the future."

Xing Yao did not answer immediately. He blew the tea leaves in his cup, took a sip, and then said, "That is indeed my intention." He then countered, "What, are you dissatisfied?"

He knew exactly what Su Huang, Shi Fei, Wu Shuo, and the others were planning by coming to see him together.

Upon hearing this, Su Huang quickly said, "This disciple would not dare."

"Would not dare?" Xing Yao's eyes were cold and stern.

At this point, Grand Elder Shi Fei stepped forward and said, "Founder, I have inquired thoroughly. This Zhou Cheng is thirteen years old and only at the fourth stage of Body Refining. With such martial talent, it is truly mediocre. To let him take charge of our Ten Thousand Stars Sect in the future—would that not make us the laughingstock of the world?"

"Furthermore, if such a person were to lead the sect, the disciples would never submit."

Xing Yao looked at Shi Fei, Wu Shuo, and the others, saying, "I think it is you who will not submit."

Shi Fei, Wu Shuo, and the others remained silent.

"Have the invitations been sent out?" Xing Yao asked suddenly.

"They have already been sent," Su Huang replied, bowing his head.

"Has Zhou Cheng arrived?" Xing Yao asked.

"We've arrived," Su Huang said. "He arrived yesterday."

Upon learning that Zhou Cheng had been placed in the courtyard reserved for outside guests, Xing Yao let out a cold snort. "Su Huang, although you are the current Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Stars Sect, do not forget who passed the position to you, nor who founded this sect."

"I am not dead yet. What is this? Have you already begun to disregard me?"

Su Huang hurriedly replied, "This disciple would not dare."

Xing Yao's expression was stern. "All of you, withdraw."

Su Huang, Shi Fei, Wu Shuo, and the others took their leave.

Watching their retreating figures, Xing Yao appeared visibly weary. Although he was a peak Grandmaster, his advanced age meant his vitality was beginning to wither. If he could not break through to the King Realm within ten years, his life force would inevitably fade away.

Therefore, he could not hold on for much longer.

Su Huang had governed the Ten Thousand Stars Sect for many years, his prestige growing daily, and his attitude toward Xing Yao had been gradually shifting in recent years.

"The King Realm," Xing Yao murmured, sighing to himself. How could breaking through to the King Realm be easy? Even the Shaolin, with their thousand-year heritage, currently possessed no experts at the King Realm.

Xing Yao rose to his feet, grabbed a jug of wine, and made his way to Zhou Cheng's courtyard.

The master and disciple sat just as they had that night, drinking cup after cup together.

It seems that with a master like Xing Yao, it will be difficult not to become a drunkard in the future, Zhou Cheng thought.

Night fell before Xing Yao finally left Zhou Cheng's courtyard, telling him that the Apprenticeship Ceremony would proceed as scheduled tomorrow and that he should get some rest tonight.

As Xing Yao departed, Gao Yi stood respectfully before Su Huang in the latter's courtyard. "Rest assured, Master," he said. "Tomorrow, I will make Zhou Cheng retreat in the face of difficulty."

Su Huang grunted in acknowledgment. "Mind your limits. Do not embarrass your grandmaster."

"I will," Gao Yi replied.

"How goes the investigation into your brother's affair?" Su Huang asked.

Gao Yi had appeared in the Dafeng Capital some days ago specifically to investigate the matter regarding his disciple, Gao Jun.

Gao Yi shook his head. "I only know the killer used a blade; there are no other clues. However, the perpetrator has an Innate Grandmaster-level expert by their side. I will investigate them one by one; one day, I will find the killer!"