"Sure."
Just two words, light and casual, as if he were answering a neighbor asking whether he had eaten.
"..."
"..."
The entire venue once again fell into an eerie silence.
S-Sure?
That was it?
That was Princess Long Ziyue's invitation! And he dismissed it with just those two words?
Not even a polite remark? Not even the faintest hint of delight on his face?
On the platform, a momentary stiffness appeared on Long Ziyue's cool, jade-like face. She had imagined that he might gladly agree, and she had imagined that he might deliberately decline with lofty airs, but she had never imagined that his answer would be so... indifferent.
It was as if, in his eyes, discussing artifact refining with her was no different from discussing it with some ordinary cultivator by the roadside.
This guy...
For the first time, Long Ziyue felt an absurd mix of laughter and tears, but immediately afterward, her curiosity toward Chen Changqing only grew stronger.
Just as the awkward atmosphere reached its peak, a majestic voice finally broke the deadlock.
"Ahem!"
On the platform, Clan Chief Long Gan coughed heavily, forcibly drawing everyone's attention back.
His face was ashen, and his gaze swept across the crowd. Especially when he saw the mess covering the ground and the utterly crestfallen prodigies, the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.
What kind of mess was this?!
A perfectly good Dragon Gate matchmaking assembly had been turned into this brat's personal showcase! The True Dragon Clan's face had been thrown all the way to their grandmother's house today!
Yet he could not flare up.
After all, the man had relied on genuine skill to bring down an Immortal Artifact tribulation. Everything had followed the rules.
Long Gan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging blood and energy