Mist hung heavy over Dreamcloud Marsh.
Profound Water True Person's cry of "Greetings, Sect Master Ji Yuan!" rang out like a thunderclap. Li Changhe and the other two froze where they stood, while even Yun Qianzai, standing nearby with his hands behind his back, glanced over in surprise.
Feng Zhitáo's beautiful eyes widened. She looked from the kneeling Profound Water True Person to the calm-faced Ji Yuan, unable to make sense of it.
"Sect master?"
Liexiao True Person repeated the words under his breath, studying Ji Yuan's face.
It did bear a strong resemblance to the brilliantly talented young disciple he remembered from the Cangluo Continent, but the man's bearing had changed beyond recognition.
Back then, for all his extraordinary talent, Ji Yuan had still possessed a young man's edge.
The man before him had an aura as still and deep as a pool. He was unmistakably a powerful Nascent Soul Cultivator who had weathered countless storms and held life and death in his hands!
More startling still, he stood beside Ancestor Yun without yielding an inch in presence. If anything, Ji Yuan exerted an even deeper, more restrained pressure.
The shock in Li Changhe's eyes was strongest of all.
He had known Ji Yuan the longest. They had met when Ji Yuan was still at the Qi Refining Stage.
Yet this "Sect Master Ji" was so different from the "Junior Brother Ji" in his memory.
No. Perhaps Ji Yuan had not become a different person—he had simply grown too much.
So much that Li Changhe, once his "Big Brother Li," almost did not dare acknowledge him.
"Martial Uncle Xuan Shui, it's been years. There's no need for such a formal greeting."
Ji Yuan's voice roused everyone from their shock.
He raised a hand in a gesture of support. A