Truly, the vast world held every imaginable wonder! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

As the elder spoke, he barked at the disciples standing around in stunned silence, "What are you all gawking at?! Hurry and brew our finest Snowpeak Spirit Mist! Bring the spirit fruits and pastries from the storeroom too! An honored guest has arrived, and not one of you has the sense to notice!"

This sudden, almost fawning display left Lü Mumu utterly dumbfounded. Her red lips parted slightly, and her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.

This elder of hers usually barely acknowledged the commander of Cold Iron Pass. Even Military Supervisor Wang received only a perfunctory response, and he had never shown Khan Huyan Lan a pleasant face. When had she ever seen him treat such a young official of the Imperial Court with this much courtesy-or even reverence?

Li Chen remained perfectly composed and merely nodded. "You're too kind, Elder."

The "chat" that followed only made Lü Mumu feel increasingly that something was wrong.

For the most part, Li Chen casually asked questions about the situation in the north and the sect's recent affairs. Her elder, who normally treasured every word like gold and remained unfathomably inscrutable, answered as though responding to a teacher's questions, withholding nothing he knew and leaving nothing unsaid. His respect bordered on painstaking caution.

After they had chatted for a while, Li Chen spoke as though the thought had just occurred to him. "I've long heard that the Mount Sumeru Skyward Pavilion is a secluded immortal sect of magnificent splendor. Since I'm here, I'd like to stop by your sect's mountain gates and pay your sect master a visit. Would that be convenient?"

At these words, several nearby disciples looked faintly dismissive.

How exalted was the status of the master of a hidden sect? Could an outsider simply demand an audience?

Besides, they all