Around Jiang Che, words of praise rang out without end.
For one thing, he had truly rendered great service. In saving Ailin this time, aside from the three Qi Refining masters who had served as its supporting pillars, his contributions stood above all others. No one could compare, and he certainly deserved their thanks.
More importantly, he had caught the eye of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
It was said that before the four elders departed, they had even argued over whose peak Jiang Che should join!
With treatment like that, never mind the others-even the three Qi Refining masters, Du, Pang, and Li, had to regard him in a different light. They could no longer treat him as an ordinary lower-ranked cultivator. When the three spoke to Jiang Che, they even adopted a somewhat consultative tone, abandoning their old habit of ordering him about.
Amid the bustle, Hu Yan and Zhang Erguo sat at a table some distance away, gazing at the figure surrounded by the crowd.
Zhang Erguo sighed. "Junior Brother Jiang really is going to soar into the heavens after this."
"Yes." Hu Yan took a sip of wine. "Once he returns to the sect, there'll surely be no shortage of merit, spirit stones, and rewards."
"We saw long ago that Junior Brother Jiang was no mere fish confined to a pond. It's just-I never thought it would happen so quickly."
"Mm, it hasn't even been a year since Junior Brother Jiang joined, has it?"
2
Naturally, both of them were happy for him.
Yet alongside that happiness, a little pang of bitterness inevitably stirred in each of their hearts. It was only human.
They had all been grinding away as nominal disciples. Watching someone beside them ride the wind straight into the sky, even the closest of friends