The smile froze on the old man's face when Sun Stone Shi Yi exposed his identity at their very first meeting. He felt as though he had been stripped naked and seen through completely.
Guilt stirred in his heart, along with considerable annoyance. Hadn't Yuan Qing said he had barely interacted with Sun Stone Shi Yi and had never revealed his intentions?
Then another thought occurred to the old man. Perhaps Sun Stone Shi Yi did not know why he had come. He might have guessed his identity because of that battle with Yuan Qing at the Heavenly Deity Academy.
"Indeed. Junior Brother Yuan Qing told me he exchanged a blow with you at the Heavenly Deity Academy. Although you were a full major realm below him, you gained the upper hand and drew his blood." The smile returned to the old man's face, and he readily admitted it.
"So you've come to win back some face for your junior brother?" Sun Stone Shi Yi asked coolly.
"Hahahaha, you've misunderstood, young friend. As a Sacred Academy Elder, how could I be so petty?" The old man waved a hand, his gaze brimming with admiration as he looked at Sun Stone Shi Yi.
Without waiting for Shi Yi to answer, he continued through voice transmission. "Here's what happened. Not long ago, an elder from one of the Longevity Families and I explored an ancient ruin rich with treasures. We reaped tremendous benefits there, including several drops of a True Phoenix's nirvana essence blood.
"But we disagreed over how to divide them. Afterward, I made a wager with that old fellow. We would each find a young cultivator in the Void Dao Realm and have them fight to see who was stronger. Then we would divide the spoils according to the outcome.