Yun Qing's expression softened, and the atmosphere on the cliff relaxed.
The Rogue Cultivators sat in a circle, whispering excitedly through voice transmissions, their gazes occasionally flicking toward Yun Qing with awe.
"Just what kind of divine figure is Brother Yun? The methods he taught us for setting up formations yesterday were nothing short of miraculous! He was every bit as good as a Formation Grandmaster I once saw! Do you think he might be the personal disciple of some secluded powerhouse?"
"Shh! Keep it down! I bet Brother Yun has concealed the ranking mark on his forehead! How could he only be on the Earth List?"
"Absolutely not! Hehe, I secretly opened a betting pool. I wager that Brother Yun's true ranking puts him in the Heaven List's top twenty! Five-to-one odds! Any of you interested?"
"I'll bet three Spirit Stones!" "I'll bet five!"
A few female Rogue Cultivators also gazed with sparkling eyes at Yun Qing... or rather, the Little Radiant Chick in his arms. "What rare spirit beast do you think that Little Yellow Chick in Brother Yun's arms is? It's awfully cute. Every time there's a fight, Brother Yun keeps it thoroughly protected."
"Could a powerhouse's pet possibly be ordinary? Maybe it's some Ancient Variant Species..."
Wang Hu listened without joining in, but grew ever more certain that Yun Qing was no Rogue Cultivator. That bearing, strength, and breadth of vision could only have been cultivated by a top-tier power. If he had fallen to his present circumstances, he must have suffered some earth-shattering upheaval. In an instant, Wang Hu's mind supplied moving dramas such as "his beloved was murdered, and he broke with his Lineage in fury" or "a peerless genius was falsely accused and defected from his sect."
The Rogue Cultivators discussed Yun Qing