Yun Huang wore a stately, sumptuous white dragon ceremonial robe that day, embroidered all over with the sun, moon, stars, and constellations in dark gold thread. As he walked, its shifting radiance flowed like an overturned river of stars. At his waist hung the Mountains and Rivers Suppression Scepter, the symbol of the Yun Clan's supreme authority.
He settled calmly into the seat of honor, his golden eyes sweeping over the countless figures below. Wherever his gaze fell, everyone held their breath.
"Rise."
That single word fell like a decree of Heaven. Only then did the crowd dare straighten, their eyes filled with reverence.
Immediately afterward, a vigorous steward elder with white hair and beard stepped out from the crowd.
"Those ranked among the Twelve Young Masters, enter the Cloud Summit Tournament grounds for the opening ceremony-"
His voice rang loud and clear, piercing the clouds.
As the names were called, figures moved in response, all converging on the center of the grounds!
The first to enter was a streak of azure sword light, incomparably keen. Upon landing, it resolved into a graceful young man holding a longsword-the Yun Clan's sword prodigy, Fourth Young Master Yun Baojian!
Close behind him, more figures appeared. Some materialized abruptly with ghostlike movement techniques; others arrived lightly amid the quiet fragrance of grass and trees. One even carried a wine jar, tipped his head back for a hearty swig, and staggered into precisely the right position, three parts drunk and seven parts untamed...
One renowned Yun Clan prodigy after another appeared, each with a distinctive bearing, drawing an endless stream of gasps and admiration from the viewing stands.
"Look! It's Miss Ruyi!" A wave of excitement suddenly erupted through the crowd.
A pale yellow figure fluttered down like a colorful butterfly amid a shower of flowers. Her radiant smile instantly drew countless gazes, especially the burning eyes of the younger disciples.
Naturally, the Fifth Elder glared down every last person with those "burning eyes" and firmly added them to his blacklist.
Behind the First Elder, Yun Tianluo also bowed slightly to his grandfather. Then his figure flickered, and he took several steps through the air before landing steadily ahead of the others. He nodded in greeting to his younger brothers and sisters beside him, cultured and courteous, yet possessed of an imposing bearing all his own.
In the blink of an eye, eleven of the Twelve Young Masters stood assembled!
The men were handsome and the women beautiful. Whether their auras were sharp and weighty or airy and unrestrained, every one of them was an unparalleled prodigy whose name graced the Heaven List.
Some branch-family disciples attending by invitation for the first time secretly marveled, murmuring to their companions, "With such bearing and talent, any one of our Yun Clan's Twelve Young Masters could become a holy-son-level figure capable of suppressing an entire generation in one of the great sects outside!"
"More than that!" another replied, his tone complicated. "I heard an elder say that if the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud List hadn't made an agreement with the major top-tier powers to admit only the finest person from each faction to the Immortal List in its early stages, quite a few people here probably wouldn't be appearing on the Heaven List!"
The conversation gradually faded, giving way to deeper reverence and wonder.
Yet dazzling as the eleven people on the grounds were, the one who held the foremost seat was still missing.
Where was the Eldest Young Master, Yun Qing?
Every gaze in the venue, openly or discreetly, focused on that question.
Yun Huang sat upright atop the high platform, his face cold and majestic. A faint divine radiance flowed over his brocade robe, and no one could glimpse his thoughts.
The Second Elder's brows were tightly furrowed. Beneath his sleeve, his hand silently clenched until his knuckles whitened. Yun Qing had already been imprisoned in the Immortal-Sealing Tower for three months!
The Twelfth Elder, by contrast, was excited to the extreme! Triumph and satisfaction all but spilled from his slightly sunken eyes, and he could not suppress the upward curve of his lips!
With Yun Qing absent today, even if he was not dead, he must have been utterly cast aside!
Over these past days, the Twelfth Elder had been pulling strings throughout the clan, waiting only for Yun Qing to die and his Dao to perish. Then his own branch could turn its fortunes around completely!
Several more breaths passed. As many people whispered about Yun Qing's absence, the Twelfth Elder could no longer contain himself and spoke with affected concern. "The Eldest Young Master still hasn't arrived. Could he have forfeited? In that case, with the foremost seat vacant and one of the twelve missing, it would only be reasonable for my branch to fill the position..."
Riiip!
Without warning, a deep, dark fissure tore open above Yunqu Peak, and spatial currents surged out!
Immediately afterward, a clear spear note rang out, scattering every last stream of the escaping spatial turbulence.
A Dark Xuan figure tore through the void and slowly descended from the highest heavens, treading invisible stairs!
The newcomer wore black robes, his hair dark as ink. His upright figure resembled a jade tree on Mount Kunlun, his quiet composure ingrained in his bones. As his double pupils opened and closed, nebulae formed, vanished, and revolved within them.
He held a long spear whose shaft bore the dark and yellow hues of primordial chaos, as though it carried the vast, weighty desolation from before heaven and earth had parted.
The Yun Clan Eldest Young Master—Yun Qing!
Most startling of all was the aura surrounding him!
There was no sign of grievous injury or exhaustion, no trace of dishevelment.
His Dao resonance was whole and harmonious, his aura deep as the sea. He had unmistakably broken through once again and now stood at the middle stage of the Immortal King Realm!
The broad-mindedness within his steadiness, the freedom within his restrained majesty-compared to three months ago, he seemed to have shed his old bones and been reborn.
The shattered space behind him swiftly knit itself together, returning to normal in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, all sound fell silent.
With unhurried steps, Yun Qing walked toward the center of the grounds-and toward that incomparably exalted figure on the northern platform.
He stroked the words "Bear All Things" on the spear shaft, their Dao resonance naturally formed, then bowed to Yun Huang and spoke with a smile, his voice as clear as ever:
"I'm a little late. Forgive me, Brother Huang?"
Brother Huang?!
Those two words exploded beside everyone's ears like thunder from the highest heavens! Countless people stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed, scarcely able to believe what they had heard!
What those words implied shook everyone to the core and sent their imaginations racing!
The triumph on the Twelfth Elder's face froze instantly, replaced by deathly pallor and horror. The teacup slipped from his hand and struck the ground with a crack.
Not only was Yun Qing unharmed, he had broken through to the middle stage of the Immortal King Realm! And his relationship with the Young Lord was actually... so close?!
In the viewing stands, the Second Elder's taut nerves finally relaxed. These past days, worry had burned through him like fire. He cast a smug glance at the Twelfth Elder's wretched state and snorted inwardly. The real show has only just begun!
Seated high upon his jade throne, Yun Huang rested his pale golden eyes on Yun Qing. Deep within them, the faintest trace of warmth flickered, and even the icy pressure surrounding him quietly eased a little. He inclined his head slightly, his voice carrying clearly to everyone's ears:
"Take your place."
"Yes."
Yun Qing smiled faintly and stood at ease beneath countless complicated gazes.
Only now had the Cloud Summit Tournament truly raised its curtain!
And at that moment, certain people's grand dreams shattered utterly into dust.
Just then, the Second Elder could no longer restrain himself. Disregarding Yun Huang's presence, he sent a voice transmission directly to Yun Qing. "Qing Kid, how are you? What exactly is going on between you and the Young Lord?"
Yun Qing, who had been standing calmly in the grounds with his hands behind his back, every inch an Immortal King, suddenly stiffened!
Oh no! I forgot to tell the Second Elder I was safe!
He had known it felt as though he had forgotten something. But if it came to explaining how he had coaxed that Little Golden Crow into a good mood and how their brotherly relationship had advanced by leaps and bounds, he was far too embarrassed to speak! Lately, he had been entirely occupied with destroying that shameful chapter of his past!
Yun Qing could only steel himself and offer an evasive reply. "Rest assured, Second Elder, I'm perfectly well. It's a long story, difficult to explain in a few moments. Besides, the tournament is about to begin, so this isn't a convenient time to talk. Afterward, I'll make... tell you the whole story!"
After sending the transmission, Yun Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hastily pretended to be waiting attentively for the tournament to begin, with no time for voice transmissions.
As for how fiercely the Second Elder's beard would bristle and his eyes would glare after receiving that blatantly evasive transmission, Yun Qing had no attention to spare for it just then.
Let what happened that day remain an unspoken secret between me and "Brother Huang"...
Thank you to Yingxing for gifting Bubble Milk Tea ×15!
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