As Qing Chen's words fell, the twenty thousand-odd cultivators in the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range instantly fell silent.
They had only gathered in ever greater numbers because he seemed so warm and approachable.
The air seemed to freeze.
The earlier fervor of congratulating the True Lord and showering him with flattery vanished without a trace, leaving only silent astonishment and embarrassment.
Countless gazes crossed in midair, each finding the same disbelief in the others' eyes;
-this newly ascended Nascent Soul True Lord was actually being so direct, so brazen... in demanding benefits?
Wasn't this a little too shame...
High in the sky, Provincial Governor Wang Yan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.
He had held high office for centuries and seen cultivators of every stripe, but someone who, immediately after Nascent Soul Formation, stood before several True Lords and twenty thousand-odd fellow cultivators;
and openly robbed them in the name of hometown customs-Qing Chen was the first.
This Qing Chen really was rather peculiar.
He glanced at Min Shuangjiang beside him, who also looked as though he wanted to laugh but was forcibly holding it back.
Meanwhile, countless thoughts raced through Chen Yan's mind down on the ground.
As a prefect responsible for an entire prefecture's affairs, how could he not know that this Gouwu Sea custom was pure fabrication?
Qing Chen was clearly using the prestige of his newly attained Nascent Soul realm to plunder by trickery and force, and he even wanted to drag Chen Yan into playing the villain!
His instinct was to refuse.
But sensing the provincial governor's tacit approval, even a hint of encouragement, beside him, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
He swiftly weighed the pros and cons:
Refusing a Nascent Soul True