He instantly understood that they were people returning from the Western Desert and immediately cupped his hands in salute.
"No need for such courtesy, young friend. Is Secretary Tang here?" This Secretary Tang was the official now stationed in the Teleportation Hall, as well as a Director in the Ministry of War of Great Jin.
When they had departed for the Western Desert, the three of them had met Secretary Tang once.
"Reporting to Seniors, Senior Tang is stationed in the outer hall!" the guard replied with cupped hands.
Zhou Xun nodded at this, then left the inner hall with True Lord Tian Ci and the other two.
The moment they stepped outside, they saw an Elder in a blue-and-red robe, his face pale and beardless, resting behind a counter to one side of the hall.
Seeing people emerge, he instinctively looked over.
"Prefect Zhou, Prefect Ji, and Prefect Wang—you've returned!"
Tang Yuan was first stunned, then immediately recognized the three of them, joy rising on his face.
"Eh? Your cultivation..."
He suddenly sensed the Nascent Soul Middle Stage mana auras on Zhou Xun and True Lord Tian Ci, and could not help but freeze.
He remembered clearly that when they had set out, all three had only been at the Nascent Soul Early Stage. Yet in merely four years, two of them had already broken through to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.
Combined with the fact that they had managed to return from the Western Desert to Great Jin,
it seemed Zhou Xun and the others had rendered tremendous service in the Western Desert.
After all, he had sent hundreds of Nascent Soul Cultivators off from here, yet fewer than one in ten had returned. Even those who did return had spent several decades on the Western Desert front