At the front of the platform, the Grand Elder of the Heart Sword Pavilion had already gone to greet them.
The old man cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Lu Mingyan, his voice steady and polite:
"Fellow Daoist Lu, it's been many years."
Lu Mingyan nodded slightly in return, then stepped aside to let Han Xuanji behind him pass.
The Grand Elder's gaze fell on Han Xuanji, scrutinizing him from head to toe for a moment, a meaningful smile appearing on his face:
"Young friend Han, I've long admired you. The Sword Venerable Wuxin speaks highly of you."
Sword Venerable Wuxin is one of the four Sword Dao Saint Venerable of the Eternal Sword Pavilion and an old friend of Holy Venerable Tianming. He is powerful and only one step away from becoming Top-Tier Saint King. Compared to Holy Venerable Tianming, who is not good at fighting, his combat power is much stronger.
Han Xuanji bowed with her hands clasped, her posture respectful yet composed.
"Senior, you flatter me. I am new to the Sword Pavilion and hope you will guide me in the future."
At this point, the old man introduced himself:
"I am but a humble old man, temporarily holding the position of Grand Elder of the Heart Sword Pavilion. Just call me Elder Zhan."
The Eternal Sword Pavilion is divided into Upper Three Pavilions, three middle pavilions, and three lower pavilions.
The Heart Sword Pavilion is one of the Upper Three Pavilions, and its status is comparable to the hall masters Han Xuanji had met before, even higher than his master's. It is conceivable that the Eternal Sword Pavilion attaches great importance to Han Xuanji's arrival.
After all, normally, to welcome a top genius, sending Chen Xin and a few ordinary elders would suffice.
Han Xuanji nodded and said respectfully:
"Greetings, Elder Zhan."
The Grand Elder nodded, said nothing more, and simply gestured for Han Xuanji to follow him into the hall.
At this moment, Chen Xin also stepped forward and nodded slightly to Han Xuanji.
The two had clashed at the Dragon Terrace Sacred Banquet. Now, upon seeing each other again, Chen Xin's face showed no extra expression, but a hint of solemnity, barely perceptible to others, appeared in his calm eyes.
Han Xuanji and Lu Mingyan followed the Grand Elder toward the main hall of the Sword Pavilion.
Meanwhile, the other prodigies of the Sacred Court, received by several elders, followed Han Xuanji in unison.
Han Xuanji chatted with Chen Xin along the way. Although Chen Xin was a sword cultivator, he was surprisingly talkative and not the aloof type.
After walking some distance, Han Xuanji suddenly stopped.
His senses gently spread out, scanning the crowd, and he was somewhat surprised.
Then he turned around and walked towards the crowd.
In the crowd, Leng Qianqiu's heart suddenly raced.
Han Xuanji walked over.
He really made it through.
The people around Leng Qianqiu were so excited their faces turned red. They nudged Leng Qianqiu with their elbows and whispered:
"Brother Leng! Young Venerable Han is here! Does he really know you?!"
Leng Qianqiu opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found her throat too dry to make a sound.
His mind went blank; he could only watch as the figure in the blue robe drew closer.
Then Han Xuanji stopped in front of him.
No, it stopped half a step behind him.
Han Xuanji walked past him and nodded slightly to someone standing behind him:
"Brother Ling, it's been a long time."
Ling Cang was stunned.
He had been standing quietly in the corner of the crowd, watching Han Xuanji being surrounded by people, wondering if he should go up and say hello.
However, his relationship with Han Xuanji was hardly close. Back in Thousand Souls City, they even made a fool of themselves. If he were a narrow-minded person, he would probably have kicked him while he was down and ridiculed him in every way.
He had originally wanted to keep a low profile and not let the other party recognize him, but he never expected that Han Xuanji would take the initiative to come over and find him.
However, Han Xuanji did not seem to have any intention of causing trouble.
He raised his head, met Han Xuanji's calm eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed, and forced a smile as he said:
"Brother Han... it's been a long time."
Han Xuanji looked at him, her gaze containing neither condescending aloofness nor deliberate friendliness, but rather as if she were casually greeting an old acquaintance she hadn't seen in years.
"You've also come to the Sword Pavilion for further studies?"
Ling Cang nodded, his voice still a little strained:
"Yes, the spot was secured for me by my Lineage."
"Um."
Han Xuanji responded, without asking any further questions, and simply said:
"Cultivate diligently; the Eternal Sword Pavilion is a good place."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Lu Mingyan was waiting for him, and when he saw him return, he smiled:
"Do you know anyone here?"
Han Xuanji said calmly:
"Yes, I've known him for a long time. He's not a bad person, and his Sword Dao talent is quite good."
He still had some memories of Ling Cang.
Back in Thousand Souls City, Ling Cang's younger brother and his friends caused some trouble, and Ling Cang's reaction surprised him greatly. Later, they even clashed at the Principle Conference.
Although he cultivated the Dao of Principle, his opponent's Sword Dao was also very imaginative, and he absorbed some of Sword Dao essence.
Even if we can't be called friends, we're still acquaintances.
How could he not be somewhat surprised to see this old acquaintance at the Eternal Sword Pavilion?
In the crowd, Leng Qianqiu stood frozen in place, his expression incredibly complex.
The people behind him also fell silent, looking at Ling Cang with expressions of surprise.
What's going on? This kid knows Young Venerable Han?
The "marginalized people" who had previously huddled together with Ling Cang for warmth but were ostracized looked at Ling Cang with extreme shock.
Hey kid, you know Young Venerable Han and you're not going to tell us?
There is a traitor among us.
Ling Cang stood there, watching Han Xuanji's departing figure, a complex and indescribable emotion surging within him.
He recalled the scene when he fought Han Xuanji at the Thousand Souls City Principle Conference.
At that time, he was still able to display his Sword Dao talent in front of Han Xuanji, which moved the other party to some extent.
Now, Han Xuanji has reached a height that he can only look up to.
A single sentence, a simple greeting, was enough to change the way everyone around him looked.
He could sense that those who had originally surrounded Leng Qianqiu were now looking at him with completely different eyes.
Sure enough, before he could even react, someone approached him.
The first to speak was the young cultivator who had been following Leng Qianqiu and laughing the loudest.
This person's surname is Zhao. He comes from a Holy Lord Aristocratic Clan the Sacred Court, and his family has even produced a figure at the level of a hall master in the Sacred Court. Originally, he ignored him.
His face was beaming with a fawning smile, and he affectionately draped his elbow over Ling Cang's shoulder.
"Brother Ling, so you're quite familiar with Young Venerable Han? Why didn't you say so sooner? I noticed your extraordinary bearing on the flying boat earlier; you're indeed a man of great talent."
Before Ling Cang could respond, another person squeezed in. He was a descendant of the current Sacred Hall, whose eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled.
"Brother Ling, how did you meet Young Venerable Han? Could you tell us? What kind of person was Young Venerable Han back then?"