Zhuo Ning
The next morning, as soon as Yi Xuan came out of his guest room at the Origin Return Sect, he was led to their sect's main hall by disciples who had been waiting at the door.
The area outside the main hall was noticeably different from yesterday, with a considerable number of soldiers guarding it. Yi Xuan guessed that this might be related to the arrival of the Emperor of the Western Jiang Kingdom today; after all, he was the ruler of a country, and his security had to be taken very seriously.
Upon entering the sect's main hall, besides the Origin Return Sect members he had met yesterday, Yi Xuan surprisingly discovered two new faces.
A man and a woman. The man was in his prime, strong and powerful, dressed in a black dragon robe. The woman beside him was dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, exuding an air of elegance and nobility.
Upon seeing their attire, Yi Xuan knew their identities: they were the Emperor and Empress of the Western Jiang Kingdom.
Upon seeing Yi Xuan enter, Sect Master Fang was about to introduce him when the Emperor of the Western Jiang Kingdom preempted him.
The emperor of the Western Jiang Kingdom, accompanied by his empress, bowed to Yi Xuan and said, "Emperor Ying Tiantai of the Western Jiang Kingdom, along with his empress, pays respects to Immortal Master Yi!"
Although Yi Xuan knew that the Azure Cloud Sect held a high position in the Western Jiang Kingdom, he never expected that the emperor would bow to him. This was the true leader of a country, something Yi Xuan would never have dared to dream of in his previous life.
Fortunately, his more than twenty years of experience in this world have given Yi Xuan a calm and composed demeanor, unaffected by either honor or disgrace.
He smiled and returned the greeting to the emperor and empress before him, saying that he dared not accept such a gesture.
"Immortal Master Yi, Your Majesty and Empress, it's still early. Why don't we sit down and talk some more?" Sect Master Fang suggested, seeing that the Emperor seemed to have something to say.
The group took their seats one by one.
Ying Tiantai laughed and said, "Haha, Sect Master Fang sent word to the palace late last night that Immortal Master Yi was coming. I was so impatient that I came to disturb you this morning!"
The empress beside her nodded in agreement.
Yi Xuan clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Yi Xuan has kept the Emperor and Empress waiting for so long, I deserve to die!"
Upon hearing Yi Xuan's words, the Empress took the initiative to speak, saying, "Immortal Master Yi, you are too kind. The Emperor and I have only just arrived!"
Next, the emperor and Yi Xuan talked a lot about the Azure Cloud Sect, and he also asked about Sect Master Xiao.
The news that Xiao Anhe had stepped down to become a Supreme Elder had already spread widely among the cultivation sects in the Southern Frontier.
However, the secular world was completely unaware of this. Even the Sect Master Fang of the Origin Return Sect only found out through a letter brought by Yi Xuan, let alone the emperor of the secular world.
Yi Xuan had no choice but to repeat the story of his master's abdication, and also introduce the new sect leader Cui Yan.
Time flies, and it's almost noon in the blink of an eye.
The emperor of the Western Jiang Kingdom was only forced to smile and chat because of Yi Xuan's status.
But as we chatted, we felt like we'd known each other for ages.
Yi Xuan was, after all, a transmigrator, and his knowledge and experience far surpassed those of the natives of this world.
It was like the emperor and Yi Xuan discussing the way to govern the country. Even though Yi Xuan had no experience, he had lived through the information explosion era in his previous life. As a seasoned internet user, he might not have any other skills, but when it came to governing the country, he could talk about it off the top of his head.
Although Yi Xuan was merely talking theory, many of the points he made caught Ying Tiantai's eye, and upon closer examination, he found them to be quite reasonable.
"Haha, I never imagined that Immortal Master Yi would have such insights into governing a country! If you have the time in the future, Immortal Master, you must visit my palace. I would like to learn from you!"
Yi Xuan nodded and smiled, but in his heart he was thinking, "It's not that I have any insights into governing the country. If you want to thank someone, you should thank the netizens on Douyin Zhihu. Those experts are all as shrewd as Zhuge Liang and as wise as Liu Bowen!"
"Fellow members of the Origin Return Sect! Zhuo Ning has arrived!"
Just as Yi Xuan was about to speak again, he was interrupted by a telepathic message from outside.
He glanced at Sect Master Fang, who nodded to Yi Xuan and said, "Immortal Master Yi, this is the young master who swept through the martial arts world of our Western Jiang Kingdom within a year— Zhuo Ning!"
Yi Xuan nodded and walked towards the door, followed by the high-ranking members of the Origin Return Sect, as well as the emperor and empress.
Upon exiting the main hall, one sees a young man holding a sword standing in the square in front of the Origin Return Sect's main hall, surrounded by nearly a hundred Origin Return Sect warriors.
But the other party didn't even bother to glance at the disciples around him, and simply closed his eyes to rest.
Only after Yi Xuan and the others emerged from the main hall did he open his eyes and look at the crowd above, saying, "Sect Master Fang, please send out your sect's experts! Regardless of victory or defeat, I, Zhuo, will leave after the competition!"
Yi Xuan looked at the person below the stage. Although the two cultivated completely different systems, Yi Xuan felt a stronger aura from the young man than from his senior brother.
It seems that although martial artists may not have a high ceiling, they should not be underestimated.
Yi Xuan stepped forward and said, "Zhuo Ning! You are now a Great Grandmaster, and no one in the Origin Return Sect can rival you. However, the Origin Return Sect is, after all, the number one sect in the Western Jiang Kingdom. Surrendering without a fight would not only damage the sect's prestige but also shake the Western Jiang Kingdom's position in the Southern Frontier. Therefore, Sect Master Fang invited me to fight you!"
"Hmph!" Zhuo Ning glanced at Yi Xuan and said with some disdain, "And who are you? There isn't a single person in the entire Origin Return Sect who dares to attack me. What gives you the confidence?"
"Me? My name is Yi Xuan, and I am Sect Protector of the Azure Cloud Sect!"
"What? Azure Cloud Sect?" Upon hearing Yi Xuan say that he was a protector of the Azure Cloud Sect, Zhuo Ning's eyes lit up, and he asked impatiently, "A cultivator? Are you Golden Core cultivator or Nascent Soul?"
Hearing this, Yi Xuan was speechless. Nascent Soul, huh? Did they think Nascent Soul were as common as cabbages? How could the Origin Return Sect, possibly invite Nascent Soul expert to help them?
"I am Qi Refining!"
Hearing Yi Xuan's answer, not only Zhuo Ning, but also everyone behind Yi Xuan looked surprised. Even Ying Tiantai was wondering if this Immortal Master Yi was really a master of the Azure Cloud Sect. How could he only have the strength of the Qi Refining Realm? Could he be a fraud?
Sect Master Fang had the same thought, but when he thought of the Xiao Anhe letter he had seen earlier, he silently dispelled his doubts. The letter was indeed written by Xiao Anhe and could not be faked.
After remaining silent for a long time, Zhuo Ning lowered his head and suddenly sneered, then burst into laughter. Yi Xuan even saw tears welling up in his eyes.
Zhuo Ning slowly suppressed his smile, gripped his longsword, and pointed it at Yi Xuan, "Do you cultivators look down on people so much? You were like that back then, and you're still like that now! Fine, kid, don't say I'm bullying you! Today I'll show you cultivators that you've never been high and mighty, and that you too can be trampled underfoot one day!"
After saying that, Zhuo Ning drew his sword and charged forward. Yi Xuan didn't even catch the other's movement before the other was already in front of him.