This Outer Sect Disciple, within the Inner Gate of the Heavenly Sword Faction, had some backing.
Therefore, he was privy to some insider information.
About the identity, name, and strength of the person who refused the Sect Leader's offer to take him as a disciple, he had learned something from an Inner Gate senior brother.
So when Mu Jinyu announced his name, it rang a bell for him, and after muttering it a few times, he remembered: wasn't this the peerless genius Mu Jinyu who he and his friends had just joked about, the one determined to pursue an invincible path?
Who would've thought that what started as a joke would actually bring them face to face with the man himself?!
How unlucky could he get?
The disciple wore a gloomy expression, gazing at Mu Jinyu with hopeful eyes, no longer daring to assume the air of a senior brother.
He was so frightened that he couldn't even speak.
After all, his own strength had not even entered the Divinity Transformation Realm; he was merely at the later stage of the Body Refining Realm.
Mu Jinyu noticed the man's nervousness and fear, and thought he must have recognized him.
Indifferently shaking his head, Mu Jinyu couldn't possibly trouble himself over such trifles and said with a light smile,
"Hmm, if the Heavenly Sword Faction hasn't had a second person decline the Sect Leader's offer to become a disciple, then the person you were discussing just now should be me, but..."
He paused, gave a wry smile, and continued, "I'm not as formidable as you say, no matter the rumors of reading a thousand characters by three or writing poetry by five, or the talk of joining the Heavenly Sword Faction specifically to walk an invincible path, battles unchallenged, ascending to the heavens... none of that is true..."
Mu Jinyu flatly denied, "I don't know who started such baseless rumors. There were no earth-shattering phenomena at my birth, I'm just an ordinary person, who only recently came here from the outside world of Huaxia, so I'm not very familiar with the various affairs of Kunlun Ruins. Thanks to the two senior brothers just now for clearing up my confusion."
The last sentence was to explain their previous question — why he knew "nothing" about the common knowledge of the Hidden Dragon Conference at Kunlun Ruins.
"Oh, I see..." After hearing Mu Jinyu's explanation, the two disciples broke out in cold sweat on their backs and said with a forced smile, "Whoever spread the rumors is really nasty, misleading us all... apologizing for laughing at you, junior brother..."
They spoke hesitantly, very afraid that Mu Jinyu would seize on this point and not let go, in which case they would definitely not be let off easily.
After all, this was someone the Sect Leader himself wanted to take as a disciple!
Even if he had refused the Sect Leader and had no significant backing in the Heavenly Sword Faction, his future was still boundless. If he really bothered to make an issue out of it, their days in the Outer Gate would be very tough.
Mu Jinyu said, "You don't have to be so tense, senior brothers, I'm not a bad person. It's just a small misunderstanding, nothing serious."
"Right, right, as long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, if junior brother has no other questions, then we'll take our leave..." said one of them nervously, smiling.
"No, no, no!" Mu Jinyu quickly waved his hand, saying, "I still have a question I'd like to ask the senior brother."
"What question? Junior brother, feel free to ask. If we know, we'll certainly tell you all that we can," the two hurriedly said, hoping to explain things clearly to Mu Jinyu and then leave to calm down properly.
Mu Jinyu smiled and said, "There are no big problems, I just want to know, you just mentioned that those who become part of the top ten on the Hidden Dragon List from the Hidden Dragon Conference will receive the blessing of the Kunlun Dragon Veins' Qi Luck, benefiting themselves, their sect, and their family in various ways. Are there any other benefits or rewards, like..."
He paused, arranging his words, and then continued, "Like, the profound methods of lost alchemy techniques, some lost pill formula, or what about some peerless divine skill, or methods of soul seizing and taking over bodies..."
"Are such rewards given out at the Hidden Dragon Conference?"
After finishing, Mu Jinyu looked at them calmly, yet his heart was quite anxiously watching their reaction.
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing Mu Jinyu's inquiry, the two Outer Sect Disciples were slightly startled before replying, "Are you talking about rewards like cultivation techniques, divine skills, and certain secret techniques? Yes, there are such rewards for those who can make it into the top ten of the Hidden Dragon List in the conference!"
Another continued, "Of course, the best reward is the Heavenly Palace's Blessing!"
"Heavenly Palace's Blessing?!" Mu Jinyu's heart stirred upon hearing this, thinking that the Heavenly Palace must be the mysterious organization ranked first among the world's top ten organizations, yet no longer active on Earth.
"Yes, the best is still Heavenly Palace's Blessing!" another explained. "Generally, the rewards from the Hidden Dragon Conference for those ranked in the top ten aren't really all that impressive, far from comparing to the cultivation techniques they are already practicing."
"After all, those who can rank high in the Hidden Dragon Conference typically have significant backgrounds, being from great sects or noble families or perhaps the disciples of some reclusive powerhouse; their practiced techniques are anything but ordinary. So in reality, the rewards for ranking in the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Conference are rather insignificant!"
"However, if someone exhibits outstanding performance and catches the attention of the 'Heavenly Palace,' then 'Heavenly Palace' will invite them to join, which is the Heavenly Palace's Blessing!"
"It is said that there was once someone who ranked highly on the Hidden Dragon List that drew the attention of Heavenly Palace, and he was practicing an incomplete part of a divine skill. Heavenly Palace invited him to join and promised to complete it, and now he is a major figure at the Kunlun Ruins and holds a high position within Heavenly Palace!"
"To receive Heavenly Palace's Blessing, one doesn't necessarily have to stand out as the Dragon King in the Hidden Dragon Conference. As long as one's aptitude is good enough, they can also attract the Heavenly Palace's Blessing," another person added at last.
He obviously noticed that Mu Jinyu was asking so many questions because he really planned to participate in the Hidden Dragon Conference and hoped to obtain certain things.
But he thought it would be very difficult for Mu Jinyu to become the Dragon King, so he offered these encouraging words: people who rank in the top ten on the Hidden Dragon List also have the chance to receive Heavenly Palace's Blessing.
After saying this, he suddenly thought of something and hastily added, "That's right, you're not familiar with the Hidden Dragon Conference, so you probably don't know much about Heavenly Palace, right?"
Mu Jinyu nodded slightly and said, "Please enlighten me, senior brother."
Indeed, he had heard of Heavenly Palace in Huaxia, but he was not clear on the specific details, only knowing that when it came to the world's top ten organizations, the next nine combined were no match for Heavenly Palace!
At the time, he learned about it from Xiang Mantang and was somewhat skeptical, not quite believing it. However, as he came to understand this world better, he gradually perceived the unfathomable depth of Heavenly Palace!
"Heavenly Palace, we also aren't sure exactly what kind of organization it is. It doesn't belong to the sects, nor to the noble families, but it stands above all sects and families of Kunlun Ruins..."
"Heavenly Palace is very mysterious. No one knows who the Palace Master is; even the high-ranking members of Heavenly Palace are not clear. Their purpose and objectives are also unknown. Overall, it's very active in the Kunlun Ruins. Whenever a genius appears, they send someone to invite them to join as fresh blood for Heavenly Palace!"
"It is rumored that the Sect Leaders and Family Heads of the major sects and noble families currently in the Kunlun Ruins are all from Heavenly Palace. So whenever they make a move, it causes a great earthquake throughout the entire Kunlun Ruins!"