"Bai Zihe?"
Before Bai Zihe could speak, Dugu Jian approached him proactively.
Bai Zihe raised an eyebrow, looking at him, and said faintly, "I don't know... Daoist brother Dugu, what counsel do you have for me?"
"Counsel..."
Dugu Jian chuckled, unconcerned by his indifferent response, and said casually, "I've heard of you."
"Four years ago, you went to Nine Dragons Mountain."
"Now, you've only been back from there for less than half a year."
Dugu Jian maintained the same posture as Bai Zihe, narrating calmly, "Four years ago, you were an ordinary person who knew nothing of martial arts."
"And four years later, when you descended the mountain, you had already reached the pinnacle of the secular world."
"Those so-called..."
"Grandmasters, Great Grandmasters, all fell before you. No one was your match."
"Then, you went to Dragon Island."
"After returning from Dragon Island, your strength advanced significantly, soaring all the way to your current cultivation as a Tribulation Stage cultivator."
"It can be said..."
"You are exceptionally talented, a prodigy of this world."
Dugu Jian spoke leisurely, without a hint of emotion.
After finishing.
He then looked at Bai Zihe beside him and asked faintly, "Bai Zihe, am I correct in what I've said?"
Bai Zihe hadn't expected.
This disciple of Xuanyuan Palace knew so much about his affairs.
He figured they had done their homework.
"So..."
Bai Zihe maintained his indifferent expression, "Daoist brother Dugu, what are you trying to say?"
Dugu Jian took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.
Then.
A smile appeared on his handsome face.
A smile that could make countless girls' hearts flutter and lose their color.
It was brilliant.
It was captivating.
But in Bai Zihe's eyes, it was ill-intentioned.
"I am also a genius."
Dugu Jian no longer looked at Bai Zihe, but instead gazed at the sky, with a touch of arrogance, as if the sky was his rightful place.
Not where he was now.
Not with these so-called "experts."
In his opinion.
These people were not on the same level as him.
"At ten years old, I had already established my foundation."
"At fifteen, I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage."
"In the year I turned twenty, I entered the Yuan Ying stage, condensed a Violet Mansion Yuan Ying, and became a genius cultivator of Xuanyuan Palace."
"And now..."
"I am only twenty-eight years old, and I am also a Tribulation Stage cultivator. Within Xuanyuan Palace, I rank among the top five, only slightly inferior to the Palace Master and a few old monsters."
"However..."
"I believe that with time, I will be able to surpass myself and become the number one person below the Palace Master, looking down upon all beings."
At this point.
Dugu Jian was radiant, his face full of pride.
As if...
He had already ascended to the absolute peak, soaring through the nine heavens.
Looking down on all heroes, surveying all beings.
"..."
Bai Zihe was too lazy to waste his breath on such a person and simply walked forward.
Dugu Jian paused for a moment.
Why wasn't Bai Zihe playing by the rules?
In his opinion, since they were both geniuses, his words should have ignited Bai Zihe's competitive spirit, so why was this happening?
"Bai Zihe!"
Dugu Jian immediately caught up.
"You..."
"Don't you want to compete with me?"
"Don't you want to always be the most powerful genius, forever looked up to by others?"
Dugu Jian spoke with a hint of exasperation.
Bai Zihe was even less inclined to pay him any mind.
He must be out of his mind to say such things.
"Fine!"
Seeing Bai Zihe ignore him repeatedly, a cold glint flashed across Dugu Jian's face as he chased after him again, "Bai Zihe, I have no other intentions."
"I just..."
"Want to tell you that I am the strongest genius in Xuanyuan Palace besides the Palace Master, and only I am worthy of her!"
"And you..."
"Are just lucky enough to have obtained the Xuanyuan Sword. Without the Xuanyuan Sword, you are nothing and not worthy of being with the Palace Master!"
After all that talking.
It turned out he came for this matter.
Bai Zihe let out a wry smile, looking at Dugu Jian with dwindling interest.
This fellow...
His strength might be decent, but his mind was truly lacking.
"Why aren't you speaking?"
Dugu Jian snorted coldly, "The Palace Master has, for your sake, unprecedentedly postponed the opening of this ancient ruin. I am not convinced!"
Yes.
All along.
Dugu Jian had believed himself to be the one most worthy of Ji Xianyan.
And in reality, they were quite close.
Whether within Xuanyuan Palace or the entire Great Xia Longevity Realm, many people might have admired Ji Xianyan.
But none dared to express it.
Because, the mere name of Ji Xianyan was enough to deter countless people from further thoughts.
But Dugu Jian dared!
Because he himself was exceptionally outstanding.
Coupled with the fact that Ji Xianyan had always been aloof to everyone, he buried this affection in his heart.
He would confess when he caught up!
But now, Bai Zihe had appeared, causing Ji Xianyan to show unprecedented favor, how could Dugu Jian not be enraged?
He had to surpass Bai Zihe.
He had to crush Bai Zihe!
"So?"
Bai Zihe glanced at him, as if looking at a complete fool.
His gaze made Dugu Jian extremely angry.
He then snorted coldly, "So, I want to compete with you!"
"Let's make a bet, to see who reaps the greatest rewards from this ancient ruin. The loser will permanently leave Ji Xianyan. Do you dare?"
"Alright."
Bai Zihe nodded, agreeing readily.
Not for any other reason.
Just to stop this silly fellow from incessantly babbling and bothering him to death. Defeating him cleanly was the best method.
"Then it's settled!"
A triumphant cold gleam flashed in Dugu Jian's eyes.
Then...
He dashed forward.
As a young genius of Xuanyuan Palace, this was not his first time entering an ancient ruin.
He had entered an ancient ruin ten years prior, and therefore, he understood ancient ruins far better than Bai Zihe.
He was also confident that he could easily defeat Bai Zihe.
And then...
He would drive away this unwelcome competitor, and Ji Xianyan would be his alone!
After walking for about five more minutes.
Everyone passed through a forest and arrived at a mountain peak. They stopped in front of a cave at the summit.
"Everyone..."
Ji Xianyan scanned everyone and briefly introduced, "This is the ancient ruin that will now be opened. Legend has it that it is the dwelling of an immortal."
"However..."
"As per tradition, such dwellings usually only open for a month. We have postponed it by ten days, so there are only twenty days left."
"As for what exactly is inside the dwelling, I am not clear. It depends on your individual fortune."
"Now..."
"I will begin to unlock the seal of the secret realm!"