"As a warrior of the Northern Frontier, a soldier of the Dragon King Army, and an inheritor of the冥医 (Ming Yi) lineage, I act to protect our homeland and to practice medicine for the good of the people. What you speak of is none of my concern… I only hope that when I see the people of your Misty Immortal Palace in the future, they will be aiding the common folk, not bullying the few with overwhelming numbers."
He was full of curiosity about the unknown, but he also knew very well where his bottom line was, what to do and what not to do.
Hearing 冥医's words, Fang Qing and the other two glared at him furiously. If they weren't on Ning family territory right now, on this kid's home turf, they would have certainly stepped in to teach this ignorant junior a lesson.
"Well said, hahahaha!" Ning Yu let out two loud laughs, then stared coldly at Fang Qing, "Look at the disciples your Misty Immortal Palace has sent down; their quality varies. They have the cultivation, but you can see their true strength? To say nothing of my great-grandson who only entered the洞玄 (Dong Xuan) realm a few days ago, even young friend Ye Chen, by himself, fought against five of your 明心 (Ming Xin) disciples from the Misty Immortal Palace without falling behind, sustaining only minor injuries. Your Misty Immortal Palace is truly going backwards."
"You!"
Fang Qing dared not speak out in anger. Of course, he knew one thing very clearly: what this old man was saying now was the truth, and he couldn't refute it.
They had truly lost face this time.
Not only was he no match for this old man, but none of the disciples he had brought were useful. With nearly three times the numbers, they had ended up like a disorganized mob.
"Speaking of this, Uncle-Master Fang, I recall my master mentioned this to Palace Master Chen some days ago," Qi Tian suddenly said, as if recalling something. "My master said back then that in this era, one cannot be insular. The disciples of the Misty Immortal Palace need to descend the mountain to gain experience, otherwise, they will never achieve greatness."
"I remember Palace Master Chen agreed with my master's view at the time, but why… when it comes to you, none of these disciples have any experience?"
Although Qi Tian couldn't see clearly what had happened from afar, he was very clear on one thing.
If it wasn't for the vast difference in practical combat experience, how could one person fight five?
Those were 明心 (Ming Xin) realm cultivators!
Even if Ye Chen was currently at the half-step Divine realm, he shouldn't be able to fight five people alone.
What did that even mean?
It was like playing a MOBA game, where five fully geared players were up against one fully geared player, yet the one player managed to outplay them all and dominate the game with sheer skill.
That was a bit too absurd.
"Junior Disciple Qi Tian, I understand," Fang Qing said with a grim expression. "When we return, I will rigorously educate our disciples at the Misty Immortal Palace and arrange for them to enter the world for training, to cultivate diligently and accumulate sufficient practical combat experience."
"Speaking of this," Lin Xiao's eyes lit up, "Since that's the case, I can recommend a place for your Misty Immortal Palace disciples to gain experience. There, not only can your disciples increase their practical combat experience, but they can also achieve merit and bring glory to the nation."
"Bring glory to the nation?" Fang Qing narrowed his eyes and looked at Lin Xiao. "Who are you? Why should I believe what you say?"
Before Lin Xiao or 冥医 could speak, Qi Tian interjected, "Uncle-Master Fang, you really should believe him. Don't let his youth fool you. You know he is likely the youngest Divine realm expert today, and he is also the current War God of Long Country, the Dragon King of the Northern Frontier. He has guarded the border in the Northern Frontier for five years, and those five years of experience have forged him."
"Dragon King of the Northern Frontier? War God of Long Country?"
Although the Misty Immortal Palace remained secluded and focused on cultivation, Fang Qing had heard of the title "War God of Long Country." Wasn't that title once held by an outer disciple of their Misty Immortal Palace?
It was just that later, their Misty Immortal Palace disciples no longer entered the world to cultivate.
Fang Qing then began to scrutinize Lin Xiao carefully.
Previously, his attention had been focused on Ning Yu and the Unyielding Bone. He had only sensed a slight aura of cultivation from Lin Xiao, the descendant of the Lin family, but hadn't thoroughly investigated.
Upon closer inspection, he sensed a murderous aura from Lin Xiao that a young man of his age should not possess.
This murderous aura carried a scent of blood. Although Lin Xiao had tried to conceal it well, the scent of blood could not be entirely hidden; one could naturally detect it if they were to carefully feel for it.
Moreover, this aura was not the kind acquired by a bloodthirsty individual slaughtering the innocent, but rather seemed to be a natural byproduct of years of warfare.
Battlefields and execution grounds were the most likely places to acquire such an aura.
Given Lin Xiao's age, he couldn't possibly have been in places like execution grounds. To have such a thick murderous aura and scent of blood from an execution ground, one would need at least ten to twenty years; at Lin Xiao's age, unless he was born in an execution ground, it was impossible.
Naturally, it followed that he must have gained experience from the battlefield.
"The Northern Frontier… battlefield."
Fang Qing seemed to be contemplating the feasibility of the matter.
"If you need it, you can call your Palace Master Chen to come and discuss this with me now, and we can formulate a plan. Not only will it bring glory to the nation, but you can also bring honor to the Misty Immortal Palace. I believe your Misty Immortal Palace is also very eager to find suitable talents to enter the Immortal Palace for cultivation, right?" Seeing Fang Qing's expression, Lin Xiao immediately seized the opportunity.
"Palace Master?" Hearing that Lin Xiao wanted to meet the Palace Master, Fang Qing fell into thought again.
"You junior, you think you can just ask to see the Palace Master?" Lai Wuwei reprimanded. He had been displeased with Lin Xiao from the very beginning, and Lin Xiao's current attitude further infuriated him.
Lu Qingfeng, however, pulled Lai Wuwei back, telling him to say less.
"Then, must this matter be decided by your Palace Master Chen? Can the three of you make the decision? There are many matters that need discussion, countless details. If you truly wish for your disciples to gain more experience, then you need to discuss and formulate a plan properly. Or perhaps… one of the three of you can make this decision." Lin Xiao turned to look at Lai Wuwei, now exuding the aura of a Dragon King.
What he had cultivated over many years in the Northern Frontier, he usually suppressed to avoid affecting Qing Han's family. Now, he had unconsciously reverted to the formidable Dragon King he once was.
His words were neither hurried nor slow, yet the air around them seemed to freeze.
Lai Wuwei felt it even more acutely.
Upon sensing Lin Xiao's aura, he actually felt a sense of panic.