"The Sect Master Ning has arrived!"
At the MC's announcement, the once-bustling hall instantly quieted, and everyone's eyes shifted to the entrance.
Clad in the opulent vestments of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi approached with his customary gentle smile. Half a step behind him, at either side, were Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong. Having just broken through, with their auras still slightly leaking, the Sword and Bone pair instantly covered the entire front of the main hall with an invisible pressure.
The representatives of medium and small factions, and the clan chiefs belonging to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, rose immediately near the entrance and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Sect Master Ning! Greetings, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo as well!"
Ning Fengzhi nodded with a smile, but didn't stop as he walked toward the main guest area at the hall's far end. But as he advanced deeper, the responses from various factions became increasingly subtle. Sects that used to have friendly relations with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect also stood to greet him, but their smiles were polite, distant—no longer warm like before.
Deeper still, upon reaching powerful sects like the Wind Sword Sect or Star Crown Sect, the change became even clearer.
Wind Sword Douluo simply glanced at Ning Fengzhi and nodded, never rising from his seat. Star Crown Sect's Star Crown Douluo remained seated, toying with his wine cup, his gaze upraised and curious.
It was as if those who truly understood the current and future situation on the continent were waiting for the main players to reveal their positions.
Amid this subtle shift from respect to indifference, Ning Fengzhi felt as if a bucket of cold water were being poured over his heart. His perfect smile never faltered, but there was a cold gleam deep in his eyes. He forcibly reined in his emotions and calmed himself. Yet, hidden beneath his wide sleeves, both hands clenched the faintest bit.
At the front row on the other side, Glowing Feather Douluo lounged easily in his chair, translucent, chilly feather arrows spinning and bouncing around his fingers as if alive.
Not sparing Ning Fengzhi a glance, he gazed instead at the resting Grand Elder not far away, appearing oblivious to the undercurrents swirling around the hall.
It was only when Ning Fengzhi and his two companions arrived just before the main guest area that they stopped.
The Grand Elder slowly opened his eyes, as if waking from a trance, picked up his glass, and took a slow sip of wine. Then he looked up, regarding Ning Fengzhi with an expression of sudden realization.
"Ah... Sect Master Ning has arrived."
The Grand Elder's tone was flat and emotionless, showing neither joy nor anger. But with just that simple greeting and calm demeanor, an invisible sense of pressure quietly descended upon Ning Fengzhi and his Sword and Bone Douluo.
Ning Fengzhi was startled, but years of composure at the top enabled him to recover instantly. Bowing lightly to the Grand Elder, he smiled even more gently.
"Your Excellency Wisdom Brain Douluo, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is honored by your personal presence here in Seven Treasure City. Thank you deeply for attending our sect's celebration."
Though the conversation was gentle, the hall was so still you could hear a pin drop. All present held their breath, feeling an undercurrent and pressure they couldn't name, exchanging uneasy glances.
"Please, be seated." The Grand Elder nodded slightly, raising a hand to the seats before Ning Fengzhi and his two companions. His tone was so casual, it was as if he were the true master of the hall.
Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi forced his composure, but Chen Xin and Gu Rong behind him couldn't hide flashes of barely suppressed fury in their eyes.
This is too much!
In the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile territory, at the peak of the celebration, this old man presumptuously acts as master. Just because he has the Body Sect's backing, does he think he's invincible?
Chen Xin's half-closed eyes suddenly shot open, his gaze as sharp as a sword as he stared at the Grand Elder. Gu Rong exhaled coldly, the air around him distorting ever so slightly as a heavy, chilling pressure welled up.
Together, the two Title Douluo, fresh from their breakthroughs, unleashed terrifying Rank 97 and 96 auras directly at the seated Grand Elder, holding nothing back. They had come today to teach this arrogant old man a lesson! No matter if he was the Body Sect's Grand Elder, no matter if he was Rank 97, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was no place for him to run wild.
When two peak Douluo acted at once, their auras intertwined, the combined force far exceeding the mere sum of their parts.
The air in the main hall seemed to freeze. Weaker guests felt their chests tighten, soul power pooling sluggishly as they paled.
They're about to act!
Yet even faced with combined pressure that would make any Douluo tremble, the Grand Elder didn't so much as lift an eyelid. Leisurely, he topped off his own glass.
It wasn't until the Sword Intent and Bone Domain-tinged aura drew almost within reach that a glint of coldness flashed across the Grand Elder's usually peaceful eyes.
There was no fluctuation in soul power, no earthshaking momentum. Only an invisible spiritual force quietly rippled out, enveloping the entire core of the main hall in an instant.
Suddenly, Chen Xin and Gu Rong felt as if their best strikes had hit nothing but air. Their hearts shuddered abruptly, their breath caught, and their soul power momentarily scattered.
"Gentlemen… such formality is unnecessary," the Grand Elder set down his cup, raised his right hand, and pressed it down in the direction of Sword and Bone Douluo. "Be seated."
To everyone's shock, the just-moment-ago imposing Sword and Bone Douluo were suddenly shoved forcefully, as if pressed down by a gigantic invisible hand, collapsing into their plush seats.
Silence.
True to prediction, there was no exclamation or outcry. Eyes wide, throats caught, every guest stared in stupefied silence.
Two peak Douluo, Rank 97 and 96, combined their strength in an assault, only to be subdued in an instant, powerless to resist and forced to sit. There was not even a proper contest.
Ning Fengzhi's smile froze. His color drained so fast he resembled a corpse—only a deathly pallor remained.
How is this possible… how can this be?! Ning Fengzhi screamed silently inside. He knew the strength of Chen Xin and Gu Rong inside out. Together, they'd dared challenge even Rank 98 Super Douluo. Yet in front of the Grand Elder, the pair was as fragile as children.
Chen Xin and Gu Rong felt the humiliation even more keenly. A torrent of spirit power crashed over them, shattering their merged aura and directly intruding into their spiritual sea—blanking their consciousness for an instant.
Then, an unfathomably deep and irresistible pressure pressed them down.
Seated beside them, Chen Yi watched it all unfold with interest. Both are Rank 97?
Even in the glory days two millennia from now, the Grand Elder would still be the top of the heap, the very peak of spiritual power.
"Oh." A faint chuckle broke the silence. Guang Ling finally set aside the arrow he'd been playing with, laced his hands behind his head, leaned back, and regarded Ning Fengzhi with an openly mocking expression.
"Sect Master Ning," Guang Ling's voice was clear, his face innocent. "When do we eat? I've come all this way just for this feast… if we don't start soon, it'll all get cold, won't it?"
His deliberate emphasis on "attend the banquet," combined with the earlier scene, was rife with irony.
Ning Fengzhi's body trembled faintly. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to compose. He realized—his scheme to use this occasion to restore his prestige, all his prepared words, had been completely dashed by the Grand Elder's casual dismissal. They'd become nothing but a laughingstock.
There was nothing he could say now that would not make himself and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect seem even more pitiful and ridiculous.
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath. Using almost all his will, he managed a smile stiffer than a grimace. His voice was dry and hoarse.
"...Then, let us begin."
Music began anew; songs and dances unfurled. Fine delicacies and ample wine were served, and thus the celebration banquet "smoothly" began at last. There were offerings, but the atmosphere in the hall grew only heavier.
In the lower seats, Elder Ning Fengyu wore an even more bitter expression than Ning Fengzhi.
He had expected that Sword and Bone Douluo might not be able to best the Grand Elder, and was mentally prepared to suffer some shame, but he hadn't anticipated it would be such a rout.
This wasn't even a fight—barely a contest at all.
It was... as if an adult had casually swatted away two children who thought to provoke him.