Chapter 1636: Passing the Message

Wan Guiyi, Wu Xiaofan, Lou Wucheng, and others sat down, lowering their heads in shame, as if all their strength had been drained from them.

Just a few seconds ago, they had felt a burning desire to fight Zu An, believing such a person was worthy of being their opponent.

But now they realized they were not worthy of being his opponents.

At the same time, they felt a sense of panic. Each of them was an undisputed genius within their respective sects, believing themselves to be unmatched among their peers, or at least on the same level. Yet, they had encountered Zu An…

Was this monster even human?

"Ah Zu is so handsome!" Qiu Honglei exclaimed excitedly, shaking Yun Jianyue's arm, her enthusiasm seemingly a desire to share her pride in her man.

"He's nothing special. He can't compare to how I entered and exited Purple Mountain seven times back in the day," Yun Jianyue scoffed, though she secretly thought, *This young man is indeed quite handsome.*

*But I remember Zu An's sword qi in that move being blue. How did it turn gold?*

Zu An was actually puzzled by this too. Ever since he surpassed level 70, the color of his sword array had automatically changed. He hadn't delved into why, figuring that as long as it looked cool, that was enough.

Across the way, Yan Xuehen's eyes flickered slightly, a hint of regret in her heart. She shouldn't have allowed Chu Chuyan to go into seclusion today. Chu Chuyan would surely be frustrated to learn she missed this scene.

*Well, I did it for her own good. Otherwise, if she saw Zu An holding Pei Mianman so intimately, she'd probably die of anger.*

Within the imperial court's ranks, Zhang Zijiang proudly declared to the surrounding guards, "I told you so! Our Lord Zu's divine power is unmatched. A mere Taoist elder is no match for him."

Beside him, Xie Daoyun thought, *That's not what you were saying just now; you were terrified.*

However, she was not in the mood to dwell on it. Instead, she rested her chin in her hand, her eyes softened with a smile as she gazed at the man, thinking, *Brother Zu is truly handsome. Of course, he'd be even more handsome if he weren't holding another woman.*

"How is this guy so powerful!" Unlike the excitement of others, the people from Li Hentian looked as if they had just lost a parent.

After all, they had previously been opposed to Zu An.

Cai Yu, who had always despised Zu An and thought he wouldn't dare accept his challenge, flushed red then paled, finally throwing his sword to the ground.

The opponent's cultivation was far beyond his imagination; what was the point of him practicing swordsmanship anymore?

The young monk Jiese from Wuyou Temple glanced sideways and asked Master Jianhuang, "Master, could you have handled that move just now?"

Master Jianhuang smiled faintly. "Your master and Benefactor Zu have no conflict. Why would I consider such a question?"

"Master, you're being tricky."

"This is called a Zen koan."

At this moment, Zu An landed back on the ground and brought the blushing Pei Mianman before Abbess Huoling. "Abbess, Miss Pei has expended a great deal of energy and needs rest and recovery."

Under the eyes of so many people, their relationship was not suitable for exposure at the moment.

"Very well, thank you, young master." Abbess Huoling also snapped back to reality and quickly took Pei Mianman, at the same time taking out a large number of Biluo Palace's healing elixirs for Pei Mianman to consume.

She also secretly glared at Wan Tongtian. If only he had done something similar for her back then, they wouldn't have lived with lifelong regrets.

Only then did Zu An turn back to survey the crowd. "I believe Miss Pei won fairly and squarely just now. There's no need for any further investigation, don't you agree?"

The expressions of the various sects in the arena instantly became extremely complex. Those who had just supported Guan Chouhai now hesitated. With Zu An's support for Biluo Palace, the outcome of any potential conflict was uncertain.

This Zu An fellow was unexpectedly strong in cultivation and also represented the imperial court. There was no need to conflict with him.

Guan Chouhai's expression shifted between dark and bright, but this matter concerned the honor of Li Hentian, so he couldn't back down.

He thought, *That move of yours just now was indeed powerful, but I refuse to believe you, at such a young age, can defeat a Grandmaster!*

Just as he was about to speak, Yun Jianyue said with a smile, "I also agree with what Lord Zu said. Miss Pei's victory was witnessed by everyone; there's no need to quibble over anything else."

Guan Chouhai's face changed. Kongming Island had remained silent until now, and their first words were in support of Zu An.

However, he wasn't necessarily afraid of a mere Kongming Island.

Just as he was about to speak, a cold, clear voice rang out: "Matters on the arena should be resolved by the participants themselves. If the elders of every losing party come out to interfere, this Grand Daoist Tournament will lose its original meaning."

Everyone was startled. They never expected Yan Xuehen, usually as cold as an ice mountain, to speak up, and her stance was even inconsistent with Elder Li of White Jade Capital.

"Something's strange. This ice queen is being far too kind to Zu An; it's unlike her character," Yun Jianyue mused, keenly observing Yan Xuehen.

Qiu Honglei couldn't help but murmur, "I think it's you, Master, who's being even kinder to Ah Zu. It's unlike your character. For instance, you spoke up to support him even before Sect Master Yan did."

"How can that be the same? I'm doing this for your sake!" Yun Jianyue nearly jumped.

"Oh, really? I thought it was because you and Sect Master Yan became friends with him after enduring hardships together in the demon territory," Qiu Honglei said with a smirk.

"Well, there's a bit of that reason too," Yun Jianyue admitted sheepishly, avoiding her gaze and changing the subject. "Let's wait and see how things unfold."

At this point, Wang Wuxie stepped forward and said, "Sect Master Yan is quite right. In an arena competition, we elders truly shouldn't interfere. Brother Guan, let your nephew Zhiyin rest well. With his strength, he should still have time to contend for later spots."

He had been hesitant after seeing Zu An's strength, but now that even Yan Xuehen had spoken up, he naturally went with the flow, subtly reminding Guan Chouhai that Li Hentian still had a chance.

Once the host of the event spoke, those who had previously supported Guan Chouhai quickly changed their allegiance and echoed his words.

Guan Chouhai cursed these turncoats under his breath, but realizing the situation had reached this point and further persistence was meaningless, he simply snorted and walked away, his sleeves brushing the air. His disciples hastily carried Zhiyin away.

As she left, Zhao Xiaodie couldn't help but glance at Zu An. She felt both a dislike and an inexplicable lack of dislike for him, leaving her in a daze.

After Guan Chouhai and the others left, and with most of the arena destroyed, it was clear that no more matches could be held today. So, Wang Wuxie announced a suspension of the tournament for the day, to resume tomorrow.

The various factions dispersed, but each person was excitedly discussing the day's battle, especially Zu An's incredibly cool move, which left many disciples filled with envy.

However, the older generation of sect masters were much calmer. They were initially shocked, but quickly realized that Zu An had not emitted any domain aura when he used that move, indicating he had not yet reached the Grandmaster realm.

Moreover, while the move was powerful, it was clearly a long-range attack. If a true master got close to him, he would likely be in trouble.

Understanding this, the sect masters of the various factions breathed a sigh of relief and resumed their usual lively conversations.

At the same time, they educated their disciples on these points.

Psychological counseling was necessary. While ordinary disciples simply watched for entertainment, the elite disciples, however, had suffered a tremendous blow. If this led to self-doubt and inner demons, it would be a huge loss.

Back at the Biluo Palace's separate residence, Pei Mianman originally wanted to find Zu An to express her longing, but she couldn't escape the endless congratulations from everyone in Biluo Palace on her defeat of Li Hentian's chief disciple and her achievement of historical fame. Furthermore, Abbess Huoling, worried about her injuries, stayed by her side almost constantly to help her heal, leaving her no opportunity to privately seek him out.

After Yan Xuehen returned, Chu Chuyan found her and asked what had happened. She had seen a great golden light erupt from the golden peak earlier and seemed to sense Zu An's aura.

Helpless, Yan Xuehen had to recount the day's events to her, listening to which Chu Chuyan's eyes shone with a strange brilliance.

"These people underestimate Ah Zu too much. Master, you haven't even seen Ah Zu truly wield his sword. I still remember the grace of that one sword strike," Chu Chuyan said, shedding her usual coldness and, like a child showing off a toy, continuously recounting Zu An's various deeds to her master.

Yan Xuehen secretly sighed, *Silly girl, I know more than you do...*

Unwilling to continue the topic, she said, "That young man is good in every other way, but he's too much of a philanderer. You didn't see him holding Pei Mianman like that in front of so many people today; that young lady was probably so happy and excited she almost fainted."

Chu Chuyan smiled helplessly. "He's truly annoying in that regard. Almost every pretty girl around me has some connection to him. If you weren't my master, you might not have escaped his clutches either."

"Cough, cough..." Yan Xuehen, who was leisurely drinking tea, choked on her drink at the words.

Chu Chuyan was startled and quickly patted her master's back gently, apologizing, "Master, I was just making a comparison. Please don't be angry."

Yan Xuehen wiped the corner of her mouth and said calmly, "Weren't you curious about who sent you that warning letter before? At the time, we speculated it might have been... cough, cough, one of young Master Zu's confidantes. We just couldn't identify anyone fitting the description back then. Now that I think about it, could it have been Pei Mianman?"

Chu Chuyan shook her head. "It shouldn't be her. We were good friends back in Brightmoon City; I know her character very well..."

"If you were such good friends, why would she steal your man?" Yan Xuehen suddenly said coldly.

Chu Chuyan was momentarily speechless. After a moment, she replied, "Manman's personality is such that she dares to love and hate. Even if she liked Ah Zu, she would openly compete with me for him, not resort to such underhanded tactics."

Yan Xuehen was about to say more, but then realized that given her identity, she had no standing to say such things. So, she unhappily stood up and left. "Continue your seclusion," she said.

Chu Chuyan looked out the window in the direction of Zu An's residence, her eyes gentle but mixed with a hint of doubt. "I wonder what Ah Zu is doing now. Is he with Manman? Hmph!"

Zu An, at this moment, was certainly not engaged in romance. Instead, his expression was solemn, for he had just received a message through a secret channel from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.