Chapter 1310: The Collapse of Zhao Xingmo

"Are you turning against me?" Zhang Qian was stunned, unable to believe it.

He had gone through so much trouble trying to win favor and build a relationship with the Ice Palace. How could things not only fail to progress, but even lead to such a statement? Weren't you angry enough to attack just now? How did you become so protective in the blink of an eye?

"That's right, Zhang Qian. My action just now was merely a warning. I hope you'll conduct yourself better!" Chen Leyao waved her hand.

"You... I want to know why!" Zhang Qian, furious to the point of exploding, couldn't help but demand. He truly couldn't understand why this person's attitude had changed so drastically.

"You don't need to know why. Just remember, anyone who dares trouble Teacher Zhang is opposing me, Chen Leyao!" The girl emanated a chilling aura, as if she would strike directly and mercilessly if the other party truly dared to defy her words.

"You..." Zhang Qian clenched his fists, his body trembling with rage. He wanted to erupt but dared not. Aside from the fact that her strength was in no way inferior to his, the influence of the Ice Palace alone was not something he could easily offend.

"Let's go..." Zhang Qian flicked his sleeve, helped Zhang Yu up, and turned to walk away. He had gone to such trouble to flatter them, only to be brutally beaten, and then the other party showed no appreciation. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became, feeling as if he would explode.

"Zhang Xuan, it's all this Zhang Xuan's fault... If I don't make your life a living hell, I don't deserve the name Zhang!" Gritting his teeth, his entire fury shifted to the person who had just made him lose face. If not for this person, how would he have suffered such humiliation? How could he have failed to establish good relations and ended up in this state?

Walking a distance away, he turned to look at Chen Leyao, only to see her gazing at Zhang Xuan nearby, her eyes complex, lost in thought.

"Damn it..." Seeing this, his anger flared even more, accompanied by utter confusion. This Chen Leyao seemed quite normal, showing no special favor to others, so why did she suddenly adopt this attitude towards that fellow? Had she been bewitched?

"Senior Sister Leyao, Zhang Qian's background and talent are quite good. Why did you suddenly fall out with him?" A woman from the Ice Palace approached Chen Leyao. When Zhang Xuan acted earlier, she hadn't followed or heard their conversation. Now, seeing Senior Sister Leyao make a move, she was utterly bewildered. Zhang Qian, in terms of both background and appearance, was top-notch and always polite. Why would she strike him?

"Do you know who that person was who just came to inquire about the Young Palace Mistress?" Chen Leyao asked.

"No idea..." The woman shook her head.

"It was Teacher Zhang Xuan!" Chen Leyao nodded.

"Zhang Xuan? Zhang... Senior Sister, are you referring to... our benefactor who resolved our cultivation flaws?" The woman's body stiffened.

"Precisely, it was him! And you're right, he's also the Young Palace Mistress's teacher..." Chen Leyao nodded.

"How is that possible..." The woman's eyes widened in disbelief. Their Ice Palace's Yin and Yang Arts had inherent flaws. Practitioners would almost always die young, with short lifespans. Even those who reached the Saint realm wouldn't live beyond three hundred years, a stark contrast to other cultivators' thousand-year lifespans. Because of this, many women in the Ice Palace, though numerous, withered like flowers in their prime, leaving behind a tragic beauty. They had believed they would follow the same old path, never dreaming that... eight months ago, Elder Liu Xuan brought back a young girl. Due to her pure Yin constitution, she immediately became the Young Palace Mistress. Not only that, but she was also taught a modified cultivation art! This cultivation art could easily compensate for the inherent flaws in the Yin and Yang Arts, restoring practitioners' lifespans to that of normal people! Although the origin of the cultivation method was suppressed by the higher-ups, as core geniuses of the Ice Palace, they still knew something. It was created by the Young Palace Mistress's teacher, a Master Teacher named "Zhang Xuan"... She had always assumed this benefactor was an old man, at least an eight-star Master Teacher or higher. She never dreamt he would be so young, around their own age!

"He modified the cultivation art and resolved our hidden flaws; he is our second parent..." Realizing this, the woman's face flushed with excitement.

"Yes, he is such a benefactor, yet I almost attacked him just now. It's truly unforgivable... Why don't we go and pay our respects?" Chen Leyao said with a wry smile.

"Alright!" The woman nodded, quickly called over the remaining few, explained the situation, and all of them, filled with shock, simultaneously walked towards Zhang Xuan.

"How could you be so reckless!" Zhao Xingmo was furious, looking at Zhang Xuan before him and unable to resist scolding him. The other party was a genius from the Zhang Clan. Slapping him so hard he couldn't get up, and making him lose so much face... was equivalent to thoroughly offending the Zhang Clan. How would he be able to stay in the Saint Son Hall in the future?

"I just wanted to ask a few questions; it was Zhang Qian who started it..." Zhang Xuan remained unconcerned. Although the Zhang Clan was powerful, this was still the Master Teacher Continent and the Saint Son Hall. Everything needed to follow rules! As long as he stayed within the rules... there was truly nothing to fear. If pushed too far, he could just "storm" the Zhang Clan, just like he had stormed a hall before!

"You've just arrived, so you don't realize the Zhang Clan's influence in the Saint Son Hall, and you're dismissive. Once you fully understand, you'll never think this way again..." Seeing his indifference, Zhao Xingmo shook his head and said, "Let me put it this way: Although the Saint Son Hall is an academy that transcends the Sage Clans, the Zhang Clan, as the foremost family, receives too many spots each year and has too many members passing the examinations... Every single grade in the entire academy has their people, and almost all of them hold the most important positions or possess peak strength... Offending one is equivalent to offending a large group, and you'll find it impossible to move an inch in anything you do!"

It's not the officials one fears, but the administrators; it's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with imps. Offending minor figures can sometimes be more troublesome than offending major ones.

"Even if they have a lot of people, they can't just run wild, can they?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Even if they don't act wildly and just follow the rules, it'll be enough to give you a headache. Leaving aside everything else, with so many people, if each one comes to challenge you, will you still have time to cultivate?" Zhao Xingmo said.

"This..." Zhang Xuan fell silent.

Indeed. The Saint Son Hall didn't oppose disputes among students. With the other party's numerical superiority, if a few challengers came every day, even if they weren't strong enough to be a match, Zhang Xuan would still be endlessly annoyed.

"Furthermore, you didn't just offend the Zhang Clan earlier; you also offended the Ice Palace! Although the Ice Palace can't compare to the Zhang Clan in the Saint Son Hall, it's still a top-tier power. More importantly... they are all women, and their rallying power is exceptionally strong! It's not an exaggeration to say they can get an immediate response. As long as they publicly declare they're going to teach someone a lesson, they don't even need to act themselves; countless geniuses will rush over to cause you trouble." Zhao Xingmo continued.

If they were just women, it might be fine, but the crucial point was that they were all beautiful. Coupled with being one of the continent's dominant powers, every member of the Ice Palace could drive countless people into a frenzy. Therefore, in the Saint Son Hall, almost no one dared to offend them. Offending one was equivalent to offending an unknown number of powerful experts. This guy, however, despite being told multiple times, still ran over to find them and ended up causing an unpleasant scene... Couldn't you just stay here peacefully, pass your assessment, and avoid trouble? "Low-key"... Someone like you is "low-key"? If *this* is low-key, then there's no one who's high-profile!

"If it comes to it, go apologize to the Ice Palace people to avoid disaster. Otherwise, if these two powers unite, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to chop off!" After thinking for a moment, Zhao Xingmo said. Although he was only responsible for guiding, they had developed a bond throughout their journey, and he didn't want this genius, who had just arrived at the Saint Son Hall, to be besieged due to his recklessness.

"This..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head, unsure how to reply, when he saw Zhang Jiuxiao's expression change at his side, and a tense voice rang out: "The people from the Ice Palace are coming over..."

"Hmm?" Zhao Xingmo and Zhang Xuan both looked over, then saw Chen Leyao and several women from the Ice Palace slowly walking towards them.

"They're coming together, so they must have some kind of agreement with Zhang Qian. They're here to demand an explanation..." Zhao Xingmo frowned. He hadn't seen Chen Leyao lecturing Zhang Yu earlier. Now, with the Ice Palace members walking over in unison, what else could they be doing but looking for trouble?

"How about this, when they arrive, you apologize first, and at most, offer some compensation... as long as it gets rid of the trouble!" After a brief hesitation, Zhao Xingmo quickly transmitted his voice.

"Apologize?" Zhang Xuan was conflicted: "What should I say?" Apologizing wasn't out of the question, but... he clearly hadn't done anything wrong, so he truly couldn't bring himself to say it.

"What to say?" Unexpectedly encountering someone with such low emotional intelligence, Zhao Xingmo said helplessly, "Alright, I'll teach you. Just repeat it word for word!"

"Okay! When they arrive, you say this: 'Fairy Leyao, I was reckless just now. I sincerely apologize to you here and hope for your forgiveness...'"

"Alright!" Knowing that the other person was doing this for his benefit, Zhang Xuan had just committed the words to memory when he saw the women from the Ice Palace already standing before them.

"Leyao..." Clearing his throat, just as he was about to repeat what Teacher Zhao had told him, Zhang Xuan saw the girl before him bow gracefully: "Teacher Zhang, I was reckless just now. I sincerely apologize to you here and hope for your forgiveness..."

"Huh?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Cough, cough..." Zhao Xingmo's eyes also widened, and his body swayed, nearly causing him to fall. Weren't they here to cause trouble? Why were they apologizing? The most crucial part was that her words were identical to what he had told Zhang Xuan...

"This is a special product of our Ice Palace, the Frigid Ice Spiritual Liquid... It has extremely potent effects for cultivators in the Spirit Severing realm. If Teacher Zhang doesn't mind, please accept it as compensation for my rashness just now..." Before his shock subsided, Chen Leyao flipped her wrist, took out a jade bottle, and handed it over.

"Frigid Ice Spiritual Liquid? This... this is the Ice Palace's most precious item! A single bottle is worth at least one thousand high-grade Essence Spirit Stones..." Zhao Xingmo's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. The Frigid Ice Spiritual Liquid was a very rare treasure even within the Ice Palace, almost never sold... Yet Chen Leyao had directly offered it as a gift... What on earth had happened? Shouldn't she be angry and here to demand an explanation? Why was she so careful, not only apologizing but also giving gifts? He truly couldn't comprehend it; his head was spinning.