Even though Zhao Yunxiao was seated on quite the exquisite bed, he found it difficult to get truly comfortable.


    Physically, this was definitely a conducive place for rest. However, the psychological aspect of things continued to weigh down upon him, to the extent that he found it too distracting to even enter meditation.


    Senior Martial Brother Gan, shall we have a chat?” Zhao Yunxiao said.


    I understand that there have been some minor differences between us in the past, but that is something that only arose because of the circumstances that we were in back then,” Zhao Yunxiao said. “Personally, I truly respect you as a senior. After all, everyone knows about your exceptiona-”


    “


    “


    “


    “


    If Gan Luozhi really could personally ensure that everything worked out just fine, then Zhao Yunxiao would naturally be fine with taking a back seat and letting him handle things. In fact, he would even welcome such a thing since that would give him more leeway to focus on gathering information on cultivating the body strengthening system.


    And if Gan Luozhi messed things up, Zhao Yunxiao would not be able to avoid being implicated as well!


    Nevertheless, there was no use in confronting Gan Luozhi right now. Judging from his personality, Gan Luozhi might even get triggered into deliberate sabotage if the wrong buttons were pushed.


    Zhao Yunxiao could only choose to observe the situation for now, while getting ready to step in whenever the situation called for it.


    At least he knew now that Gan Luozhi had the intention to do well, so that was better than nothing. Zhao Yunxiao felt slightly more assured after hearing that, and slowly eased into a state of light meditation.


    After a few moments, Gan Luozhi opened his eyes ever so slightly to steal a peek at the meditating Zhao Yunxiao.


    In his head, his conversation with another junior martial brother late last night started to replay itself.


    Big news, Senior Martial Brother Gan! Junior Martial Brother Zhao beat Senior Martial Brother Geng Guoye in a spar!


    Even if you want to believe in fake rumours, at least choose something that is a little more plausible. That brat beat Senior Martial Brother Geng? What a joke! Don’t you know that Senior Martial Brother Geng is an Origin Core realm martial artist?


    That’s not it. Senior Martial Brother Geng promised to suppress his cultivation level to match Junior Martial Brother Zhao’s, only to be forced to release his true strength!


    ...Is that true?


    It happened in front of hundreds of eyes at the Clear Thoughts Pavilion. How can it be fake?


    That said, he had to admit that it felt good to hear that piece of news. With this, everyone would finally shut up about his loss to Zhao Yunxiao in the past.


    Now, all that was left was to let Zhao Yunxiao know who exactly was the superior one between them. Once that was done, everything would fall back into place, returning to how it was before.


    In that sense, perhaps them ending up on this trip together could also be seen as fate working in his favour!


    ***


    And unlike the Origin Lake Sect’s territory, which comprised mainly of relatively flat lands and numerous water bodies, the Armed Ape Tower was based in the depths of a dense forest.


    Elder Feng Wanjia did not call for the outer disciples even once, so everyone was able to get ample rest during the journey that took almost an entire day.


    The door to the bamboo house slowly opened and Elder Xiong Yan led the way out, followed quickly by the rest of the group.


    They were currently at a wide clearing, surrounded by tall trees that were each more than a hundred metres tall. Beneath their feet, the ground had been covered neatly in wooden boards, which in turn formed a wooden path that led out of this clearing.


    Standing by the exit were two young ladies, both dressed in the disciple robes of the Armed Ape Tower – a heavy fur cloak that covered them from head to toe. If not for the fact that the hood was currently pushed back, the faces of these female disciples would have been hidden beneath the shadows.


    It was difficult to describe their looks as exceptional, but they were definitely not ugly either. That said, their eyes that were burning with vitality easily drew in everyone’s attention, making their appearances irrelevant to a certain extent.


    Seeing the arrival of the bamboo house, the two female disciples immediately stepped forward to greet them.


    “


    “


    Greetings, Elder Feng!” the two female disciples were flustered for a moment, but quickly regained their senses and bowed towards Elder Feng.


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    “


    “


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    My apologies for not being able to prepare a grand reception for your arrival,” Elder Xiong Yan turned towards Elder Feng Wanjia. “I hope you won’t hold it against us.”


    Don’t worry about it. This trip is a last-minute decision, so that much is understandable,” Elder Feng Wanjia shook her head indifferently. “Let’s enter.”


    “


    With a wave of his hand, the bamboo mansion shrank to the size of a fingernail and flew into Elder Xiong Yan’s sleeves. He then started leading the way into the depths of the forest.


    The wooden path that they were on branched out at numerous intersections, splitting into paths that led to who knew where. With the tall trees blocking the way, it created a maze-like terrain that was nigh impossible to navigate through unless one was already familiar with the terrain.


    In addition to the fact that the sky was already turning dark, the thick canopy overhead blocked out what remained of thesunlight. This resulted in their path receiving close to no natural illumination whatsoever.


    Of course, the group could have easily kept track of their surroundings with their spiritual senses as well, but these little stones of light did more than just that. Their presence not only provided simple illumination, but also a beautifying effect on the surroundings that made it look far more welcoming.


    It was a three-storey mansion made with several different types of wood, with the contrast in wood types used cleverly at various junctures to give the structure a greater sense of artistic depth. Numerous exquisite carvings could also be seen on the wooden surfaces, each done with deliberate intention to complement the others, adding an aura of profoundness to the already ancient-looking building.


    “


    Go prepare some tea for our guests,” Elder Xiong Yan instructed without taking a second glance at the disciple. “Qie Xing, go gather the core disciples.”


    “


    Shortly after, a female disciple, who looked to be around twenty years of age with rather pretty features, entered the hall to pour tea for everyone. Despite her obviously skilled movements when serving tea to Elder Xiong Yan and Xiong Yekong, her expression quickly turned frigid as she approached Elder Feng Wanjia’s table.


    “


    Y-Yes, Elder Feng!” the female disciple jumped a little upon being addressed.


    Seeing how her words only made the female disciple feel even more nervous, Elder Feng Wanjia could only let out a helpless chuckle. This was not her first time seeing something like this, but it was not her duty to help. In the end, it was still up to the disciple to overcome her own reservations.


    “


    His movements were swift. In just a matter of seconds after offering to help, he was already done serving Elder Feng Wanjia, Sect Protector Shan Lihui, Fei Weng, and Hua Shui.


    Here,” Gan Luozhi handed the teapot back to the female disciple with a warm smile. “That aside, I have to say that you are really pretty. Would it be possible for me to know your name?”


    “


    At the same time, her eyes began to sparkle as she looked at Gan Luozhi, having been completely caught off guard by his gentlemanlybehaviour.


    I see. Nice to meet you then, Sister Qing. My name is Gan Luozhi, but you can just call me Brother Gan,” Gan Luozhi said while maintaining his smile. “If there is anything that you are unsure of in the future, feel free to approach me for help.”


    “


    Just like how there were plenty of cases where disciples from different factions ended up as cultivation partners, there were also plenty of cases where disciples behaved like complete casanovas when visiting weaker factions.


    Gan Luozhi had not poured any for him, so why did this Qing Fengxi leave with the teapot?


    Well, that actually worked out perfectly for him.


    Zhao Yunxiao promptly stood up, wanting to head to the back of the hall to ask for some tea. This was not because he really wanted the tea, but because it would look strange if he were the only one without it.


    Or at least, that would be his excuse.


    In actual fact, he simply saw this as a good opportunity to speak to the native disciples. If he did this right, it could very well open up avenues for him to gleansome information regarding the body strengthening system!


    However, he had yet to even take his first step when he heard a deep voice suddenly call out to him.


    “


    Not only did the famous Feral Claw Xiong Yekong know him by name, but was also offering to show him the way?


    He was no beautiful fairy, so what’s the catch here?