The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 458: Chapter 458: Enemies Everywhere

Fang Lin touched his nose and said with some embarrassment, “I think Master Mu is quite good. Why not join my Purple Mist Sect? With your abilities, Master Mu, you could hold a high position in the Purple Mist Sect.”

At his words, Mu Hongchen was left speechless, and the others all wore intriguing expressions.

“Clever lad, so you dare to tease the master.” Mu Hongchen pointed at Fang Lin’s forehead and said teasingly.

Fang Lin chuckled and said, “What do you think of my suggestion, Master Mu? Join the Purple Mist Sect, will you?”

Mu Hongchen smiled faintly, “I’d better not. I had some dispute with your sect master years ago. I’m afraid he will not accommodate me this time.”

Saying this, Mu Hongchen looked somewhat resentful at Han Luoyun, who smiled as if nothing concerned him.

Fang Lin was slightly taken aback, he looked at Han Luoyun, not expecting his master to have a romantic past with Mu Hongchen.

Although Mu Hongchen didn’t state it clearly, her resentful expression suggested that she felt abandoned.

Not just Fang Lin, others also gave sidelong glances at Han Luoyun. Yang Jianye playfully patted Han Luoyun on the shoulder.

“Master, so you’re old acquaintances with Master Mu.” Fang Lin said, feigning surprise.

Han Luoyun responded lightly, “We had some connection in the past.”

Mu Hongchen snorted and returned to the people of the Black Yin Sect without another word.

Only then did everyone notice Yang Xuanfeng standing beside Fang Lin.

“Is this the Yang Xuanfeng from Qian Country? He really is quite formidable.”

“I’ve heard Yang Xuanfeng is the most powerful in Qian Country, but I don’t know how true that is.”

“No matter what, we should not underestimate him.”

···

Many had heard of Yang Xuanfeng’s name, and knew of him. No one dared to belittle Yang Xuanfeng, because among the young talents who stood out in Lower Three Kingdoms, he was one of the few who did.

At this moment, Zhao Shenji of Yun Country and Meng Langtian of Meng Kingdom both looked at Yang Xuanfeng, their eyes filled with a sense of challenge.

In Zhao Shenji and Meng Langtian’s view, only Yang Xuanfeng, a prince, could be their match. No one else was worth their attention.

“Those from Qian Country, is your last person coming or not?” Huang Rulong grumbled.

Han Luoyun smiled, “He will come.”

“Hmph! What a high and mighty attitude, making us all wait for just one person from Qian Country?” Huang Rulong retorted.

At this, everyone else also seemed a bit annoyed. Qian Country was the last to arrive and they were still arriving in dribs and drabs, which seemed disrespectful.

“What’s the rush? Even if our last man does not show up, Yang and I alone can deal with your talented individuals from Yun Country and Meng Kingdom,” Fang Lin said nonchalantly.

This silenced everyone, and all eyes shifted to Fang Lin and Yang Xuanfeng.

“Heh, arrogant!” Zhao Shenji said with a sneer, a dark look in his eyes.

“Don’t let your words trip you up!” Chen Wu said disdainfully.

Liu Wuyin said nothing, only giving Fang Lin a chilly glance.

Meng Langtian and Huang Haoshan glared at Fang Lin, thinking that he was too arrogant and didn’t seem to take the talented individuals from Yun and Meng Kingdoms seriously.

Yuxin looked at Fang Lin, amused, seeming to find Fang Lin quite interesting.

Yang Xuanfeng felt a headache coming on and whispered to Fang Lin, “You should tone it down. None of these people are weaker than Li Guanxin.”

Fang Lin scoffed, “Look at you, higher in realm but smaller in courage. Since we are here, we need to flaunt our dominance. We can’t disgrace Qian Country.”

Yang Xuanfeng was speechless—since when did bragging equate to flaunting dominance? Bragging might feel good in the moment, but when it came to the real test, if any of them was defeated, their brags would all become jokes.

“Sect Master Han, when did your disciples from Purple Mist Sect become so confident?” Sect Hierarch He Qiannian of Hazy Sect chuckled, though hidden underneath was disdain towards Purple Mist Sect.

Han Luoyun responded lightly, “Without confidence, who would come here? Is it that your Chen Wu lacks confidence?”

He Qiannian just chuckled at Han Luoyun’s retort and did not answer.

“Such arrogance requires matching strength. Otherwise, those who only boast can’t stand firm here.” Zhao Zhenlong sneered.

Han Luoyun glanced at Zhao Zhenlong and said, “Zhao Zhenlong, I hope you have not forgotten some events from the past.”

Hearing this, Zhao Zhenlong’s face changed slightly, and he snorted heavily.

Fang Lin knew what Han Luoyun meant by this—the wife of Han Luoyun, mother of Han Yinyue and Han Xiaoxing, was murdered by the royal family of Yun Country. It was a bone-deep hatred.

At this moment, Han Luoyun keeping his anger in check and not instantly fighting Zhao Zhenlong could be considered quite restrained.

“Enough, enough. Now that almost everyone is here, let’s follow the usual practice, shall we?” Mu Hongchen stood up to mediate, smiling at the crowd.

The ‘usual practice’ was to pay tribute to the heroic spirits of the Virtual Sky Sect. Even though it had been extinguished and all that remained were ruins, the practice of respecting the spirits of the Virtual Sky Sect remained.

Subsequently, under the leadership of their seniors, everyone came to the entrance of the Virtual Sky Sect, where a huge broken stele still stood amid the wilderness.

The stele was covered in scars and sword marks were clearly visible. Two ancient characters were engraved on it—Virtual Sky.

The so-called tribute to the heroic spirits was a tribute to this stele, as it was the only relatively intact remnant of the Virtual Sky Sect.

Although the tribute was only a ritual, the senior figures present were all solemn and showed no disrespect.

Fang Lin looked at the damaged stele engraved with the characters ‘Virtual Sky’, feeling some emotions stir in his heart. It made him think of Pill Saint Palace, an ancient sect that had disappeared ages ago. What, if anything, remained of Pill Saint Palace now?

After paying tribute to the stele, everyone returned to the top of the peak square. Those who came to watch from the three kingdoms started to congregate there, waiting for the tri-nation contest to begin.

“I heard Qian Country only brought two people.”

“Fang Lin seems to be one of them.”

“Isn’t that absurd?”

“Who knows.”

···

The so-called tri-nation competition was naturally a competition between the nine geniuses of the three countries. There were no rules, and they could choose any opponent.

At this moment, a figure stepped forward from Yun Country.

“Chen Wu from Yun Country challenges Fang Lin.”