"See, Jeffrey? There's no need to make a fuss about it. Just go. That's enough for today," Richard
scoffed. His stern voice and forbidding face had brought tension in the air. He found it utterly
disrespectful of Jeffrey to overstep and act so aggressively before him, seemingly disregarding the fact
that he was the leader of the clan.
"Ha! You're lucky you can get away this time, brat." Jeffrey finally gave in after seeing that their leader
had been giving him such a disapproving glance. He knew that it wouldn't do him any good if he kept
on hounding Rocky, so he just shot a ferocious glare at him and Vivian. He then ordered his men to
bring Ryan with them and hurriedly left.
"Jeffrey has become awfully irritable. Let's hope he can still control himself next time," Alex regretfully
remarked.
"Everyone, thank you for coming. You may now go. Alex, Rookie, and Tripp, please stay," Richard
instructed right away.
The members of the Wankong Clan who watched Rocky do the procedure did as they were told and
started moving towards the exit.
They walked one after another, until there were only Richard, Alex, Rocky, and Vivian left in the hall.
"Rookie, I apologize for all the trouble today. Jeffrey had indeed gone too far. Even I know you're not at
fault," Richard quickly assured Rocky. He was afraid that Jeffrey's recent misdeed had an impact on
Rocky's thoughts.
"It's not a big deal," Rocky replied nonchalantly. Actually, he did not take it seriously at all.
"That's a relief. It's almost time for your journey to the Ethereal Valley. I hope you can stay in the Spring
Cloud Pavilion for the time being so you can focus on your cultivation. Do not worry about anything
else. I will arrange whatever you both need." Richard's encouragement was not entirely ambiguous,
since he clearly meant something more than what he just said.
Even Rocky understood that the leader wanted them to stay in the pavilion to avoid any more issues.
He didn't want to make things difficult for Richard, so he nodded in agreement.
"Alex, you may send them back."
As Richard had instructed, Alex immediately accompanied Rocky and Vivian out of the hall and back to
the pavilion.
"Jeffrey had seriously blown things out of proportion. You had already agreed to cure his nephew even
after him tricking you, yet he still put the blame on you. What a despicable man!" On the way to the
Spring Cloud Pavilion, Alex could not keep quiet anymore. She had to blow off steam.
"Well, it's typical for someone like him to bully those he doesn't deem a threat," Rocky commented
matter-of-factly.
"Anyway, I'm really sorry for all the inconvenience. Let me make it up to you some time," Alex
sheepishly offered.
"Please don't worry about it, young master. We're here to give our best in doing our part."
"Alright. Well, you two, go and just focus on your cultivation in seclusion."
After dropping them off at the Spring Cloud Pavilion, Alex went on her way.
Rocky then smiled at Vivian and said, "It seems we're going to be alone together for a while."
Vivian simply rolled her eyes at Rocky.
"Anyway, I'm going to cultivate." With a wave of his hand, Rocky left the Spring Cloud Pavilion and
continued his cultivation in his spot deep in the forest nearby.
Days had passed and they were quickly approaching the day of the opening of the Ethereal Valley.
Rocky's cultivation in the Fighting Ogre Formula and the Fighting Energy Transformation Skill went on
smoothly. The Fighting Ogre Formula had twelve levels, where three levels were considered as a stage
that corresponded to the stages of the Shura Realm. In the last few days, he had reached the third
level, and the fighting energy he could summon had reached the Mystery Stage.
He had been enjoying his progress so he thought he could continue to cultivate in silence until the
opening day of the Ethereal Valley. However, an unexpected guest had paid the Wankong Clan a visit.
At this moment, all the seats in the Wankong Clan meeting hall instantly got occupied as soon as they
learned that the young master of the Myriad Spiritual Hall, along with two high-level Spiritual Emperors
and some Spiritual Kings, had come to their territory.
"Young Master Seth, what a surprise! What brings you here today?" Richard greeted Seth, who was
sitting on the lower side. The power of the Myriad Spiritual Hall was growing stronger and stronger.
They were closing in on the Wankong Clan, so the two parties were practically rivals. It was quite
obvious that this sudden visit was merely a disguise for ulterior motives.
"Let me get straight to the point. I came here under the order of our leader, my father. We would like to
offer you an alliance," Seth explicitly revealed.
"You want to ally with us?" Richard repeated coldly as his eyes narrowed.
"I'm sure you know what that means. It's not a secret that your clan is no longer comparable to the
other four great clans. For years, your clan has sent members to enter the Ethereal Valley, yet all you
gained were heavy casualties. No matter how powerful your clan is, you surely can't afford any more
losses, right? This is your last chance to gain anything from the Ethereal Valley if you want to keep your
place among the five great clans, and we'd like to help you if you choose to ally with us. We'd be willing
to lend you all our disciples with spiritual roots above the Mystery Stage for your selection. If you
choose any of them, I'm sure the Wankong Clan can finally have an absolute advantage in this year's
mission in the Ethereal Valley," Seth talked eloquently. While everything he said was mostly true,
Richard and the members of the Wankong Clan in the meeting hall couldn't deny that it sounded
extremely harsh, especially since it came from someone outside their clan.
"I appreciate your clever speech, but all I heard is that you want to secure a share of our clan's gains
from the trip to the Ethereal Valley!" Richard sharply returned, revealing Seth's real intentions. Only the
five great clans had the qualifications to enter the Ethereal Valley. In the past few years, the Myriad
Spiritual Hall had always tried to curry favor with them by giving them disciples that could enter the
Ethereal Valley. As a result, they had amassed various gains that had helped them grow stronger and
more powerful.
However, the five great clans had then realized their actual motive. In an effort to avoid future
complications, they refrained from cooperating with the Myriad Spiritual Hall ever again.
Now that the Ethereal Valley was about to open again, the Myriad Spiritual Hall tried their luck with the
four great clans. Unfortunately, none of them agreed to work with them.
If truth be told, they would not have bothered asking the Wankong Clan since the latter was the
weakest of the five great clans. However, they were now out of options. They had to give it a shot.
"Sir, this is called mutual benefit. I don't see why you'd want to pass on this opportunity when it's going
to be so good for your clan!" Seth tried to convince Richard further.
"I appreciate your kindness, young man. But our clan doesn't intend to ally with other forces as it will
break the rules set by our ancestors." Richard still resolutely declined his offer.
"You still have time to think about it. Remember, if you cooperate with the Myriad Spiritual Hall, your
clan can skip on suffering any loss this time." Seth was determined to make Richard agree.
"That's alright, Young Master Seth. You may now go." Richard wanted to keep their conversation from
going any further, so he politely asked Seth to take his leave.
"It seems you really are as stubborn as people claim you to be. I guess you'd rather I spread the news
that your clan has found the chosen one, huh? Let's see if the other four great clans will pester your
clan once they find out," Seth threatened with a sneer.
To their surprise, Richard and the others felt their eyes widen. They did not expect that the news about
the chosen one would be revealed so soon. No wonder Seth had the confidence to make them such a
proposal.
"You must be mistaken, young man. What makes you think that our clan has found the chosen one?"
As stunned as he was, Richard still managed to speak calmly. After all, he was the leader of the clan.
He needed to compose himself to avoid giving their secret away.
"Sir, let's stop playing dumb, shall we? Do you really think you have airtight walls? We have lots of
spies, and it's only a matter of time before they found out whatever you're hiding." Until the last minute,
Seth wanted to intimidate Richard. If only what he said was not true. However, Richard soon realized
that he wasn't bluffing. After all, only the high-ranking members of the Wankong Clan could have
possibly known about the chosen one.
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