"Thank you for the kind offer, Sir Xiong. However, there is no need to trouble you," Zhao Yunxiao answered without hesitation. "I should be able to find the way. If I were to encounter any issues, I would just ask the fellow disciples back there."
Zhao Yunxiao did not know why Xiong Yekong knew his name, or why the latter was offering to show him around.
What he knew was that anything that seemed too good to be true, usually was!
Most people would have jumped at the opportunity to interact with Xiong Yekong, and Zhao Yunxiao himself had initially been looking forward to potentially doing so during this trip as well. But the current circumstances were far too suspicious.
Yes, he was a disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect, which the Armed Ape Tower was subordinate to.
However, as an outer disciple, his status was still inferior to that of Xiong Yekong's, so there was absolutely nothing in it for Xiong Yekong to act this way. Or at the very least, there was nothing that Zhao Yunxiao could think of.
It was never a good idea to actively enter a situation where he knew less about others than they knew about him. If he simply jumped into things without having figured out the other party's motives, that would only be putting himself in a passive position.
And that was a disadvantage that he would want to avoid as far as possible.
At the same time, potential scenarios immediately started to run through his head.
Did Qie Xing badmouth him in front of Xiong Yekong?
After all, Qie Xing had always been close to Geng Guoye, so what happened at the Clear Thoughts Pavilion could have left a bad impression on the former.
Wait a minute, there was more to this!
It was no secret that Qie Xing had always wanted to pair up Xiong Yekong and Chen Pingxi. Could it be that this was truly under Xiong Yekong's instructions, and the latter was now trying to pick on him because of Chen Pingxi's actions at the Clear Thoughts Pavilion?
If that was the case, then Chen Pingxi would have truly landed his innocent self in big trouble for no good reason this time!
"Brother Zhao is too courteous," Xiong Yekong said. "In any case, we are just waiting for Sect Master Kui and the other disciples to arrive, so I do have some spare time at the moment. On top of that, I have been looking forward to having a short chat with you for a while now. Why don't you consider this as giving me an opportunity to do so?"
"Brother Xiong's words are too serious," Hua Shui interjected at this moment. "But your words truly make me curious. Is there any special reason why you would like to speak with our junior martial brother? Those who are oblivious might even misunderstand that you are trying to dig some insider news from him! Haha!"
His laugh made it seem like a joke, but the underlying meaning was clear to those who were in the know.
"Brother Hua sure loves to jest," Xiong Yekong answered firmly. "It is exactly as what I just said – I wish to have a short chat with him. If others can even end up misunderstanding such an innocuous situation, perhaps it will just be a testament to how scheming their minds actually are."
"Still, it's better to avoid trouble. If you truly have no special reason to do so, then why don't you just let my junior martial brother do his thing instead of insisting on speaking to him?" Hua Shui shrugged.
"Haha! Is there a need for any special reason to wish to chat with someone?" Xiong Yekong laughed in disbelief. "If you truly want me to explain why, so be it. I have nothing to hide anyway. All I want is to exchange cultivation pointers with him. Surely you will not try to stop me from doing so with your junior martial brother? Otherwise, others might just misunderstand that you are trying to keep either myself or your own junior martial brother in check!"
The warm atmosphere from before turned cold in an instant.
It was clear that Hua Shui and Xiong Yekong did not see eye to eye. Though this was something that Zhao Yunxiao had heard about, it was the first time that he was witnessing it in person.
After all, despite being widely considered one of the more influential inner disciples, Hua Shui still held a status that was beneath that of the core disciples. For others to openly say that Xiong Yekong was on par with the core disciples, it was effectively claiming that Xiong Yekong had already surpassed him.
How could he not be upset by that?
And from the looks of it, it would appear that Xiong Yekong was well aware of this matter as well.
Come to think of it, did Xiong Yekong just mention that he wanted to exchange cultivation pointers with him?
Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch.
What kind of cultivation pointers could an Essence Gathering realm cultivator like him possibly exchange with the Dao Rune realm Xiong Yekong?
Essence Gathering, Essence Physique, Origin Core, Dao Rune.
There was a difference of three full realms between their cultivation levels!
The only possible way that any discussion between them could take place would be with Xiong Yekong one-sidedly giving him guidance, and Zhao Yunxiao did not believe that there were any free meals in this world.
But before he could speak up to decline Xiong Yekong's offer once more, Elder Feng Wanjia broke her silence. "Everyone sit down. Sect Master Kui is here."
Hearing that, Zhao Yunxiao immediately returned to his table that was without any tea. Similarly, Xiong Yekong silently sat back down.
As though on cue, the door to the hall opened right after.
Leading the way in was Sect Master Kui Tui. He looked to be in his eighties, with a bald head and slightly hunched back. He had a long white beard that reached down to his chest, and even his eyebrows were fully white. Each step he took felt shaky and seemed to require plenty of effort, making him appear weak and feeble.
Supporting him by the arm was his wife, Mie Lingting. She was a lady who appeared to be in her mid fifties, with her greying hair held up by an elegant hairpin. Signs of ageing had started to show on her face, but her sharp facial features continued to hint at the mesmerising beauty that she must have possessed in the past.
Behind them were the elders of the Armed Ape Tower, followed by their core disciples, of which Qie Xing was a part of.
"Greetings, Sect Master Kui."
Everyone present immediately stood up out of respect.
"Greetings, Elder Feng. Please pardon me for not receiving you upon arrival," Sect Master Kui Tui said with a feeble voice.
"Sect Master Kui is being too serious. I am the one who should apologise for coming without having given prior notice," Elder Feng Wanjia shook her head.
"It's good to hear that Elder Feng is not offended. Please take a seat," Sect Master Kui Tui said after settling down on the master seat. "First of all, allow me to thank you for agreeing to come to our humble sect."
As he said that, his wife, Mie Lingting, sat down beside him while the elders and core disciples of the Armed Ape Tower quickly settled into their respective seats.
"Our two sects have always had a good relationship since ancient times, so it is only natural to help one another out," Elder Feng Wanjia smiled. "That said, it is a rare opportunity to be allowed to examine the Zodiac Tree as well. Who knows? I might just be the one getting more out of this!"
"Haha, I'm glad that Elder Feng can think of it this way," Sect Master Kui Tui answered. "The wisdom of the ancient sages is truly deep and humbling. We have already tried our best to ensure a smooth expansion of the Zodiac Tree, but it just doesn't feel too right. In that regard, I look forward to Elder Feng's assessment of our work."
"That is putting it too seriously. Perhaps I will be the one to learn from your great work instead," Elder Feng Wanjia said.
"All right, let's leave all that work talk for later," Sect Master Kui Tui nodded in satisfaction. "We might not have managed to prepare a banquet to welcome your arrival, but I have arranged for our precious disciples to put on a little performance instead. I hope that this would be enough to satisfy Elder Feng."
"As compared to a banquet, I'd definitely prefer to witness the great talents of the Armed Ape Tower!" Elder Feng Wanjia smiled.
"Elder Feng's words are too kind. In that case, let's begin," Sect Master Kui Tui turned his attention towards the core disciples.
Two core disciples stepped out on his cue – both young men who looked to be in their mid twenties, dressed in the same fur cloak that was the disciple robe of the Armed Ape Tower.
"Disciple Lian Chang."
"Disciple Lin Woxin."
"We apologise in advance for our humble performance."
The two young men clasped their fists towards Elder Feng Wanjia, who in turn acknowledged them with a polite nod. After which, the two young men created some distance between themselves before turning around to face each other.
Same sect, two different disciples, two different battle stances.
Upon exchanging quick nods, the two suddenly shot towards one another.
The scene that followed could only be described as a ferocious flurry from both sides, as the two started engaging in a seemingly vicious exchange of attacks and defences. If one was not aware of the situation, they could easily mistake this as a battle to the death!
Fist for fist, kick for kick.
Even though both disciples managed to put up an impenetrable defence by blocking all of the other party's attacks, each impact was still loud enough to create tremors through the air.
On top of the skilful and calculated manner in which each attack was executed, the sheer brute force behind them was unmistakable as well, born of a combination of essence energy and sheer physical prowess.
This level of power was not something that could be emulated easily. Disregarding the use of special techniques that increased one's physical prowess, this would be a level of power that belonged solely to those who cultivated the body strengthening system!
The spar between the two core disciples, Lian Chang and Lin Woxin, eventually came to an end as they simultaneously disengaged. However, it was quickly followed by that of others.
One after another, the core disciples of the Armed Ape Tower went up in pairs to show off their capabilities.
Be it to gain Elder Feng Wanjia's favour, to stand out in the eyes of their own sect administrators, or even if it was simply to fulfil the instructions that they had been given, the core disciples gave their all to put on a show.
There were distinct differences in terms of combat techniques and capabilities among the core disciples, but all of them had one thing in common – every single one of them possessed a level of physical prowess that could only be achieved through cultivating the body strengthening system.
Watching everything from the front row seat, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but palpitate in excitement, to the extent that he even forgot about the troublesome situation from earlier and the lack of tea on his table.
That's right, this was the exact reason why he had wanted to come along on this trip.
As a faction specialising in the body strengthening system, the Armed Ape Tower would surely have some tricks on how to better approach the opening of the Six Gates of Self-Actualisation. Even if that was not the case, just tips on how to better train their physique would be helpful for his cultivation path as well.
Now that he was already here, he definitely had to try and glean such information off of the Armed Ape Tower's disciples while he had the chance!