Chapter 305 - 262: Gathering of the Geniuses (Part 3)
Gu Zhan stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "Greetings, True Sword One, I am precisely Gu Zhan."
Gu Zhan’s gesture of respect left Sword One somewhat flustered, quickly and awkwardly returning the gesture, "No need for formalities, no need for formalities. I heard... I heard Brother Gu has taken over as the Palm Seal of Beidou Bang. I... I offer my congratulations here. You’re truly outstanding, with impressive demeanor..."
As he spoke,
Sword One lowered his head and discreetly cast a pitiful glance at several Daoists behind him.
Gu Zhan’s mouth twitched slightly,
He truly hadn’t expected that the renowned Sword Son Sword One was actually socially anxious,
He now seriously doubted Sword One’s feats were all battles forced upon him by Sword King City; otherwise, with such social anxiety, he might not ever want to leave the door.
Seeing the situation,
The middle-aged Daoists behind Sword One all wore faces of helplessness,
Having such a Sword Son, they felt powerless and exchanged a few polite words before inviting Mo Jingzhou and the others into the manor.
Sword One breathed a long sigh of relief and hurriedly hid to the side, following them inside.
However, as soon as they entered the manor,
A middle-aged Daoist suddenly spoke, "Little Uncle, Nephew Zi’ang is hosting a gathering with many young people in the East Courtyard; perhaps you could take a look and fulfill your role as host."
Sword One hastily waved his hand, saying, "Zi’ang is fine there; he’s very good. I don’t need to go; I’ll... I’ll... go back to my room to read; my homework isn’t finished yet..."
"Little Uncle!" The middle-aged Daoist said helplessly, "You’ve finished your homework for the next ten years, and also, Gu Palm Seal has just arrived and doesn’t know the young people. Are you really going to let him go by himself?"
Sword One looked at Gu Zhan and quickly turned his head, whispering, "Then... then I’ll go... alright!"
Gu Zhan cupped his hands and said, "Then I’ll trouble True Sword One."
"No, no... It’s no trouble."
Sword One hurriedly turned and walked towards the East Courtyard.
Mo Jingzhou looked at Gu Zhan and nodded, saying, "Go on."
Gu Zhan turned and followed.
The few young Daoists watched Sword One walk ahead with his head down and sighed helplessly.
Gu Zhan followed Sword One,
He also saw that Sword One was socially anxious, so he didn’t ask any questions along the way.
Sword One noticed Gu Zhan didn’t ask anything, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, quietly settled down. He was most worried that Gu Zhan would talk to him, not because he looked down on Gu Zhan but because he was afraid to talk to anyone.
Soon, the two arrived at a large courtyard,
The courtyard was bustling with people, clustered in groups, some sitting in pavilions engaging in high-flown discussions, some drinking together, some observing the scenery along the corridors, some exchanging courtesies around the artificial mountains and waters; the place was teeming with youth, all skilled, none below the Dao Realm.
Due to the crowd, Sword One kept his head down, timidly fearing being seen, and Gu Zhan being a new face, so no one paid attention to them and went on with their discussions.
Sword One led Gu Zhan to a corner and sat by a table, pouring Gu Zhan a cup of tea, saying, "Brother... Brother Gu, have some tea..."
"Thank you."
Gu Zhan took the teacup and looked into the courtyard,
He hadn’t seen them before, but some people had distinct appearances, allowing him to make educated guesses based on Martial World rumors.
While sipping tea,
Gu Zhan noticed Sword One always gazing at a young man wearing a Daoist robe, continuously moving around, well-respected and seemingly the host, able to chat with everyone gracefully.
"True Sword One, is that someone from your Sword King City?" Gu Zhan inquired.
"Ah!" Sword One was startled, lowering his head and saying, "Yes, that’s Wei Zi’ang, Sect Leader’s grandson. He’s very capable, already a Grandmaster in cultivation, managing many of Sect Leader’s affairs and maintaining great relationships with disciples in the sect and numerous friends outside."
Gu Zhan slightly raised an eyebrow,
He knew of Wei Zi’ang, who was the top of the previous Celestial Pride List, known in the Martial World as Jade-faced Zhenren, some dubbed him Yunxi’s timely aid, famous for befriending many.
However, his prowess was far from attaining the recognition Sword One had in the Martial World, though he tied for first on the Celestial Pride List, yet the list had been deemed mediocre for thirty years, except for the current generation being hailed as the strongest in thirty years.
The first being Sword Spirit Qi Baiyu, the second being Sword One, the third Nangong Weiyang, the fourth from Medicine King Valley Jin Yuanbao, fifth the Golden Crow Sword Sect’s Little Vajra Niu Pei,
These five, in any era, would be first on the Celestial Pride List, possibly far ahead of others, yet they happened to converge, making this generation the most formidable in history.
Rumors even circulated in the Martial World predicting a renaissance after years of decline, not just in Yunxi, but seemingly across various regions, the younger generation is growing stronger.
However, Wei Zi’ang just can’t match Sword One,
In terms of innate talent, in the absence of Sword One and Qi Baiyu, he would stand unmatched, even so, among the younger peers, he is acknowledged as second only to Qi Baiyu and Sword One.
Even in the current generation’s Celestial Pride List, he would secure the top three positions, in any era within Sword King City, he would be Sword Son; sadly for him, he was born at the wrong time, encountering the prodigious Sword One, thus losing the chance to be Sword Son.