Chapter 63

The New Moon Mystic Mansion covers a vast area, with the central hall exuding a majestic aura. Various buildings stretch to the farthest reaches of the eye. Yun Che followed Xia Yuanba to the residence arranged by Sikong Han. They encountered many disciples of the New Moon Mystic Mansion, all under the age of twenty, with some around fifteen or sixteen years old, and most of them were at the Initial Mystic Realm. Along the way, quite a few people greeted Xia Yuanba, as his age and stature made it hard for him to remain unknown.

"How many disciples does the New Moon Mystic Mansion have now?" Yun Che asked.

"I remember it's more than three thousand," Xia Yuanba thought for a moment and said, "The age limit for the New Moon Mystic Mansion to recruit disciples is between 15 and 18 years old. Generally, they leave by the age of twenty. A large part of them will join the official forces of Cangfeng in the future."

"However, brother-in-law, are you really going to attend that banquet tonight?" Xia Yuanba asked with some concern.

"Being able to see almost all the top forces of New Moon City at once, I would certainly go if there's such an opportunity," Yun Che glanced sideways, "Yuanba, you seem reluctant to go. Is there something wrong with this banquet?"

"Not really, it's just... just..." Xia Yuanba hesitated for a moment and said somewhat angrily, "I heard that when the previous mansion lord took office, he also widely invited guests to a banquet. At that banquet, the disciples of the invited sects challenged our New Moon Mystic Mansion's disciples of the same age under the pretext of friendly sparring. In ten challenges, we lost all ten, leaving the previous mansion lord utterly humiliated, and the New Moon Mystic Mansion was laughed at by the entire city for a long time."

"Ha ha, this is clearly those sects giving the new mansion lord a warning, making him understand who the true giants are in New Moon City," Yun Che said with a smile.

"That's right," Xia Yuanba nodded, saying helplessly, "I heard that the same thing happened when the previous mansion lord took office. But when a new mansion lord takes office, it's impossible not to widely invite guests to celebrate; otherwise, it would be even more ridiculed, leaving no face at all. This time will definitely be the same. If we attend, we might be challenged... Losing is not a big deal, but those people often use malicious heavy hands. Last time, two senior brothers were crippled, and it seems they will never recover. The mansion lord could only swallow his anger."

"The New Moon Mystic Mansion receives a large number of disciples every year who come for its reputation. Are they really so weak?" Yun Che frowned.

"Of course, it's not that the New Moon Mystic Mansion is weak, but those few major sects are just too powerful. Although the New Moon Mystic Mansion is established by the royal family, those sects have a long history, deep reserves, abundant resources, and powerful mystical techniques, which the New Moon Mystic Mansion cannot compare to. Even when they recruit outer sect disciples, their standards are much higher than those of the New Moon Mystic Mansion. Moreover, those who enter the royal family's mystic mansion generally aspire to serve the royal family in the future. The establishment of the royal mystic mansion is also aimed at attracting talent to join the royal forces. However, those with extremely high talent are usually proud and aspire to join major sects more than the royal forces. Therefore, the average strength of the New Moon Mystic Mansion's disciples is better than that of the small and medium-sized sects in New Moon City, but far inferior to the major sects."

The situation Xia Yuanba described was actually quite normal. Even Yun Che himself, though he joined the New Moon Mystic Mansion for certain reasons, only did so to find opportunities and never thought about serving the royal family. He thought for a moment and asked, "Which forces in New Moon City are stronger than the New Moon Mystic Mansion?"

"Hmm, let me think..." Xia Yuanba thought seriously for a while and slowly said, "There are seven in total: Xuanxin Sect, Yunyang Sect, Iron Spear Gate, Seven Kill Sword Pavilion, and Fengyun Mystic Mansion." After a pause, Xia Yuanba's voice became more cautious, "These five sects have a history of over five hundred or even a thousand years, with deep-rooted influence in New Moon City. Their overall strength surpasses the New Moon Mystic Mansion. If it weren't for the New Moon Mystic Mansion being established by the royal family, it might have been suppressed and squeezed out long ago. Besides these five sects, there are two major giants that even the royal family dares not provoke... the New Moon City branch of Xiao Sect and the New Moon City branch of Fentian Sect! Although they are just branches, they have the backing of Xiao Sect and Fentian Sect, making them the two unshakable overlords of New Moon City."

"The New Moon City branch of Xiao Sect and Fentian Sect?" Yun Che tapped his chin, understanding clearly that they were nominally branches but actually just "outer sects" for those with lower talent who were not worthy of staying in the main sect. However, they were still formal "outer sects" and not completely abandoned like Xiao Sect.

"However, our New Moon Mystic Mansion is not so easy to bully," Xia Yuanba patted his chest, looking unwilling, "Although the banquet five years ago left the New Moon Mystic Mansion with no dignity, that was five years ago! Now, the New Moon Mystic Mansion has many geniuses who are not inferior to those sects... Ah, brother-in-law, look, that senior brother is Li Weihao, seventeen years old, already at the Third Stage of the Initial Mystic Realm. I heard he inherited his family's mystical technique and is very powerful."

"The one in white over there is even more powerful. I remember his name is Xu Aoran. He is only eighteen but is already at the Fifth Stage of the Initial Mystic Realm! They are both in our class. However, the most powerful in the New Moon Mystic Mansion are not them, but Senior Brother Murong and Senior Sister Xue Ruo, the two recognized geniuses of the New Moon Mystic Mansion. The elders will definitely bring them to tonight's banquet. With them there, it will definitely not be like five years ago..."

At this point, Xia Yuanba's voice suddenly stopped. Ahead of them, a young man in a white robe and a girl in a snow-white dress were walking side by side. The young man looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, with a tall and straight figure, a handsome face, and a refined demeanor, a beauty that could make any girl in love swoon.

The girl beside him was even more breathtakingly beautiful. She also looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, with beautiful eyes, cherry lips, and eyebrows like a crescent moon. The most captivating was the gentle smile on her lips, which was as warm and soothing as a fragrant breeze.

The two of them were like a golden boy and a jade girl from a painting, their appearance stealing all the glory of the world. The young man was talking to the girl, often glancing at her reactions, while the girl always wore a warm smile and did not speak. Even as she walked lightly forward, she seemed like a fairy in a white dress dancing gracefully, especially her long, white neck, which gave her a noble and elegant aura, making her seem like a princess who should be in the royal palace.

"What a beautiful girl," Yun Che thought in amazement. Although her beauty did not match Xia Qingyue's, she was one in ten thousand, a beauty that could topple a nation. The vague, noble aura around her was something Xia Qingyue could not compare to. What amazed Yun Che the most was the peace in her eyes and expression. Generally, girls as beautiful as her would have some pride, and Xia Qingyue was the most typical example. But this girl had a gentle demeanor, her eyes as soft as water, and no trace of pride in her brows. Her natural, gentle smile made one's heart melt at a glance.

"Senior Brother Murong, Senior Sister Xue Ruo!"

While Yun Che was silently admiring the girl, Xia Yuanba pulled him forward to greet them.

Murong? Xue Ruo? Hmm? Could these be the two people Yuanba mentioned earlier... Yun Che thought.

"Junior Brother Xia, are you going back to your residence to rest?" The girl smiled at Xia Yuanba, and when her voice sounded, Yun Che felt a warm current slowly flow from his ears to his heart, as her voice was so gentle and pleasant, just listening to it was an indescribable enjoyment. Up close, he could clearly feel how gentle and captivating her eyes and smile were.

The girl then looked at Yun Che and asked curiously, "This is..."

"Hehe, he is my brother-in-law, who just entered our Mystic Mansion today. He is even in the same class as us!" Xia Yuanba said with a chuckle, "Brother-in-law, these are the Senior Brother Murong Ye and Senior Sister Lan Xue Ruo I just mentioned. They are the most outstanding senior brother and sister in our New Moon Mystic Mansion this year."

Yun Che stepped forward with a polite smile, "Greetings, Senior Brother and Senior Sister. I am Yun Che, a new disciple in the Mystic Mansion. Please take care of me in the future."

Murong Ye nodded slightly in acknowledgment, his gaze lingering on Yun Che for a moment before moving away, with a deep sense of pride and a hint of dissatisfaction, clearly annoyed that they had disturbed his "two-person world" with Lan Xue Ruo.

"Oh? You are also in our class?" Lan Xue Ruo looked at Yun Che carefully and laughed, "You look so young, but you are already at the First Stage of the Initial Mystic Realm. No wonder Elder Sikong wanted to bring you into our class. The little beauties in the class will be thrilled to have such a handsome junior brother. Junior Brother, you have to be careful. Hmm? Wait, Junior Brother Xia just called you 'brother-in-law.' Could it be that you are already married?"

Before Yun Che could answer, Xia Yuanba quickly said, "Yes, yes. My brother-in-law is only sixteen this year, but he married my sister half a year ago."

"Oh~~~ So Junior Brother Yun is only sixteen. To get married so early, the bride must be very beautiful," Lan Xue Ruo said with a smile.

"Ahaha... Anyway, please take care of me in the future," Yun Che smiled awkwardly, then his eyes twinkled as he smiled at Lan Xue Ruo, "I guess, Senior Sister Xue Ruo, you are not from around here, right?"

"Oh? How do you know?" Lan Xue Ruo blinked her beautiful eyes.

"Because the aura of New Moon City is restless and the spiritual energy is somewhat turbid, it should not be able to nurture such a gentle and elegant beauty like Senior Sister Xue Ruo."

Lan Xue Ruo was slightly taken aback, then her lips curved and her eyebrows arched, "Junior Brother Yun is not only handsome and talented, but also has such a sweet mouth. It's a pity that Junior Brother Yun is already married, otherwise, Senior Sister might have... hehe."

Lan Xue Ruo's words were clearly a playful joke, but it made Murong Ye's brows furrow sharply, and he glared at Yun Che fiercely.

Yun Che, however, seemed to ignore it and smiled at Lan Xue Ruo, "No problem, my wife has promised me that she will not oppose me finding other wives."

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