Chapter 4

With his white hair and aged appearance, Elder Cui still maintained a kind and benevolent demeanor, smiling at Ye Jing as if completely unaware of the shock his words had caused among those present.

Yan Zhaoge looked at Elder Cui, then at Ye Jing, and suddenly found it somewhat amusing.

The true son of heaven, when faced with a seemingly insurmountable opponent and needing time and space to grow, often has certain people, whether actively or passively, become his backers, protecting the true son of heaven as he levels up and leaves the beginner's village.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and these people are mostly the opposite of the villains' cannon fodder.

Once the true son of heaven grows, these people can simply watch him dominate, and as allies, they will naturally receive a hundredfold reward afterward.

Generally speaking, they seem to be... the righteous faction?

"Truly well-versed in the actor's self-cultivation, perfectly executing the script." Yan Zhaoge's gaze at Elder Cui and Ye Jing was completely unmasked and not particularly polite.

Elder Cui, seeing this, was not angry but secretly delighted.

"The rumors are true, arrogant and domineering, vengeful for the slightest offense." The old man with the white beard smiled, showing no change in expression: "Being publicly humiliated, even though there are only sixteen people here, but one by one, ten by ten..."

"This thorn will stick, and this boy will not let it go. Whether he acts out immediately or waits until we leave the mountain and enters the Dragon Suppressing Abyss to strike in secret, it will be very good."

Yan Zhaoge looked at Elder Cui, then at Ye Jing, and inwardly sneered.

"First, I show my disdain, then Ye Jing shows his defiance, and then I, because of his defiance, lose face and send my subordinates, whether servants or junior disciples, to teach Ye Jing a lesson, only to be beaten by him until they are crawling on the ground?"

In this situation, a direct attack would only be justified if the other party clearly made a mistake; otherwise, it could only be done under the guise of a friendly match.

As long as it wasn't a lower-level cultivator challenging a higher-level one, the possibility of bullying the weak with a higher realm was basically eliminated.

And the true son of heaven, with the protagonist's aura, naturally has the innate ability to defeat enemies of a higher level and be invincible at the same level.

Minions and small fry, whether in single combat or in a group, are mostly useless and may even turn into a large amount of experience, accelerating Ye Jing's growth.

"Who knows, he might even level up right there in the middle of the fight?"

This is not impossible.

"By the time I finally get serious and beat him like a dead dog, this old man surnamed Cui or someone else will step in to take his side, and I can only say something like 'You're lucky today' and end the matter?"

"Even if I win, it won't be glorious, and many people will think I'm bullying the weak and feel sympathy for Ye Jing?"

Yan Zhaoge pursed his lips: "Following this script, do you think I'm a fool?"

Elder Cui smiled at Yan Zhaoge, while Ye Jing and Sikong Qing looked at him with slight caution, and the others watched him with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.

"The Dragon Suppressing Abyss, a few of you have been there, and those who haven't have mostly heard of its dangers," Yan Zhaoge finally said, to the anticipation of all. "With your current cultivation, even approaching the edge is extremely dangerous."

"Although I will accompany you, this trip is for you to undergo trials, not for sightseeing. I will control the degree, but you must also make an effort."

Hearing this, Elder Cui smiled slightly, thinking, "It seems he plans to wait until the Dragon Suppressing Abyss to make a move."

Ye Jing and Sikong Qing were both inwardly solemn.

But then Yan Zhaoge suddenly changed the subject: "Since you are traveling with me, I will take care of you. As the saying goes, to do a job well, one must first sharpen the tools..."

He snapped his fingers: "Ahu."

A tall figure appeared at the door: "Young Master?"

Yan Zhaoge said, "Bring sixteen items of grade B, mainly defensive ones."

The burly man Ahu, who had been serving him all along, replied, "Yes, Young Master."

Soon, Ahu returned, carrying a pile of items into the hall and placing them in front of everyone.

A dazzling light flashed, blinding the young disciples, and the strong spiritual energy fluctuations made their blood and qi fluctuate.

"Treasure weapons! All treasure weapons!" Everyone was shocked: "Senior Brother Yan, these treasure weapons..."

Yan Zhaoge said nonchalantly, "These are my personal possessions, not from the sect's collection. Giving them to you now is my personal decision."

"There are sixteen in total, one for each of you. Choose in the order of your entry into the sect."

The hall fell silent for a moment, with the occasional sound of someone swallowing hard.

For their current cultivation level, these were revolutionary treasures. Ye Jing and the others had to go through numerous trials and competitions to earn one each in the sect's small competition.

At that time, how glorious and honored they were on the stage, and how much sweat and effort they had put in behind the scenes?

But now, suddenly, everyone gets one?

Although Ye Jing and the others already had one, for their current level, such treasures could never be too many.

But for Yan Zhaoge to casually hand out sixteen such treasures, as if they were just a pile of scrap metal, was astonishing.

Moreover, these were not taken from the sect's treasury using his position, but were his personal possessions.

Everyone's gaze towards Yan Zhaoge became intensely hot.

Ye Jing, however, clenched his fists, his eyes burning with anger.

He felt humiliated by Yan Zhaoge, as if the other was showing off and boasting.

Sikong Qing looked at Yan Zhaoge and shook her head slightly.

Elder Cui, after the initial shock, sneered inwardly: "What is this? Buying others with money to isolate Ye Jing and show off his wealth?"

"Although it is indeed a grand gesture, and it has effectively salvaged the face he lost earlier, it is... too... too... hah, truly something a spoiled rich kid would do..."

"This boy is not to be feared; he will surely bring great trouble to his father in the future." Elder Cui smiled and shook his head, picked up a suit of armor, and said to Ye Jing and the others, "The Dragon Suppressing Abyss is indeed dangerous, and Senior Brother Yan is well-intentioned."

Facing everyone's gaze, Yan Zhaoge seemed completely unaware and continued calmly, "Once I give you these treasures, I won't take them back. These treasure weapons are yours."

"However, you must record the specific situations during the nurturing and practical use, and report them to me. This will help me summarize and adjust, refine the dross, and refine the next batch of treasure weapons."

Everyone responded in unison, but then suddenly felt something was off. A moment later, they all looked up at Yan Zhaoge with expressions of disbelief.

Elder Cui shuddered, almost dropping the treasure weapon in his hand: "What did you just say?"