Chapter 127: Qiao the Grandmaster

At the entrance of the Yishi Dadian in the Nei Yuan.

Ye Xiaotian hovered in the air, positioning himself to tower over the group in front of him, ensuring his words carried more authority.

"Tian Xuan Men will open in the time it takes to burn a joss stick. Once it's open, it will remain so for three days. As soon as the time is up, you must exit immediately. If you get lost inside, no one will be able to save you."

"The extradimensional space is full of unknowns and temptations, but it's unstable, so don't try to explore it. That's not your job, and there's no reward for it."

"Focus on your cultivation and stay out of trouble, got it?" He glanced over at Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened instantly. He wasn't that close to the dean, so why was he getting singled out like this? Was this Dean Xiao Qixiu possessing him or something?

Mu Zixi stood beside him, curiously tilting her head to get a better look at the chubby man, realizing he was indeed her senior brother.

"Aren't you hot?" She tugged at Xu Xiaoshou's clothes, estimating he had at least seven or eight layers on, and it felt like even more.

"You don't get it..." Xu Xiaoshou shook his head with a sigh, wiping away some sweat. "You'll be the one feeling cold later."

Mu Zixi stepped back a few paces, not wanting to get too close for fear of being overheated.

"Received curse, Beidong Zhi, 1."

Oh?

Daring to look down on your senior brother, me?!

Xu Xiaoshou was immediately displeased. He beckoned her over. "Come here."

"What for?"

The young girl was still quite obedient and leaned in closer.

Xu Xiaoshou sniffed near her and wrinkled his face in disgust, covering his nose. "You stink! Haven't you bathed?"

Mu Zixi: ???

I was locked up by my master! I didn't have time to go back to Ling Zhi and freshen up first! And... I did wash my face, okay?!

"Received curse, Beidong Zhi, 1, 1, 1, 1..."

Xu Xiaoshou was delighted. Among the people he'd encountered, only Rao Yin Yin and Mu Zixi could keep providing Beidong Zhi points continuously.

The former came from teasing and flirting, while the latter triggered a chain of curses.

Once he hit that certain spot with her, the Beidong Zhi points just kept flowing like a flood, and he'd figured out her trigger button—it was "you stink"!

Xu Xiaoshou shoved Mu Zixi away. "Stay back, you dirty vampire."

Mu Zixi was so angry she could explode, her cheeks puffing up red as she struggled to speak.

There was nothing she could do about it—she really hadn't bathed!

"Received curse, Beidong Zhi, 1, 1, 1, 1..."

Zhou Tianshen sneaked up from behind and carefully patted Xu Xiaoshou on the shoulder.

Xu Xiaoshou turned around and jumped in fright. With those dark circles under your eyes and all those wrinkles on your face, you'd almost pass for someone named Shen Lao!

"What do you want?"

Zhou Tianshen discreetly pointed toward the figure of Yuan Tou standing there with his spear. "Look at that!"

"Yuan Tou? What's up with him?"

"He wants to kill you!"

Xu Xiaoshou looked utterly shocked, making Zhou Tianshen feel that his tip-off was worth it, after waiting all this time.

Sure enough, this guy had no idea he had a secret enemy lurking. What a fool!

Xu Xiaoshou was genuinely startled by this tall guy...

"2G connected?"

Zhou Tianshen scratched the back of his head. What the heck is a 'bad chicken'?

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head in exasperation. He'd already taken out one person, and this guy was only just now dropping this bomb? The delay was ridiculous...

He didn't dwell on it and turned his attention to the new message in his mind:

"Received gaze, Beidong Zhi, 1."

In his "perception," Yuan Tou in his black clothes had been staring at him for a while. Was he really planning to stir up trouble inside Tian Xuan Men?

Hmm, he couldn't let his guard down—he needed to be careful!

The time for a joss stick to burn passed quickly. There weren't just the ten people qualified to enter Tian Xuan Men present; many other Nei Yuan disciples who hadn't made the cut had come to watch.

As everyone watched in anticipation, Ye Xiaotian looked toward the horizon, where a figure was flying in.

"Qiao Zhanglao?" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened in surprise.

Wasn't this guy an elder from Ling Shi Ge and the cook who made roast goose? Why was he showing up like the main event?

Qiao Qianzhi greeted the crowd with a smile, skipping the small talk, and straightforwardly pulled out a purple array disk, pressing it into the void.

A buzzing sound filled the air as spiritual energy surged in, rustling the old locust tree outside the Yishi Dadian. Yuan Qi gathered, turning the place into something like a fairyland.

A complex and profound array pattern spread out from the void, with sky-blue mist emerging to reveal a massive black gate several zhang high.

The gate was etched with red patterns, exuding a grand and imposing aura, with two horned door knockers shaped like ferocious beast mouths, each holding a golden ring.

Tian Xuan Men!

Xu Xiaoshou only marveled at it for a moment before snapping back to attention. Compared to that, the one who had summoned this massive gate—Qiao Zhanglao—was far more intriguing.

He patted Mu Zixi beside him, but his eyes stayed fixed on Qiao Zhanglao. "Ling Zhen Shi?"

"Wow!" The young girl grabbed her twin ponytails, her face full of amazement. "Really? Is Qiao Zhanglao that amazing?"

Xu Xiaoshou: ...

I was asking a question, sis!

What are you doing?

Zhou Tianshen watched the two of them acting so shocked and puzzled. "You didn't know? Doesn't Qiao Zhanglao always mess with array disks when he's cursing people out?"

"Huh? Cursing people?"

Both turned back at the same time, their six eyes meeting in silence for a moment.

"I..." Zhou Tianshen raised a hand, as if realizing something, and pressed it to his forehead, lowering his head in embarrassment.

So... he only curses me?

How awful...

Xu Xiaoshou was genuinely surprised. He'd known Qiao Zhanglao for so long, and this was the first time he'd learned the guy was a Ling Zhen Shi. He hid it well—people really can't be judged by appearances!

"Hee hee hee hee!"

The array for Tian Xuan Men had stabilized, and Qiao Qianzhi grinned widely as he pushed open the ancient and heavy gate, revealing a scene of rippling barriers.

"You can go in now!"

Everyone eagerly filed in one after another. Xu Xiaoshou brought up the rear, still in disbelief as he looked at Qiao Zhanglao. "You're really a Ling Zhen Shi?"

Qiao Qianzhi raised an eyebrow but placed a hand on his shoulder, speaking seriously. "Don't overthink it. Anyone with a bit of strength can open this gate, and I'm not a Ling Zhen Shi..."

Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily stunned. So that's how it was?

Qiao Qianzhi sighed and continued, "A Ling Zhen Shi is way too weak. Are you deliberately insulting me?"

"I'm a grandmaster!"

Xu Xiaoshou was completely floored, his mind still reeling when he realized he'd been tossed inside.

"Dammit! I can walk in myself!"

The onlookers stared longingly as the group entered the place of their dreams, all looking utterly disappointed.

"So Tian Xuan Men just looks like that? Not all that impressive. I thought it would rise up from the ground and pierce the clouds. Honestly... it's kind of ugly!"

"Yeah, the palace gate at my house is way better looking."

"Alright, let's go, break it up..."

Qiao Qianzhi was speechless, the sour vibe in the air as bitter as unripe fruit in early summer.

Forget it, no point in scolding them!

He turned to Ye Xiaotian. "Shall we?"

"Let's go!"

The two flashed away and disappeared, reappearing moments later in front of a narrow thatched hut.

The wooden door creaked open, and the argument inside spilled out immediately.

"What? You didn't warn Xu Xiaoshou? Didn't I tell you a thousand times?"

That was Xiao Qixiu's voice, furious and frustrated.

"Heh heh, sorry, old me forgot..."

The two ducked inside the cramped room and closed the door, plunging the space into dimness.

Sang Lao stuck out his tongue to lick the sauce from a braised pork hock, waving his chopsticks dismissively.

"Relax, it's Tian Xuan Men, not Ling Cang Ge. What's the worst that could happen—he blow it up or something?"

"No need to panic, it's not a big issue!"