Wangcheng Danta.
The delegation from Tiansang City, led by Chao Zhi Dao, was a subsidiary branch of Tiansang Lingong.
Xu Xiaoshou's former "good friends" were all here.
Zhao Xidong, Rao YinYin, Su Qianqian, Tan Ji, Zhou Tianshen, and even Chao Qingteng...
The team's selection for the delegation was based solely on individual combat strength and their potential to achieve a good ranking in the Wangcheng Trial, regardless of personal relationships.
Originally, Xu Xiaoshou should have been a core member of this delegation's fighting force, but due to that incident in the Bai Ku, he ended up leaving abruptly.
Not only did he leave, but he also took Mu Zixi, a promising disciple of the vice dean, with him.
What was even more crucial was that right before the Bai Ku, after the Tianxuan Gate changed, Luo Leilei had left, Zhang Xin Xiong had been killed, and the only one in the outer academy who could somewhat hold his own against that Xu the Great Demon King, Mo Mo, had disappeared as a suspected ghost beast host, with her whereabouts sealed off by the Lingong higher-ups.
Additionally, the two key mid-level forces, He Yuxing and Lan Xinzi, had vanished without a trace and were later reported to have died in the Bai Ku...
Well, that was just great!
The thirty-three inner academy students of Tiansang Lingong had been seen as the most promising group to break the previous best record in the Wangcheng Trial.
But inexplicably, everything had turned into a mess, with talents fleeing left and right.
From the heights of heaven straight down to the human realm—that's probably what the Lingong leadership was thinking.
As for why not down to hell...
Well, truthfully, the accumulated talents of Tiansang Lingong weren't something one person could completely destroy on their own.
Among the members of this delegation affiliated with Lingong, Zhao Xidong needed no introduction; he was the captain of Tiansang Lingong's Lingfa Pavilion and was only responsible for leading the team, not participating in the competition.
Rao YinYin, Su Qianqian, and Tan Ji were the true main fighting forces, each capable of crushing opponents of the same level.
As for Zhou Tianshen and Chao Qingteng, their inclusion was largely due to the massive loss of high-end talents in Lingong.
But more than that, these two—one with innate blade intent and the other with innate sword intent—were genuinely rare talents in the outside world.
Their participation this time was essentially to gain experience and undergo a trial by fire.
Their moment to shine wouldn't be in this edition; the main goal was just to accumulate experience.
Ever since Shi Ti and Ye Xiaotian had accompanied that girl carrying the dan ding into the private box for a private talk, followed by the conflict that blasted a hole in the box's inner wall and barrier, the scene felt all too familiar.
The Lingong delegation sat in a circle, exchanging glances, their eyes filled with memories.
"You think... that dan ding, that girl, her way of doing things—doesn't it remind you a bit of... him?" Zhou Tianshen said hesitantly, still carrying his golden domineering blade on his back.
By now, everyone knew Xu Xiaoshou had gotten into trouble.
As his former friend, even Zhou Tianshen had been instructed not to mention that name directly in public.
Otherwise, he might accidentally get dragged in for questioning by the Shengshen Hall or something.
"Xiao Shou brother..."
Su Qianqian had her white giant sword on her back, her small face expressionless, but the moment that person was mentioned, as the head of her own household, she couldn't help but feel a wave of worry inside.
"It's fine."
Rao YinYin patted her girl's slender shoulder from the side and said with a smirk, "Good people don't live long, but troublemakers last a thousand years... From the last time I saw him on Li Jian Prairie, he doesn't seem like the type to die easily. Who knows, he might be living it up even more than we are right now."
Su Qianqian glanced back at her with a reproachful look; she couldn't stand hearing the words "die" or "gone," but she didn't feel like responding further at that moment.
Tan Ji, sitting nearby, just shook his head as he listened.
He had no desire to revisit his miserable experiences after encountering that person in the Bai Ku and only sneered at Zhou Tianshen, "You're quick to say anyone reminds you of him. Why don't you say that girl's gender reminds you of him too? Maybe you're right, and it's really him in disguise!"
Zhou Tianshen snorted and shot back, "Tan Ji, the team leader now is Zhao Xidong, not you! And even if we're talking about the on-field team leader, it's Rao Shijie."
"Ever since we left the Bai Ku, you're at most on the same level as me now. Don't think you can pull rank as my senior anymore. We're both just ordinary participants, that's it."
Zhou Tianshen had had enough of Tan Ji's behavior in the Bai Ku.
The guy was way too arrogant!
It was only when Xu Xiaoshou showed up and put Tan Ji in his place that Zhou Tianshen got some satisfaction.
But as soon as Xu Xiaoshou left, Tan Ji was back to his overconfident self.
Normally, he either stirred up trouble or tried desperately to squeeze some compensation out of Zhou Tianshen for the humiliation he'd suffered.
"Don't forget how he treated you!" Tan Ji responded sternly, his eyes cold and full of righteous indignation.
Because Xu Xiaoshou had flaunted titles like "Sacred Slave, Little Shi of Tan Ji" and "Sacred Slave, Zhou Tianshen," the two of them had even been interrogated by the Bai Yi after returning to Lingong from the Bai Ku battle.
Who knew, it was the Bai Yi!
They were so scared back then that they couldn't even recall any of the made-up deeds the Bai Yi mentioned during the interrogation.
Openly challenging the Hong Yi? Brazenly mocking the Bai Yi?
How dare they? And how dare Xu Xiaoshou?
"Heh, with your cowardly streak..." Zhou Tianshen shuddered as the memories resurfaced but shrugged it off nonchalantly, "You talk a big game, but when trouble hits, you're just shaking in your boots, right?"
"You bastard, you were the same way back then!" Tan Ji exploded in anger.
"What's with the yelling?" Zhou Tianshen retorted dismissively, "Just hope you break through to Grandmaster before me in the Wangcheng Trial. Once I reach Blade Grandmaster, I'll be the first to cut you down, you spineless rat!"
"Spineless??" Tan Ji's mouth twitched wildly as he shot to his feet. "Zhou Tianshen, say that again if you dare!"
"Spineless means spineless. Think it's my accent or something?" Zhou Tianshen said defiantly, like a dead pig not fearing boiling water. He couldn't beat Tan Ji right now, but the other had no authority to attack him, a legitimate participant.
Otherwise, the punishment from Lingfa Pavilion would be more than Tan Ji could handle.
"Shut up, all of you!"
At that moment, Zhao Xidong, squatting on the table, spat out the bare dogtail grass he had in his mouth and said, "Get to the private box. The dean wants to see you."
"Who?" Zhou Tianshen asked, startled.
"You, you, you... and..." Zhao Xidong pointed at them one by one, his gaze finally landing on Su Qianqian, pausing before adding, "Anyone who knows him, come along."
Rao YinYin raised an eyebrow in surprise; she was included too.
The named individuals hadn't expected that while they were discussing Xu Xiaoshou, the people in the private box were actually connected to him.
Was this going to be another interrogation?
Hesitating, they got up and followed Zhao Xidong into the private box, where the barrier had already been repaired.
Inside the private box, Shi Ti and Ye Xiaotian sat on the redwood chairs, while the girl who had caused the earlier commotion stood nearby, not sitting, just standing there.
"You're here?"
Ye Xiaotian nodded slightly in greeting as they entered, then turned to Hua Ling and said, "These are the ones—Xu Xiaoshou's seniors and juniors. Ask whatever you want, but remember, nothing discussed today should leak out. Otherwise, it's not us who'd be in trouble—it's most likely you."
Hua Ling nodded blankly and carefully examined the group of young men and women, her expression a bit dazed.
Especially that sword-carrying girl who looked underage...
"These are all Shibo's friends?" Hua Ling wondered inwardly.
In her mind, Shibo was on the same level as her master, Bai Lin.
How could such a great figure have friends who were all juniors even younger than herself?
"Sh... hello, everyone?"
Hua Ling wanted to say "Shishu" or "Shibo" as a greeting, since they were Shibo's seniors and juniors, which meant she should address them that way by seniority.
But emotionally...
She just couldn't bring herself to do it.
She had her pride too!
"Little sister, what's up? You know Xu Xiaoshou too?" Zhou Tianshen was the first to speak up. As he scrutinized the dan ding beside the girl, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
It wasn't just him; most of the Lingong members felt the same way.
Zhao Xidong's feeling was especially strong!
"Uh, yeah." Hua Ling nodded and hesitated before asking, "My... oh, Xu Xiaoshou—I'm a distant relative of his. I came to... visit family! Yeah, visit family. But I don't know him, so I wanted to ask—what kind of person is he?"
Hua Ling felt like every word she said had been carefully weighed.
Her first instinct was not to reveal that she was Shibo's niece to this group of youngsters, but lying didn't come easily to her.
For someone who had never needed to lie in her life, this makeshift disguise sounded full of holes even to her own ears.
Zhou Tianshen didn't mind at all.
Hearing she was Xu Xiaoshou's relative, a smile spread across his face.
"This is one of our own!"
"What are you looking for Xu Xiaoshou for?"
"Let me tell you, Xu Xiaoshou is quite the character..."
Zhou Tianshen got excited and stepped forward to pull the girl to sit down, but Ye Xiaotian glared at him. "Stick to the facts."
Hua Ling turned her head sharply, her beautiful eyes wide with surprise, her head tilting slightly.
Stick to the facts... Why did that sound so off?
Ye Xiaotian ignored it. That was his thinking.
Even if Xu Xiaoshou was unreliable, in front of his junior, he at least needed to leave a decent first impression.
This was his final gesture for Sang Lao.
He couldn't protect Sang Lao's disciple, but he could at least save face for him.
Then he saw Zhou Tianshen freeze awkwardly, retracting his hand that had reached out to pull Hua Ling to sit, and even stepping back.
Ye Xiaotian furrowed his brow. "Go on! Weren't you pretty close to him? Say what you know. She's one of us, no need to hold back. This isn't a Bai Yi interrogation."
Hua Ling's beautiful eyes widened again.
Bai Yi... interrogation?
She turned back with difficulty, looking at Xu Shibo's one-armed friend, her heart in shock. Were they seriously talking like this?
Zhou Tianshen waved his hands and chose to step back. "Dean, I have plenty to say if you want me to complain about Xu Xiaoshou, but if you want me to talk about his serious stuff..."
He swallowed, searching his mind at lightning speed, only to find it was exactly as he expected—nothing substantial. So he said, "I have nothing to say."
Hua Ling: ???
An awkward silence fell over the private box.
Ye Xiaotian narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning dangerous. "Then treat it like an interrogation and just say it straight... cough, um, directly!"
"Uh..."
Now Zhou Tianshen was in a tough spot. His eyes darted between the dean and the girl, unsure how to proceed.
Hua Ling chimed in at the right time. "Actually, if there's anything not suitable to say, you can still tell me. I'm one of your own, and I need this as a lead to find him, so it's best if it's... accurate?"
By this point, Hua Ling was starting to doubt herself.
What kind of person was Xu Shibo, exactly? Were his deeds really that hard to talk about?
Zhou Tianshen glanced back at the others for help, only to see everyone silently edging toward the door, including Su Qianqian. He was the only one standing out awkwardly.
Zhou Tianshen fell silent, stepped forward, picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup of water to wet his throat, and said, "Xu Xiaoshou is an alright guy."
"Mm-hmm?" Hua Ling nodded, waiting for more. "So?"
"Uh!"
Zhou Tianshen was stumped; there was no "so." He thought to himself that saying more wouldn't meet the dean's requirements—they weren't serious enough!
But under the girl's expectant gaze and remembering the dean's earlier words—one of our own—he comforted himself and tried to pick his words carefully.
"If I have to say, Xu Xiaoshou is pretty capable."
"As for his glorious deeds, well, he won the championship in Tiansang Lingong's outer academy Fengyun Contest, participated in the inner academy's Tianxuan Gate, then went to Tiansang City, and later to the Bai Ku. After that..."
"Um, then he went missing."
Zhou Tianshen nodded seriously, shrugged casually, and indicated that was all.
He deliberately skipped things like killing Wen Chong in the outer academy Fengyun Contest and later beheading Zhang Xin Xiong...
Or participating in the Tianxuan Gate trial, almost blowing up the gate...
Or going to Tiansang City, first exploding the Danta, then the city lord's mansion...
Or heading to the Bai Ku, causing havoc under someone else's name—blowing up Lingrong Ze, messing with the Hong Yi on Li Jian Prairie, joining the Sacred Slaves, and fighting the Bai Yi alongside the Sacred Slave leader...
And so on.
Zhou Tianshen understood it all perfectly.
After all, everything Xu Xiaoshou had done had been pieced together and investigated thoroughly.
But understanding was one thing; he couldn't say any of it.
Those things just weren't serious!
"Of course, during all that, Xu Xiaoshou didn't do anything too outrageous," he added, thinking it over, but then felt it might seem like overcompensation, so he clarified, "That's pretty much the gist. If you really want to know him, talking won't help—you have to experience it yourself."
Hua Ling shook her head in confusion.
It felt like the one-armed man had said a lot, yet nothing at all.
"Just that?"
" Yeah."
"Anything else?"
"Nope."
"But I need to find him!" Hua Ling was baffled.
She was even tempted to refine this one-armed man on the spot, but remembering he was Xu Shibo's friend, she held back. "What about his appearance? How tall, how heavy, do you have a portrait?"
"Pfft!"
Zhou Tianshen took a sip from his water cup and nearly spat it out laughing. "A portrait? You're asking me for his portrait? You have no idea, even I don't know what Xu Xiaoshou looks like anymore... uh."
Meeting Ye Xiaotian's sharp, hawk-like gaze, Zhou Tianshen calmed down and answered seriously, "No portrait. For his looks, I can give you a rough description."
He gestured and said, "About this tall, pretty skinny, face... well, his face is alright, passable, just a bit less than mine. But looks alone won't help—you won't find him that way."
"To find Xu Xiaoshou, you have to go by his style of action. Let me tell you, he's like this, little sister—listen..."
Zhou Tianshen stood up excitedly as he spoke, but then realized he couldn't quite describe Xu Xiaoshou's style.
Because, well, it wasn't serious either!
He glanced back at his companions, but no one stepped in to help, so he scratched his head and frowned. "Little sister, are you busy? If you have time, stick with me, and I can point you in a general direction."
"A direction?" Hua Ling was still in a fog, getting more confused by the second, but she went along with what the one-armed man said.
"Yeah, the only direction."
Zhou Tianshen nodded emphatically. "At most, I can give you a rough idea—which people in Wangcheng are living the most like Xu Xiaoshou. That's the clearest path, bar none!"
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