Not long after, the Kusakabe Clan's delegation entered the city in elegant formation, a stark contrast to the thunderous arrival of the Tsuitsui Clan.

Their banners of azure and white fluttered gracefully in the breeze. Their carriages were pulled by sleek white horses whose manes shimmered faintly like a distant dream. The Magi guards marched in disciplined rows, clad in light azure armor that gleamed like water under the sun.

At the head were several elders and prominent members of the clan, followed by younger clan members, each exuding a sense of pride. The air around the procession seemed cooler, calmer, as if the ocean itself had arrived at the gates of Jingyun City.

The delegation was led by a beautiful woman dressed in a light blue hanfu and a scholarly young man in white robes, who wore jade-rimmed, round glasses.

When the crowd identified the ones leading the delegation, they erupted in applause.

"Look! That's the mistress of Illusion Magic!"

"You're right! That's Ayaka Kusakabe!"

"The Fleeting Phoenix!"

"And that's her elder brother beside her!"

"Master of Abjuration Magic and runic formations, Renji Kusakabe!"

A thin, translucent veil covered the lower half of Ayaka's face, lending her an air of mystery, while her long, dark hair was bound loosely with a jade pin shaped like a plume.

She arrived before the representatives of the Baihua Sect and softly said, "Greetings, everyone."

Renji Kusakabe's hair was neatly tied back with a silver clasp, and a thick scroll case hung from his waist. He arrived before Bai Xun and Bai ge, and cupped his fist.

"Brother Xun, Brother Ge, I hope you have been well," he said with a gentle smile.

He then turned to Reika Tsuitsui and smiled, "Sister Reika, you look as lovely as ever."

Finally, he turned to the Venom Dragon with a forced smile. "And Brother Goro… well, you are bigger than the last time I saw you."

Goro Tsuitsui crossed his arms and raised his chin in disdain. Then, he said, "Men should be big and strong and muscular. Unlike you and Brother Xun. Hmph, look at you! So fragile!"

Veins bulged and throbbed on the side of Bai Xun's forehead. Meanwhile, Renji Kusakabe couldn't help but helplessly chuckle.

Goro had always been like that, obsessed with building muscles and honing his physical strength. His fixation ran so deep that the Patriarch of the Tsuitsui Clan had been forced to personally make him study the clan's poison arts, if only to stop him from doing nothing but training his body all day.

Hearing him speak, the Fleeting Phoenix, Ayaka Kusakabe, couldn't help but chuckle, her voice like the distant melodies of beautiful birds.

"Brother Goro hasn't changed at all," she said.

"Huh?" Goro frowned. "Can you not see the density of my muscles and how much they've grown in this past year alone? What's the matter with you, woman? Are you blind?"

"Alright, everyone." Bai Ge interjected. "We should head to the sect first. We can all catch up over food and tea. We're preventing a lot of people from going about their day by blocking the road like this."

Everyone agreed.

Everyone except one person, that is.

"I refuse!" Goro's booming voice echoed in this part of the city. He turned to Bai Ge and scoffed, "Go to your sect and eat what, leaves and vegetables? What am I, a cow?"

Bai Xun could already feel a headache coming. Goro had always been a handful ever since he was a kid. "Then what do you want to do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He crossed his arms, flexing his muscles instinctively. "We wine and dine in the city, then head to Baihua later in the evening. And then tomorrow, we wake up in the morning and lift weights!"

Bai Xun's eye twitched repeatedly. In the end, he simply gave up. "Alright, fine. Let's just clear the road here first. We're causing too much of a commotion."

The plan was finally made. Bai Xun and Bai Ge led the leaders of the delegations from the Tsuitsui and Kusakabe Clans to a very prestigious establishment, while the rest of the members of their clans were escorted to the Baihua Sect to settle in.

***

The Blossom Pavilion was the most well-known establishment in Jingyun City, and that was where the prodigies of the three factions had gone to.

Perched beside a serene lake, the Blossom Pavilion exuded opulence and refined taste. Its multi-tiered structure of dark wood and jade tiles glowed softly under hanging lanterns and reflected off the water.

Inside, bamboo screens and silk curtains divided private dining chambers where influential and wealthy people dined.

Occupying the largest private chamber, the six Magi, whose names echoed across every corner of Yen-Lu, sat together. The two Dragons and the two Phoenixes among them were particularly renowned.

Cups of sake clinked as they laughed and reminisced, the conversation flowing as smoothly as the fine brew itself.

"…So, Brother Xun, what else has been new?" Renji Kusakabe asked as he sipped from his sake cup.

"Hmm, what else, what else?" Bai Xun thought deeply, but the sake muddled his mind. Halfway through his words, he had already forgotten what the question was.

Bai Ge rolled her eyes and answered instead, "A lot of training for the two of us, and it's all due to this Guest Instructor our Sect Leader has introduced us to."

"Oh?" Renji's eyes lit up. "A Guest Instructor? Pray tell, which sect is he from? Or is he from one of the clans?"

"You're wrong!" Bai Xun blurted out. "Brother Ao belongs to no sect or clan. He's a wanderer, like a bird, hehe…"

Everyone at the table lost interest when they learned that the Guest Instructor didn't belong to any renowned faction.

That's how the mentality of the Magi in Yen-Lu was. Those unaffiliated with powerful factions were rarely seen as formidable.

Of course, Bai Ge knew this as well. And up until meeting Adam, she, too, thought the same.

"Don't underestimate him," she added with a light smirk. "Of all the times Senior Brother and I have sparred with him, we haven't won even once."

"Hoh?"

"Is that so?"

"That's interesting!"

Now, everyone at the table was intrigued.

Everyone except one person, that is.

Goro Tsuitsui ignored the conversation, focusing entirely on the mountain of freshly-cooked meat in front of him.

But what Bai Ge said next made him freeze.

"I dare say Brother Ao's physical strength is greater than even Brother Goro's."

A stunned silence descended on the table. Everyone was shocked by that statement, and they simultaneously turned towards Goro.

The Venom Dragon's face was concealed by shadows. Head lowered, he muttered in an emotionless voice, "Sister Ge, what was that?"

"You heard me." The Sword Phoenix hid the smirk forming on her face as she sipped from her teacup.

Goro finally raised his head, his lips curling into a ferocious grin that reached till his ears. He turned to Sister Ge and said, his voice laced with hunger:

"Sister Ge, take me to my prey!"

Right at that moment, Bai Ge dropped another conversational bomb.

"Oh, by the way, Brother Ao is also blind."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.