Don’t find this strange. Weak nations have no say in diplomacy. A certain world leader was once viciously berated just for failing to say "thank you"!What Mo Shuying had done was far more severe, so naturally, it only deepened the displeasure of Lin Yuxuan and Ning Yunlu."Forget it. If you see nothing wrong with your actions, then we’ll settle things in the competition."And with that, Ning Yunlu departed with Lin Yuxuan...."Cuixiang Mountain approached Longxi Peak for an alliance, only to be rejected. How interesting..."Because she had come to "call them to account," Ning Yunlu hadn’t bothered to conceal her movements.Furthermore, while the Profound Secret Hall was vast, the Cultivators within all possessed keen senses. As a result, the conversation had been overheard by many.Upon learning that the declining Longxi Peak had refused Cuixiang Mountain’s offer of an alliance, many wore strange expressions."Don’t the people from Longxi Peak understand their own predicament? Cuixiang Mountain was willing to form an alliance with them—that’s practically a gift from the heavens. How could they possibly refuse?""I think it’s perfectly normal. They’re Sword Cultivators, after all—always unrestrained. They love the idea of the underdog winning. Maybe they think it’s cool to reject everyone?""...It’s certainly a cool move, but they’ll be all alone. They won’t get far in the Seven Peaks Grand Competition this time.""Uh, do you think it’s possible that Longxi Peak has actually made a comeback? That they’ve produced some peerless genius who thinks he can crush everyone, and that’s why he’s acting so brazenly?""Heh, do you even believe your own words?""..."Because Longxi Peak’s refusal was so unexpected, the Profound Secret Hall was filled with the ceaseless buzz of discussion.And amidst these discussions, everyone took note of a name: Zhong Ming.From eavesdropping on the conversation, everyone knew he was the top disciple of Longxi Peak’s current generation. It was he who had rejected Cuixiang Mountain’s proposal.This, in turn, made many people quite curious about Zhong Ming.They wanted to know what gave Zhong Ming the confidence to make such a decision.It was amidst this atmosphere that Zhong Ming entered the Profound Secret Hall, a group of people in tow."Hm?"Being sized up by everyone the moment he entered the Profound Secret Hall made Zhong Ming pause and raise an eyebrow.But he quickly recovered, nonchalantly leading Yi Yunya and Xie Yuzhu toward Mo Shuying and the rest.Seeing this, the eyes of many onlookers lit up."To be the center of so much attention and not even flinch... he’s really something.""It’s more than that. The strangest thing is, you can’t sense his power at all. He’s like an ordinary person..."To have one’s aura so perfectly contained is, in itself, a sign of profound power.At that moment, someone even turned to Yan Chen of Molten Fire Peak—publicly acknowledged as the number one disciple of this generation in the Seven Profound Sect. "Senior Brother," the person suggested, "that Zhong Ming was scouted by Su Lingya, and he even had the audacity to refuse her. He might have some real ability... Should we look into him?"Hearing this, Yan Chen—who had been resting with his eyes closed since his arrival at the Profound Secret Hall—finally opened them and glanced at Zhong Ming.But it was only a glance before he looked away.His reply was immediate and unflinching. "No need. Whatever tricks he has up his sleeve are useless in the face of absolute power."As he spoke, Yan Chen felt the surging Magical Power within him and promptly dismissed all thoughts of Zhong Ming.He didn’t even give Su Lingya of Cuixiang Mountain a second thought.’In the entire Seven Profound Sect, the only one who can match me is Han Yu of Dharma Seal Peak... But on the day of the Grand Competition, he won’t be my opponent.’..."You’re here."While Yan Chen was speaking with his subordinate, Zhong Ming reached Mo Shuying’s group.Upon seeing him, Xue Yao’s eyes instantly brightened.In the next moment, she took the spot to Zhong Ming’s left and stared intently at him.After a few moments, her body shuddered. Her face paled and the light in her eyes dimmed, as if her Heart Spirit had taken a blow. Despite this, her expression was one of delight."Senior Brother, you’ve gotten stronger again.""..." Zhong Ming was exasperated by her actions. "Don’t just probe people like that next time. It’s a provocative act.""Okay, I got it."After Xue Yao, it was Zhuang Yi’s turn. He looked momentarily awkward at the sight of Zhong Ming.He was reminded of the time he had confidently challenged Zhong Ming, only to be defeated by a single drop of water.But he quickly pushed aside his embarrassment, snorting at Zhong Ming. "Zhong Ming, your decision not to ally with Cuixiang Mountain was the right one! We Sword Cultivators shouldn’t bother with such convoluted schemes. With the swords in our hands, we can cut down anything!""..."Zhuang Yi’s words left Zhong Ming speechless.’Do you even have the strength to back that up?’ he wanted to ask.But considering Zhuang Yi’s rather immature, dramatic personality—and the fact that he was speaking up in his defense—Zhong Ming ultimately just nodded without saying a word.After dealing with those two, Zhong Ming finally faced Mo Shuying.Her attitude toward Zhong Ming was... surprisingly good.It was to be expected. Seeing how he had earned the respect of both Xue Yao and Zhuang Yi, she had already realized her previous judgment of him had been flawed.More importantly, she noticed that the shrewd Yi Yunya was nestled close to Zhong Ming’s side, looking completely docile and sweet.Then there was Xie Yuzhu of the Xie Family, who was also trailing behind Zhong Ming instead of staying with the contingent from Molten Fire Peak.All these signs made Mo Shuying understand one thing: she had truly misjudged. The most exceptional disciple of Longxi Peak was not Xue Yao, but Zhong Ming.