At this moment, the Thousand Mechanism Sect was a veritable gathering of powerhouses. Nearly every prominent figure of note from Profound Island had arrived.

Ordinarily, the wedding of a Thousand Mechanism Sect Young Master wouldn’t have drawn so many important figures. However, the Cui Family’s recent frantic actions had allowed every family on Profound Island to catch the scent of conspiracy. How could families that had accumulated power and influence for over ten thousand years possibly fail to see what was happening?

Although the Cui Family was trying its best to conceal its intentions, its unscrupulous methods were a clear declaration to everyone: the Cui Family now had enough confidence to swallow Profound Island whole.

This deduction, though shocking and hard to believe, was also the most logical one.

Thus, aside from the Thousand Mechanism Sect and the Lin Family—two super-factions that already had a deep-seated feud with the Cui Family—the leaders of the other major powers had all grown intensely wary of them as well.

Now, within the Thousand Mechanism Sect’s vast guest manor, one could periodically hear the loud calls of the disciples responsible for receiving guests. Their voices, once full of energy, had grown hoarse and were being relieved by others in succession.

When the Qin Family’s convoy arrived, the guest manor, which stretched as far as the eye could see, was already teeming with disciples from every faction.

Shen Le, having already received word of Qin Li’s arrival, was waiting at the main gate of the guest manor. To everyone’s great surprise, the Sect Leader of the Thousand Mechanism Sect, Shen Le’s father, Shen Longxing, was also standing there, accompanied by five of the sect’s Supreme Elders and a crowd of other high-ranking members.

"Hey, look! Which big shot is arriving now? They’ve put out a welcoming party fit for a super-faction!" someone exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the group of Thousand Mechanism Sect leaders at the main gate.

"At this point... what other super-faction’s bigwigs are left to arrive?" someone else wondered with a frown, mentally running through the list. "Look, Patriarch Lin Zixiang of the Lin Family already arrived a few days ago with his high-ranking members and several of their legendarily powerful Supreme Elders. The Wang Family’s Patriarch, Wang Lin, also brought a few of their Supreme Elders and top members, arriving right after Patriarch Lin. Besides them, the Xiao Family, Sword Concealment Manor, and the people from Ice Edge are all here. Don’t tell me... it’s the Cui Family this time?"

"The Cui Family? Bullshit! The Cui Family just brazenly killed a total of four Supreme Elders from the Thousand Mechanism Sect and the Lin Family. If they dared to show their faces here, they’d be torn to shreds on the spot!"

"Then who could it be, to command this much respect? Could it be... the incredibly wealthy Qian Family?"

"The Qian Family is already here! A few days ago, I even saw their Patriarch out for a walk with several of his concubines!"

"Who cares? We’ll find out if we wait a bit."

The crowd buzzed with discussion, standing around in small groups and speculating. The entire Thousand Mechanism Sect was festooned with lanterns and colorful banners, and everyone who arrived couldn’t help but be swept up in the celebratory atmosphere, their faces beaming with joy.

Before long, more and more people had joined the waiting crowd, including quite a few members from the various super-factions.

And so, countless people were speculating about just who was arriving to be given such tremendous face.

"Could it be... that Qin Li from the Qin Family?" someone in the crowd finally suggested timidly.

"Of course! How could I have forgotten about him? He’s the legendary number one young prodigy on Profound Island in a thousand years! The winner of the Venerable Competition, the young expert who killed a Cui Family Venerable with a single strike!"

"That’s right! I’ve been wanting to see what this young prodigy looks like for a while now. Haha, did he really kill that young Venerable-level genius from the Cui Family with one strike?"

"He did! I saw it with my own two eyes!"

"Hmph. He’s just a member of some mid-tier, minor clan. What’s there to make such a fuss about?"

A dissenting voice finally emerged from the crowd. Everyone couldn’t help but turn toward the speaker, a handsome young man in a black silk robe. He was just a little too pretty, looking like a delicate flower raised in a greenhouse.

Seeing all eyes on him, he felt quite pleased with himself. He curled his lip disdainfully and said, "I am Han Feng, Young Master of Profound Island’s Han Family. A pleasure to meet you all. If you ask me, you’ve all clearly mythologized that Qin Li! Slaying a Venerable with one strike? The number one genius of the younger generation? I don’t buy it. How do you know there wasn’t some other inside story?"

The Han Family’s status on Profound Island was no less than that of the incredibly wealthy Qian Family. However, with that single sentence, Han Feng had managed to offend everyone present. It wasn’t so much what he said about Qin Li, but the fact that he waited until after everyone had finished praising Qin Li to say it, which was a clear rejection of their judgment.

Because of this, someone shot him a disdainful look, about to retort: ’I’m not sure if Qin Li is as strong as the legends say, but when your Han Family arrived, didn’t the Thousand Mechanism Sect only send two Elders out to greet you?’

But before he could say it, someone in the distance suddenly shouted, "From Fengsha City, Qin Li of the Qin Family! Here to offer congratulations! His gifts: two pairs of Thousand-Year Spirit Jade Bracelets! One Five-Colored Coral Tree from the sea! Ten Top-Grade Night-Luminous Pearls! And... five hundred pills of a new elixir developed by the Qin Family!"

BOOM!

A gasp rippled through the crowd. The first few items were nothing special. Although valuable, for families with ten thousand years of history, such gifts were merely conventional. They weren’t shabby, but a super-faction wouldn’t necessarily give them a second look. But that last item—the five hundred pills of a new elixir—their value was inestimable in everyone’s eyes!

"New" meant this elixir wasn’t publicly available yet. But the fact that they were giving it as a gift meant it had undoubtedly undergone countless trials to confirm its effects were stable and reliable.

The Qin Family had established itself with elixirs, allied with super-factions like the Thousand Mechanism Sect and the Lin Family using elixirs, and fostered good relations with all the other major powers except the Cui Family. All of this was entirely due to the endless stream of new elixirs the Qin Family had produced in recent years!

On the strength of this item alone, even if the Qin Family Patriarch hadn’t come and had only sent a core family disciple, he would still be worthy of a personal welcome from Shen Longxing, the Sect Leader of the Thousand Mechanism Sect!

This was, without a doubt, a magnificent gift!

Shen Le was so excited his face flushed red. If he weren’t concerned about his image, he probably would have already rushed over to Qin Li. He had joked with Qin Li before, telling him he had to bring elixirs as a wedding gift. But everyone knew that was just a joke!

The fact that a single Qin Family pill formula related to Spiritual Power could be auctioned off for five mortal kingdoms plus two Spirit Stone Veins was more than enough to prove the value of these elixirs.

It was no exaggeration to say that every single pill was priceless.

Qin Li hopped down from the carriage and saw Shen Le standing in the middle of a large group. Judging by their auras and bearings, it was clear they were the upper echelon of the Thousand Mechanism Sect.

Unhurried, Qin Li extended a hand to help Leng Yao down from the carriage. Then, with a calm and composed bearing, he walked toward Shen Le’s group. Upon reaching them, he cupped his fist toward Shen Longxing, who stood at the center, and said, "This junior, Qin Li, representing the Qin Family of Fengsha City, has come to congratulate my friend, Shen Le, on his grand wedding. Greetings, Seniors. I have brought a humble gift as a small token of my respect."

"Haha, excellent, excellent!" Shen Longxing appeared to be about fifty years old, but on Profound Island, one could rarely judge a Martial Artist’s age by their appearance. In truth, he was already over two hundred years old. He had more than a dozen daughters before finally having a son, Shen Le, late in life. This was not unrelated to Shen Le’s somewhat unrestrained temperament, as he had been thoroughly doted upon.

Shen Longxing had a refined appearance, with a wisp of a goatee on his chin. After repeating "excellent," he smiled and said, "You and Shen Le are good friends. I am Shen Le’s father, the Sect Leader of the Thousand Mechanism Sect. It wouldn’t be out of line for me to call you ’nephew,’ would it?"

"This junior greets you, Uncle. Actually, it is this junior who has been somewhat..."

A slightly bashful smile appeared on Qin Li’s face. Shen Le stared, his eyes wide, and couldn’t help but rub them. ’Damn it,’ he thought, ’am I seeing things? This guy can be shy?’

"Saying any more would be too formal. I am very happy that you could come. Come, come, Nephew, let me introduce you to a few of my Thousand Mechanism Sect’s Supreme Elders. They have long admired you!"

Shen Longxing walked right over, grabbed Qin Li by the wrist, and, without another word, pulled him toward the group of high-ranking figures from the Thousand Mechanism Sect.

Meanwhile, the onlookers watching from a distance couldn’t help but show expressions of utter disbelief, and they began to whisper among themselves.

"Gods, am I seeing things? He became a ’nephew’ on their first meeting? Since when did the Thousand Mechanism Sect have such a close relationship with the Qin Family?"

"Are you stupid? Sect Leader Shen is obviously trying to win Qin Li over. ’Nephew’? Hmph, even if Qin Li’s father were standing here, he might not even deign to look his way!"

"That’s not necessarily true. A father can gain status through his son!"

"I’ve only ever heard of a mother gaining status through her son, never a father!"

"Hehe, father or mother, who cares? The point is, the Qin Family is truly on the rise!"

On one side, Shen Longxing enthusiastically pulled Qin Li along, introducing him to the important figures of the Thousand Mechanism Sect one by one. On the other, the crowd watched with complicated expressions.

Envy, jealousy... the emotions were endless.

At this moment, Shen Longxing suddenly sent a sound transmission to Qin Li: "According to our intelligence, the Cui Family is planning to make a major move during my son’s wedding. You are one of the people they hate the most. Therefore, Nephew, you must be on your guard these next few days. I suspect the Cui Family has people who have infiltrated the other families as well. In short, it’s best to stay in. I will do my utmost to ensure your safety!"

Qin Li’s expression turned serious, and he nodded slightly. After the pleasantries were exchanged, Shen Le escorted Qin Li to the courtyard that had been prepared for the Qin Family.

Along the way, everyone who saw Qin Li couldn’t help but stare a little longer at the young man, giving off a feeling of "who in the world doesn’t know of this man?"

Qin Li had never paid much mind to such things. He spread his Divine Sense outward and was able to perceive countless powerful Martial Artists, as well as a few whose depths were utterly unfathomable.