Elder Tiger

The group of Southern Edge disciples glanced at Hanli and remained silent.

In their eyes, the white robed man in front of them was simply a frog trying to eat swan meat.

It would be best if they could pull out their swords and hack the man away. 

But no, their elders wouldn't like that. 

No one would dare attend the Nine Great Mountains and Five Noble Clans Banquet if there were news that the disciples were undisciplined and killed anyone they liked during the banquet.

So, to prevent the sect from throwing away their face, the elders of Southern Edge Sect had repeatedly warned their disciples to start any fights and cause trouble.

As for Hanli, the Heavenly Martial Alliance Leader simply told him to watch his children for him. 

He didn't specify what Hanli can or cannot do, moreso when he has to deal with people from the Nine Great Mountains and Five Noble Clans.

"If you're just going to keep quiet and stand there like a plant, I'll be going back to the reception area." Hanli shook his head and smiled.

He then turned around and walked away. 

Hanli was confident that Namgung Hua could deal with the Southern Edge Sect's disciples easily.

'I'll watch your kids for you, but unless the Sect Master of the Southern Edge Sect becomes their enemy, I will not help the children.' 

Hanli thought to himself as he walked through the crowd of people and stopped in a corner of the reception area.

The group of disciples, on the other hand, saw that Hanli had retreated and scoffed.

"I knew it, that white robed man was a fake martial warrior. I mean, what kind of martial warrior walks away from a fight in front of a beauty like Namgung Hua?"

"Hmph, that coward will never be a true martial warrior."

"I agree! If that man had even the slightest ounce of courage to speak up against us, maybe…Just maybe…We'll let him pass."

"Nah, no way. Remember, we ganged up on that man to look good in front of Namgung Hua ourselves!"

The group of disciples proceed to talk among themselves without noticing that Namgung Hua had already left the garden and wandered elsewhere.

30 minutes later…

Banquet Reception Area, Southern Edge Sect

The banquet was about to start.

A group of Southern Edge Sect disciples could be seen escorting a middle aged man up the stage in a solemn manner. 

The banquet's guests saw this and became shocked.

Because upon closer inspection, many people could recognise famous heroes among the disciples there.

"To have the Rising Cloud Sword and the Sunset Sword as escorts, I wonder who is this bighsot?"

Murmurs resounded throughout the crowd as the middle aged man made his way towards the stage.

Hanli who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed also couldn't help but open them when he sensed the presence of a powerful figure.

"Hm, so Southern Edge Sect has decided to go all out this year…"

Hanli simply glanced at the middle aged man for a moment before he closed his eyes again.

The Heavenly Dragon had a clear goal. 

It was to protect Namgung Hua and Namgung Jian from harm.

As for the middle aged man wearing the Southern Edge Sect's uniform, Hanli deemed him as unworthy!

Upon reaching the stage, the middle aged man looked back and scanned the crowd with his fierce eyes, looking for the strong among the weak.

As his eyes met with the other guests, he soon spotted Hanli who was hidden in the corner of the reception area.

'A white robed man dares to sleep during the Nine Great Mountains and Five Noble Clans' Banquet? Interesting! I didn't know that my Southern Edge Sect has fallen to this extent.'

Thinking so, the middle aged man turned back towards the stage and headed up.

"Hello and good morning to everybody here. I am the Elder Tiger of the Southern Edge Sect as well as this year's host for the Nine Great Mountains and Five Noble Clans' Banquet. Just like last year's Plum Blossom themed banquet, my Southern Edge Sect has decided the theme for this year's banquet to be…An Immovable themed banquet!"

Elder Tiger paused for a moment before continuing on.

"As you all know, my Southern Edge Sect is famous for incorporating the idea of 'weight' into our martial techniques. We pride ourselves by practicing martial arts that make us immovable like an iron wall. Mount Hua Sect's Plum Blossom Swordsmen hate us because they can't defeat us. Our Immovable Sword Arts can even be comparable to the Shaolin's Golden Vajra Body Techniques! Hahaha! So, in the spirit of wanting to prove that our Southern Edge Sect has the capabilities of being one of the Nine Great Mountain Sects, we've decided to host the first ever martial arts tournament that follows the participants' weight class!"

'Wow, how original…' Hanli sneered in his heart.

As for the other guests, they all erupted into cheers after Elder Tiger finished his words.

A martial arts tournament following weight classes? How exciting!

It was a new concept that the Southern Edge Sect was introducing to the world and that the guests will be the first ones to try the new tournament format.

But wherever there were cheers, there were boos as well.

The Shaolin monks and the Mount Hua Sect's taoists both wore solemn faces when they heard Elder Tiger talk shit about their sects.

If only they weren't part of the Nine Great Mountains, the Mount Hua Sect's taoists would gladly rip out Elder Tiger's mouth.

Elder Tiger noticed the monks and the taoists' faces and gave them a wide smile.

With that, the banquet officially started.