Excusing himself from the competition.

Liang Chen stood awkwardly at the center of the stage, rubbing the back of his head, unsure what it was he should do now. While he was wondering if this counted as the battle ending in his victory, he felt a calm gaze land on him. All the hairs on his body instantly stood on end, as if a massive beast was breathing down his neck, ready to eat him.

With stiff movements, he turned around, his gaze landing on the throne-like seating area. Yan Wuhan was currently looking at him with a faint smile, not saying anything. Accidentally using an aphrodisiac on a girl in front of her father, who was the Sect Master no less, was quite the blunder. Sitting to the right of Yan Wuhan was the muscular and bald Guanyu, who was doing his best to hold down his laughter as he raised his thumb at Liang Chen.

Liang Chen's gaze also landed on the person sitting to the left of Yan Wuhan, a beautiful woman who seemed to be in her early thirties. She had delicate and smooth skin, enchanting pink eyes, rainbow-colored hair that hung loosely down to her buttocks, and a tall and curvaceous figure. Since Guanyu, who was the Third Elder and the guardian of Wolf Hall was sitting to the right of Yan Wuhan, this woman should be the Second Elder and the guardian of Storm Hall, Guiying, the woman Guanyu once called an old hag.

Guiying noticed Liang Chen's gaze, her lips raising into a charming and kind smile. Looking at this smile, Liang Chen felt something pull on his consciousness, the world in front of his eyes quickly turning dark. Before his entire consciousness could be pulled away, Guiying turned her face away, allowing his consciousness to return to his body.

When Guiying turned her face away, Liang Chen felt cold sweat spread all over his body. Just a smile alone was enough to nearly rob him of his consciousness, just how terrifying was this woman? Luckily, she had turned away before he actually fainted, so it didn't seem like she sought to harm him.

Yan Wuhan stood up from his seat, so Liang Chen's gaze returned to him. Yan Wuhan cleared his throat, once again sending a faint smile at Liang Chen, causing his hair to stand on end.

"Due to the escape of his opponent, the winner of this battle is Liang Chen. You seem to have suffered some wounds, so there will be no need for you to participate in the group contest. You should do your best to recuperate."

No one disputed Liang Chen's victory, as it was clear that he could have easily killed her in the last exchange. Yan Wuhan's words also carried a second meaning, so Liang Chen swiftly cupped his hands and excused himself.

"Thank you, Sect Master. This disciple will do as you say and return to my quarters."

Yan Wuhan's words sounded like the thoughtful care of a Sect Master, go and take care of your wounds. But they were really the words of a father, go and apologize to my daughter. After cupping his hands and leaving the stage, just as Liang Chen was about to leave the hidden realm, the snickering voice of Guanyu landed in his ears.

"Hehehe, good going, little fellow, it's nice to see that shameless princess suffer some embarrassment."

Liang Chen could only let out another awkward cough before leaving the hidden realm, not daring to turn around, just in case he accidentally met the gaze of Yan Wuhan again. Guanyu found it funny, but Liang Chen felt like he was walking on razor-sharp pins.

After leaving the hidden realm, Liang Chen swallowed a few pills to accelerate the healing speed of his wounds. Only his right hand and left foot had some injuries, but to the current him, these cuts could only be called minor wounds. Healing them would not take long at all.

After swallowing the pills, Liang Chen headed for the valley that separated the two different halls, heading directly for the hidden realm where Yan Ling lived. He hadn't been there himself, but he knew where it was located, so he didn't have to search for it.

The door that led to her hidden realm was located rather close to the Storm Hall palace, showing off the status she had within the clan. The cyan-colored door was tightly shut, so Liang Chen could only walk up to it and give it a few knocks as he announced his presence.

"It's me, are you there?"

There was no response from the other side of the door, but this was the most likely place for her to run, as it was only here she could be alone. Liang Chen knew this, so he could only continue knocking on the door, hoping that she would eventually open it. After knocking for a few more minutes, there was finally a response from the other side, a loud shout.

"Please leave! I really don't want to see you right now!"

After hearing her response, Liang Chen could only let out a sigh. How could he not understand her sentiment? He had after all used and aphrodisiac on her in front of so many people. She was usually a teasing and cheerful girl, but something like that was bound to make her feel embarrassed and make her want to be alone for a bit. Since she clearly didn't want to see him, Liang Chen could only give her a reminder before leaving.

"Alright, I'll leave you alone. If you need me, you can find me in one of the various libraries."

Liang Chen didn't immediately leave after giving the remainder, raising his left arm. A black light flashed in his palm, Yumao appearing on top of his hand, looking around with a curious gaze. Liang Chen used a finger to pat Yumao on the head, smiling faintly at him.

"Sorry to ask this of you, but could you stay here and keep an eye on her, as well as letting me know if anything happens?"

He didn't think that anything would happen, but it was better to be safe than it was to be sorry. Yumao nodded his head, vanishing into his own shadow and disappearing from sight. Thanks to the connection between the two, he was able to sense that Yumao had appeared beyond the door, directly entering the hidden realm.

Liang Chen couldn't help but be a bit shocked upon noticing this, as entering a hidden realm without going through the gate was incredibly hard, only getting harder as the cultivation of whoever set up the hidden realm rose. Yet Yumao had entered it just like that, without putting in any effort.

Liang Chen turned around after Yumao entered the hidden realm, letting out a light sigh as he made his way towards the library he had been in before Yan Ling dragged him along on their previous mission. It seemed like he had accidentally screwed up rather badly this time, so he could only give Yan Ling some time to calm down before he did his best to appease her.