Gathering

cHe took down the few paintings on the wall that belonged to Chen Yu Liang and headed towards the house that was labelled as '2', planning to return it back to him on his way towards the gathering

As he left his own house and was on the way there, he saw two familiar figures that left him in surprise.

"Murong Xuan, Xiao Wan Wan! What are you doing here for?" Long Chen called out to the two girls who were walking alongside each other.

Xiao Wan Wan was the first one to turn back her small head towards the voice, and she enthusiastically ran over, "Brother Long Chen, it's been a long while!"

Murong Xuan slowly strode over as she replied, "We have defeated those from the Heaven's Pride Ranking, and so the Sect has allocated new homes for us here."

"Oh." Long Chen nodded his head after knowing this, and then swept a glance towards their aura.

"The 5th and 6th Qi Refining Realm! How could it be possible?" Long Chen looked at them in shock.

They had only just entered the Qi Refining Realm previously, and not everyone was as lucky as him to have a System to boost his cultivation.

"Tsk. Brother Long, with our talents, how could we fall behind any others? Of course it is because I'm a child of the Heavens!" Xiao Wan Wan lifted up her head in pride as she happily said.

"It is because of the resources that our clan have given us." Murong Xuan straightforwardly told him.

"Sister Murong! Why did you tell him that for?!" Xiao Wan Wan was displeased after her façade was broken by her few words, as she pouted in unhappiness.

Murong Xuan ignored the ramblings of the little child beside her as she stared at Long Chen. His aura was even more unfathomable than the previous time, like a peerless sword waiting to be unsheathed.

How strong could he possibly be right now?

Just then, Xiao Wan Wan suddenly screamed in a high-pitched voice, nearly bursting Long Chen's eardrums.

"Brother Long Chen, what are you holding in your arms?!" Xiao Wan Wan cried out as she pointed at the few paintings that Long Chen had carried along.

Murong Xuan cast her gaze downwards as she saw the paintings, and her cold frigid face abruptly revealed a few hints of red.

"This is Chen Yu Liang's paintings that he had left in my house, and I was just about to return it back to him!" Long Chen hurriedly explained as he awkwardly smiled.

It was hard for him to not feel awkward after revealing such paintings in front of their faces.

"Really?" Xiao Wan Wan raised her head as she doubtfully asked.

"Of course! Do I look like that kind of person to you?" Long Chen raised his eyebrows in questioning.

Xiao Wan Wan deeply studied Long Chen, and nodded her head in agreement as though it was a logical reason, "That's true. How could such a handsome person like you be a pervert? It must be that Chen Yu Liang!"

"Are you going for the gathering too?" Long Chen swiftly changed the topic and asked.

"We were on the way there just now." Xiao Wan Wan answered, "Brother Long Chen, do you want to follow us too?"

"I'll return the paintings first. I'll meet you there later." Long Chen replied as he waved his hands, then continued his way towards the Rank 2 Hut.

He knocked on the door and called out Chen Yu Liang's name, and the door opened a few moments later.

"Who is it?" Chen Yu Liang asked as he stepped out of his house.

When he saw that it was Long Chen, his eyes brightened and he enthusiastically welcomed him, "Brother Long, what are you here for? Would you like to take a seat in front of my house?"

"How are your injuries? Are you doing all fine?" Long Chen casually questioned.

"Of course I am fine, I am better than ever!" Chen Yu Liang then lowered his voice and continued, "Thank you for not beating me up that day. If not, I would really have been bedridden for a few days."

Long Chen patted Chen Yu Liang's shoulders and he warmly smiled, "We are fellow disciples, there is no need for this between both of us."

"Brother Long is really great indeed!' Chen Yu Liang exclaimed, "Did you see the faces of the disciples that were below the mountain after seeing my 'battered and miserable' appearance? They were all scared silly, as if they had seen ghosts!"

"Your acting is impressive indeed. If not for the fact that I was there, I would not have known that a person could make such a blood-curdling scream even when you were uninjured!" Long Chen praised.

Long Chen remembered what he had come here for, then placed the paintings in front of Chen Yu Liang, "This is the paintings that you had left within my house."

After he had said that, Long Chen lightly chuckled to disperse of his slight awkwardness.

"I'm going to the gathering first. I'll see you there later." Long Chen proceeded to say.

"Haha, thank you for your help!" Chen Yu Liang quickly took back the paintings, his face without the slightest trace of embarrassment.

"Looks like you took your time to return it back to me!" Chen Yu Liang did not forget to wink as he disappeared from the door back into his house.

Long Chen's forehead was full of black lines. Shaking his head in speechlessness, he walked towards the place of the gathering.

When he was already there, the hall was already packed with outer court disciples vibrantly discussing and chatting with each other, their voices reverberated throughout the entire hall.

"Is the handsome guy over there Long Chen? The one who defeated Chen Yu Liang to become Rank 1?'

"He is. I personally saw him fight the entire Rank 10 to Rank 2 in the combat arena. The fights were simply mind-blowing."

"I saw it too! And the most shocking thing of all, is that he is still a new disciple!"

A few disciples turned their heads and noticed Long Chen's presence, and pointed towards him while talking to their partners with expressions of awe and respect.

Almost everyone knew that he had become the irrefutable number 1 within the Outer Courtyard, and only the strong was respected.

There was of course, quite a few gazes of jealously and envy, but what could they do about it? Unless they could show that their achievements were greater than Long Chen's, their emotions were by itself nothing more than a joke.

Long Chen silently walked through the crowd who made way for him, and Xiao Wan Wan quickly noticed Long Chen and ran over to him, "Brother Long Chen!"

Murong Xuan walked over silently, throwing a slight glance at Long Chen, before she averted her gaze.

Xiao Wan Wan and Long Chen chatted and laughed while waiting, a while later, three suppressive presences descended upon the crowd, causing the disciples to feel stifled in their hearts.

The 3 Elders wearing slightly luxurious robes were as quick as a shadow and appeared in front of everyone in the blink of an eye.

On their robes were 3 different insignia. One with the picture of a furnace, another with the picture of a hammer, while the last with the picture of a sword.