295: Xuan Yangzi's "troubles"

Gu Changge looked at Xuan Yangzi's smug expression, a smile flashing in his eyes, before he asked, "Then, for the Seven Sect Grand Competition two months from now, who does Senior Brother plan to send?"

Upon hearing this, the smugness instantly fell from Xuan Yangzi's face, replaced by a truly real, almost blissful frustration.

He sighed heavily, his brows knitting into a knot, and spread his hands, saying, "Ai! Junior Brother, to tell you the truth, I am currently worrying about this very matter!"

He paced back and forth a couple of times, counting on his fingers as he spoke to Gu Changge.

"I had people thoroughly investigate. Currently, among the other six great Sects, the cultivation of their most elite Core Disciples generally hovers around the Core Formation Realm, with maybe a few at Core Formation Peak at most.

Only the Chief Disciple of the Myriad Law Pavilion, I heard, recently managed a Breakthrough to the Purple Mansion Realm Early Stage by chance. They are treating him like a treasure, hiding him away, preparing for him to shock everyone at the Grand Competition."

Speaking of this, he stopped, looked at Gu Changge, his expression too complex to describe--as if he wanted to laugh but was holding back--finally turning into an even deeper sigh.

"But look at our Azure Profound Sect! Thanks to your great fortune, Junior Brother, the endless resources we've acquired, plus all the previous Opportunities... now, every single one of the Core Disciples on the various Peaks, the lowest cultivated among them, is firmly standing in the Cave Heaven Realm!"

"Their cultivation is two major Realms higher than everyone else!"

The more Xuan Yangzi spoke, the more "outrageous" he felt the situation was, his tone filled with the helplessness of "being too strong is also a mistake."

"Junior Brother, if we send renowned Core Disciples like Xuan Feng, Mo Chen, or Jing Xian, they are accustomed to fighting with full effort and never hold back.

When they get on the stage, the opponent finally manages to unleash a big move, and if our Disciples get into the rhythm, reacting instinctively... at best, they'll shatter the opponent's Dao Heart; at worst, they'll severely injure them on the spot. That's hard to manage! If our acting is too exaggerated, even an idiot will see something is wrong!"

"But if we deliberately choose a batch of ordinary Disciples, or newly admitted Disciples to go,"

Xuan Yangzi rubbed his chin, a conflicted expression on his face.

"Take Xiao Ruobai or Jing Hong, for example; their cultivation could be controlled at the Core Formation Realm. But if people ask, and they find out that even Azure Profound Sect's ordinary Disciples are in Core Formation, how strong must those famous Core Disciples of ours be?"

"Wouldn't that arouse even more suspicion and make the situation even harder to handle!"

Finally, he spread his hands, looking at Gu Changge with genuine appeal in his eyes: "It's difficult! Junior Brother, you don't know, watching the cultivation of my Disciples soar every day makes me both happy and worried."

"Who to send, and how to compete, so that we win the competition without overly demoralizing the other Sects and maintaining the harmony and stability of the Xuan Province cultivation world... Ai, I'm truly worried sick!"

His serious demeanor, as if he were shouldering the grave responsibility of maintaining world peace, was less worry and more a subtle form of showing off, perfectly illustrating the "new troubles brought by the Sect's explosive increase in strength."

Just as Xuan Yangzi was pouring out his woes to Gu Changge, his face clouded with worry over "the Sect being too strong and not knowing who to send to battle," the light screen at the entrance of the Eternal Heavens Pride Tower rippled again.

Immediately afterward, a slightly plump figure was teleported out. It was Wang Xiaopang.

He looked quite disheveled at the moment; his Daoist robe was covered in dust, his face had several streaks of black ash, and his Qi was erratic, clearly having gone through a fierce battle inside the Tower.

He grimaced as he rubbed his arm, and when he looked up, he happened to see Sect Master Xuan Yangzi Senior Martial Uncle standing in front of his Master Gu Changge, his brows tightly locked, sighing mournfully, his face so desolate with worry that it looked like he had encountered a monumental disaster!

Wang Xiaopang's heart sank, and the motion of rubbing his arm instantly stopped. He had never seen Sect Master Senior Martial Uncle wear such a troubled expression!

"Oh no! Sect Master Senior Martial Uncle's expression... something major must have happened to the Sect! Could a powerful enemy have invaded? Or have they run into some insurmountable obstacle?"

Thinking of the Sect's cultivation of him over these past few days, the dense Spiritual Qi of Zizhu Peak, the kindness of his Master's guidance, and the care of his Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, a wave of passion instantly surged in Wang Xiaopang's heart.

Ignoring his own fatigue and disheveled state, he rushed in front of Xuan Yangzi, taking big strides. His plump face was filled with rare seriousness and urgency, and he forgot most of his manners as he asked:

"Sect Master Senior Martial Uncle! What... what is wrong? Has the Sect encountered some difficulty?"

Seeing Xuan Yangzi hesitate, his expression growing even graver, Wang Xiaopang became more certain of his guess.

Wang Xiaopang took a deep breath, straightened his back, and looked at Xuan Yangzi with unusual determination, speaking slowly and deliberately with a seriousness he had never shown before:

"Senior Martial Uncle! The Sect's kindness to me is immense! My cultivation is low, and my abilities are small, but I am still a part of the Azure Profound Sect!"

"If the Sect truly has need, please give the command! Whether it is going to battle or running errands, I will not hesitate! Even if I have to risk my life, I will definitely contribute my strength to the Sect!"

His voice trembled slightly from excitement, but the unquestionable sincerity and determination were clearly conveyed.

If the Sect was in trouble, this life of his was given by the Sect, and now was the time for him to repay that debt.

Xuan Yangzi, who was just about to continue lamenting his "sweet troubles," was stunned by Wang Xiaopang's sudden, death-defying declaration.

Looking at the young man's resolute expression of "facing a mountain of swords and a sea of fire without regret," and comparing it to his own previous worry about "not knowing who was appropriate to send to win," the worry on Xuan Yangzi's face was instantly replaced by an extremely complex expression--amusement, moved sentiment, and a touch of embarrassment.

"This young man, his heart is truly pure. He actually thinks the Sect has reached a point where we need to risk our lives? But this innocent heart is truly rare..."

He waved his hand helplessly, quickly explaining, "Cough! Yue Chen, it's fine, it's fine! The Sect is doing great! Senior Martial Uncle, I am worried about something else; the Sect is not in danger. Stop letting your imagination run wild!"

Wang Xiaopang was half-believing, half-doubting. He looked at Xuan Yangzi, then secretly glanced at his Master Gu Changge, whose expression was calm. Seeing his Master nod slightly, he finally relaxed a little.

But the concern in his eyes had not faded. He muttered softly, "R-really nothing is wrong? But Senior Martial Uncle, the way you looked just now..."

Looking at his earnest appearance, Xuan Yangzi felt that his worry about "who to send to battle" was greatly diluted by this simple concern. He shook his head and smiled helplessly, "Truly nothing is wrong. Go and rest up."

Only then did Wang Xiaopang completely relax. He bowed respectfully and retreated to rest, though he was still wondering what exactly Sect Master Senior Martial Uncle was worrying about.

The helplessness on Xuan Yangzi's face quickly faded as he thought of the Puppet he had just acquired.

He took a deep breath, turned to Gu Changge, and cupped his hands: "Junior Brother, I will first take a trip to the Secret Realm to discuss with the Old Ancestors how to arrange this Puppet."

Gu Changge nodded slightly, not saying much, only stating plainly, "Senior Brother, feel free."

Xuan Yangzi wasted no more time. His figure flickered, turning into a streak of light, and headed straight toward the depths of the Azure Profound Sect's rear mountain Forbidden Ground.