The sound of boots striking stone echoed through the clan grounds as thousands of Bai Clan cultivators marched toward the flying fleet docked above the main plaza.
Platforms glimred underfoot as, one after another, floating bridges extended to connect the ground to the hovering warships.
They began to board these flying ships slowly, in a disciplined manner.
These clan mbers were already fully ard with artifacts.
A small clan might struggle to even equip all their elders with artifacts, but the Bai Clan wasn't just any clan.
With their unmatched resources, it was possible to give all the clan mbers armors and weapons of Profound-Grade Artifact quality.
Truth be told, Bai Zihan also contributed quite a lot by taking out a few more artifacts from the Storage Ring of Immortal Emperor Feilian.
With that, it was possible to equip every Bai Clan with good artifacts.
Anyways, with such preparation, the Bai Clan mbers would have no problem surviving even if they were to encounter demonic beasts above their
cultivation realm.
Just as the Bai Clan forces were steadily boarding the flying ships, so elders at the front paused.
A quiet murmur swept through the plaza:
"They're here..."
No tremor shook the sky, no blinding light descended-just a group of five figures walking across the air bridge toward the flagship, speaking casually among themselves as though they were simply going on a walk.
Yet the reaction was imdiate.
Every elder near the boarding ramp straightened, eyes brightening with unmistakable relief and excitent.
"The Grand Elders have co!"
Many of the younger disciples froze mid-step, staring with wide eyes.
So had only heard stories, others had seen ancestral portraits, but most had never seen them excluding Bai Ren.
Well, most of the younger generation had only seen one or two of the Grand Elder, as the others had been in seclusion for decades or even centuries.
So, it was inevitable that the younger generation had never seen many of the Grand Elders apart from Bai Ren, who was active right now.
"They... They are the Grand Elders?"
"It is said that there are few Grand Elders even stronger than Grand Elder Bai Ren. Could one of them be?"
"Damn! I can't imagine any one being stronger than Grand Elder Bai Ren. But if that is true then we don't need to worry about those Demonic Beast and Demonic Cultivators."
Excitent was palpable in every clan mber. After all, these Grand Elders were the true powerhouses of their clan, capable of overturning wars.
The five looked completely unhurried.
One of them, an elderly man with tied-back hair and simple scholar robes, tapped Bai Ren's shoulder.
"Where is our current heir?"
He asked excitedly.
Although they had been in seclusion, that didn't an they were completely unaware of what was happening in the clan.
They read reports and everything important happening in the Bai Clan whenever they had ti or were bored.
Of course, they didn't intervene unless necessary.
They had heard much about Bai Zihan, although not very favorably at first, which later changed.
They were also well aware of Bai Zihan's contributions, especially the Saint-Grade Artifact and Heaven-Grade Cultivation Technique, which had essentially made the Bai Clan invincible in the Desolate Heaven Empire. Not to ntion Bai Zihan's talent.
Bai Ren had also been praising Bai Zihan for holding his own against the Seven Void Refinent Realm, even killing one of them.
All of this greatly pleased the Grand Elders and made them excited about the future of the Bai Clan.
So, they want to et with him as soon as possible.
Bai Ren chuckled at the question. He had already scanned the area and found that Bai Zihan had yet to arrive-not that he expected him to arrive early
anyway.
"Ahem... Elder Chu, you might need to wait a bit," he said with a helpless sigh. "That brat is more audacious than the others. He'll definitely be one of the last
to arrive."
If the younger generation made elders wait, such behavior might be taken as disrespect.
But, well, it is Bai Zihan-soone who has contributed so much when he is still a teenager.
The Grand Elders could tolerate that and even see it as the attitude of the future leader of the Bai Clan.
But, of course, if that had been done by anyone else, they would have been heavily punished and would have greatly displeased the Grand Elders. "With our lifespan, what's waiting a few minutes?" one of them said lightly. "Even a few hours is just a passing breeze for old bones like us."
A few chuckled-clearly in good humor rather than complaint. Ti ant sothing very different to them, who had lived for thousands of years. Besides, Bai Zihan was not the only one they were eager to et.
Another of the elders spoke up.
"What about the young lady who won first place in the Dragon and Phoenix Competition? Bai Xueqing-is she here?"
Bai Ren nodded.
"Of course! Unlike that brat, she is diligent."
He turned slightly and called out.
"Xueqing! Co greet your seniors."
Light footsteps sounded as Bai Xueqing stepped forward from among the disciples. She saluted formally, expression calm and composed.
"Disciple Bai Xueqing greets the Grand Elders."
Several elders' eyes brightened imdiately.
"Good poise."
"She carries herself well."
"So young, yet already Peak Soul Formation."
"Not only talent, but a stable foundation too."
Their praise was not exaggerated. They had evaluated countless geniuses over
their long lives-many were flashy, many had potential, but very few had such balanced cultivation, temperant, and progress at the sa ti.
Bai Xueqing kept her posture steady, though her ears reddened slightly at being judged directly by five Immortal-Realm seniors.
One of the elders-dressed in dark blue robes with a calm, scholarly face-
nodded in satisfaction.
"Winning the Dragon and Phoenix Competition at your age is already
impressive," She said.
"But your state of mind is even better. The clan has gained another pillar."
The words made several nearby disciples stiffen with envy and admiration.
To be recognized by even one Grand Elder was already a lifeti honor, not to ntion, five of them at the sa ti.
Well, but considering who it was, they too had to admit that it was well
deserved.
Minutes passed, and the boarding continued without pause.
The plaza, once filled with orderly lines of Bai Clan cultivators, now humd
with movent as nearly everyone had stepped onto the flying ships. The Grand Elders themselves had taken their places aboard the flagship. It was the largest and grandest vessel in the Bai Clan fleet, almost the size of a small
city.
Inside, so of the most talented disciples of the Bai Clan had already
gathered.
The Grand Elder also t with them and even gave advice to so of them as
they were the future of the Bai Clan.
Although not to the level of Bai Xueqing, there were many talented younger generations like Bai Jian.
Even Bai Tianheng, the current clan leader, had arrived and happily exchanged
words with the Grand Elders.
Being the clan leader, he had t all the Grand Elders and knew them unlike
others.
Normally, he would have been seen as a clan leader mismanaging family affairs, which indeed was his biggest failure.
Yet now, he was praised especially for raising Bai Zihan and Bai Xueqing. Complints flowed, acknowledging his managent of the clan's strength, his foresight in preparation, and his careful cultivation of talent.
The atmosphere aboard the ship was one of quiet satisfaction, tempered by
anticipation.
Every eye, young and old, was aware of the battle looming ahead, yet there was
a sense of pride in the unity the Bai Clan now displayed.
Then, from the lower deck near the boarding platform, movent drew the
attention of all assembled.
Bai Zihan finally appeared.
He moved with the sa casual, unhurried gait he always carried, yet there
was sothing subtly different today.
His usual emotionless expression lingered, mask-like, but beneath it, faint
sparks of excitent shimred in his gaze-only those who know him well might be able to notice them though.
A few of the Grand Elders glanced at each other, noting his arrival with faint
amusent.
There was no need for one to ntion it. Four of them understood instantly that he was Bai Zihan, the mont they saw him.
Just looking at every one reaction as well, they could see that many of them seed to have admiration and respect in their eyes.
Even those who were once bullied by Bai Zihan, and who looked down on him
for using sches to overpower them, Bai Jian had no choice but to admit that no one was capable of replacing Bai Zihan as heir.
No one even dared to try now. Even Bai Jian's father, Bai Feng, had stopped ntioning such matters, having realized it was impossible.
The Grand Elders' eyes swept over him, subtle yet piercing.. As they exchanged brief, almost imperceptible glances, a silent understanding
passed between them. No words were necessary.
They could sense his cultivation.
Even from this distance, Bai Zihan's Qi radiated with an aura far beyond that of
ordinary Cultivators.
It was refined, pure, and potent-a refinent that surpassed even what most
elders in the Great Ascension Realm could achieve.
He was a Real Deal!
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