After exchanging a glance across the distance, Ye Cangtian rose and, after informing Qiangwei, departed the inn.
He decided to probe the situation of various factions before the Grand Gathering commenced.
Not long after, Ye Cangtian arrived at the bustling town center, a lively teahouse.
“Have you heard? Master Yikong from Daxiong Temple has arrived. He's a truly remarkable individual. They say he's not old yet, but has already reached the quasi-Heavenly level! He's hailed as a once-in-a-century genius of Daxiong Temple…”
“Master Yikong is nothing! Liehuo Academy’s Ye Zheng-hao has also arrived. His cultivation is said to be unfathomable. Some even speculate he will reach the Heavenly level within ten years!”
“If you ask me, we still have Miss Yanyun’er from our Yanyu Tower. She is the true prodigy of the younger generation…”
While sipping his tea, Ye Cangtian listened to the idle chatter of the patrons without interjecting, silently noting down the names mentioned.
“Yikong, Ye Zheng-hao, Yanyun’er, they are indeed quite impressive.”
“But they may not be considered prodigies of the younger generation!”
Just then, a young man drinking tea on the second floor slowly spoke.
“Kid, who are you!”
“Tell me, if they aren't prodigies, then who is?”
Upon hearing someone question their statements, a patron immediately pointed at the young man and loudly demanded an explanation.
The young man smiled slightly at the remark and said, “In my opinion, the ones who can be called prodigies of the younger generation are, firstly, Ye Cangtian of the Yin Group, secondly, the Grim Reaper of Yulong Villa, and thirdly, Hunyi of Feiyun Pavilion!”
“Kid, we are discussing people. Are Ye Cangtian and the Grim Reaper considered people? They are monsters, aren't they?”
The patron, exasperated, looked at the young man. Ye Cangtian and the Grim Reaper had reached the Heavenly level at such a young age, which was an utterly defying existence, leaving no room for discussion.
After all, compared to the two of them, everyone else seemed dim and unremarkable.
Pausing for a moment, the patron continued, “As for Hunyi, whom you mentioned, forgive my ignorance, but what is Hunyi’s cultivation, and why is his name not well-known?”
The young man smiled faintly and replied, “I am not sure of Hunyi’s exact cultivation, but Hunyi is the top genius of Feiyun Pavilion.
It is said he once killed a Heavenly level expert, so his cultivation should not be lacking.”
With that one sentence, the patron fell silent.
What the other person spoke of were either Heavenly level experts or those capable of killing Heavenly level experts, making the individuals they had been discussing appear truly dazzling in comparison.
Hmm?
Ye Cangtian, who was nearby, furrowed his brow slightly.
Even for Feiyun Pavilion, known for its mental energy attacks, killing a Heavenly level expert was no ordinary feat.
This indicated that Hunyi definitely possessed extraordinary abilities.
Given the relationship between the Yin Group and Feiyun Pavilion, this person absolutely warranted caution.
One had to understand that while the Grim Reaper squad had begun practicing mental energy combat techniques, greatly improving their mental energy, they were still significantly inferior to Heavenly level experts.
With such mental energy, if they encountered this Hunyi, they might not be his match.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian flickered and directly approached the young man, sitting down beside him.
“Kid, I’m quite interested in this Hunyi!”
“Why don’t you tell me which Heavenly level expert he killed?”
The sudden appearance of Ye Cangtian beside him startled the young man, his expression turning noticeably grim.
He scrutinized Ye Cangtian from head to toe and said grimly, “Who are you?”
“Just someone who enjoys listening to gossip,” Ye Cangtian replied with a smile.
Given the mixed crowd in the teahouse, revealing his identity would likely cause a significant stir.
Hmm?
The young man frowned and remained silent for a moment before chuckling, “Interesting. Very well, I’ll tell you…”
It is said that several years ago, a force known as the Soul Refining Sect suddenly emerged, becoming incredibly dazzling and attracting much attention.
Later, for reasons unknown, the Soul Refining Sect offended Feiyun Pavilion. Consequently, Feiyun Pavilion dispatched a group of experts and utterly annihilated the Soul Refining Sect.
At that time, the Sect Master of the Soul Refining Sect was a Heavenly level expert, and it was Hunyi of Feiyun Pavilion who had killed him…
The Soul Refining Sect?
Ye Cangtian’s mind raced as he recalled. The Yin Group's records did indeed contain mentions of the Soul Refining Sect.
It was said that the Soul Refining Sect also cultivated mental energy and was skilled in certain formations.
Later, it seemed they had a sparring session with Feiyun Pavilion, offended them, and were subsequently wiped out by Feiyun Pavilion. All of this was documented.
However, Ye Cangtian had initially assumed that Feiyun Pavilion must have dispatched some powerful elder to carry out the deed.
He had never expected that merely one Hunyi could kill the Sect Master of the Soul Refining Sect.
And this had happened several years ago. Even if Hunyi was not a Heavenly level expert back then, it was probable that over the years, he had broken through to become a Heavenly level expert.
With this in mind, Ye Cangtian changed the subject and asked, “Many of the factions you speak of, I’ve never even heard of. How do you know about them? Are you just making it up?”
“Hmph! Believe it or not!”
The young man snorted and looked at Ye Cangtian, saying fiercely, “Let me tell you, I am Xiaobatte of the Ruins. There’s no news in this place that I can’t uncover!”
“Xiaobatte of the Ruins?”
Ye Cangtian looked at him and smiled, “Sorry, I really haven’t heard of that name!”
“What! You haven’t even heard of my name, Xiaobatte of the Ruins? This is outrageous!”
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian’s words, the young man immediately slammed the table.
While his moniker might not be as renowned as great figures like Ye Cangtian or the Grim Reaper, he was still a well-known presence within the ruins.
The next moment, he looked at the other people in the teahouse and shouted loudly, “Has anyone here heard of Xiaobatte of the Ruins? Introduce him to this ignorant fellow!”
“Xiaobatte of the Ruins? Isn’t that the legendary prodigal son?”
“It seems so. They say this kid’s talent is decent, but he dislikes cultivating, spending his days gathering intelligence and gossip from various factions…”
“That’s exactly him. Always messing with this stuff, drawing the dissatisfaction of many factions. They say he’s even wanted now…”
A wave of voices arose, and the young man’s face turned ashen.
Although these people had successfully introduced him to Ye Cangtian, what they said was not what he wanted to hear.
Heh heh.
Ye Cangtian chuckled as he listened to the miscellaneous remarks.
He looked at the young man and mockingly said, “Is that Xiaobatte? I think you should change your name to Xiaohaozi of the Ruins, chased by everyone!”
You…
Upon hearing this, the young man’s eyes widened, and he glared at Ye Cangtian, saying fiercely, “Making fun of me? Then tell me, what is your identity!”
Ye Cangtian’s eyes darted as he heard this, and then he looked at the young man and asked, “Don't you go by Xiaobatte? Then have you ever heard of Hidden Dragon?”
“Hidden Dragon? Who is Hidden Dragon?”
“I haven’t heard of this name!”
“Did they rise recently? They don’t seem as famous as Xiaobatte of the Ruins, right?”
As Ye Cangtian’s words fell, the patrons in the teahouse immediately became restless.
And the young man opposite him widened his eyes, “You… you… you are Hidden Dragon?”
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian immediately realized that the young man likely knew something about Hidden Dragon.
So he waved his hand with a smile and said, “Don’t get the wrong idea, I never said I was Hidden Dragon. I just heard that Hidden Dragon seems quite formidable, so I was testing you!”
“Hmph! I thought you were Hidden Dragon! You truly got my hopes up for nothing!”
Hearing this, the young man glared at Ye Cangtian and said grumpily, “I don’t need you to test me. If you have nothing else, leave. You don’t even dare to leave your name, you’re not worthy of talking to me!”
He had initially found Ye Cangtian to be an interesting person, but the latter’s mockery had soured his mood.
Therefore, not only did he not answer the other person’s question, but he directly issued an eviction notice.
“Heh heh, it seems you know nothing about Hidden Dragon.”
“In that case, forget it. I bid you farewell.”
Saying this, Ye Cangtian stood up, glanced at the young man, and continued faintly, “By the way, I think your moniker, Xiaobatte of the Ruins, is rather undeserved…”
After speaking, Ye Cangtian turned and walked towards the door without looking back.
“You!”
“You stop right there!”
Hearing Ye Cangtian’s final words, the young man almost exploded with rage. He immediately blocked Ye Cangtian.
“I know news about Hidden Dragon, but I don’t know if you have the courage to listen!” the young man said fiercely, as surrounding people cast curious glances.