Chapter 1291: Zhao Xingmo's Collapse

"Turn against me?"

Zhang Qian was stunned, unable to believe it.

He had gone through so much trouble just to win her favor and build a relationship with the Icefield Palace—how could things not only fail to improve but end up with such words?

Weren't you just so angry you wanted to fight a moment ago? How, in the blink of an eye, are you defending him?

"That's right, Zhang Qian. What just happened was only a warning. I hope you'll behave yourself!"

Chen Leyao waved her hand.

"You... I want to know why!"

Furious to the point of exploding, Zhang Qian couldn't help asking.

He simply couldn't understand why this woman had changed her attitude so drastically.

"You don't need to know why. Just remember: if you dare cause trouble for Teacher Zhang, you're opposing me, Chen Leyao!"

The girl's demeanor was icy cold, as if she would strike without mercy if he dared defy her words.

"You..."

Clenching his fists, his body trembling with rage, Zhang Qian wanted to lash out but didn't dare.

Not to mention that her strength was no weaker than his, the Icefield Palace's power alone was not something he could easily offend.

"Let's go..."

Flicking his sleeve, he helped Zhang Yu up and turned to walk away.

He had worked hard to come and flatter her, only to be beaten up and have his goodwill rejected... The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became, feeling like he was about to explode.

"Zhang Xuan, it's all Zhang Xuan's fault... If I don't make your life a living hell, my name isn't Zhang!"

Gritting his teeth, he transferred all his anger onto the man who had just made him lose face.

If not for this man, how could he have suffered such humiliation? How could he have failed to build a relationship and ended up in this state?

Walking some distance away, he turned to look at Chen Leyao and saw her gazing at Zhang Xuan in the distance, her expression complicated, as if lost in thought.

"Damn it..."

Seeing this only made him angrier and more puzzled.

This Chen Leyao seemed perfectly normal and indifferent to others—why was she suddenly treating this guy like this?

Had she been bewitched?

...

"Senior Sister Leyao, that Zhang Qian has decent background and talent—why did you suddenly fall out with him?"

A woman from the Icefield Palace approached Chen Leyao.

She hadn't followed when Zhang Xuan made his move and hadn't heard their conversation. Now seeing Senior Sister Leyao take action, she was full of curiosity.

Zhang Qian had excellent background and appearance, and was very polite—why had they come to blows?

"Do you know who that person who came to ask about the Young Palace Master was?"

Chen Leyao said.

"I don't know..." The woman shook her head.

"It was Teacher Zhang Xuan!" Chen Leyao nodded.

"Zhang Xuan? Zhang... Could it be the benefactor who resolved our cultivation隐患?" The woman stiffened.

"Yes, it's him! And if I'm not mistaken, he's also the Young Palace Master's teacher..."

Chen Leyao nodded.

"How is that possible..."

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief.

The Icefield Palace's Yin and Yang techniques had inherent flaws; cultivators almost always died young, with lifespans not exceeding three hundred years even at the Saint Domain—a vast gap compared to other cultivators' thousand years.

Because of this, the women of the Icefield Palace, though numerous, withered like flowers at their most brilliant, carrying a touch of tragic beauty.

They had thought they would follow the same old path, but never dreamed that eight months ago, Elder Liu Xuan brought back a young girl who, due to her pure yin constitution, became the Young Palace Master. Moreover, she was taught a modified technique!

This technique could easily remedy the flaws in the Yin and Yang techniques, restoring cultivators' lifespans to normal!

Although the higher-ups had suppressed news of the technique's origin, as the most core geniuses of the Icefield Palace, they knew a little.

It was created by the Young Palace Master's teacher, a master teacher named 'Zhang Xuan'...

They had imagined this benefactor to be an old man, at least an eight-star master teacher, but never dreamed he was so young, around their age!

"Modifying the technique and resolving our隐患—he is our second parent..."

Realizing this, the woman flushed with excitement.

"Yes, such a benefactor, and I was about to attack him—truly unforgivable... How about we go pay our respects?"

Chen Leyao said with a wry smile.

"Alright!" The woman nodded, quickly called over the others, explained the situation, and they all looked shocked before heading toward Zhang Xuan.

...

"How could you be so reckless!"

Zhao Xingmo was furious as he looked at Zhang Xuan and couldn't help scolding him.

The other party was a genius of the Zhang family, and Zhang Xuan had slapped him to the ground, unable to get up, losing all face—this meant thoroughly offending the Zhang family. How could he continue in the Saint Son Hall?

"I just wanted to ask some questions. It was that Zhang Qian who made the first move..."

Zhang Xuan was unconcerned.

Although the Zhang family was powerful, this was the Master Teacher Continent, the Saint Son Hall—everything had to follow the rules!

As long as he stayed within the rules... there was nothing to fear.

If pushed too far, he could always do what he did at the Hall of闯堂—storm the Zhang family!

"You've just arrived and don't know the Zhang family's influence in the Saint Son Hall. Once you fully understand, you won't think that way..."

Seeing his indifference, Zhao Xingmo shook his head. "Let me put it this way: although the Saint Son Hall is an academy that transcends the saint clans, the Zhang family, as the top family, gets too many quotas and passes the exams... In every grade of the academy, they have people, and almost all occupy the most important positions or possess peak strength... Offend one, and you offend a whole crowd. No matter what you do, you'll find it extremely difficult!"

Better to deal with an official than a petty clerk; a king of hell is easier to handle than a minor ghost. Offending small fry can sometimes be more troublesome than offending big shots.

"Even if they have many people, they can't just act recklessly!"

Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Even if they don't act recklessly and follow the rules, it's still a headache. Not to mention anything else, if so many people each challenge you, will you have time to cultivate?"

Zhao Xingmo said.

"This..."

Zhang Xuan fell silent.

Indeed.

The Saint Son Hall didn't forbid conflicts among students. If the other side had numbers, and a few came to challenge him every day, even if they weren't strong enough to defeat him, it would still be endlessly annoying.

"And just now, you not only offended the Zhang family but also the Icefield Palace! Although the Icefield Palace can't compare to the Zhang family in the Saint Son Hall, it's still a first-rate force. More importantly... they are all women, with immense appeal! They can almost rally a hundred with a single call. If they publicly declare someone should be taught a lesson, countless geniuses will rush to cause you trouble without them even lifting a finger."

Zhao Xingmo continued.

It wasn't just that they were women; they were also very beautiful. Moreover, as one of the continent's overlords, every member of the Icefield Palace could drive countless people wild.

Thus, in the Saint Son Hall, almost no one dared to offend them. Offending one meant offending countless experts.

But this guy, despite being told repeatedly, had gone to find them and ended up in an unpleasant situation...

Couldn't he just stay put, take the exam peacefully, and not cause trouble?

Low-key...

And you call this low-key?

If this is low-key, then there's no such thing as high-profile!

"If it comes to it, go apologize to the Icefield Palace to avoid disaster. Otherwise, if the two major forces join hands, even ten heads won't be enough to save you!"

After thinking it over, Zhao Xingmo said.

Although he was only responsible for guiding newcomers, after traveling together, he had grown fond of this genius and didn't want to see him besieged as soon as he arrived at the Saint Son Hall due to recklessness.

"This..."

Zhang Xuan scratched his head, unsure how to respond, when Zhang Jiuxiao's face changed and he said nervously, "The Icefield Palace people are coming..."

"Hmm?"

Zhao Xingmo and Zhang Xuan both looked and saw Chen Leyao and several Icefield Palace women walking slowly toward them.

"They're coming together—they must have made some agreement with Zhang Qian and are here to demand an explanation..."

Zhao Xingmo frowned.

He hadn't seen Chen Leyao teach Zhang Yu a lesson earlier, and now the Icefield Palace people were approaching en masse—what else could it be but trouble?

"Here's what: when they arrive, apologize first, and if necessary, offer some compensation... As long as we can avoid trouble!"

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Xingmo quickly sent a voice transmission.

"Apologize?" Zhang Xuan was conflicted. "What should I say?"

Apologizing wasn't impossible, but... he hadn't done anything wrong, so he really couldn't bring himself to say it.

"What to say?"

Not expecting such low emotional intelligence, Zhao Xingmo sighed helplessly. "Alright, I'll teach you. Repeat it exactly as I say!"

"Alright! When they arrive, say this: 'Fairy Leyao, I was reckless just now. I sincerely apologize and hope you can forgive me...'"

"Okay!"

Knowing the other meant well, Zhang Xuan had just memorized the words when he saw the Icefield Palace women already before him.

"Leyao..."

Clearing his throat, he was about to repeat what Zhao Xingmo had taught him when the girl before him bowed gracefully: "Teacher Zhang, I was reckless just now. I sincerely apologize and hope you can forgive me..."

"Ah?"

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

"Ahem..."

Zhao Xingmo's eyes widened, and he nearly stumbled.

Weren't they here to cause trouble?

Why were they apologizing?

And most crucially, it was word for word what he had said...

"This is a specialty of our Icefield Palace—Cold Ice Essence... It's extremely effective for the Out-of-Body realm. Teacher Zhang, if you don't mind, please accept it as compensation for my earlier rudeness..."

Before his shock subsided, Chen Leyao turned her wrist and produced a jade bottle, offering it to him.

"Cold Ice Essence? This... is the most precious thing of the Icefield Palace. A single bottle is worth at least a thousand high-grade essence spirit stones..."

Zhao Xingmo's eyes bulged as he swallowed hard.

Cold Ice Essence was a rare treasure even in the Icefield Palace, almost never sold... And Chen Leyao was giving it away...

What had happened?

Shouldn't she be angry and demanding an explanation?

Why was she so cautious, not only apologizing but also giving gifts?

He simply couldn't figure it out and felt dizzy.