Chapter 245: The Conflict Escalates
Liu Chengfeng had used both his network and Elder Iron’s instructions to invite five disciples from the Precious Tree Sect this time.
Of these five, a middle aged man with a bulbous nose was their leader. Judging from his clothing, he was someone who held a certain level of status within the sect.
The other four were younger, but were all dressed in the accoutrements of core disciples.
All of the disciples within the Precious Tree Sect were divided into multiple levels.
The disciples of the four great sites were also technically disciples of the Precious Tree Sect. However, they were only considered outer disciples.
Those who’d entered the Precious Tree Sect were counted as inner disciples.
Inner disciples who did well for themselves could be promoted to core disciples.
The elite of those core disciples could be chosen as personal disciples for any senior executives that looked upon them favorably.
The senior executives wouldn’t have only one personal disciple either. Of their personal disciples, any who were selected as candidates for passing on their heritage would become true disciples.
Thus, overall speaking, there were four levels of ranking for the Precious Tree Sect disciples, if one didn’t include the outer disciples.
Every level was further divided into one star to nine star divisions, and everyone was strictly segregated.
The privileges and status enjoyed by each level was clearly delineated.
Therefore, although the Northern Palace had their so-called trio of geniuses, they were actually just outer sect disciples in the end.
They would only become true inner disciples if they made it through the sect’s selection process.
The number of stars each inner disciple possessed would also result in greatly different treatment and status.
These four disciples were all core disciples, so their positions were quite different. Ordinary inner disciples couldn’t measure up to them at all.
The clothing of the bulbous nose middle aged man was also obviously behind that of a disciple. Judging from his demeanor, he was likely mid to senior management within the sect.
With Liu Chengfeng’s little bit of face, there was no way he would’ve been able to invite such a character himself.
He had actually begged Elder Iron Can for quite a while this time until Iron Can had personally given orders to one of his men to accompany Liu Chengfeng.
This senior executive was quite a personage even within the sect’s middle management. Ordinary disciples had to stop and pay their respects to him when they saw him within the sect.
If it hadn’t been for Elder Iron’s instructions, this level of character would’ve disdained coming to a mundane kingdom, much less than propose marriage on someone else’s behalf.
He had come completely because of Elder Iron, and was trying to facilitate the marriage alliance between the Southern and Northern Palaces purely because it was Elder Iron’s plan.
After all, the Northern Palace was Elder Iron’s sphere of influence within the Skylaurel Kingdom. If the Northern Palace folded in on itself, then Elder Iron’s plans within this mundane kingdom would come crashing down like a house of cards.
As one of Elder Iron’s men, the bulbous nose man naturally couldn’t sit idly by and watch this happen.
Seeing Liu Chengfeng’s distress signal, the man cast a glance at the core disciples, indicating for them to charge first.
Indeed, a core sect disciple took a lofty stance with an imposing aura. His gaze remote, full of the feeling of one looking down from a superior position, he swept his look over Jiang Chen’s camp.
That arrogant gaze then shot towards Palace Head Ning.
“Palace Head Ning, I don’t know what you’re hesitating for. Xiao Yu is destined for great things within the sect and has an unlimited future. Even if a mundane pill master has some ability to him, what does he have to compete with a disciple of the Precious Tree Sect? You’re a member of the sect, do you still need to consider anything about a matter like this?”
Another sect disciple also said, “Palace Head Ning, can it be that you’ve been polluted with the dust of an ordinary kingdom after spending so much time here? What choice would be more worthy than the boundless martial dao? A pill master that rolls around in the dirt of the mundane world is a pill master, to put it nicely, but an ant to put it bluntly.”
“A mundane ant inviting a motley arrangement is enough to make your heart waver? Palace Head Ning, your heart of martial dao is still not resolute enough!” Another sect disciple sighed.
Palace Head Ning was at a momentary loss for words after being criticized by these core disciples. She looked at Qiao Baishi with a wry smile.
Although Palace Head Ning was the master of a great site, she was still a character on the sidelines in the backdrop of the Precious Tree Sect, and may not even hold as much power as these core disciples.
At the very least, she definitely wouldn’t enjoy their kind of treatment within the sect.
They were young, had potential, and patrons.
It was a natural thing for youthful arrogance to completely dismiss her, the boss of a satellite organization.
She couldn’t respond in kind though. If she did, she might offend those within the sect. It was unwise to give offense to these core disciples.
Dan Fei’s graceful brow creased when she heard the tones of these disciples, the words of “a mundane ant inviting a motley arrangement” was particularly displeasing to her ears.
However, when she recalled the honored tutor’s daily teachings, Dan Fei still controlled her temper and didn’t engage in senseless fights over face.
Jiang Chen laughed coldly, “Motley arrangement? These words are rather suitable for you. Mouthing off about ants and mundane dust, you guys don’t seem to be that removed from the earthly world either. Are those from the Precious Tree Sect all brainless fools like you with your noses to the sky?”
These disciples had long since grown used to the feeling of superiority afforded by a sect disciple. They’d long since been accustomed to pointing fingers at people’s noses and sitting firmly on high.
In their eyes, it was a perfectly justified right to hector some lowly ants!
They hadn’t thought at all that someone would dare talk back at them and call them brainless fools!
“Who the hell are you to talk back to a Precious Tree Sect disciple?!”
“You’ve got some guts brat! Do you know that a sect disciple holds the power of life or death in the mundane world? Killing you is like killing an ant!”
Jiang Chen chuckled, “I seem to have heard these words before. Did someone called Elder Iron or something like that threaten me like that before? But here I am, perfectly fine and healthy.”
“I say you guys, what are you doing here making fools of yourselves instead of practicing in the sect? Even Elder Iron couldn’t handle something like backing someone else up. You guys can just save it.”
Liu Chenfeng roared around when he saw Jiang Chen strutting around, “Jiang Chen, you watch your mouth! You only luckily escaped from death last time because of the tutor’s protection. You dare talk back to the core disciples of the sect this time and challenge the authority of the Precious Tree Sect! You’re courting death!”
Old man Fei mocked when he saw Liu Chengfeng hop up and down, “Liu Chengfeng, don’t you haul out the sect name to scare others. Your flustered emotions aren’t frightening anyone.”
“Shut up you old man! If I were you, I would’ve shut up and stayed quietly in a corner a long time ago! You offended Elder Iron when you were young and was exiled to the mundane world. Do you want to challenge the elder’s authority again today?!”
Jiang Chen started, he’d heard old man Fei mention that he accidentally offended an elder’s son when he was young and was exiled for that.
That had been decades ago.
Given this, that son of an elder was the current Elder Iron Can. Iron Can’s father then hadn’t been an esteemed elder then and was only an ordinary elder?
Old man Fei didn’t have much to show for these decades of time and was much less than Iron Can. The latter had made use of his old man’s power to become an elder!
One had to say, Liu Chengfeng’s words thoroughly picked at old man Fei’s old wounds and triggered his painful past, igniting the flares of hatred within his heart as well.
A harsh look shot out of old man Fei’s eyes as he stared fixedly at Liu Chengfeng. The flames of fires roared to life in his eyes, wanting to burn Liu Chengfeng down to ashes at any moment.
“Liu Chengfeng, it’s true that I offended Iron Can when I was young, but I’m at least more of a man than you. You slave away for Iron Can as his dog, but you’re just a boss on the outside. I’m not Iron Can’s dog but I’m not that much worse off than you. I’d like to ask you, is being a dog for hopeless trash like Iron Can really that much fun?”
Old man Fei had a rueful expression on his face as he counter attacked.
These words not only cursed out Liu Chengfeng, but those of the sect and even Iron Can as well!
Even Shi Xiaoyao was privately astonished when he heard these words. Hadn’t old man Fei always reined in his temper before? What was going on today? Hadn’t he always avoided Iron Can and was afraid of angering Iron Can?
Palace Head Ning was even more anxious. Old man Fei wasn’t keeping a lid on his mouth at all and was thoroughly offending Elder Iron. Wouldn’t this drag in the Southern Palace as well?
The expressions of the core sect disciples all changed drastically.
The bulbous nose man in particular, he was Elder Iron’s confidante and had only climbed to his current position by hanging onto Elder Iron’s thigh. He was now a novice senior executive within the sect and held an extremely high position.
Of course, he was indeed Iron Elder’s lackey, but he was losing quite a lot of face when words like these were blatantly spoken!
His face frozen, he surged to his feet and exuded a powerful aura. He glared at old man Fei and roared, “Fei Xuan, it looks like you haven’t learned your lesson after holing up in the Qingyang Valley for so many years! Elder Iron has almost forgotten you, but now you have the guts to jump out like this? Talking impertinently, you’re courting death!”
“And who the hell are you?” Old man Fei rolled his eyes as he asked coldly.
Palace Head Ning hastened to smooth things over when she saw that things were about to get out of hand. “Everyone, be calm, please calm down. Small matters like these are not worth making a life or death issue out of them.”
The bulbous nose man’s eyes widened, “Palace Head Ning, don’t get involved. This old man dared insult Elder Iron! Whoever wants to get involved in this matter today is going against Elder Iron!”
This man’s position was obviously quite high as Palace Head Ning shut her mouth accordingly after he’d spoken.
It was rather Fei Xuan who laughed lazily, “Tsk tsk, look at that posturing! I’m rather curious, just what you want to do with that kind of posturing? Scare me?”
Pa!
The man slapped something onto a table and shouted, “Fei Xuan, open your dog eyes and look closely at what this is!”
It was patently a Precious Tree Sect medallion. The words “senior executive” were carved on it.
Whether it was Palace Head Ning or Shi Xiaoyao, their faces grew a bit ugly when they saw the medallion.
Sect disciples could at most strut cockily and throw their weight around.
But this medallion was the equivalent of sect leadership, an item with true authority!
Seeing this medallion was the same as seeing the Precious Tree Sect.
This medallion was enough to crush those present to death!