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Time rewinds to about five minutes ago.
In the Yellow Dragon Temple of Jie Long's Seventh Academy, the audience room was filled with the academy's most distinguished individuals.
Fan Xinglou sat on a throne-like wide chair, propping his chin on his hand, looking indifferent.
Before him, a group of his disciples had gathered.
Zhao Hufeng and Cecily.
Li Shenyun and Li Shenhua.
Even Wu Xiaofei, who usually practiced deep within the Yellow Dragon Temple, stood lined up in front of Fan Xinglou like soldiers.
However, a fierce argument was taking place.
"Master, please reconsider your command!"
Zhao Hufeng urged Fan Xinglou in a high-pitched voice.
"Even if the Gryphon Festa is just around the corner and the registration deadline is almost here, we can't just pair up randomly!"
This single statement made it clear to anyone familiar with Fan Xinglou's disciples what the situation was.
"I don't oppose participating in the Gryphon Festa," Zhao Hufeng continued, pointing at the Li siblings and raising his voice to Fan Xinglou, "But why do we have to team up with these twins?"
This was the crux of the argument.
In just over a month, the Gryphon Festa would commence.
Naturally, Fan Xinglou, who thrived on conflict, would not miss the chance to get involved, just like she had at the Phoenix Festa. She began commanding his disciples to form teams for the Gryphon Festa.
Unlike the partnered competitions of the Phoenix Festa, the Gryphon Festa required a group of five members to form a team in order to register.
In other words, the five people standing here were the team members that Fan Xinglou had personally designated to participate in the Gryphon Festa.
This included Wu Xiaofei, who had rarely appeared before.
However, it wasn't just Wu Xiaofei; Cecily and the Li siblings were also part of the mix.
Cecily had no issues teaming up, as she was Zhao Hufeng's senior sister and had partnered with him in the previous Phoenix Festa, so he had no objections to her.
Although Wu Xiaofei rarely communicated with Zhao Hufeng and their relationship wasn't particularly close, Zhao Hufeng bore him no ill will, especially since his strength was well-recognized. As the only one among the disciples who could practice with Fan Xinglou, teaming up with such a master should raise no objections.
But the Li siblings were a different story.
Zhao Hufeng had always disliked this arrogant brother-sister duo, who thought they were better than everyone else. The Wood Faction and Water Faction had been at odds for a long time, making this conflict inevitable.
"Isn't there anyone among Master's disciples who is more suitable to compete? Also, considering team balance, this isn't ideal either!"
Zhao Hufeng argued passionately.
"Cecily is proficient in Seisenjutsu, and First Senior Brother is also a master of Seisenjutsu. If we add this brother-sister duo from the Water Faction, then I'll be the only one relying purely on martial arts in the team! This is completely unbalanced!"
Without a doubt, this was unreasonable.
Although Cecily was a master of Lightning System Seisenjutsu and the leader of the Water Faction, she had also excelled in martial arts before studying Seisenjutsu. In terms of Taijutsu, her level was definitely at Page One.
Wu Xiaofei was even more impressive, having surpassed Cecily in Seisenjutsu and matching or even exceeding Zhao Hufeng in martial arts, not limited to just Seisenjutsu.
Therefore, Zhao Hufeng's arguments were not very persuasive.
Fan Xinglou was well aware of this but also understood that it would not convince Zhao Hufeng.
So, he turned to the others.
"Hufeng has expressed his views. What do you all think?"
Fan Xinglou inquired about the opinions of the others.
In response, Cecily replied with a bored expression.
"I don't really care; at least I'm not as good as those twins in Illusion Techniques."
She maintained her usual indifferent demeanor, sounding lackluster in her response.
Wu Xiaofei, on the other hand, slightly raised his head and spoke somewhat dazedly.
"I will follow Master's arrangements."
Wu Xiaofei, who held more loyalty and respect for Fan Xinglou than anyone else, naturally would not question her decisions.
As a result, even the Li siblings spoke with sarcastic expressions.
"We don't mind either."
"After all, the stronger the teammates, the better."
"To win, that's the only thing we need to consider."
"So thinking about other matters is completely pointless."
The twin siblings exchanged their comments in perfect harmony, one after another, which made Zhao Hufeng's face turn red with anger.
This made Fan Xinglou laugh loudly.
"It seems that only you have objections to this arrangement, Hufeng."
In other words, the minority should submit to the majority.
This left Zhao Hufeng at a loss for words.
At that moment, however, Fan Xinglou's expression suddenly changed and a joyful look appeared on her youthful face.
Then Fan Xinglou said, "I didn't expect that kid to come back so timely."
As soon as these words were spoken, the group of disciples was taken aback one after another.
Until Fan Xinglou extended her hand and gently waved it in the air.
"Buzz————!"
In the audience room of the Yellow Dragon Temple, the entire elegantly styled hall suddenly began to distort.
The Mana in the air surged with incredible speed.
The brilliance of Prana glittered vibrantly.
By the time everyone reacted, the glow of Mana had already gathered at the front of the hall.
Then, as if a door had been opened, a figure slowly emerged.
...
Fang Li felt the scenery in front of him twist, and when he regained his senses, he found himself in the familiar hall.
"Junior Brother?!"
Cecily and Zhao Hufeng exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
"Tsk…" Li Shenyun and Li Shenhua clicked their tongues in displeasure.
Even Wu Xiaofei transferred his gaze to Fang Li, and a flicker of emotion finally appeared in his usually dull eyes.
Looking at these familiar fellow disciples, Fang Li understood and raised his head to look at Fan Xinglou.
There, Fan Xinglou was gazing down at Fang Li, smiling as she spoke. "You are finally back, kid. Was the journey enjoyable?"
Hearing this, Fang Li smiled slightly and replied, "I can't say whether it was enjoyable or not; I just almost lost my life several times."
Upon hearing Fang Li's words, the group of apprentice brothers was once again startled on the spot.
Only Fan Xinglou's smile did not wane, but the gaze she directed at Fang Li gradually carried an oppressive weight.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
The people present instinctively held their breath.
Faced with this pressure, Fang Li merely opened his eyes.
A sharp aura flickered briefly around his body, akin to the shadow of a ghost.
"Oh?" Fan Xinglou's eyes immediately lit up.
(End Of The Chapter)