Covering the Sky: I, Wang Teng, truly lack the bearing of an emperor.

This gap impressed many talented individuals, but they were helpless to change it, because Wang Teng's strength was indeed far beyond theirs.

Even if they express their dissatisfaction now, no one will care.

Strength is the foundation of everything. Unless they possess strength like Wang Teng, they will not be respected by the Lord of Qishi Mansion. Otherwise, even if they show their temper, it will be of no use and will only lower these people's impression of them.

Not to mention this group of people, even the Holy Son of Yao Guang felt very dissatisfied. When he first came to Qishi Mansion, the person in charge of welcoming him was just a deputy mansion master at the half-saint level.

Now that Wang Teng has just arrived, almost all the high-ranking officials of Qishi Mansion have turned out to welcome him, and they have even held a special banquet to welcome him. How could he possibly be convinced by this?

The emotions of the Holy Son of Yaoguang are not an isolated case.

Even some of the most promising talents who had a good relationship with Wang Teng had reservations about this matter.

The Ji family's divine body watched this scene quietly, its gaze calm, but its heart was not as calm as its expression.

Jiang's divine body's eyes flickered, it was unclear whether he was happy for Wang Teng or considering this special treatment.

Jiang Yifei stood beside the Jiang family's divine body. The two were like brothers and were both very powerful, and were known by others as the Jiang family's twin heroes.

"These senior members of the Qishi Mansion aren't exactly pure of heart," Jiang Yifei chuckled as he spoke.

With so many people watching, it's hard to say whether these senior figures were trying to give Wang Teng preferential treatment or to set a special example for him so that others would remember him from the start.

"It doesn't matter. It's just a few tricks. It might give others a headache, but it doesn't matter to Wang Teng," Jiang's divine body said with a smile.

Even if the intention is to incite other young people to target Wang Teng, what difference does it make to Wang Teng?

To put it bluntly, even if they all attacked together, could they possibly defeat Wang Teng?

“That’s true.” Jiang Yifei nodded, but his eyes flickered. He felt that his divine body seemed to idolize Wang Teng too much.

It was clearly from the beginning that his own divine body was beaten up by Wang Teng before it was born to witness the other geniuses. Unexpectedly, his own divine body has now become Wang Teng's most loyal fan.

However, as long as it's something your own divine body says, there shouldn't be any problem.

For Wang Teng, the so-called dissatisfaction of the younger generation is really not a problem.

Putting aside Wang Teng's ability to win people over, just considering his strength alone, all those people combined wouldn't be enough to defeat him alone.

The power of time is the most ruthless and unsolvable.

Anyone who knows Wang Teng is perfectly aware of this.

"A welcome dinner to wash away the dust of travel..." Wang Teng nodded.

A main hall inside the Qishi Mansion.

This is a place unknown to everyone else, known only to a select few within the Qishi Mansion.

This has nothing to do with tradition; it's simply about the underlying cultural heritage.

This is considered the oldest building in the Qishi Palace complex, witnessing the generations of Qishi Palace's heritage.

The fact that the Lord of Qishi Mansion is hosting a welcome dinner for Wang Teng here demonstrates how much Qishi Mansion values ​​him.

"Welcome young friend Wang Teng to the Qishi Mansion, representing the Big Dipper on the ancient path of the stars." The head of the Qishi Mansion smiled, raised a cup of fine wine brewed for ten thousand years, and toasted Wang Teng.

This is a rare opportunity within the Qishi Mansion, a fine wine that only beings who have traversed more than half of the ancient starry road can enjoy upon returning to the Big Dipper.

Moreover, this fine wine is not something everyone can enjoy.

Only a select few who have been granted "priority" or are considered to have the potential to attain enlightenment in the future can enjoy this level of fine wine. Therefore, it is also known as the "Enlightenment Wine" and is sought after by countless geniuses who come to this place.

Among this generation, Wang Teng was the first to come into contact with this fine wine.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Lord, but isn't such ostentation a bit inappropriate?" Wang Teng said with a smile.

How could he not know he was being used as a pawn? But he didn't care.

If he could hone those people and enable them to demonstrate greater combat power or stronger unity when the dark turmoil breaks out in the future, then he would be happy to be that whetstone.

“Young people should be bold and outspoken. How can they gain recognition from others if they hide their talents? In many cases, hiding one’s talents is useless and will only cause others to look down on them and miss out on many things. So why not simply set a benchmark for others and tell them that as long as they can achieve this, they can also enjoy this kind of treatment,” said the Lord of Qishi Mansion with a smile.

“But,” Wang Teng couldn’t help but say, “this benchmark is too high.”

It's amazing that these people would think of using themselves as a benchmark.

This shows they're determined not to let anyone else enjoy the same privileges as geniuses.

"Is it too high? But shouldn't these things be as high as possible? If we set a mid-range benchmark, most people who come here can achieve it. If we set a slightly above-mid-range benchmark, some people can still achieve it. Even if we use someone like the Holy Son of Yao Guang as the benchmark, there are still a few who can achieve it. And using you as the benchmark is naturally the most suitable. No one can compare to you, but they can barely see your back. As long as you occasionally stop and pause, they will think they have seen hope."

The lord of Qishi Mansion spoke with a smile.

As for whether it might discourage these people from making progress, that was not something he was even considering.

Because everyone who comes here wants to become stronger and has a burning desire in their heart. If they don't want to become the number one among the younger generation and sweep across the ancient starry road, who would be willing to stop and not move forward?

If they were to stop so easily, then even the head of the Qishi Mansion would have nothing to say.

“That makes some sense, but it’s too difficult for them to catch up with me,” Wang Teng stated calmly.

The gap between him and others is so large that he has "stagnated" in a short period of time, and it is not so easy for others to catch up with him.

But perhaps this is exactly the effect that Qishi Mansion wanted.

“If there’s not much of a gap, they won’t have the motivation to move forward. If the gap is too small, it won’t fully ignite their fighting spirit. Only when the gap is large enough can it truly inspire their fighting spirit,” the Master of Qishi Mansion said with a smile.

"Of course, we have also taken your situation into account. So, it's not just the person ranked first who gets those rewards. Anyone who ranks in the top three in overall strength within the Qishi Mansion can also get certain rewards. However, the lower the ranking, the less reward they receive."

"What do you think of the idea of ​​having someone at the forefront to guide everyone, while the second and third places are left for others to compete for?" the Lord of Qishi Mansion asked.

His strength is formidable; he is one of the few remaining ancient saints in Zhongzhou. Moreover, compared to the Supreme Hall, which claims to be neutral, they are the truly neutral ones.

Regarding the resurgence of the ancient races, neither the ancient races, nor the human races, nor other races such as the demon races, have ever stepped forward. They have not uttered a single word, merely playing their assigned roles and never interfering in anything.

However, this has been a tradition of Qishifu.

Qishi Mansion has always maintained this absolute neutrality, which is why they have been able to maintain it for so many years.

No one else could ask Qishifu to do anything in this regard.

It is enough to protect the path of the stars for the creatures of Beidou.

“I think it’s alright. We need to give those people some motivation and fighting spirit. If the seniors think I’m suitable, then let me be the benchmark.” Wang Teng nodded.

Indeed, he didn't care about this matter. Whether it was to make him a target of hatred or to let him enjoy the treatment of first place as a matter of course under the envious gaze of everyone, Wang Teng himself didn't care about any of it.

It's nothing more than being envied by others or envied by some, but what can you do whether you're envied or envied?
Those who follow him will continue to follow him, while those who disliked him in the first place may become even more disliked.

But what can you do about it?

Would those dozen or so people from the Gongdaotang be dissatisfied with him because of such blatant discrimination, and thus fall apart from him?
Would the people from the Ji and Jiang families have a problem with me because of this blatant discrimination, and then gradually become estranged from me?
Or will the Holy Son of Yaoguang strive to improve himself and build a closer relationship with the other party after seeing such obvious differential treatment?

Obviously, this is impossible.

The relationship between Wang Teng and those geniuses was already established, and no matter what the Qishi Mansion did, it wouldn't have much of an impact.

So in some ways, rather than saying that he actually pushed Wang Teng out as a benchmark to attract everyone's attention and pursuit, it would be more accurate to say that Qishi Mansion used Wang Teng to make itself the target.

This is something anyone can figure out with a little thought.

"Hahaha, we knew that with your magnanimity, you would definitely not refuse!" The head of Qishi Mansion said with a smile.

The banquet in the palace was lavish, featuring some ingredients rarely seen even in the outside world. If these were made public, even figures of the Hundred Schools of Thought would be tempted and driven mad by them. However, in order to win over Wang Teng, these items were simply laid out on the table for him to use.

On it, Wang Teng even saw top-grade dragon marrow!

Although it was only a small portion, it was served on the table.

"Hahaha, we already know that you have entered the Sendai Secret Realm, so this item is not for you, but for the princess." The master of Qishi Mansion said with a smile.

Yan Ruyu, who was standing to the side, nodded slightly and accepted the top-grade dragon marrow.

Although Wang Teng had prepared something even better for Yan Ruyu, since it was a gift from someone else, he naturally wouldn't be polite.

Why not take it? Even if Yan Ruyu doesn't need it, someone else will.

"These items are also rarely seen outside the area. If you don't mind, you can take them back with you."

Perhaps because a consensus had been reached, the head of Qishi Mansion was in a good mood and even brought out what he considered to be his most precious possession.

There were several leaves, each with a different shape. Some were bell-shaped, some were tripod-shaped, and there were two that looked like small longswords. Although they were leaves, they exuded a sharp and powerful aura.

"Enlightenment Tea?" Wang Teng's expression was strange.

He was already tired of these things, but he didn't expect them to be so precious here at Qishi Mansion.

“Exactly. These things are hard to find outside these days. They are also part of the Qishi Mansion’s internal inventory. Every piece used is one less available.” The head of the Qishi Mansion nodded.

This time he really paid a heavy price; he even took out ten tea leaves from the Enlightenment Tea.

Wang Teng is too extraordinary. There has never been anyone as powerful as him throughout history. Therefore, when he embarks on the ancient star road in the future, he will surely shock everyone.

As the starting point of this ancient starry road, Qishi Mansion will also receive many benefits.

Moreover, since Wang Teng is here and willing to cooperate with them to set this benchmark, perhaps the geniuses in other parts of Beidou will work even harder. When the Ancient Road to the Stars opens, their strength will be even greater.

"Then thank you very much, senior." Wang Teng smiled and accepted the Enlightenment Tea.

He doesn't lack these things, so he's too lazy to compete with others for them, but he doesn't want to refuse those that are offered to him.

Moreover, this is "old tea" that has been stored for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. It's fine to accept it, and maybe in the future I can give it to the Great Accomplishment Holy Body or those barbarian slaves so that they can recall the years thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago.

"Hahaha, it's a pleasure to cooperate." The head of Qishi Mansion chuckled and said.

Wang Teng has already accepted the gifts he sent, which proves that Wang Teng will stand with them.

With Wang Teng around, this fishpond, which was not so competitive to begin with, will surely be able to cultivate a few more big dragons!

The meal was short, but the elders from Qishi Mansion gave a lot of gifts.

Only after the meal was over did Wang Teng and Yan Ruyu leave the depths of Qishi Mansion.

Outside, people were already waiting to greet them.

The thirteen members of the Wang family had been waiting here all along. Besides the thirteen of them, there were also those who had a very good relationship with Wang Teng, such as the Azure-Clad Little Flood Dragon King, and other prodigies from the East, such as Jiang Yifei, who possessed the divine bodies of the Jiang and Ji families...

These people all had a good relationship with Wang Teng, and now that they saw him come out, they greeted him with smiles.

Wang Teng also greeted them warmly.

This was truly the first gathering since Wang Teng arrived at Qishi Mansion.

Only these people from the Eastern Wilderness!
Even the Holy Son of Yao Guang, who was very reluctant to have any interaction with Wang Teng, came. He stood aside, showing a bright smile, welcoming Wang Teng's arrival. (End of this chapter)