It turns out, they were the main characters.

And looking at their eyes now... the Great White Shark seems to think of him as one of the fish in the pond.

Chapter 162 The Third Protagonist! 4.5K

"I used to think of the leaders as great white sharks in my fishpond, but now it seems they see me as just another little fish in theirs..."

Mu Zhian noticed the gazes of the chief members and couldn't help but mentally complain.

Then, when he heard thunder rumbling in the sky, he quickly gathered his thoughts.

In any case, these things can be put aside for now.

There's only one thing to do now—survive the tribulation of lightning.

If we had to say something, even if the leaders were planning to "harvest" him, they would still hope that he could continue to break through in the future, preferably to the Void Returning Realm.

After all, the higher one's level, the more benefits one can offer.

Mu Zhian stopped thinking about it and focused on dealing with the lightning tribulation.

……

Liangyi Peak.

Lan Mulian looked up and gazed in the direction of the Holy Temple, her beautiful eyes reflecting the vast clouds of calamity.

She had a cool and aloof demeanor, but there was a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Although I've always felt that this junior brother is a bit unserious, it seems that he hasn't been neglecting his cultivation.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible to break through to the Refining Spirit Realm so quickly.

but……

The place for the tribulation happened to be the Pilgrimage Hall… Lan Mulian turned her head slightly and looked at the sect leader who was sitting under the pavilion, idly playing chess with himself, and asked, “Master, what exactly is the seal in the Pilgrimage Hall?”

Shang Yanfei lowered her head and studied the chessboard intently. After a long while, she slowly said, "In short, it's not a good thing."

Lan Mulian frowned slightly and said softly, "If that's the case, is it really alright to let other disciples enter the Pilgrimage Hall?"

Shang Yanfei slightly raised her eyelids, a faint smile on her face, and said, "Are you worried about the disciples of the sect, or a disciple of a particular sect?"

His words carried a hint of teasing, while his calm, unwavering eyes gazed intently at Lan Mulian.

For some reason, this usually aloof senior sister seemed to see through everything under Shang Yanfei's gaze. After a brief silence, she said, "Naturally, I am a disciple of the sect."

At this point, she parted her lips slightly, casually changing the subject, and said, "That thing, was sealed by my master himself?"

Shang Yanfei slowly shook her head and said calmly, "No."

Lan Mulian breathed a slight sigh of relief.

If the seal in the pilgrimage hall was set up by Consort Shang Yan herself, then there would be a big problem.

Others may not know this sect leader, but Lan Mulian knows very well just how unfathomable her master's strength is.

If even she can only seal it instead of eliminating it, then this problem is serious.

“However, the magic array there was set up by me,” Shang Yanfei continued.

Lan Mulian suddenly raised her head, staring at the woman in black robes with unparalleled beauty, and asked, "Was the magic array in the Pilgrimage Hall set up by Master?"

Shang Yanfei nodded slightly and placed a white piece on the chessboard.

Then, he took out a black piece, pondered for a moment, and placed it on the board.

"Is the creature sealed in the Pilgrimage Hall a demon?" Lan Mulian asked, gazing intently at the sect leader.

"Yes."

"However, I didn't set up the seal back then; I just went with the flow," Shang Yanfei said with a faint smile.

"Won't something happen to those sect disciples who enter the grotto-heaven of the Pilgrimage Hall?"

Shang Yanfei slowly shook her head, toying with the chess piece in her hand. She raised her head and gazed in the direction of the Holy Temple, saying softly, "With her here, there won't be any problems."

she……?

Lan Mulian's eyes flickered slightly. She was about to ask a question, but seeing that her master had completely entered a state of serious thought about the chess pieces, she ultimately held back her words.

She raised her head and gazed at the calamity clouds in front of the pilgrimage temple.

It wasn't until an unknown amount of time had passed, and the tribulation clouds had gradually dissipated, that he came to his senses and calmly withdrew his gaze.

It seems he has already advanced to the Refining Spirit Realm.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

As the clouds of calamity dissipated, Mu Zhian looked up at the sunrise breaking through the clouds in mid-air, and a great sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

After advancing to the Refining God Realm, his strength increased significantly, and his innate furnace was also strengthened, which can be said to be all good things.

The biggest problem is probably that we will have to face the "tests" of several leaders.

Apart from Ying Guhuan, the seventh seat of the demon realm, who openly expressed, "I just want your body, and I want you to help me cultivate," the other chief seats maintained their due reserve.

Although they frequently sent her elixirs in the past, expressing the First Master's "concern" for the younger generation, and even when Mu Zhi'an had any questions, they would guide her like an older sister next door.

However, neither Yu Ziyan, Yu Xuanji, nor Pavilion Master Yan ever said anything too explicit.

But not speaking out doesn't mean I don't have any thoughts.

In the past, they had never brought it up because Mu Zhian was only at the Qi Refining stage.

But Mu Zhian is no longer the same as before. Perhaps the chiefs were reserved before and did not speak up, but now it is completely different.

They worry that someone among them will be the first to ask Mu Zhian to contribute to the sect's prosperity.

Therefore, after much deliberation, the chief will inevitably speak up to test his intentions.

After that, the real power struggles begin.

Of course, all of that happened later. Now, he has advanced to the Refining Spirit Realm and found his own "Dao".

And all of this was because of that voice from before.

Mu Zhian raised his head and gazed at the ancient bronze gate of the altar.

The voice Ye Qian just heard and the voice he heard were from two completely different people.

So here's the question... why are there two voices in one cave?

The secret is hidden inside this bronze door.

"Brother Mu, are you alright?"

Ye Qian, who was standing beside him, ran up to him at some point, looking at him with worried eyes.

Mu Zhian composed himself slightly, shook his head and smiled, "It's nothing, I just used up a lot of spiritual energy, I'm not injured."

"And it's also thanks to the Spirit-Replenishing Pill that Lingxuan gave me before, otherwise I probably wouldn't have enough spiritual energy to use the Lone Star Sword three times in a row."

As Mu Zhian finished speaking, he looked at the girl in the purple dress who had walked gracefully to his side, gazed at her tenderly, and said.

Startled by Mu Zhian's sudden and direct thanks, Ye Lingxuan's pretty face flushed slightly, but in front of her younger sister, she maintained the composure and calmness befitting an older sister, and smiled gently:

"I was just adding icing on the cake. Whether you can survive this tribulation or not depends entirely on your own abilities."

She had barely finished speaking when Mu Zhian's voice transmission softly sounded in her ear: "Your pills may just be icing on the cake, but your intentions are anything but."

Ye Lingxuan glanced at him subconsciously and saw the boy staring intently at her. She maintained her usual composure and stared back at Mu Zhian.

But in the end, she succumbed to Mu Zhian's gaze and silently turned her face away.

Sure enough, this girl who usually appears so serene and elegant to outsiders is really amazing when she's shy... Mu Zhian silently gazed at Ye Lingxuan's slightly flushed face and couldn't help but think to himself.

At this moment, he suddenly noticed several cold gazes fixed on him. Mu Zhi'an was slightly taken aback. He looked up and realized that the disciples who were stepping into the bronze gate were all intentionally or unintentionally glancing at him as they passed by.

He gave me a look that seemed to say, "Hey bro, what's wrong with you?"

...regardless of gender.

Seemingly noticing Mu Zhian's somewhat surprised expression, Ye Qian's soft and pleasant voice floated into his ear: "My sister is very popular in the sect. If you flirt with her in public like this, be careful you don't get beaten up by the sect's disciples later."

Back when she was in the Ye family, Ye Lingxuan was always low-key and rarely went out, so not many people knew her.

However, within the Liangyi Sect, the young girl, due to her status as an inner disciple, her gradually maturing figure, and her stunningly beautiful face, naturally attracted the attention of many disciples.

After a moment of silence, Mu Zhian quickly looked at Ye Lingxuan with a teasing gaze and said with a smile, "Little sister Lingxuan is really popular."

"After all, she's the older sister, so this is quite normal." Ye Qian seemed quite proud.

"Stop joking with me, the chiefs are watching." Even a girl like Ye Lingxuan couldn't help but feel a little shy being "teased" by her sister and Mu Zhian at the same time, and she gently scolded them.

"The people the chiefs are looking at might not be you, but me..." Mu Zhi'an silently complained in his heart. When he looked up at the sky, he indeed noticed that the gazes of several chiefs were all on him.

Mu Zhian cupped his hands in greeting to them and said in a telepathic message, "I have received a lot of help from you all during this period. After this pilgrimage to the Holy Temple is over, I will pay you a visit to express my gratitude."

Just as Mu Zhian had guessed, because there were still quite a few disciples present, and other chief disciples were also watching from the side, neither Ying Guhuan nor Yan Ruyu and the others simply smiled and nodded, nor did they immediately invite Mu Zhian to sit on their main peak.

Moreover, Mu Zhian's words just now "hinted" that he would pay a visit to express his gratitude later.

As for how to thank him later... we can talk to him about it slowly.

After the telepathic message ended, Mu Zhian looked at Ye Lingxuan again and said softly, "Lingxuan, I'll take Qian'er into this cave to take a look. You wait for us outside."

Ye Lingxuan looked up at Mu Zhian, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and said, "Brother Mu, aren't you planning to take me with you?"

"Qian'er heard a voice in this pilgrimage hall. The opportunity here must be related to her, so please wait outside. Qian'er and I will be out in half an hour," Mu Zhi'an comforted her.

At that moment, he suddenly noticed a cold gaze fixed on him from the crowd. Mu Zhian, who was born with a spiritual body, naturally noticed the abnormality immediately.

Who is it that's staring at me so rudely... Mu Zhian followed the gaze and saw Bai Ruoxi standing in front of the Pilgrimage Hall at some point, and next to her was her maid Wei Mengrou.

Ruoxi, it's alright now...

Just as Mu Zhian was thinking this, Bai Ruoxi walked gracefully toward them from afar.

As if sensing something, Ye Lingxuan looked up and immediately felt immense pressure when she saw Miss Bai.

The pressure doesn't stem from ability, but from this Ms. Bai's tea ceremony skills.

To be honest, among all the people Ye Lingxuan knew, Bai Ruoxi was the most troublesome in her mind.

Ye Qian also noticed the beautiful woman in white palace attire in the distance and timidly said, "Sister Ruoxi."

Bai Ruoxi smiled and nodded, then her gaze fell on Mu Zhian, and she asked softly, "Are you alright?"