The moment Qin Yao called Yi Chen’s name, the disciples, completely engrossed in Qin Yao’s story, were shaken out of it and instantly turned in the direction Qin Yao was looking.
"Senior Brother Chen..."
"It really is him..."
.
.
Several barely distinguishable mutterings entered Yi Chen’s ears the moment this happened, as the disciples started breathing rapidly the next second as excitement welled within their being.
Their blood was already on the verge of racing when Qin Yao started to introduce the next part of the Inter Clan tournament, where Yi Chen was about to destroy tens of clans singlehandedly.
Therefore, the moment Qin Yao suddenly exclaimed about Yi Chen’s presence, this sensation turned to utter shock before morphing into the excitement which was evident on all their faces.
"You brat...you’re still at it?" Yi Chen asked while narrowing his eyes the next moment.
"Yes, Brother Chen. I’m sorry for being so slow..." Qin Yao answered apologetically and continued, "However, you need not worry. By the end of the day, I guarantee that all the new recruits, including even the female candidates, will be aware of your great achievement!"
’...I didn’t mean that at all!’
One part of Yi Chen wanted to scold Qin Yao in public for making things difficult for him in the future.
However, seeing the gazes of all the disciples, he swallowed his anger and irritation and said, after shaking his head, "Let’s go for breakfast. Otherwise, we’ll be late."
’Since the milk is already spilt, there’s no point in lecturing him now.’ Yi Chen thought in an attempt to console his bitter heart.
"Yes!" Qin Yao exclaimed as he pushed himself out of bed and soon left his room along with the other disciples.
Yi Chen glanced at Qin Yao, who was ready to tag along with him anytime, before looking at the small group of disciples who had been inside Qin Yao’s room earlier and now wore confused expressions as to whether they should follow Yi Chen or not.
"You guys can also accompany us if you want to..." Yi Chen suggested, seeing the hesitation on their faces.
Hearing this, their expressions instantly brightened as they readily agreed to the suggestion.
As a result, a few moments later Yi Chen walked out of the residential quarter and was guided to the dining hall by Qin Yao and Dong Yun, who were closely sticking to his left and right, respectively, like a pair of bodyguards.
To make things even more conspicuous, behind him, the group of cultivators which initially consisted of just five or six had become more than thirty by the time he left the residential quarter.
Glancing back at the enormous group, Yi Chen couldn’t help but feel a mixture of amusement and embarrassment.
’...It’s as if I’m being escorted by an entourage made up of cultivators.’
Meanwhile, their striking group naturally drew a lot of attention from the older Outer Sect Disciples who were also making their way to the dining hall.
"Hm? Aren’t these the new kids?"
"...Yes, why are they walking in a formation?"
"They seem to be escorting that guy in the front...is he someone with status?"
"That guy...he seems to possess an important background. Quick, do a background check on him."
"Yes, Brother."
.
.
.
Yi Chen was also able to hear some of these mutterings as the subtle smile on his face turned strained the very next moment.
’I shouldn’t have suggested them to accompany me earlier...’ he thought while regretting his decision to be a good man at that point.
Never did he imagine that by the time he went down the stairs and walked out of the building through the corridor, the small group of men behind him would become so big!
Moreover, since he had already allowed the previous ones to accompany him, rejecting them all now would leave a bad taste in their mouth.
’In the end, it’s still better to have a good relationship with them all...’
However, thinking of how his peaceful life was going to get ruined even sooner now thanks to this striking entry he was pulling off, Yi Chen could only sigh in regret as he kept walking.
A while later, they arrived at the dining hall, which was a huge building large enough to cater to a thousand disciples in one sitting.
"So big..."
Yi Chen muttered when he stepped inside the hall. The first thing that entered his eyes were the four long tables that stretched to the very ends of the hall.
Each of them had several outer sect disciples sitting at the tables, the majority of whom were naturally their seniors.
"This side, Brother Chen," Qin Yao said while gesturing towards the table on the extreme left, "That’s the table designated for us new disciples, and just beside it is the serving area."
"Oh? So, there’s such a rule?"
Yi Chen asked with a curious expression while making his way in that direction, as he could see that the other tables still had plenty of empty spaces for them to occupy.
"Well...the older disciples told us that’s how it is, so we are just following their instructions." Qin Yao said while scratching the back of his head.
"Ah, I see." Yi Chen nodded in understanding when he heard this and, not wanting to waste more time on this matter, said, "Let’s grab our food and get seated then."
With that said, Yi Chen soon made his way towards the left side of the hall, where the staff were standing inside an opening in the wall which was connected to the kitchen area.
The staff were standing facing the hall, and next to them were huge containers filled with freshly prepared food, the appetising aroma of which was lingering in the air.
Separate lines consisting of both men and women were present on opposite sides, and Yi Chen became a part of it the next moment.
There were a few familiar faces from yesterday already in the line he was in, so when their eyes met, Yi Chen naturally greeted them with a nod.
Meanwhile, the older outer sect disciples just looked at him with a hint of curiosity before withdrawing their gazes in a nonchalant manner.
A few moments later, with warm food on his plate, Yi Chen was looking for a place to sit along with Qin Yao and Dong Yun when he heard a familiar voice from his left side.
"Brother Chen! Here!"
Zhou Mei called while raising her hand in the air.
’Ah...’
Yi Chen raised his head in acknowledgement when he saw Zhou Mei, who had just joined the female disciples’ line.
"Brother Chen, save a few seats for us as well!" Zhou Mei exclaimed from a distance.
"Got it." Yi Chen nodded at her words before turning to address Qin Yao and Dong Yu, "Let’s go to that empty space and sit."
"Yes." Both Qin Yao and Dong Yu nodded simultaneously.
While at it, Yi Chen also told the group of disciples who still wanted to accompany him to disperse, as he wanted to eat comfortably.
Although a bit regretful, they agreed to his request.
A while later, Zhou Mei and the rest soon came up to them and took their seats. Just as Yi Chen was accompanied by Dong Yu, they too had a couple of new faces in their group.
The two women’s faces were completely fixed on Yi Chen for a few moments as several thoughts were raging in their minds.
"Senior Brother Chen..."
"Se-Senior Brother Chen..."
They both greeted Yi Chen the moment they took a seat. Hearing this, Yi Chen nodded at them subtly as everyone at the table introduced themselves to each other.
Just when Yi Chen was wondering where to take the conversation now, Zhou Mei immediately asked a question that had been jumping in her mind for all this while.
"Brother Chen, quick, tell us why the peak masters stopped you yesterday? I’ve been dying to know the reason since yesterday."
All of the female disciples nodded in agreement when they heard this question. Just like Zhou Mei, they too had been wildly guessing as to why Yi Chen was asked to stay back yesterday.
"Oh, that..."
Hearing that question, Yi Chen naturally just repeated the same thing which he had said in front of the male disciples last night.
"So it’s like that..." Zhou Mei nodded in realisation and asked curiously, "Do you have any of the twelve peaks in mind right now?"
"I don’t actually...there’s still time, so I’ll slowly make a decision." Yi Chen answered while turning towards Feng Ning, who didn’t seem as enthusiastic as usual.
"Is there something wrong, Miss Ning? You’ve been extremely silent today..." Yi Chen asked the next moment.
"That..."
A bitter smile immediately formed on Feng Ning’s face when she saw Yi Chen’s clueless expression.
’...Ah, I forgot to inform Brother Chen!’ Qin Yao exclaimed with widened eyes, suddenly realising that he had forgotten to inform Yi Chen about something important.
Meanwhile, not noticing the changes on Qin Yao’s face, Feng Ning continued.
"B-Brother Wei...h-he wasn’t able to make it through the heart test. He failed..." By the time Feng Ning finished her words, she was once again on the verge of crying.
"This..."
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