Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

After Ling Xiao had given another round of encouragement to his disciples, Su Xue, representing the six Elders, also offered words of motivation to the members of the Shushan Sword Sect. At the same time, on behalf of the Sect Leader, Ling Xiao, she welcomed the arrival of all the noble families and sects!

Ling Xiao was arrogant!

This wasn't the opinion of just one or two people, but a view shared by many. In the past, if Ling Xiao had a subordinate deliver such a welcome instead of doing it himself, many from the attending noble families and sects would have likely flown into a rage on the spot.

'Having your subordinate welcome us? What do you mean by this, Ling Xiao?'

But now… not a single person felt there was anything wrong with what Ling Xiao was doing!

The Gongsun Family, the Sea Domain Song Family, the East Sea Qin Family, the Jingwu Family, the Western Li Family, and others—in total, more than thirty noble families and sects of varying sizes had arrived.

This alone was enough to show the immensity of Ling Xiao's influence!

Now, no one would dare object to calling the Shushan Sword Sect a super-sect, because the annihilation of the Zhe Family was the ultimate proof of the Shushan Sword Sect's formidable strength!

Even Song Qi, who had come to offer congratulations, was shocked at the power of Thirteenth Master and Fourteenth Master, two men who were once part of the Song Family. Their strength had improved so much in just a few short years!

The Sea Domain Song Family expressed immense support for Thirteenth Master and Fourteenth Master becoming Elders of the Shushan Sword Sect. Besides, the more glorious and powerful the Shushan Sword Sect became, the more it would benefit the Sea Domain Song Family.

Gongsun Sword sat beaming in the guests' section, with a retinue of Sword Emperor powerhouses from the Gongsun Family seated behind him. He had now been named the future successor of the Gongsun Clan.

Gongsun Sword's grandfather, Gongsun Huang, had not been heard from since he left for the territory of the Sea Race. Thus, Gongsun Sword had also come with his entourage to support his "big brother" in the hopes of finding his grandfather.

Lie Que, accompanying Lie Yang, had brought a group of powerhouses from the Lie Family to congratulate Ling Xiao. Lie Que acted perfectly natural in front of Ling Xiao, only shooting him a wink when Lie Yang wasn't paying attention.

The powerhouses from the Lie Family, however, gave everyone a start. Among them were three old men who had reached the Sword Venerable Realm! The three acted as if Ling Xiao was beneath their notice, sitting in the back with their eyes closed in silent meditation, not uttering a single word.

Yet, everyone could sense the immense auras emanating from the three of them.

'Are they here to make a show of force, or to offer congratulations?'

However, Ling Xiao had received word long before their arrival and had made ample preparations. If the three Sword Venerable powerhouses from the Lie Family dared to cause a scene, even if Ling Xiao couldn't kill them all, he could at least trap them here.

The three Sword Venerable powerhouses from the Lie Family were of the third, fourth, and fifth tiers, respectively. In the present age, they were considered absolute experts. Even Lie Que was unaware of their true intentions, merely guessing it had something to do with Ling Xiao's current show of strength.

Qin Zhaoran, Patriarch of the East Sea Qin Family, arrived to offer his congratulations, accompanied by his son, Qin Feng, and two Sword Venerable powerhouses.

The plan to select a Noble Family Alliance Leader at the grand gathering of hidden families and sects a few years prior had ultimately fizzled out due to a series of unexpected events. However, the Qin Family showed no signs of disappointment, as the plan had not been their proposal to begin with.

The two Sword Venerables from the Qin Family were Tier Four Sword Venerable Qin Du and Tier Two Sword Venerable Qin Wei. An evil aura emanated from both of them, but it was completely imperceptible to anyone at the Sword Emperor level. In contrast, the three Sword Venerable powerhouses from the Lie Family shot the Qin Family's Sword Venerables several questioning looks. 'Since when did the East Sea Qin Family have so many experts in the Sword Venerable Realm?' they were likely wondering.

The Western Li Family had originally intended to profit from that grand gathering. In the end, not only did they fail to gain any advantage, but they also made a powerful enemy of the Dragon Valley Gou Family. For the past few years, the Dragon Valley Gou Family and the Western Li Family had been locked in conflict. The Gou Family had even stopped making trouble in Shushan City to focus entirely on opposing the Li Family.

The Gou Family had also grown close to the current King of the Lanyue Empire, Li Wu Zhi. Li Wu Zhi's relationship with his own clan had long since hit rock bottom. If not for the Li Family blood in his veins, and the fact that he posed no threat to the Western Li Family, he would have likely been eliminated long ago.

The Western Li Family attended the Shushan Sword Sect's founding ceremony with the clear intention of making a friendly gesture toward Ling Xiao. After all, Ling Xiao's relationship with the Gou Family was also strained—he had even killed one of their High-tier Sword Sects. If they could divert the Gou Family's attention toward Ling Xiao, the Li Family could gain some breathing room.

However, after seeing that even reclusive super-families like the Jingwu Family and the Gongsun Family had come to offer congratulations, any little scheme the Li Family members had to divert the trouble onto Ling Xiao vanished without a trace.

Lie Yang squinted at Ling Xiao, wishing for nothing more than to order the three Sword Venerable Elders to strike and kill him on the spot. Their very purpose in bringing the three Sword Venerables was to seize the arrays and medical techniques in Ling Xiao's possession!

But then, he noticed that the Gongsun Clan had also sent a delegation. Although none of them were in the Sword Venerable Realm, Gongsun Sword's status as Young Master was a stark reminder to the Lie Family that the relationship between the Gongsun Family and the Shushan Sword Sect was incredibly deep.

Furthermore, Ling Xiao's expression was far too composed; he acted as if they were completely beneath his notice.

'You act arrogant, but he's even more arrogant!'

Besides, on the Shushan Sword Sect's home turf, the Lie Family's three Sword Venerable powerhouses didn't dare to make a real move against Ling Xiao. The most they could do was make threats. If Ling Xiao decided to throw caution to the wind and activate the grand array, they would be trapped inside.

As for the other noble families and sects of varying sizes, their gazes toward Ling Xiao were filled with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and in some cases, blatant sycophancy.

The rise of this sect was now unstoppable. Leng Qianqian sat in the guests' section, looking at Shangguan Yutong with a complicated expression as she thought to herself, 'If I had managed to keep her back then, wouldn't Lengning Palace have become a first-rate sect by now? It's a pity Ling Xiao reaped the benefits.' With that thought, her lovely eyes swept over Ling Xiao, who sat unperturbed in the seat of honor, and then down at the various performances by the Shushan Disciples.

A faint tremor went through her heart. Her decision to come and show her support had been met with strong opposition within her sect. Although the Grand Elder and Second Elder hadn't died, they had long been reduced to cripples. Many of their trusted followers within the sect had wanted to come seeking revenge, but Leng Qianqian had suppressed them all. Those people even suspected she was having an illicit affair with Ling Xiao, when in reality, her actions had saved their lives.

The founding ceremony itself was not the main event. The banquet for the noble families and sects that followed—that was when the real shadow war would begin.