Chapter 551: Old Acquaintances Reunited Yet Failed To Acknowledge Each Other
Che Yutao’s residence wasn’t luxurious; the courtyard had only a modest scattering of flowers and plants. Nearly all the Shaohua Mountain disciples stationed at Xuanlu Stronghold who were at the late stage of the Foundation Building Realm or above had arrived.
Qin Sang noticed a few unfamiliar faces, likely disciples who had trickled in from the sect during this period.
The group stood neatly assembled in the courtyard, silent and solemn.
Beside Che Yutao stood a burly man, with a face like a ripe jujube and a composed, grounded presence. Strapped across his back was an enormous black iron greatsword[2], thick and weighty, bound in cloth strips like something out of a knight’s tale.
Qin Sang hadn’t met him before, but the sight of the greatsword was enough for him to deduce the man’s identity.
Ji Qing!
Che Yutao’s senior disciple.
Though Zhan Yi was clearly favored by Che Yutao, the most renowned of his direct disciples had long been Ji Qing, the former number one expert of Shaohua Mountain.
Unlike Qin Sang, Ji Qing had earned his title through battles during the Eight Major Sects’ grand competition.
At the time of that competition, Qin Sang had still been cultivating in seclusion at Qingyang Market and had only recently broken through to the late stage of the Foundation Building Realm. Even had he participated, without employing refined corpses or his astras, he would have stood little chance of placing well.
That said, Qiu Mubai hadn’t entered the competition either, so Ji Qing had never crossed swords with him. It was hard to say which of the two was stronger.
After the tournament, Ji Qing had vanished following his reward. Even during the turmoil in the Small Cold Domain, he remained absent, either away on a trial or secluded in preparation for Core Formation.