Seeing that the old man’s hair were literally standing on end with rage and his Avatar was fully revealed, Wei Yuan clasped his hands in front of him and asked, “What is your name, elder?”

The old man assumed Wei Yuan was afraid of him and cooled his anger somewhat. He replied, “I am Cui Hongbo, currently the Fifth Elder of the External Affairs Hall.”

Little did he know that Wei Yuan would reply, “Oh, so you’re Elder Hongwen. Since you disagree with my perspective, why don’t we have a friendly sparring match?”

Cui Hongbo instantly realized he had been tricked and flew into a rage, shouting, “Why not? I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents!”

A flash of anger crossed Wei Yuan’s face, but he quickly regained his composure and said calmly, “Since you wish to offer guidance, how about a martial demonstration? We’ll take turns casting Dao spells at each other; one spell per person. Whoever can’t hold out first loses.”

This was a common form of internal competition among noble clans and sects, so the old man agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

The two took their positions in the center of the arena, while the crowd of onlookers continued to swell. Although a martial demonstration was rather dull, Wei Yuan’s reputation had grown immensely recently, and everyone wanted to see how he could hold his own against a late-stage Avatar as only a peak Dao Foundation.

By this point, although Cui Tianlin had already been rescued, no one was paying him any attention anymore.

In the distance, the Old Lady was sitting in her chair and gazing at the River of Forgettance Restaurant from afar. She...