West, Youxiwang Sect.

"Wu-ge!" Chen Su called when they saw Wu Lian waiting by the gate of the Youxiwang Sect, standing tall and upright just like his adoptive father, Wu Yuan.

Wu Lian turned and saw Chen Wu, Chen Sun and Chen Yu walking towards him. "Good morning." He greeted and nodded at them.

Chen Wu, the eldest, nodded back while Chen Su and Chen Yu cupped their hands. "Where are the elders?" he asked Wu Yuan.

"We're too early." Wu Lian answered.

"…" Chen Wu felt speechless. He asked 'where' and not 'why'. He secretly sighed. "… oh. We'll wait, then." He said.

The elders of the sect must be having a long time preparing since this will be the first time the disciples are participating in the Intersect Competition. They can't lose the face of the Youxiwang Sect, be it in strength or just the appearance of its people.

"E – elder brother." Chen Yu called as he timidly stood beside Chen Su. "Will we meet him again?" he asked.

Chen Wu smiled. "En." He nodded. "We'll see Er Zi again." He told him.

Central Region, Zhongyang, Yunxiao Inn.

"Da shixiong, I heard that the venue of the Intersect Competition changes. But, why is it held in Zhongyang again?" a disciple asked to another disciple across him.

"Because this will be a new Intersect Competition, naturally, it will start in the Central Region. Then the north region next, then the south…" the disciple seriously answered.

The teleportation array lit up and the Xinfaxian Sect arrived. Because Sun Rong and Qie Shi carefully guarded the area, they changed the structure of the Yunxiao Inn to hide it to give privacy and respect for the Xinfaxian Sect.

"Woah! It's been a long time since I last saw the Yunxiao Inn!" Wen Wen said as he looked around the inn with bright eyes. "As expected, it's as gorgeous and lavish as ever!" he said.

"Thank you for the compliment." Sun Rong spoke.

The Xinfaxian Sect turned and saw Sun Rong. "Mister Sun!" the disciples exclaimed.

"Looking good and promising, as always!" Sun Rong said and smiled as he looked at the Xinfaxian Sect disciples. Then, he turned to look at the elders.

Xie Lan smiled. "Thank you for receiving us." He spoke.

"I already expected for you all to arrive in the Zhongyang using the teleportation array." Sun Rong laughed.

"It's not only because of the distance." Fan Wen spoke. "But because… they all need to rest." He said and grimaced as he glanced at the disciples.

Sun Rong was surprised and immediately called for a waiter to guide the disciple upstairs, towards the rooms he prepared for them. "What happened to them?" he asked when the disciples left.

"With their cultivation level, they can't use the teleportation array, right?" Fan Wen sighed.

"Oh. That's right." Sun Rong nodded when he remembered.

"Xiao Sheng created a magic pill for this specific use, but the side effect, along with the taste…" Fan Wen helplessly smiled.

Xie Lan, Li Tian, Feng Mo and the others laughed.

Sun Rong grimaced. "… nasty, indeed." He said. Whether it is referring to the magic pill or Cheng Sheng, who knows.

Sun Rong then led the elders to a private room he reserved for a welcome feast for them.

"Eh? Sect leader Xie!" a voice called.

Sun Rong, Xie Lan, Fan Wen and their disciples turned.

"Oops… sorry about that, for being so rude…" Jing De blushed and immediately covered his mouth. Fortunately, there weren't many people in the area. "I was just too excited…" he said.

Xie Lan smiled. "Ah. Jing Cheng and the others' nephew." He spoke as he, Fan Wen and their disciples approached them including Sun Rong. "How was sect leader Jing?" he asked.

Jing De's eyes brightened because he wasn't scolded. "Thank you, sect leader Xie, for asking. Our sect leader is fine now and can speak normally, but not much." He answered.

"Jing De… sect leader Xie, elder Fan, elder Li, elder Feng, elder Lei Qing, elder Lei Ling and elder You, as well as mister Sun." Jing Xu spoke when he and Zheng Ming appeared while they were looking for Jing De.

"Oh. Another nephew of Jing Cheng and the others, as well as… elder Zheng's great-grandson?" Xie Lan spoke when he saw Zheng Ming wearing the uniform of the Righteous Alliance.

"… how did elder Zheng know it was me, if I may ask?" Zheng Ming spoke and bowed.

Xie Lan grinned. "Only you are accompanying these two." He answered.

"Xie-shigong? Fan-shigong?" a familiar voice spoke.

Everyone turned and saw Fei Yinzi.

Jing De's eyes brightened. "ER ZI!!!" he exclaimed and immediately jumped to hug Fei Yinzi.

"… Jing De?" Fei Yinzi was surprised.

"I knew you'd arrive!" Jing De laughed as he released the other.

The elders smiled seeing the juniors' interaction.

"Er Zi. How are your fellow disciples?" Fan Wen asked.

"I gave them a magic pill, Fan-shigong." Fei Yinzi answered. "They'll be arriving in a few minutes." He said.

"Ah! I forgot about that!" Xie Lan muttered.

"Did you?" Fan Wen asked with narrowed eyes.

Xie Lan just laughed. Then, he turned to the three juniors from Zunjingde Sect and Righteous Alliance. "Would you like to join us for lunch?" he asked.

"Uhm…" Jing Xu muttered as an awkward look appeared on his face.

Xie Lan kindly smiled. "I know. You are patrolling, right?" he said.

Jing Xu blushed in embarrassment and nodded.

"Alright. We'll invite you next time, then, along with your uncles and sect leader." Xie Lan spoke.

"Thank you very much, sect leader Xie!" Jing Xu spoke and bowed, Jing De and Zheng Ming followed. Then, they bid Fei Yinzi goodbye and left.

Not long after they left and the Xinfaxian Sect disciples arrived. Their complexion looked better than earlier. They are with Qie Shi. They then entered the private room and started the welcome feast.

Fei Yinzi entered last. He was just about to close the door when he saw someone passed by outside. He froze for a second. When he blinked, the person has already disappeared. "… shizun?" he muttered as he went outside and looked at the direction the person went to.

But, he didn't see anyone. "Er Zi? What's wrong?" Fan Wen called from the inside.

"… it's nothing." Fei Yinzi answered before he lowered his head and returned, then closed the room. He must be imagining things because he has missed his master too much.

As soon as the door closed, a person suddenly appeared while holding the talisman he had just removed from his clothes. Then, the talisman burned and a pile of ashes fell on the floor.

"That's 'shifu' for you." Cheng Sheng spoke and helplessly sighed. He really couldn't do anything to this disciple of his. But, when he heard the merry voices of the people from the room, a smile appeared on his lips.

He walked out of the Yunxiao Inn before his figure vanished in the sea of people.

Ling Xi, who was about to enter the Yunxiao Inn together with Yu Wen, Ling Yun and the rest of their disciples, stopped when he saw his nephew was just standing on the side and is looking at the crowd passing by.

"Yun-er? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Da shixiong?" Ling Yun's fellow disciples called.

Ling Yun caught of a glimpse of a familiar figure that suddenly disappeared in the crowd. No matter how much he looked for that figure, he couldn't see it. "… did I just imagine it?" he muttered. He heaved a sigh and turned to his uncle and fellow disciples. "It's nothing. I thought I saw an acquaintance…" he explained.

"If it's nothing, then it's good. Let's go inside. I am starving." Yu Wen said and dodged when Ling Xi tried to hit him again.

"Please maintain your face as the sect leader!" Ling Xi hissed and they started to bicker again.

Ling Xi and the Yuling Sect disciples almost couldn't maintain the smile on their faces when they how their sect leader and elder are acting again. Please stop… just stop… you both are losing our sect's face by acting like children! They thought, though they also think that their sect leader and elder are also acting like a pair of husband and wife.

Just when will they stop fighting and just kiss and make up and act harmoniously?

Cheng Sheng, on the other hand, passed by a shop and couldn't help but stop to buy a noodle and some meat buns. Then, he sat on a chair and placed his food bought on the table before he started eating.

"You really still have the time to eat!" Xi Ling, sitting beside him, couldn't help but speak.

"You're one to talk." Cheng Sheng said as he glanced at the stack of empty bowls in front of Xi Ling.

Xi Ling blushed in embarrassment while Fei Lin smiled at his lover. Then, he turned to Cheng Sheng. "We will go together after you eat, then." He said.