Swish, swish...
One figure after another was transmitted out of the trial space.
Chen Yu held four flags, drawing the attention of the entire audience.
In this exchange event, the four factions competed for the four flags, but in the end, all the flags ended up in the hands of Chen Yu alone.
"Four flags?"
Zhu Ling Yuan and Qing Sha stared intently at Chen Yu, their hearts trembling.
They clearly remembered that after giving up on chasing Chen Yu, the exchange event ended soon, so how did Chen Yu end up with an extra flag?
"Zhuge Tao!"
The two of them turned to look at Zhuge Tao simultaneously.
They learned from his disciples that the last flag was obtained by Zhuge Tao.At the start, Zhuge Tao hid somewhere unknown, and finally led many Wanxiang Sect disciples to suddenly strike and seize the fourth flag.
But unexpectedly, Zhuge Tao gave the flag to Chen Yu, leaving them to suspect whether Wanxiang Sect had allied with the Heavenly Martial Sect; otherwise, why would Zhuge Tao go to such great lengths to deliver the flag to Chen Yu?
Zhuge Tao stood there innocently; at first, everything was going so ideally, but how did it end up with such a dramatic reversal?
The disciples of the Heavenly Martial Sect were also dumbfounded one by one.
Though the Heavenly Martial Sect won this time, they had no idea what had happened.
Lin Tianfeng sighed, thinking Chen Yu was indeed extraordinary; who would have thought this exchange event would end like this.
The high-level members of the surrounding four factions all remained silent.
The Azure Dragon Divine Wood, Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest, and Wanxiang Sect all had no face to speak.
The disciples of Azure Dragon Divine Wood and Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest joined forces but were defeated by Chen Yu, losing their flags.
Wanxiang Sect high-level members had just claimed it was still uncertain who would hold the deer, yet Zhuge Tao went to great lengths to deliver the flag to Chen Yu.
The scene fell into a strangely awkward silence.
The Heavenly Martial Sect also dared not to be too proud, as the exchange among the four factions supposedly aimed to enhance friendship, and since the other three factions were completely defeated, acting too prideful would completely humiliate the other three factions.
"This exchange event was very exciting, but it’s over now..."
In the end, it was the Sky Martial Sect Master who spoke up. As he announced the end of the exchange event, the crowd gradually dispersed.
"Farewell."
"The Heavenly Martial Sect indeed has a good disciple."
The high-ranking members of the three major factions quickly departed, reluctant to stay for even a moment longer.
The result of this new disciple exchange event soon spread widely.
The Heavenly Martial Sect, upon hearing the news, was both shocked and overjoyed.
"Though I anticipated that our sect had a good chance of getting first place this time, I didn’t expect all four flags to fall into Chen Yu’s hands; this is a complete victory!"
"What a pity that we couldn’t witness the miserable look on the other three factions’ faces."
"I heard that Qing Sha and Zhu Ling Yuan teamed up but were both defeated by Chen Yu. His strength can now firmly place him in the top eighty of the Heavenly Martial List!"
The discussions varied, but Chen Yu’s fame soared completely.
Shi Yao returned to his residence, dejected and downcast; for him, this exchange event was nothing short of a nightmare.
Not long after arriving at the Heavenly Martial Sect, he had conflicts with Chen Yu, and during the exchange event, the disciples of Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest were also cruelly toyed with by Chen Yu and suffered a great defeat.
Shi Yao could be sure that upon returning to Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest, his Master would certainly punish him severely.
That evening, Shi Yao and two friends drank to drown their sorrows, venting their frustrations.
"Damn Chen Yu, damn him; how much better it would be without him."
Shi Yao cursed, "This guy has completely offended my race; in the future, if he enters my race’s territory, he will definitely suffer."
"Brother Shi, what you said is too true. Suddenly, I thought of a plan to give Chen Yu some trouble."
The brown-haired man’s eyes gleamed with a bright light.
"The exchange is about to end, and this is the Human Race’s territory. Even Zhu Cangyan cannot regain face from him; what plan could make him suffer?"
Shi Yao shook his head with a bitter smile, expressing disbelief.
"Brother Shi, have you forgotten that after each exchange event, the four factions exchange a batch of disciples to cultivate in each other’s forces."
The brown-haired man gave a faint smile.
"This... is indeed the case."
Shi Yao’s expression cleared up a bit, and he guessed what the brown-haired man’s plan was.
"If Chen Yu comes to cultivate at Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest, that’s our territory. It’s very easy to make him suffer a bit."
The brown-haired man smiled mischievously.
"But why would Heavenly Martial Sect let a genius like Chen Yu come to our Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest?"
Shi Yao thought for a moment and shook his head repeatedly.
The exchange of disciples between Human and Demon Race forces supposedly aimed to enhance relations, but in reality, no one would hand their true prodigies to other forces.
"Brother Shi, don’t you know Brother Zhu Cangyan well? Let him come forward."
The brown-haired man whispered.
The reason for his good relationship with Shi Yao was that he was willing to be Shi Yao’s stepping stone before to help him defeat Chen Yu, and to some extent, it was because Shi Yao knew Zhu Cangyan.
Zhu Cangyan’s identity was quite special; he wasn’t a new disciple, and he came to the Human Race completely to ally with the Lin Family.
But Lin Yuxuan was initially absent, and then Zhu Cangyan was defeated by the man chosen by Lin Yuxuan, leaving him too ashamed to even visit the Lin Family.
"In recent days, I haven’t dared to meet Brother Cangyan. He seems to still be angry about losing to Chen Yu..."
Shi Yao murmured in a low voice.
...
After Chen Yu returned to his cave dwelling, he was a bit puzzled. He had made significant contributions in the exchange activity this time, and logically, there should be abundant rewards. Yet, the sect had said nothing so far.
"Let’s wait and see."
Chen Yu was embarrassed to ask for rewards proactively.
The Sky Martial Sect Master valued Chen Yu more and more, so he wouldn’t leave him unrewarded.
Five days later, the Sky Martial Sect Master summoned Chen Yu.
"Greetings, Master. Greetings, Brother."
The rewards offered by the Master were tempting even for him as a senior brother, but Chen Yu actually didn’t want them.
"Well, with an Emperor-level father, he must have given him the best techniques and combat skills."
The Sky Martial Sect Master sighed inwardly.
"Yu’er, you did very well in the exchange activity this time, but too well."
The Sky Martial Sect Master suddenly shifted the topic, no longer mentioning the rewards.
"Too well?"
Chen Yu was puzzled.
"Yes, the Azure Dragon Divine Wood and the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest traveled immense distances. This exchange activity also aimed to enhance relations between the Human and Demon clans, as the host, we must offer them some face."
The Sky Martial Sect Master spoke gradually.
Major forces like the Sky Martial Sect and Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest are closely watched by the entire race with every move.
The results of the exchange activity would soon spread, and then the Human Race and Demon Race both would know that the Demon Race’s two major forces suffered a disastrous defeat, losing face and prestige.
Hong Xiuyuan spoke with a smile: "Junior brother, the new disciple exchange activity isn’t just a small event; it actually concerns many things."
First is the issue of face; the defeat of the other forces would surely be known by countless beings of both major races.
Next, it could affect relations between the two races, positions, and voices in alliances, among others.
"The few god-level forces find it hard to host larger activities, with higher levels, it would require deploying the sect’s top Kings and even those in the Xuanming Realm."
"Both the Human Race and Demon Race aren’t very strong in the main world, with plenty of external threats. If too many top Kings or those in the Xuanming Realm are mobilized all at once, it might give foreign enemies the chance to exploit weaknesses."
Hong Xiuyuan explained slowly: "So Master said you did very well, but a bit too well."
"If you could give other forces some face, the outcome would have been better, like sacrificing one flag. The biggest winner would still be the Sky Martial Sect."
The Sky Martial Sect Master suddenly interjected: "Or, after obtaining four flags, kindly gifting one flag to each of the other three major forces."
Chen Yu was taken aback; his Master’s method was too cunning, what appears as a friendly gift is actually a humiliation, isn’t it?
"Regarding rewards, you can propose what you want."
"But before that, let me tell you some bad news."
The topic shifted back to rewards, and the Sky Martial Sect Master’s expression returned to normal, with a hint of solemnity: "The Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest wants you to be the exchange disciple this time and go to Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest for cultivation."
"What?"
Chen Yu was taken aback.
The Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest wants him to go there for cultivation? Have these Demons lost their minds; he had just humiliated them severely, yet they invited him over.
No, he suddenly realized, this might be akin to a "Hongmen Banquet".
Once he arrives at the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest, it’s their territory, everything will be under their control, certainly not as comfortable as in the Sky Martial Sect.
This is likely the consequence of his outstanding performance in the exchange activity, no wonder Master and Senior Brother were analyzing these issues with him.
"The matter was proposed by a demigod from Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest; if you don’t want to go, I can decline it for you,"
The Sky Martial Sect Master said calmly.
"Demigod!"
Chen Yu hadn’t expected that even a demigod from the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Nest would be stirred.
Yet, even a demigod seemed not to be a big deal in the eyes of the Sky Martial Sect Master; if Chen Yu didn’t want to go, he simply wouldn’t go.