Down below, amidst the many senior Outer and Inner Sect disciples, quiet mutterings had already begun to stir.
"Who is he? I don't recognize him…"
"He's wearing the Sect Master's personal disciple robe. Is he out of his mind? Most of her disciples either went mad or quit due to the effects of her Divine Physique."
"What's his name?"
"No idea. Never seen him before."
"Tch. That just means he's been hidden until now—probably trained in secret on some sealed-off mountain."
"Is he the one Brother Jie put a bounty on?" a nearby Core Disciple whispered to his friend, who wore a fan tucked into his sash.
As Huang Jie passed by, he threw a sideways glance at the two and said coolly, "Mind your own business, Lin."
Lin only smiled, muttering, "Bah, I'm just saying… why would a Core Disciple like you bother going after a poor newbie?"
Then he added, almost innocently, "So is it true that Core Disciple Meixue personally knows him? Is that why?"
