Zhu Gang's words were humble, but his meaning was anything but.
Wang Ping studied Zhu Gang intently. Instead of anger, he asked with a face full of interest, "Fellow Daoist, would you mind telling me who your Elder Council has supported before?"
"Many!"
Zhu Gang spat out a single word before sitting back in his rattan chair. "Since the end of the Shangjing City incident, we've supported three different Third Realm Taiyan Cultivators in their attempts to ascend. They all had approval, but not one of them succeeded!"
"That many?"
Yu Lian sounded surprised, channeling some of Wang Ping's own emotions.
Zhu Gang lifted his wine bowl and downed its contents in a single gulp. His bulging red eyes stared at Yu Lian. What was probably a smile looked utterly ferocious on his face. His voice followed, "And those were just the ones we chose to back. There were others we didn't choose, and some who attempted to ascend in secret."
