Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

As for the other members of the Bronze Beast Clan, they sat expressionless at the table, waiting for the Sword Appraisal Tournament to begin.

Responding with one's own composure is also a viable approach.

As for Pan Ge... with his cultivation at the Absolute Death Realm, many things were destined not to work on him, and he himself didn't care about other people's opinions.

The reactions of the imperial envoy and his entourage were naturally relayed to Chu Xunfeng by the sword attendant. Chu Xunfeng then encountered Lian Cai, who did not conceal his face, outside the venue, and the real battle of wits had begun.

It's all about making moves and responding to moves, going back and forth, that's all there is to it.

Chu Xunfeng had only given the order casually to annoy the bronze beast, and the imperial envoy's response was... quite appropriate.

However, the real show has only just begun.

After waiting for about two quarters of an hour, Zuo Feichen walked over from outside the arena with his eldest son.

Chu Xunfeng looked up and met the gazes of Zuo Feichen and his son Zuo Shaojun. Zuo Feichen nodded slightly, while Zuo Shaojun wore a charming smile.

A few days ago, Zuo Shaojun's smile had a certain arrogance about his status and indifference to worldly affairs. After experiencing the upheaval in the Sword Manor and personally participating in it, doing a lot of things according to Chu Xunfeng's plan, the fact that he could still show such a smile at this moment... made it seem less deliberate and more like a mask.

Regardless of whether the mask looks good or bad, it's clear that Zuo Shaojun's character has indeed grown.

"I'll leave the hosting duties to you later," Zuo Feichen said in a low voice to Chu Xunfeng, who was standing beside him.

"Don't worry." Chu Xunfeng nodded slightly. The sword attendant led the way, and the three of them, the manor lord, the young manor lord, and the elder, stepped into the venue. He struck the golden gong in his hand with force, and the crisp sound instantly resounded throughout the venue. Hundreds of cultivators in the venue fell silent and looked at the three people representing Longquan Sword Manor.

The three of them attracted attention, and Zuo Shaojun was a little nervous. However, with his own father drawing attention ahead, he got used to it after walking a short distance. Although he didn't look at Chu Xunfeng, he figured that the cold-hearted gentleman probably wouldn't be intimidated by the scene before him.

Zuo Shaojun stopped below the stage and went around to the side of the main grandstand, while Zuo Feichen and Chu Xunfeng stepped onto the stage one after the other.

Zuo Feichen turned around, his gaze sweeping across the area below the stage. Hundreds of eyes, each with its own unique perspective, were fixed on the stage; some were looking at him, others at Chu Xunfeng.

"Fellow practitioners, welcome to my Longquan Sword Manor." Zuo Feichen smiled on the stage. "My sword manor has been silent for many years since the incident with the treacherous weapon decades ago. Now, holding the sword appraisal conference again can be considered as fulfilling one of my father's regrets."

"Today, seven seventh-grade weapons, fifteen sixth-grade weapons, and more than thirty fifth-grade weapons will be brought to the stage. I won't say anything more. I will now hand over the stage to my new retainer of the Longquan Sword Manor, Chu Xunfeng..." Zuo Feichen finished speaking and turned to look at Chu Xunfeng.

After the two looked at each other, Chu Xunfeng took the initiative to step forward, while Zuo Feichen turned around and walked straight off the stage.

This move is quite intriguing.

As the lord of Longquan Sword Manor, Zuo Feichen didn't step forward to draw attention to the situation. Instead, he pushed out Chu Xunfeng, who had just recently made it onto the Human Ranking. Was he just sending out a scapegoat? Or... did Longquan Sword Manor have a deeper meaning behind its actions?

When the mood strikes, it's easy to chat with friends around you. One or two people might not make much of a difference, but there are hundreds of people in the venue at the moment, and when they chat together, it's bound to be noisy.

Chu Xunfeng stood on the stage, his gaze sweeping across the crowd below. As chaos erupted and the buzzing grew louder, Chu Xunfeng remained silent.

The strange situation continued for a while, until finally someone began to fall silent. The previous chaos swept over them like a tidal wave, and now the silence was like a gust of wind sweeping away leaves, instantly silencing them.

The scene was somewhat strange, but Chu Xunfeng spoke at that moment.

"Friends from all corners of the world, welcome to the Longquan Sword Manor's Sword Appraisal Conference, which is being held after more than seventy years. I am Chu Xunfeng."

"Before we begin, I must first express my gratitude on behalf of the entire Longquan Sword Manor to His Majesty Xu, as well as the Xu Kingdom's secret guards and the Bronze Fang Beast." As soon as Chu Xunfeng said this, the scene instantly became somewhat chaotic again.

As the commotion began, Chu Xunfeng fell silent again, keeping quiet, but his gaze was fixed on the table closest to him. The imperial envoy, the bronze beast, and others were all at that table, and Chu Xunfeng's eyes met those of Lian Cai.

Regardless of the various thoughts and gazes of those around them, the two people who were looking at each other smiled.

The young man on stage was in a good mood, but his smile was gentle.

The man in the audience looked gloomy, but his smile was radiant.

"As you all know, the Sword Appraisal Tournament started because of Jiang Youcai, the creator of the Ghost Weapon seventy years ago, but it also ended because of the Ghost Weapon created by Jiang Youcai."

"Although Jiang Youcai is no longer here, the artifact of the 'deceptive weapon' has always left its mark on history."

"Now the Sword Appraisal Tournament is being held again, but it is also related to unorthodox weapons."

In that instant, everyone in the hall held their breath. Although they had already guessed it, the fact that Longquan Sword Manor had so boldly admitted it at this moment...

What do they want to do?

"The entire Sword Manor is terrified of His Majesty. The bronze beast trusts the Sword Manor, but unfortunately, the swordsmiths in the Sword Manor workshop are of meager skill. The Longquan Sword Manor is simply unable to replicate the creation of a genius like Jiang Youcai."

"The reason for holding the Sword Appraisal Conference again is to take this opportunity to invite fellow practitioners from the Xu Kingdom's cultivation community to help His Majesty solve his problems."

Chu Xunfeng further amplified his spiritual power, using the breeze to ensure his voice was clear and distinct, reaching the ears of everyone present without any errors.

"At today's Sword Appraisal Conference, Longquan Sword Manor will share with all of you the forging method of the mysterious weapon that we have deduced. Of course, this is not mandatory. If anyone wishes to share His Majesty's burdens, they may do so privately or on stage. All the sword servants in the room have copies in their hands. If you wish to learn more, you may ask a sword servant to take a look."

"So, the Sword Appraisal Tournament..."

"Let's begin!"

Chu Xunfeng bowed slightly to everyone below the stage, his black robe fluttering slightly. The silence that could be heard as a pin drop in the entire venue was the best praise for Chu Xunfeng's performance.

"Next, please present the weapon, Moon Sleep. Moon Sleep is a sword, a fifth-grade sword, forged with lightness, agility, and skill as its themes. Fellow practitioners present, if you are interested, you may raise your plaques to come up on stage to present the first-grade Moon Sleep sword."

Chapter 46, Laughter Rises

As soon as Chu Xunfeng finished speaking, the Sword Appraisal Competition proceeded according to the planned schedule. Zuo Shaojun led the three sword maid girls he had trained onto the stage.

The three sword attendants placed the Moon Sleep Sword on the semi-transparent crystal display stand, and then obediently walked behind the stand to stand as a signboard.

Zuo Shaojun stood on the stage with his androgynous, enchanting smile. He was completely unfazed, as the people of Longquan Sword Manor had long anticipated the awkward silence.

Many sects are probably still processing the information Chu Xunfeng revealed earlier.

Therefore, someone is needed to break the deadlock.

Just as many cultivators were undecided and planning to wait and see, someone at a table closer to the stage raised their number plate, stood up, and walked straight to the stage.

Jiang Shu, an elder of Baidi City, and Zhang Yu, a disciple of Baidi City.

"Welcome, friends from Baidi City, to the stage." Chu Xunfeng nodded slightly to Jiang Shu. "Are you here to judge the swordsmanship for your disciple?"

Chu Xunfeng's gaze shifted to the girl who looked still quite young and was following Jiang Shu.

"Zhang Jue, the last seat on the fifteenth floor of the Sword Pavilion in Baidi City, greets Senior Chu." The girl clasped her hands in a respectful bow to Chu Xunfeng, her manner quite formal.

However, compared to Xu Bailing and Yao Jiangshu, Chu Xunfeng didn't know much about the people in Baidi City. They were at least somewhat related, so they weren't complete strangers. When the girl bowed, he nodded slightly in acceptance. "Before we appraise the swords, as mentioned before, is Baidi City interested in the forging method of the mysterious weapon?"

"This junior only wishes to examine the swords," Zhang Jue smiled slightly. "As for the method of forging treacherous weapons..."

“I’m asking for a share on behalf of Baidi City.” Jiang Shu smiled slightly and extended her hand to Chu Xunfeng. “After all, Baidi City and His Majesty are also clans. If His Majesty has any worries, Baidi City should also do its part. By the way, I have something else I would like to say to the many comrades present. Is that alright?”

"Of course, Elder Jiang, please." Chu Xunfeng smiled and took half a step back.

At this moment, almost everyone in the venue had their eyes focused on Jiang Shu's face.

The perceptive have already discerned some of the implications, but the obtuse are equally oblivious; they still don't understand what Longquan Sword Manor and Baidi City are trying to do.

Did they really just work for the Emperor of Xu and the bronze beast without any complaints?

Are those rumors circulating outside really just rumors? Unreliable?

"Fellow Daoists, although our friends from the Ghost Clan have not yet come to the stage, I have heard from the Ghosts that they suspect those wandering in Blue Cang City, wielding strange weapons and lacking self-awareness, are the disciples of my White Emperor City who went missing."

"What I want to say here is that I do not want to believe it." As she spoke, Jiang Shu turned her gaze to the imperial envoy and his entourage facing the stage. "The White Emperor City and the Xu Kingdom's royal family share the same lineage. As an elder of the White Emperor City and the current White Emperor's first wife, I do not want to believe, no matter what, that the Bronze Beast, His Majesty, and others would do such an absurd thing."

"Therefore, in the matter of the treacherous soldiers, my White Emperor City is willing to be the first to stand up and share the burden for His Majesty."

"At the same time, I also urge all fellow practitioners that magical weapons are extremely dangerous. The danger of such weapons is not only warned by Longquan Sword Manor, but also by the Ghost Clan. If any fellow practitioners are interested in researching magical weapons, once they are made, please do not try to test their effects on your own. Instead, contact the Bronze Fang Beast and hand them over to His Majesty."

"Please also take care of the safety of your own disciples, and make sure they don't end up like those in my White Emperor City." After saying this, Jiang Shu withdrew his gaze, put the booklet containing the method of forging strange weapons that Chu Xunfeng had given him into his storage magic treasure, and slowly walked towards the disciple who was gently wielding the Moon Sleep Sword under the watchful eyes of the three sword attendants.

"Of course, as a retainer of the Longquan Sword Manor, I would also like to express my opinion on behalf of the Longquan Sword Manor. If there is anything my sword manor can do to help with the disappearance of the Baidi City disciple in Yongzhou, please do not hesitate to ask Elder Jiang Shu."

"Thank you," Jiang Shu replied lightly, then turned to look at Lord Gou and Judge Lian, nodding with a smile.

Lord Gou remained unfazed and ignored it.

Lian Cai, however, maintained a forced smile and nodded in response.

In an instant, countless eyes were focused on the imperial envoy and his entourage. After hearing this, aside from truly foolish individuals who were absolutely shrewd and wouldn't reveal a single flaw, everyone else...

In this conversation, besides pointing fingers and cursing, Elder Jiang Shu said everything she could and should say.

The noise resumed, but this time, no one deliberately suppressed their voices. The voices were louder the further away from the stage, something the practitioners generally understood.

Baidi City and Longquan Sword Manor have confirmed the bronze beast's underhanded tactics. Longquan Sword Manor directly betrayed them, while Baidi City has also colluded with Longquan Sword Manor.

As for the stage...

"Are there any other friends who would like to try their swords?" After the brief trial, Chu Xunfeng watched Bai Dicheng and the other man return to their seats. The young man's gaze swept across the entire room, and after a short three breaths, Chu Xunfeng nodded slightly. "Please remember, Young Master, the Moon Sleep Sword belongs to Zhang Yu of Bai Dicheng."

"So... next, please use the Cicada Wing Blade." The procedure continued, "The Cicada Wing Blade is of grade five. As its name suggests, it is as thin as a cicada's wing and as light as silk. It is suitable for those who are skilled in swordsmanship, focusing on precision, agility, and dexterity. Would any friend like to try out the Cicada Wing Blade?"

"Let me give it a try." One person raised his number, attracting the attention of countless people. Among the imperial envoys, Lian Cai turned his dark eyes to the person who dared to stand up and take the lead immediately.

The Fierce Blade Manor, Li Yulin with his white mane and jade dagger, Ling Hongyang with her red tassel and blood dart, and their two disciples.

The four of them walked onto the stage together.

This is the second wave, the group that made the agreement with Longquan Sword Manor to break the deadlock on stage.

Chu Xunfeng thought no one would come up on stage for the second weapon, but then someone stood up at the table in front of the stage, holding up a number plate. "I'd like to see it too, may I?"

Lian Cai wouldn't let the Longquan Sword Manor completely control the situation, so he also got up, wanting to take advantage of the situation.

"Since we are all here to appreciate swords, we are all guests. There is no reason to stop Lord Lian from going up on stage. Please."

Chu Xunfeng had already anticipated that Lian Cai would raise his placard. He simply watched as Lian Cai jumped onto the stage, and coincidentally, the four members of Lie Dao Manor also walked onto the stage.

"I am Lian Cai, the Bronze Beast. I greet Jade Knife and Blood Dart." Lian Cai smiled at the four from Fierce Blade Manor. "Although it was you two who raised your plaques first, I apologize for my abruptness. May I borrow this Cicada Wing Blade for a look?"

"This..." The couple hesitated.