This was also a direct, public confrontation between the Silver Moon Royal Mansion and Prince Qinghe’s Mansion.

WHOOSH...

Early that morning, a tide of people surged toward the mountain gate of the Qi Family. Robes fluttered and voices clamored as countless Cultivators converged on the estate. They came not only to witness the clash between the two great mansions but also to test their mettle on the Path of Purgatory and vie for their own opportunities.

Zhong Ming and his companions didn’t go over ahead of time. Although they were rivals, both the Silver Moon Royal Mansion and Prince Qinghe’s Mansion belonged to the Royal Family of the Frost Moon Dynasty. When facing their own kin, the Silver Moon Royal Mansion was always very courteous.

The best viewing positions had been reserved for Zhong Ming and his party. The welcome they received was even rather grand; the siblings Ji Hao and Ji Yao personally led a large retinue to the Qi Family’s mountain gate to greet them.

"Cousin Qinglian, Cousin Qingyue, long time no see..." Ji Hao wore an elegant, composed smile. After greeting Ji Qinglian and Ji Qingyue, his gaze swept the area before finally settling on Zhong Ming. "This must be Zhong. You certainly have a distinguished air about you..."

He spoke words of flattery, but inwardly, Ji Hao was quite surprised.

Since arriving in Immortal Martial City, Zhong Ming had remained secluded, cultivating at the Immortal Martial Daoist School. This was the first time Ji Hao had seen him.

However, the rumors of Zhong Ming’s extraordinary Charm had filled Ji Hao with both curiosity and immense wariness.

But now, having finally met Zhong Ming in person, he discovered the man was... utterly ordinary.

At least, he could see nothing about Zhong Ming that would make someone instantly smitten.

However, this apparent ordinariness didn’t lead Ji Hao to underestimate Zhong Ming. On the contrary, it only heightened his vigilance. ’To win the devotion of an Array Master like Luo Zhiwei, a super-genius like Xiyue, and two Commandery Princesses like Qinglian and Qingyue... This man is definitely not as simple as he seems. What is it about him that’s so extraordinary?’

As Ji Hao secretly pondered, his sister Ji Yao’s gaze on Zhong Ming was just as complex, a mixture of curiosity, embarrassment, and irritation.

She had overheard some of the counsel given by the Silver Moon Royal Mansion’s retainers and advisors the day before. As a result, she knew many in the mansion wanted her to marry Zhong Ming, thereby pulling both him and Luo Zhiwei into their camp.

What unsettled her even more was that the proposal wasn’t just some far-fetched fantasy.

If the stalemate between the Silver Moon Royal Mansion and the Celestial Sea King’s Mansion continued, her father—who always prioritized the greater good—might actually force her to court Zhong Ming in order to secure the final victory and bring the Dream Array under their control.

’So... this man might really become my husband... But I don’t want to be some shameless seductress trying to steal a man from other women.’

As a young woman, Ji Yao had her pride and a deeply idealistic view of love.

Even though she knew her destiny would likely be a political marriage, she yearned for a true, lifelong love with one person—not to become the other woman, seducing a man who was already taken.

That crossed a moral line for her.

Just as Ji Yao was staring at Zhong Ming with her thoughts in a whirl, Ji Qinglian, who had been watching her warily, saw her rival’s gaze fixed on him. Anger flared within her. With a swift movement—SWISH—she stepped in front of Zhong Ming and sneered, "Cousin Ji Yao, as a Commandery Princess, I should think you’d know better than to stare at things you shouldn’t."

The undisguised animosity in her stance and words made Ji Yao realize at once: Ji Qinglian saw her as a rival trying to poach her man.

This accusation, in turn, was the last straw for the already aggrieved Ji Yao. Her brows shot up in anger as she retorted with a cold snort, "Hmph! You can treat him like a priceless treasure, but this Commandery Princess wants nothing to do with him! He’s fickle, unfaithful, a two-timer, and a moocher..."

Unwilling to be the one to actively pursue Zhong Ming and become the other woman, she reeled off a list of his supposed flaws.

She had assumed that by making her position clear, Ji Qinglian would be pleased. But to her utter astonishment, upon hearing this critique, Ji Qinglian’s face flushed with a deep, furious anger.

"Shut up! He’s nothing like what you described! He’s the best!" Ji Qinglian shot back, her eyes blazing with a protective fire. "We are the ones who follow him of our own free will! He only allows us to stay by his side because he is kind and merciful."

"?!"

At these words, Ji Yao’s eyes went wide, her face a mask of utter disbelief.

Ji Hao, standing beside her, looked just as stunned, as if he’d heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

And it wasn’t just the siblings, Ji Hao and Ji Yao, who were stunned by Ji Qinglian’s declaration.

...

"So that’s Zhong Ming?"

"He doesn’t look that special, does he?"

Thanks to all the rumors preceding him, the moment Zhong Ming and his party appeared at the Qi Family’s gate, he became the center of attention. Countless eyes fell upon him at once.

While ordinary Cultivators were merely murmuring with curiosity, the Patriarchs and elders of Immortal Martial City’s three great families—the Qi, Chu, and Xia—were studying him intently, trying to pinpoint that special, captivating quality he was said to possess.

But despite their scrutiny, they found nothing out of the ordinary.

Just as they were growing disappointed, Ji Qinglian’s shocking declaration left every single one of them dumbfounded.

’...Just what is it about him?!’

With Luo Zhiwei guarding Zhong Ming’s side, not to mention the Guardian sent by Prince Qinghe, no one dared to use any intrusive probing techniques. In the end, they could only bury their questions deep inside.

Meanwhile, Ji Hao, snapping out of his shock, quickly cupped his fist to Zhong Ming and his party in apology. "My apologies. My sister speaks without thinking. She meant no offense."