Chapter 4193 — A Missing Teammate
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
And with his ambition and his methods, he could never be content to remain an ordinary inner-sect disciple. Even if for the moment he lacked the seniority and the foundation to contend for the post of steward-senior of the inner sect, the post of steward-second-senior was still worth a try.
His recent constant appearances at all manner of public occasions had in fact been calculated to that very end—warming up the ground and building momentum in advance. So long as he distinguished himself in this inner-sect tournament, and with his grandfather Xu Yuanzheng working quietly behind the scenes, his prospects of seizing the steward-second-senior post were very good.
"As for Wei Zhao, he will have to be dealt with sooner or later. He cannot escape this young master's palm!" Xu Lingchong smiled coldly.
Once Xu Yuanzheng had finished his announcement, the many Golden Core disciples present dispersed one after another. Wei Zhao could do nothing but rise and return to the Welcome Pavilion, thoroughly helpless and thoroughly gloomy.
He did not know a single one of these inner-sect disciples—so whom on earth was he supposed to find for a team?
Thinking it over carefully, apart from the crowd of newcomers at the Welcome Pavilion, and apart from rivals like Xu Lingchong, the people Wei Zhao knew at the Sandie Pavilion—never mind inner-sect disciples, even outer-sect disciples were few—were mostly not even at the Golden Core stage.
Shangguan Lan'er, Huang Xiaotao, Cong Zhima, the Rag King, plus Miserable Senior Brother and Lu Bianren—counting them all up, Wei Zhao's acquaintances numbered exactly six.
Of those six, Lu Bianren was certainly strong enough, but he had not shown his face for a long time. From what Miserable Senior Brother said, he seemed to have gone off the island on a mission; Wei Zhao could not even meet him, let alone take him as a partner.
Miserable Senior Brother, meanwhile, was run off his feet with affairs at the Welcome Pavilion, and his strength was far from the Golden Core stage—he could be of no help.
As for the Rag King, that creature was simply not suited to combat, and besides, he had to watch over the artifact-casting pool and could not free himself.
And Cong Zhima—loyal enough, and he had left Wei Zhao with a fairly good impression—but they had had no contact since the business at Huicai Tianwu Mountain, and his strength was insufficient besides.
That left only the two girls, Shangguan Lan'er and Huang Xiaotao. Of them, Shangguan Lan'er did not enter the year-end tournament at all, nor had she the slightest interest in pursuing the martial path. She was a guileless girl who disliked cultivation, and Shangguan Tianxia could do nothing with her but let her follow her own whims.
If Wei Zhao went to her for a team, she would probably be glad to help—only, first, her strength was too weak; second, she was not suited to combat at all; and third, she was soft-hearted. Fine as a good friend, but as for fighting monsters together—best forget it.
That left only Huang Xiaotao. Wei Zhao thought it over and concluded that she was in fact a rare and excellent choice!
By the rules, even an official outer-sect disciple who had successfully formed a Golden Core could enter the inner-sect tournament, and once entered, no matter the final result, would be promoted to inner-sect core disciple!
The only difference lay in this: if one performed brilliantly in the inner-sect tournament, one might be taken as a nominal disciple by a great figure such as an elder of the high council; but if one performed poorly and in the end drew no one's notice, one could only become an ordinary inner-sect disciple and cultivate under the inner-sect steward-senior.