"My lady, I don't think Zheng Xiang will do anything stupid. Even though I did say just now that Zheng Xiang may not join us, however, I had one of my informants bribe his clanmates to ostracize him in the Zheng Alliance's meeting earlier today, so now he may have second thoughts."
Yuan Shuchun nodded and said, "Well, that's good news. I don't want to miss out on any of the top disciples of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. The Grand Spirit Hunt is approaching, and only a few months are left. These disciples, if qualified for the hunt, will be good cannon fodders."
Grand Elder pursed his lips when he heard those words. He may be willing to do anything to increase his lifespan; however, he didn't wish to get innocent kids in his way unless he had no other choice. But for Yuan Shuchun, the lives of others were meaningless in front of her goal. As the daughter of one of the most incredible cultivators of the Lower Heavens, her world view was much different, and her thoughts were more goal-driven compared to Grand Elder Xuan, who rose from the very bottom of the Lower Heavens.
Listening to her words made Grand Elder quite frustrated. However, he could not do anything to change her thoughts or her actions. After a moment of silence, he said, "My lady, other than Zheng Xiang, there's Hou Xing. He is one of the Hou Clan's rising stars; however, he is constantly under pressure from Fang Chen and the Fang Clan."
"Under pressure? Do you mean that this guy is facing attacks and assassination attempts?"
"Not direct attacks, my lady; however, Fang Clan has suppressed Hou Clan a lot ever since he revealed his talent. And even humiliated him by appointing him as the butler for Fang Chen during a royal banquet. This immediately doused any chances of Hou Clan's rise. Now they can only wait and hope that Hou Xing will one day grow strong enough to raise his clan's status."
Yuan Shuchun smirked when she heard this story and said. "This Fang Clan sure is quite interesting. They act like tyrants in the capital. Is there no one who can suppress them? I don't think the people of the Xin Royal Clan are monks, they would have definitely suppressed the Fang Clan. As for Hou Xing, we just need to give him an olive branch, and he will jump on our ship. No need to think much about him."
"Indeed, my lady. That's what I have thought regarding Hou Xing. And as for the Fang Clan, they have already made enough arrangements to hold back the Xin Royalty. The current Fang Clan patriarch is the brother-in-law of King Xin. And there was even some news regarding the betrothal of Second Princess Xin Xue Yan to Fang Chen. Although these were just rumors, they were enough to make other big clans hesitate and be vary of the Fang Clan."
"Xin Xue Yan and Fang Chen? Aren't they technically cousins?" Yuan Shuchun had a disgusted look upon her face when she heard this.
"Not really. If it were any other princess, maybe this would have been true. Xin Xue Yan's case is much more complicated; however, I didn't get the chance to look much into this."
Yuan Shuchun nodded her head, "Well, what about other peaks? What's up with Bai Qing'er? How is her talent compared to the rumors? Did she reach the Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent?"
Grand Elder Xuan nodded his head and said, "I can't deny her talent, my lady. She is a talented young girl, and her sword talent, though not as high as yours, is worth it to make her join our league. I reckon she will also be interested in joining and learning from you."
"Oh? Does she wish to learn from me? That's interesting. What's her background?"
"Her background isn't much known except for the fact that Sect Leader Su personally invited her to the sect."
"I will see her during the banquet. Hopefully, she isn't an arrogant brat." Yuan Shuchun took a sip from her wine and then continued, "Butler Xuan, I remember there was also a sword genius among the male Outer Court disciples; what was his name again?"
"Lady, you must be referring to Mu Xing of the Fifth Peak. That lad is already a part of our Heavenly League. He was personally scouted by Lei Chang two months before the Sect Entrance Exam."
Yuan Shuchun nodded, "What's his sword cultivation realm? Has he reached the Manifestation Realm too?"
Grand Elder Xuan shook his head in denial, "No, my lady. Mu Xing fell short in terms of cultivation speed. However, I am confident that he will break through the Manifestation Realm before the Grand Spirit hunt begins."
"Hmm, we will see." After a moment of thought, Yuan Shuchun continued, "If Mu Xing, Zheng Xinag, and Bai Qing'er join our league, send them to me after their missions. I will personally test them. Hopefully, they don't disappoint me."
"Why wait for a month, my lady? We can test them tonight during the banquet. All these kids are full of pride after ranking at the top of their peaks and will definitely challenge each other to show off their skills. We can have a mini tournament among them and see how good they are."
"Alright, let's follow this then. It will save me some of my cultivation time. Tell me about the Ninth Peak. How good are they?"
"Ninth Peak has undoubtedly the best and most talented disciples in our sect. Yesterday, Xiao Ming rose to the top and made a name for himself; however, we shouldn't underestimate Hu Xing's value, even though he was defeated in the final battle by Xiao Ming."
Yuan Shuchun nodded her head and said, "The top ten disciples among the new Inner Court disciples of the Ninth Peak must join our Heavenly League.. They alone are more worth than the rest of the top disciples combined."