As soon as Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng entered the teahouse, they didn't join in the fun. Instead, they found a window seat and sat down, ordering two cups of tea.
The teahouse was huge, divided into four floors. The center was hollow, so one could see the fourth floor from the first floor, and the first floor from the fourth floor. Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng were on the east side of the second floor.
Although there were a lot of people in the teahouse, there wasn't any noise. Everyone was like Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng, sitting at their seats and drinking tea with their eyes closed. Others had arranged to enter the secret chambers of each floor to discuss matters. Everything seemed to be in order.
"Two guests, your tea." The footsteps of the waiter were very light. When he arrived in front of Ye Chen, he said softly.
Ye Chen nodded and told the waiter to put down the tea.
The freshly brewed tea was slightly hot. Ye Chen picked it up and blew on it a few times. Using this opportunity, he shifted his gaze and started to observe the people in the teahouse.
There was nothing much to see on the first floor. Everyone was at the Sea of Soul realm, and there wasn't a single half-step King. Ye Chen's gaze first fell on the second floor.
On the second floor, there was only one person who caught Ye Chen's attention. It was the yellow-robed woman sitting on the west side. She looked to be in her thirties, and her face was tender and beautiful. Her nose was high, and her eyes were pitch-black with a hint of deep yellow. Her gaze was very scattered, and it was hard to tell where her focus was. What caught Ye Chen's attention was not her appearance, but the extremely well-hidden strange aura on her body. This kind of aura was like a maggot in one's bones, extremely feminine.
"I wonder what kind of demonic beast cultivated it?"
Ye Chen thought to himself.
Just as Ye Chen was sizing up the yellow-robed woman, she seemed to have sensed something. She turned her head toward Ye Chen, revealing a gentle yet chilling smile.
"Not to be trifled with."
Ye Chen gave him a label.
Compared to the second floor, there were undoubtedly more people worthy of attention on the third floor. There were twin brothers sitting by the railing. One was as majestic as a tower, while the other was as sturdy as a bull. Both of them wore copper earrings on their left and right ears respectively. There was a middle-aged scholar who was holding a sword and resting with his eyes closed. There was a haggard old woman with a sinister aura. There was a bald fatty with a tattoo on his head. There was also a strange old man wearing a raincoat …
"There are dozens of peak half-step Kings in this teahouse, and I can't see through seven or eight of them. I'm afraid they are close to 'strongest' half-step Kings."
Murong Qingcheng was also observing the people in the teahouse.
Ye Chen said, "The yellow-clothed woman on the second floor and the old man in the raincoat on the third floor should be the strongest. The others aren't weak either. They're all rare powerhouses."
Among the ones worth paying attention to, the yellow-robed woman and the raincoat old man posed the greatest threat to Ye Chen. Even if they weren't 'strongest' half-step Kings, they wouldn't be far off.
"My eyesight is still a bit worse than yours. I don't see anything wrong with these two."
Murong Qingcheng sized up the yellow-robed woman and the old man again and couldn't help but lightly shake her head. She didn't have the frightening intuition that Ye Chen had.
Ye Chen chuckled, "Based on my first impression, there might be some oversights. Perhaps there are even more hidden ones."
The teahouse was very quiet. From time to time, a group of people would walk out of the secret pavilion and leave the teahouse. The number of people in the teahouse was getting fewer and fewer, and it was getting quieter and quieter.
"Look, that yellow-robed woman has been invited away."
Murong Qingcheng said.
Ye Chen looked over and saw that the one who invited the yellow-robed woman was a waiter of a teahouse. He led the woman to a secret pavilion on the third floor. Soon after, the door of the pavilion closed, and the waiter walked out.
Half a cup of tea's time later, the twin brothers were also invited into the secret pavilion.
Another half a cup of tea's time later, the servant walked in front of Murong Qingcheng, "Miss, the owner of the secret pavilion invites you for a chat."
"Oh!"
Murong Qingcheng wasn't surprised at all. After all, everyone came to the teahouse for the same purpose, which was to form a team and explore the ruins together.
"I'm with him."
Murong Qingcheng knew that with Ye Chen's cultivation base, he would be looked down upon. In this world, how many people could be like Ye Chen, who could kill people with higher realms as if they were eating? Those who saw him for the first time would think that he could compete with ordinary half step Kings at most. Whether he could win or not was another matter.
The servant obviously got the hint, "Then let's go together!"
Following the servant, the two arrived at the door of the secret pavilion on the third floor. With a creaking sound, the secret pavilion's door opened, and Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng walked in.
"Seems like there is a soul stone array inlaid on the wall."
Entering the secret pavilion, Ye Chen didn't find anything mysterious. Instead, his soul power could seep out, but outside, his soul power couldn't sense the situation inside.
Inside the secret pavilion sat nine people. Apart from the yellow-robed woman and the twin brothers, there were two young men, one middle-aged woman, two middle-aged men, and one old man. Sitting in the main seat was a middle-aged man. His face was bronze, and his skin had a metallic texture. His eyes were shining brightly like two shining black gems, more black than white.
"What's going on? Can a peak late Sea of Soul realm warrior join our team? Don't you think he'll drag us down?"
The middle-aged woman with a mean expression muttered.
"Hehe, kid, you've come to the wrong door!"
One of the twin brothers grinned.
The two youths had different expressions. One had a sneer on his face, while the other was expressionless. His eyelids were drooping, as if he didn't care about anything. Meanwhile, the yellow-faced man with a lustful gaze was releasing his soul power without the slightest scruple, sweeping across Ye Chen as if he wanted to humiliate him.
On the other hand, the tanned man and the yellow-robed woman didn't make a sound, calmly observing the situation.
Humph!
Ye Chen lightly snorted and counterattacked with his soul power.
The yellow-faced middle-aged man felt his soul tremble, and his body went out of control. What shocked him was that Ye Chen's soul power seemed to carry a cutting intent, as if it was cutting into his soul. The feeling of being like a fish on a chopping board was not pleasant.
Seeing that it was the yellow-faced man who was at a disadvantage, the others' gazes toward Ye Chen couldn't help but change. This yellow-faced man was a half-step King after all, and his soul power wouldn't be weak. Moreover, he had formed a soul membrane. Not many here could make him suffer a loss using soul power. Thus, they all inwardly looked at Ye Chen a bit more highly, and their attitudes were somewhat restrained, at least on the surface.
"You two, please sit."
The tanned man retracted his strange expression and indifferently said as he gestured with his palm.
Murong Qingcheng nodded and reservedly sat down.
Ye Chen's gaze swept past Lin Yuxuan, who was beside the tanned man, and calmly sat down without the slightest bit of restraint.
"You two, I've already discussed with everyone here to explore some ruins, and they have all agreed. The reason I've invited you two is because you two look different from the others, and your strength is certainly not weak. As the saying goes, one more person is one more portion of strength."
The tanned man hadn't paid much attention to Ye Chen at the beginning, and only wanted to invite Murong Qingcheng. But now, he naturally couldn't say that. Moreover, Ye Chen didn't look as weak as he looked. The yellow-faced man, as a half-step King, had actually suffered quite a bit of loss in soul power. This spoke volumes.
Ye Chen said, "Continue!"
The tanned man and everyone present were somewhat astonished. Between the two, Ye Chen seemed to be the leader. Could it be that this Ye Chen really had some ability, or was it only in name?
Clearing his throat, the tanned man said in a deep voice, "If you two agree, I'll continue. If you two don't agree, then please leave. For the time being, not many people know about the ruins I've discovered. This information can't be leaked."
Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng exchanged a glance, then Ye Chen said in a deep voice, "We agree."
"Alright then." The bronze-skinned middle-aged man smiled and said, "This relic is very large. The place I found is only a part of it. But even this part is not small. This relic is the relic of the True Water Palace."
"True Water Palace Ruins?"
Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng were at a loss. They'd never heard of it before.
Lin Yuxuan interjected, "True Water Palace was once the strongest fourth grade sect in this ocean region. Its strength is not something any fourth grade sect can compare to. In its most flourishing era, it had thirteen Life and Death Kings, and its master was one of the strongest titled monarchs at that time, True Water Emperor."
"Thirteen Kings … True Water Emperor!"
Ye Chen was inwardly startled. This True Water Palace was indeed frightening at its peak. Nowadays, which sect could have thirteen Life and Death Kings? Not to mention a titled monarch, True Water Emperor. In ancient times, titled monarchs were genuine monarchs who could leave their marks on the Emperor Scar Stele.
However, even the most flourishing sects would fall one day. The current True Water Palace was merely a pile of ruins, lying silently at the bottom of the ocean for countless years.
"There's something I'd like to tell everyone. This ruin is shrouded by a restriction, and for some reason, many frightening lifeforms have appeared inside. I've invited everyone to enter so that we can take care of each other and smoothly take away the treasures inside."
The bronze-skinned burly man explained.
"Alright, when do we leave?"
These kinds of ruins would usually have great weapons. So, Ye Chen did not hesitate and agreed right away.
"In order to avoid any accidents, and I'm also afraid that someone might leak the news, we'll leave the moment we leave the Secret Pavilion. Does anyone have any objections?"
The tanned man's gaze swept the surroundings and asked.
"What objections can we have? It doesn't matter when we leave."
The twin brothers grinned.
"Me neither."
The cold-faced youngster nodded.
The others naturally didn't have any objections. Wasn't the reason they came to Richlight Oceanspan to try their luck and obtain some treasures?
"Alright, there's no rush for now. Everyone, rest for a while. After drinking some tea, we'll leave together." The tanned man didn't intend to invite anyone anymore. He nodded in satisfaction and lightly shook the bell in the Secret Pavilion, ordering people to bring tea and pastries.
After drinking tea and eating some pastries, the tanned man stood up and said, "Let's go!"
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