The stern Official Disciples immediately clasped their hands together and withdrew from their semicircle around the Emei sect disciples.

Meanwhile, the Elder Sister's eyes crinkled above the sheer fabric veiling the lower half of her face, revealing a faint smile. She gave a subtle nod toward Wu Gao, who reciprocated with a deferential cupping of his hands.

"We welcome you to the Kunlun. Please forgive our earlier discourteous behavior," Wu Gao stated. With a sweeping gesture, the group of Emei women were slowly guided up the marble stone stair to higher ground.

However, the Elder Sister's graceful steps faltered, causing the flowing white sleeves of her martial robe to billow briefly.

Turning her long, swan-like neck, she glanced back at the surprised Yao Zhi - the young woman who had fearlessly blocked the Kunlun disciple's attack with her steel-like fingernails. "Well... Little Yao, would you care to engage in a friendly spar?" The Elder Sister's words were accentuated by the slightest purse of her lips beneath the veil.

Yao Zhi blinked owlishly, confusion and surprise flitting across her features as she met her Elder Sister's veiled gaze.

Though their expressions were obscured, years of unspoken communication allowed the subtle shift of the fabric to reveal the Elder Sister's unvoiced intent.

"As you wish, Elder Sister." Yao Zhi replied with a close-lipped smile, the veil rippling ever so slightly to match her expression. Her eyes instantly hardened as she turned toward the same Official Disciple who had struck at her unarmed Elder Sister from behind.

"I apologize, but he cannot participate due to his duties guarding our sect's grounds. Additionally, it would be highly improper for our guests to issue challenges to Kunlun's disciples," Wu Gao interjected, his words clipped yet respectful as he stood firmly upon the marble steps.

His gaze flickered briefly toward the Elder Sister.

The Elder Sister shook her head slowly, causing the loose strands of her raven tresses to sway while her chest gently rose and fell with a rueful sigh.

"What a pity... a true pity..." With those murmured words carried on the mountain breeze, she resumed her unhurried ascent and finally arrived beneath the sheltering canopy of the guest area.

"Warm greetings to you all," the Elder Sister, Xing Shufen, said with a radiant smile.

She and the other Emei women cupped their hands in a reverent bow, their flowing white robes swaying gracefully, briefly revealing their bare arms and long, pale legs.

"We hail from the Emei sect. I am Xing Shufen, honored to make your acquaintance." Her melodious voice carried the confidence befitting the beautiful temporary leader of her Juniors behind.

Unlike the other guests who had arrived promptly for Kunlun's banquet and were well-acquainted, the Emei contingent's tardy appearance necessitated an introduction to dispel any uncertainty surrounding their identities.

"Greetings, Miss Xing," Murong Yu responded with practiced politeness, cupping his hands in return. However, his faint smile held no warmth, as insincere as the winter sun.

The other guests mimicked the cordial gesture, all except for the lone woman clutching a steel fan with a white-knuckled grip.

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She was the embodiment of icy disdain itself - the same woman who had openly judged Hao Hanying and defended Wang Hei.

Her eyes, brilliant blue like the depths of the unforgiving sea, raked over Xing Shufen in a sweeping appraisal from head to toe.

Fine creases marred the woman's otherwise jade-like, unblemished brow as she unfurled her fan with the sharp, practiced elegance of a sword being drawn from its scabbard.

The whisper of steel through air sent a shiver down more than one spine. "How...fascinating," she said at last, her cultured tones carrying the biting chill of a mountain wind.

"I was quite unaware that the righteous Emei Sect had descended into some manner of...flower house. Tell me, are these women truly treading the path of righteousness? Or are they merely attempting to..."

Her words trailed off as the fan fluttered, no doubt concealing a mocking smile.

The woman's scathing remarks shattered the previously calm, if superficial, atmosphere of polite propriety.

The watching men gulped audibly, their Adam's apples bobbing with discomfort. Even the unflappable Wudang disciples exchanged uneasy glances, caught between the frosty tension radiating from the two beautiful yet diametrically opposed women.

"Ah..." Xing Shufen's tinkling laugh was the first notes of wind chimes heralding an oncoming storm.

"That legendary, insufferable pride... That upturned nose must surely ache from being lifted so arrogantly high. You can only be the infamous 'Swollen-Headed Peacock' of the esteemed Kongtong Sect - the one and only Mei Ling, yes?"

Her smile carried a saccharine sweetness laced with venom, each word chosen and delivered with the precision of an acupuncturist's needle finding a vital point.

"Though I must confess, I had to strain my memory to recall your... modest sect's name."

The barbed insult struck true, but Mei Ling's response defied expectations.

Instead of erupting like a furious dragon, she let out a sound that blended amusement with undisguised contempt - a derisive exhalation that seemed to sweep aside Xing Shufen's needling words like so much chaff in the wind.

Her ornate steel fan snapped shut with a finality that echoed through the tense air, reverberating like a judge's gavel.

"Consider yourself fortunate," Mei Ling said, turning away with all the rehearsed grace of a seasoned performer.

Though her body language exuded practiced nonchalance, her words remained edged with frost. "Out of respect for Kunlun, I'll allow you to keep your face intact today. Though perhaps you should spend less time painting that exquisite visage, and more time practicing proper conduct befitting your status."

...

As the gathered guests simmered in the rising tension, a strained hush falling over the Kunlun representative area, Wu Gao - who had just returned to the gathered Kunlun disciples - shook his head wearily and let out a heavy sigh that seemed to emanate from his very bones.

"Thanks for your hard work, Senior Brother Wu," Hao Hanying said, cupping his hands and offering a salute coupled with an ingratiating smile.

Wu Gao, his pallor still betraying the lingering effects of his earlier sparring bout, raised his eyebrows before giving a light, dismissive snort.

"Don't try to curry favor with me, Junior," he muttered, lowering himself not onto one of the chairs but directly onto the ground, crossing his legs in a lotus position.

His arms and legs visibly trembled with the aftershocks of exertion, causing concerned murmurs from the surrounding disciples.

Yet Wu Gao's gaze remained firm and unwavering as he surveyed the remaining Kunlun Official Disciples, their ranks now whittled down to fewer than ten.

"After three more sparring matches, we can officially conclude the day's events," he stated, raising his head to take a deep, steadying breath of the mountain air perfumed with pine and petrichor.

This display would be more than enough to salvage and even bolster Kunlun's reputation, as the sect had intended.

Currently, all the experienced Official Disciples like himself were occupied elsewhere—either defending key areas against the rumored impending attack, conducting vital reconnaissance missions in nearby villages, or maintaining watch over restricted zones to prevent unauthorized access by commoners.

Thus, they couldn't afford to overextend their already strained man power, and could only hope that other esteemed guests would prove as diplomatically understanding as Murong Yu.

As for the remaining Official Disciples who would represent the Kunlun Official Disciples here...

Only a scattered handful of men remained amongst their thinned ranks, while the majority were women.

Of those, only veterans like Wu Gao and Lian Rougang possessed any significant experience to speak of.

The others, like the relatively inexperienced Hao Hanying and Shen Bi, were mostly greenhorns who had only recently become Official Disciples.

They likely had yet to fully master all the movements of Kunlun's Dantian Drilling External Art.

Even if their forthcoming opponents avoided using aura, these greenhorn disciples would still find themselves at a stark disadvantage in terms of experience and technical skill.

Meanwhile, the reason they were chosen to represent, rather than tasked with guarding an area or investigating the villages, was quite simple.

'We didn't expect all the sects and schools to remain this powerful after the Great Battle,' Wu Gao sighed. It was a miscalculation—either regarding the upcoming attack or the martial strength of their guests.

"Then how about we go all out from the start? Gang'er and I could take on two opponents simultaneously," Out of sudden, Ding Xiuying suggested.

By now, the roiling emotions of the common folk had been stoked into an unsettled fervor, with public sentiment heavily favoring the Emei women due to the sneak attack by the Official Disciples of Kunlun.

Despite the seemingly sincere apology issued earlier, the treacherous sneak attack had been witnessed as an act of outright cowardice, tarnishing Kunlun's honor in the eyes of the assembled masses.

As such, Ding Xiuying's bold proposition could not be easily dismissed, especially given the already overwhelming groundswell of support for a woman.

"Fellow Martial Sister Lian?" But, then... Wu Gao called out.

Though he had yet to begin his meditative calming exercises, Wu Gao appeared focused on steadying his tense, quivering muscles in preparation for further combat.

However, his questioning gaze fell upon Lian Rougang, who seemed lost in thought, her expression vacant for reasons unknown.

"Hmm? Sure..."