C702 It Was as If They Had Just Met

The Profound Heaven Sect recently advanced to become the Profound Heaven Gate, leading to changes in many job standards. Despite the influx of new recruits in recent days, the core members remain those who have weathered numerous challenges with the sect. For these veterans, job standards are understandably more lenient, which is only fair.

For instance, some former external elders, who now rank merely as first-level disciples in the newly named sect, are older than typical disciples. It wouldn't be right to relegate these loyal veterans to menial tasks. The only solution is to assign them appropriate positions and invest resources to elevate their skills, making their roles justifiable both internally and externally.

As for Woo Zhengyang, he's been focused on the Loong Zhiwu matter and hasn't concerned himself with his own position. At one point, Nie Fengyu approached him about becoming the first leader of the Profound Heaven Gate, but Woo Zhengyang declined. Without resolving the Loong Zhiwu issue, he can't concentrate on managing the Heavenly Martial Sect. Besides, he lacks any experience in sect management and doesn't want to take on responsibilities that would overwhelm him.

Woo Zhengyang is also acutely aware that, even without the Loong Zhiwu situation, his ambitions lie beyond these lands. His experiences over the past two years have destined him for a broader world.

Woo Zhengyang declined, and Nie Fengyu didn't press the issue, simply leaving it at that. Woo Zhengyang didn't think much of it until he suddenly noticed his position had changed to "Guest Elder." This left him a bit puzzled.

In a sect, the status of a Guest Elder is quite high, even surpassing that of a Senior Elder. Only those with extraordinary abilities can hold such a position within a sect. Guest Elders have unrestricted access to the sect's martial arts techniques and cultivation resources, without any administrative responsibilities. They only need to step in when the sect faces a dire threat.

This arrangement suited Woo Zhengyang perfectly, yet he couldn't understand one thing. If they wanted to make things easier for him, there were plenty of ways to do so. Even appointing him as a Senior Elder would have been reasonable. Why specifically make him a Guest Elder?

While the role of Guest Elder is excellent, the title implies being an outsider. What was the intention behind this?

"Brother Zhengyang, the Sect Master mentioned that if you have any objections to the battle rankings, you can visit the side hall of the Profound Heaven Hall," Lee Yunsheng chimed in at the right moment.

"You rascal, you've been waiting to say that for a while, haven't you?" Woo Zhengyang chuckled, tossing the Profound Heaven Sect's advancement process to Lee Yunsheng.

With a mind full of questions, Woo Zhengyang headed to the side hall of the Profound Heaven Hall.

As Woo Zhengyang pushed the door open, a faint, familiar fragrance enveloped him. The door closed softly behind him, just as it always did. Ahead, sheer curtains and a graceful silhouette created a scene reminiscent of their first meeting.

"Bing Yue, what are you up to this time?" Woo Zhengyang asked, looking at the figure behind the curtains, exasperated.

"Don't call me sister; call me little sister, or just call me Zhiwu. They say the best way to heal a man's heartbreak is to find him a replacement. Zhengyang, I'm your replacement..." Bing Yue teased, extending her delicate foot to playfully stir the curtain.

"Bing Yue, I appreciate your concern, but after your advice, I've realized this isn't heartbreak, and it doesn't need healing."

"So, I was a fool. I should have taken advantage of the situation first and then given you advice..." Bing Yue said with a playful pout, sitting up. She was as unpredictable as the first time they met.

"Bing Yue, stop teasing me. Today is the day the Profound Heaven Sect advances to the next level."

"Of course, I know. If you weren't always secluded on Heavenly Death Peak, I wouldn't have to wait until today to see you," Bing Yue replied, pulling back the curtain and stepping out.

Woo Zhengyang tried to look away, but quickly realized he was overthinking it. Everything seemed just like the first time they met, but there was one difference: Bing Yue was fully dressed this time, indicating she must have been joking.

"So, you're saying you arranged all of this? That battle ranking list..." Woo Zhengyang asked, feeling a bit relieved.

"The battle ranking list is real, and your position as a guest elder is also real!" Bing Yue replied.

"How is that possible?"

"Because of me!"

"Because of you?"

"That's right!" Bing Yue nodded and continued, "I confronted Nie Fengyu and insisted he arrange this position for you. As a guest elder, you're not bound by the sect's restrictions. This means you can be a senior elder of the Profound Heaven Sect or the leader, elder, or guest elder of the Ice Heart Sect!"

"And the sect master agreed?"

Woo Zhengyang was well aware that Bing Yue wanted to bring him into the Ice Heart Sect. However, the fact that Nie Fengyu would just go along with Bing Yue's words was something Woo Zhengyang couldn't quite understand. Could it be that Nie Fengyu felt guilty?

Even if Nie Fengyu felt he owed Bing Yue, it didn't make sense for him to just let Woo Zhengyang go like that!

"Yes, he agreed. He even arranged for you to be called here."

"That's impossible! Where is he? I need to talk to him!"

Knowing Nie Fengyu, Woo Zhengyang found it hard to believe that he would interfere in such a way. He turned to leave, determined to find Nie Fengyu and get to the bottom of this.

"Stop right there!" A fragrant breeze swept in as Bing Yue stood in front of Woo Zhengyang.

"Sister Bing Yue, guests will be arriving soon, and I need to clear something up..." Zhengyang started to explain, but his words trailed off when he saw Bing Yue's face streaked with tears.

"I know you don't think much of me. No matter how much I try to charm or attract you, you just don't care..." Bing Yue's voice broke as she spoke, her tears flowing like a river.

"It's not like that, Sister Bing Yue... it's not..."

Zhengyang had never seen a girl cry so hard before and was at a loss for what to do.

"Not like that? Then why do you always seem indifferent? You clearly don't care about me!"

"Even though you're surrounded by beautiful women, am I really that unattractive? I degrade myself, and you act like you've seen a ghost, too scared to even be alone with me."

"Don't you want to know why I'm shamelessly trying to win you over?"

As Bing Yue continued, her sobs grew louder, and Zhengyang became even more flustered...