259 Twelve Peaks 1

The Qing Yun Clan conducted three initial tests for their recruitment. Besides the first one, where Jun Wu Xie met the two bullies, she breezed through the next two tests easily.

These three tests alone, whittled the number of applicants going up the mountain from tens of thousands, to mere hundreds.

The crowded and squeezy thoroughfare felt much more spacious now.

What was surprising was that the seemingly slipshod Qiao Chu managed to pass all the tests as well, and was now grinning as he followed behind Jun Wu Xie, as he continued chattering all the way.

Those who passed the tests will stand a chance to study under the Qing Yun Clan's banner. The hundreds of applicants left had reached the summit and they could see the resplendent Qing Yun Clan's main temple before them. The applicants there were feeling awed, yet inspired with the sight.

If they were accepted into the Qing Yun Clan, their lives would drastically change! 

The Qing Yun Clan disciple who lead the applicants to the summit raised his hand, to signal the noisy and excited crowd to be silent.

A tall figure was heavily escorted out from the Qing Yun Clan's main temple as he stepped out slowly. It was a stately middle aged man, looking no more than being in his early thirties, but for those who knew, the man was already in his forties, and he was the man at the top of the Qing Yun Clan, Qin Yue.

Following behind Qin Yue, were ten men of varied ages. Some of them had full heads of white hair, and some were just in the prime of their lives. But every single one of them, carried with them an extraordinary air, and were finely dressed, as they trailed behind Qin Yue.

Qiao Chu stood beside Jun Wu Xie, as he stared upon the entrance of the various wielders of power in the Qing Yun Clan, and could not help himself but whisper into Jun Wu Xie's ear: "The man in the front is the Sovereign of the Qing Yun Clan, Qin Yue. And the men behind him are the Elders of the eleven peaks….. Hmm….. It's rather strange though. Eleven elders but only ten of them are here? Where is Jiang Chen Qing of the Ash Cloud Peak?"

Where was Jiang Chen Qing?

Smashed to a pulp by the ring spirit of the lad standing right beside you.

Jun Wu Xie swept her eyes over Qin Yue and the men behind him. Bai Yun Xian had described the appearance of the Sovereign of the Qing Yun Clan and of the various Elders to her and she had paid special attention to Mu Chen of the Cloud Treading Peak and Ke Cang Ju of the Hidden Cloud Peak.

Mu Chen was the youngest among the Elders of the eleven peaks, and was easily recognizable. Jun Wu Xie could spot him almost immediately as he stood at the outermost spot among the Elders. Mu Chen possessed a set of good looking features. He was handsome and did not show an ounce of frivolity. He was dressed in a light blue brocaded robe as he stood quietly at the end of the row. There was no conversation between the Elders, but she could faintly feel that Mu Chen did not get along well with the other Elders.

Just like it was with Mu Chen, Ke Cang Ju was distanced from the other Elders, but what was different was that Ke Cang Ju looked hideous. He was not tall, and what was most distinctive was his curved hunchback. He was dressed in a dark purple long robe and looked extremely sinister, as if he had just crawled out from an old grave. According to Bai Yun Xian, Ke Cang Ju did not enjoy good relations with people in the Qing Yun Clan. Beside his dealings with the Sovereign, Qin Yue, he did not pay heed to any of the other Elders.

He had a gloomy personality and avoided contact with other Elders, and his appearance did not exactly encourage contact.

But, in actual fact, Ke Cang Ju was the Elder he valued most among the eleven Elders, even more than Jiang Chen Qing who was always with Qin Yue, did not enjoy the privileges given to Ke Cang Ju. 

Qin Yue allocated the best resources of the Qing Yun Clan to Ke Cang Ju, and had left orders that no one was to trespass into the Hidden Cloud Peak, not even the other Elders.