Chapter 347: The World of Adults

At this moment, everyone in the bar stared at Su Ming with disbelief in their eyes.

They couldn’t believe that Su Ming dared to speak to Qiao Zhi in such a manner.

“This young man has quite some nerve.”

Even Zhu Yun, who had been observing from the sidelines, began to view Su Ming in a new light.

Who was Qiao Zhi?

The second young master of the Qiao Family, one of the Eight Great Families; a Peak Five-Star Hunter; Vice Captain of the A-rank team Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion; a prominent figure in Tianfeng City—one could say he wielded immense power.

Even setting all that aside, Qiao Zhi was nearly forty years old, a scion of a great Family, and the commanding Aura of someone in a high position was impossible for him to conceal. Ordinary people probably wouldn’t even dare to look him directly in the eye; just a glance from him would make them nervous.

But what about Su Ming?

A mere eighteen-year-old, not even twenty, actually dared to ask Qiao Zhi “on what grounds?” right to his face.

And it wasn’t said in a frantic, desperate, impulsive tone without considering the consequences. Instead, it was delivered with a faint smile, exceptionally calm, as if savoring something, in a completely composed manner.

This situation absolutely couldn’t be explained away with terms like “greenhorn” or “inexperienced.”

Qiao Zhi, even more so, never expected that this overly young fellow before him would actually say to him, “You, on what grounds?”

You have to understand, before this, Qiao Zhi hadn’t paid Su Ming any mind at all.

In his view, Su Ming was just incredibly lucky to have gained Chi Qian’s favor. He was a newcomer who had just started out, so young, an outsider without any respectable background or status—utterly unworthy of having someone like Chi Qian pledge loyalty to him.

He only felt a slight resentment toward Su Ming, but that resentment wasn’t entirely directed at Su Ming himself; it was more aimed at Chi Qian.

He had tried to recruit her so many times, made so many personal visits to win her over, yet he never succeeded. And now, Chi Qian had gone and joined some small team formed by a rookie Sorcerer who had just debuted. No matter how he thought about it, it infuriated him.

As for Su Ming, Qiao Zhi truly didn’t see him as much of a threat. Aside from paying a bit more attention to him, he wasn’t even willing to vent his anger on him.

This shows just how low Su Ming’s presence was in Qiao Zhi’s mind.

Under such circumstances, he had personally come to see this rookie he wouldn’t normally glance at twice, only to be treated like this in return?

To say Qiao Zhi wasn’t angry would be impossible.

Yet, Qiao Zhi couldn’t find the words to refute him.

Because Su Ming had indeed accomplished something Qiao Zhi had failed to do—that was a fact.

“Do you think Chi Qian, who rose to prominence in Tianfeng City through her own efforts, is a fool? If I really had nothing to offer here, do you think she would willingly work for me?”

Su Ming looked at the speechless Qiao Zhi, smiled, and spoke up.

“It’s precisely because I have what she wants that she came to me.”

“Isn’t the standard for excellent Professionals choosing a team just that simple? As long as there’s something sufficiently attractive to them, that’s enough, right?”

“My team successfully attracted her, so what makes it unworthy of her joining?”

“Or does Vice Captain Qiao believe that only teams with high enough Ranks and large enough scales are worthy?”

Su Ming shook his head and bluntly threw out a statement.”If that were the case, all outstanding Professionals would simply flock to join S-rank teams. They look down on my team, and they’d look down on yours just the same.”

With that single remark, Qiao Zhi was left livid, his expression dark and ugly.

In contrast, the onlookers around them nodded in agreement with Su Ming’s words.

“Can’t deny, that kid makes a fair point.”

“His team’s Rank is low, and its scale is small, but if he can offer terms that appeal to Chi Qian, isn’t it reasonable for her to join his team?”

“I heard Chi Qian’s condition for joining was Dragon Demon Saliva—several drops of it, no less.”

“Good heavens, could that kid really possess such a treasure and have given it to Chi Qian?”

“If that’s true, I’d be willing to join his team too.”

The crowd buzzed with discussion, and their gazes toward Su Ming began to shift.

Not only the others present, but even Xu Xiayan and Wang Di looked at Su Ming with a hint of admiration in their eyes.

Wang Di, in particular, felt a newfound respect for Su Ming.

No matter what, Su Ming’s unwavering confidence in facing Qiao Zhi head-on, coupled with his sharp and direct words—even if Wang Di were in his place, he doubted he could have handled it better.

And the fact that Su Ming, at such a young age, possessed such composure and performance was truly remarkable.

If Su Ming truly had the means to attract someone like Chi Qian, then he was undoubtedly extraordinary.

It was only then that Chi Qian, who had remained silent all along, finally spoke.

“I’ve said it before—I will not leave Azure Mercury.”

Chi Qian’s tone was calm but firm.

“The Commander has shown me kindness and provided immense support. Even my former companions are in this team, and under the Commander’s guidance, they’ve secured a better future than before.”

“Therefore, whether out of sentiment or reason, it’s impossible for me to leave Azure Mercury.”

“Not now, and not ever.”

Chi Qian made her stance unequivocally clear before everyone present.

Anyone with a shred of sense could tell from her demeanor and words that Chi Qian was dead serious.

She would not, under any circumstances, leave her current team to join another.

Realizing this, everyone who had designs on Chi Qian, including Zhu Yun, fell silent.

Xu Xiayan, however, allowed a faint smile to curve her lips.

Chi Qian’s display of loyalty was undoubtedly a cause for joy.

Though she already knew that Chi Qian, unlike what she had initially assumed, was genuinely working for Su Ming, seeing Chi Qian make such a public declaration only deepened her reassurance.

Thus, Xu Xiayan finally stepped forward.

“That’s what she said, isn’t it? Vice Captain Qiao?” Xu Xiayan addressed Qiao Zhi with a light, mocking smile. “If you keep pressing the issue, things might get rather awkward.”

Qiao Zhi shot a glance at Xu Xiayan, then turned his gaze to Chi Qian.

“You’ll regret this.”

Qiao Zhi’s voice was heavy with warning.

Chi Qian couldn’t even be bothered to respond.

Regret?

Just wait until you learn how formidable the Commander truly is—then you’ll understand what regret means.

Unaware of Chi Qian’s inner thoughts, Qiao Zhi cast one last look at Su Ming but said nothing further. He simply turned and walked away.At this point, saying more would be useless.

Having been so thoroughly refuted by Su Ming in front of everyone, Qiao Zhi felt too ashamed to stay any longer and simply walked toward the door, leaving directly.

Seeing this, Xu Xiayan casually remarked, “Three days from now, in the morning, at Tianfeng North Gate.”

Hearing this, Qiao Zhi’s steps faltered slightly before he continued on his way out of the bar.

His people naturally followed him, though their gazes toward Su Ming were filled with displeasure and hostility, clearly holding a grudge against him.

After everyone from the Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion had left, Xu Xiayan suddenly smiled and turned to address all those present.

“As mentioned earlier, three days from now in the morning, we will gather at Tianfeng North Gate.”

“Then we will set off together for the location where the Hidden Realm has appeared.”

“Does anyone have any questions?”

Xu Xiayan’s inquiry was met with unanimous head-shaking from the crowd.

“Three days from now in the morning, I will bring my team’s elite members to the North Gate.”

“Same here, no objections.”

“Our team will deploy in full force, so please rest assured, Captain Xu.”

“With so many high-Rank teams collaborating, this mission is sure to be easily accomplished.”

“Exactly.”

Everyone responded enthusiastically, making their declarations.

“Good!”

Xu Xiayan nodded firmly in agreement.

The preliminary plan for tackling the SS-rank mission was thus settled.

In three days, everything would become clear.

…

Afterward, the atmosphere in the bar didn’t cool down due to the Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion’s departure; instead, it grew even more lively.

With the initial course of action decided, people no longer had serious matters to discuss. Some drank, others chatted and laughed, making the atmosphere increasingly relaxed.

Su Ming also found himself approached by many people.

Team leaders or vice captains—either first or second-in-command figures from various teams—all came up to Su Ming one after another, greeting him and making small talk. They seemed intent on building friendly relations with him, a stark contrast to their earlier attitude of watching the drama unfold without concern.

Even Zhu Yun, the vice captain of Iron Rose and a collateral member of the Zhu family, approached Su Ming to greet him and even struck up a conversation with Chi Qian.

“Although there’s probably no hope of winning Commander Chi over to our side, I personally admire her greatly. I hope we’ll have the chance to exchange insights in the future.”

Zhu Yun said these somewhat challenging words to Chi Qian before leaving.

Su Ming was both surprised and astonished by this.

“I thought everyone here looked down on me,” Su Ming muttered to himself.

He didn’t believe that refuting Qiao Zhi would make these leaders of major teams view him with awe, to the point of actively seeking his friendship.

And indeed, that wasn’t the case.

“Perhaps most of them didn’t take you seriously before, but when it comes to Azure Mercury—a team with potential that has broken Tianfeng City’s record for fastest team Rank advancement—they certainly don’t want to offend you,” Xu Xiayan explained to Su Ming afterward.

“The adult world isn’t so straightforward. Compared to personal feelings, they tend to prioritize gains and losses.”

In other words, regardless of what they thought of Su Ming personally, as long as Azure Mercury genuinely had the potential to rise to prominence, those leaders of major teams didn’t mind taking the initiative to build friendly relations.No matter what rank it was, no matter what scale it was, as long as this team had Chi Qian—a Six-Star Professional—it was worth their effort to build good relations.

Therefore, even if Su Ming hadn’t driven Qiao Zhi away today, these big shots from major teams would still have come up to greet him with smiles.

As for what they truly thought in their hearts, only they themselves knew.

Understanding this, Su Ming was filled with complex emotions.

“Indeed, in the adult world, it’s all about interests.”

(End of Chapter)