Long Chen studied the five men for a moment. They'd positioned themselves strategically—two on his left, two on his right, and the leader in the center. Classic encirclement. Amateur, but effective against someone who panicked.
He wasn't panicking.
"I'm listening," Long Chen said.
The leader seemed surprised that Long Chen hadn't immediately gotten defensive or aggressive. His grin faltered slightly before he recovered.
"Good. That's… good." He tried his best to sound civil, reasonable even. But the disdain in his eyes was impossible to hide. Every time he looked at Long Chen, his lip curled slightly, like he was looking at something distasteful. "Let me start by saying that you're quite the enigma, little brother Chen. The only Qi Acquisition Realm cultivator in the entire Inner Disciple Domain. That's… impressive, in its own way."
The words were complimentary, but the tone made them sound like an insult.
One of the men to Long Chen's left snickered. "Yeah, real impressive."
