The Almighty Dragon General

The only woman among them spoke calmly, “What intrigues me the most is how he managed to turn the ice-cold Ying governor so devoted to him."
James slammed the Chaos Absinthe onto the table and looked at them smilingly. "Why is there only there of you? Weren't they supposed to be eightt?"
The old man with sideburns replied smilingly, "To be precise, it's seven. We know about Clayton's ties with you, so we weren't expecting his help."
The middle-aged man scoffed, "What do you mean, Lord Xenova? He contributed significantly."
The woman chimed in with a sneer, "He's right. Without Clayton, we wouldn't have found the Chosen One so easily."
She looked at James and said mockingly, "Your old friend is pretty strong and also very arrogant. However, he is a little dumb. You have the Hongrome Hidden Bead, allowing you to alter your appearance and conceal your aura. It would be impossible to detect you.
"It's unfortunate he got too excited upon seeing you and exposed you."
James smiled lightly and replied, "I suppose I should thank him later. It was becoming rather uncomfortable to move around under a disguise."

After speaking, James reverted to his original, striking appearance.
The two men exchanged smiles, seemingly having already anticipated this moment.
However, upon seeing his true appearance, the woman's eyes lit up.
The old man with sideburns looked at James and said, "Now that the cat's out of the bag let's cut to the chase. How should we address you, James or Forty-nine?"
James replied while smiling, "A name is just a label. If you're open to it, I wouldn't mind being called daddy either."
The three powerhouses were startled by his comment.
The middle-aged man was about to react out of anger but was stopped by the old man.
The old man with sideburns clasped his hands respectfully and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Xenova Aldwyn from the Thirty-Sixth Heaven's Ananda Temple."
James nodded in acknowledgment, then turned his attention to the disgruntled middle-aged man.
"Cedric Stormborn from the Thirty-Sixth Heaven's Shivam Temple.
"I'm Sylvia Xylander from the Thirty-Sixth Heaven's Yamuna Temple." The woman did not clasp her hands but stared at James intently, seemingly attracted to James' appearance.
After the three introduced themselves, James did so as well.
"I'm James, but I go by the nickname Forty-nine sometimes. Since you're here, I'll entertain whatever way you'd like to fight."