“Elder, you must Chillwater’s Ji Clan’s Elder Ji Congyun?” Fang Chen stood up and greeted the other party. “Pardon me for my lack of hospitality.”
Ji Congyun eyed Li Daoye before speaking, “Are you the one calling the shots in the Fang Clan now? Where’s Fang Zhentian? We met each other once before many years ago, and I’d like to reminisce about the past with him.”
“Our Old Master is ailing in health, so I’m afraid he isn’t in a good state to meet you. Yes, I’m now the decision-maker in our Fang Clan. May I know why you’re here?” Fang Chen asked.
“It’s nothing much. I heard from my grandson there’s a cultivator in your Fang Manor, and I invited the immortal worshiped by our Ji Clan here to have a chat with him.” Ji Congyun turned to Li Daoye and clasped his fist. “You must be the immortal from Infernoblaze! It’s my honor to meet you.”
Before Li Daoye could speak, the Ji Clan’s cultivator beat him to it, “Third stage Ki Refinement. You aren’t strong, but you aren’t exactly weak either. What caught your eye—the Fang Clan or Great Xia?”
“Elder, you have good eyes. May I know what your cultivation level is?” Li Daoye asked with a smile.
“Ah, I’m lacking in talent. I’ve cultivated for seventy years now, but I’m only at sixth stage Ki Refinement,” the Ji Clan’s cultivator lamented, but there was a hint of glee in his eyes.
It was a formidable feat for a wandering cultivator to reach sixth stage Ki Refinement. That was more than enough for him to claim supremacy in this region. Even in Infernoblaze, he would be considered to be mid-tier.
Sixth stage Ki Refinement? It won’t be easy to deal with him. Fear surfaced in Li Daoye’s eyes. He instinctively turned to Fang Chen.
“Young man, we, cultivators, should be focusing on our cultivation to achieve immortality. It’ll be best to steer clear of secular affairs. Has your sect’s elders not warned you before?”
“That depends on my mood. Your cultivation might be higher than mine, but you’re just a wandering cultivator, right?” Li Daoye retorted.
The Ji Clan’s cultivator stiffened up. He awkwardly asked, “Young man, which sect are you from?”
“Infernoblaze’s Eight Trigrams Sect,” Li Daoye proudly replied.
“Eight Trigrams Sect? I’ve never heard of it before.”
The Ji Clan’s cultivator breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing to fear if Li Daoye was only from a minor sect. In fact, there were some minor sects that fared even worse than him. With such a thought in mind, he said with a smile, “I might be a wandering cultivator, but someone of my cultivation will receive privileged treatment in Infernoblaze.
He paused for a second before adding, “Take my warning to heart. You should leave secular affairs to ordinary mortals, or else a battle between us is inevitable.”
With that, the Ji Clan’s cultivator directed a smile at Fang Chen before taking his leave.
“You resembled Fang Zhentian back then. What a pity.” Ji Congyun looked at Fang Chen and shook his head before leaving with the Ji Clan’s cultivator.
“That old thing is so arrogant!” Li Daoye was infuriated. “A mere wandering cultivator dares to threaten me!”
“You’re only at third stage Ki Refinement. You might have your sect to back you up, but think about how far away is Infernoblaze from here? If he comes after you, you won’t even have time to send a message back, let alone wait for reinforcements to arrive,” Fang Chen remarked.
“That’s why, it’s only normal for him to threaten you. In fact, I don’t think he’ll travel all the way here just to drop a threat. Great Xia has nothing that interests him, but the same can’t be said about you. What’s the most common thing that happens between cultivators?”
“Killing others for their treasures?” Li Daoye gasped in shock. “I couldn’t tell that old man harbors such an intention in mind.”
“He’s a wary person. From the start to the end, he didn’t give off any inclination of doing that. However, if I was in his place, after confirming that you are of no threat to me, I’ll secretly kill you and take away all of your possessions,” Fang Chen said. He also doesn’t know that Xia Yu is planning to poison him.
“Young master Fang, you have to protect me!” Li Daoye cried.
“Have you forgotten about the Purple Lightning Talisman? How many Purple Lightning Talismans do you think a sixth stage Ki Refinement cultivator can withstand?” Fang Chen said.
Li Daoye regained his confidence. He nearly forgot about his Purple Lightning Talismans. With this ace in hand, he could easily defeat the other party, whether he was a sixth stage or seventh stage Ki Refinement cultivator.
Outside the Fang Manor, Ji Congyun asked, “Is that Fang Chen a cultivator?”
He was worried that the Fang Clan had obtained a cultivation method.
“Of course not,” the Ji Clan’s cultivator scoffed. “It’s a taboo to leak cultivation methods, especially if one is from a sect. Cultivation sects are very strict about that. Disciples found to have given away their cultivation method risk having their cultivation crippled.”
At this point, the Ji Clan’s cultivator lowered his head and sighed. “There might not be many cultivators in this world, but there’s even fewer cultivation resources. Even major sects have to be prudent when taking in disciples, for an additional cultivator in the world meant there were fewer cultivation resources to go around.”
He turned around and looked at the Fang Manor with greedy eyes. Cultivation resources are scarce, after all. It wasn’t easy for me to encounter a third stage Ki Refinement sect disciple. I can’t let this opportunity slip past my fingers.
Meanwhile, Ji Lengyue had been waiting in his palace.
When Ji Congyun and the Ji Clan’s cultivator arrived, he breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly headed over with his Nightmare Knights and greeted them with a bow.
“Grandfather, Immortal Zuo.” Ji Lengyue’s attitude was extremely respectful.
One was the Ji Clan’s Old Master, whereas the other was the immortal worshiped by the Ji Clan. Both were the pillars of their Ji Clan.
“Immortal Zuo has already taken a look, and the Fang Manor’s cultivator pales in comparison to Immortal Zuo. You may proceed with the military exercise without any worries,” Ji Congyun said.
“That’s wonderful!” Ji Lengyue was overjoyed. The heaviness looming in his heart for the last few days finally dissipated. In the end, the Fang Manor’s cultivator turns out to be weaker than the immortal we worship! This makes things much easier.
A cruel smile formed on Ji Lengyue’s face. Just you wait, Fang Chen. I’ll return the humiliation I suffered in the Palace of Great Peace tenfold to you!
“I’ll be cultivating now. Call me when it’s time,” Immortal Zuo said before taking his leave.
Shortly after he left, Ji Lengyue asked with a hushed voice, “Grandfather, we have worshiped Immortal Zuo for many years now. We found many ki stones and spirit medicine for him, and many of our Clansmen have died obtaining them. When will Immortal Zuo fulfill his promise and impart his cultivation method to us?”
“There’s no rush. Let’s wait a bit more since Immortal Zuo has made us a promise. I don’t think I’ll live to that day, but you still stand a chance. Otherwise, your offspring would have a chance too,” Ji Congyun said with a smile.
“How long will that take…” Ji Congyun murmured. His eyes suddenly turned vicious, and he said, “Grandfather, you’re a pinnacle Earth Profound martial artist. If you use all your means, you might just be able to rival Immortal Zuo. Why don’t we…”
“Lengyue, you have to be patient. If you aren’t capable of that, I can let your siblings take your position instead.” Ji Congyun patted Ji Lengyue’s shoulders before leaving.
Ji Lengyue’s face darkened.
Just then, one of the Nightmare Knights came and reported that the Great Xia’s emperor had invited him into the imperial palace to discuss the upcoming military exercise. The envoys of the other countries had already arrived and were waiting for him.
Fang Chen, who had been watching the scene with his soul, fell into deep thought.
The Ji Clan must have forked out a hefty price to worship Immortal Zuo, else a junior like Ji Lengyue wouldn’t have suggested making a move on a cultivator.
“The Ji Clan… seems to have found a way to acquire ki stones and spirit herbs, though it looks there’s some danger in acquiring them…” Fang Chen murmured.