Chapter 768: Chapter 765: Various Invitations_1
This left the Elder of the Imperial Tao Sect in an awkward position; his initial remarks were directed solely at the Elder of the Dong Huang Sect. Little did he know that as soon as his words landed, everyone rushed forward in competitive haste.
Yang Chen had become such a coveted prize.
In an instant, various powerful forces were unstoppable, all stepping forward to introduce their sects, with their intentions to gain Yang Chen’s allegiance clear beyond any doubt.
It was no wonder that these forces were so anxious. After all, even the exceptional talents under their control had their limits.
Though they might be known as the number one or number two talents of their generation, it was possible that someone from the next generation could surpass them. The generation after that might even bring forth even stronger talents. However, someone with circumstances like Yang Chen was truly a rarity, appearing only once in a century. This timeframe referred to that of the entire human domain, not merely a single region.
Just how valuable was that once-a-century talent?
Yang Chen was also feeling quite awkward. He never thought that breaking through the Trial Tower would earn him so much favor. He hastily bowed and said, “Thank you for all your generous offers, seniors. However, I come from the Eastern Thirty-six Counties. Joining your forces might not be appropriate.”
“Haha, young friend Yang Chen, there’s nothing inappropriate. Joining our forces would still make you a member of the Eastern Thirty-six Counties. You can think of it as merely cultivating in another place. How about coming to our Dong Huang Sect? What do you think?” said the Elder of the Dong Huang Sect amiably.
If he could successfully persuade such a genius to join, wouldn’t the Sect Master praise and reward him upon his return?
“Dong Huang Sect, please make way. No matter how good your Western 42 Counties may be, Yang Chen, can you consider our Yushang Sect? Our Yushang Sect is part of the Central Capital Region, as you know. Of all martial artists, those in the Central Capital are the most powerful.”
“Humph, we, the Nine Stream Sect, are willing to offer very generous terms!”
“Do you think only your Nine Stream Sect is willing to offer generous terms? We don’t have any?”
“Exactly, young friend Yang Chen, as long as you’re willing to join our sect, whatever conditions you want, we’ll give you without any ambiguity!”
“Young friend Yang Chen, once you join our sect, you’ll be treated like a first-class disciple!”
Faced with invitations from various powerful factions, it wasn’t false to say that Yang Chen was tempted.
However, although he was tempted, he didn’t lose his sanity. Firstly, he was not the kind of person who would change his mind easily. Since he had promised Zhu Hailong, he had to live up to his word, otherwise he would truly offend Zhu Hailong.
Secondly, he felt no sense of belonging to these sects. It was not like the Yuan Mountain Sect, where Mu Baisheng had once shown him mercy when he was unknown. He had a strong sense of belonging to the Yuan Mountain Sect. As for the other sects, he could do without.
With that in mind, Yang Chen no longer hid his thoughts and spoke directly, “Respected seniors, pardon my frankness, but I have already promised Senior Zhu Hailong of the Green Lotus Sect. For now, I have to help the Green Lotus Sect deal with some matters. It’s not that I am unwilling to accept the kind offers from the seniors, but I can’t agree to them now. I hope the seniors will bring this up again in the future.”
Upon hearing this, many of the powerful sects still wanted to retain him. After all, what was the Green Lotus Sect? When they, the superpowers, were pulling in disciples, would they care about the Green Lotus Sect’s face? It would have been fine if Yang Chen had already joined the Green Lotus Sect, but he hadn’t yet.
Unfortunately, Zhu Hailong was timely and stepped forward, coughing twice: “Everyone, have you heard what young friend Yang Chen said? Now that Yang Chen has a prior deal with me, please return first.”
Zhu Hailong was extremely anxious. When he saw the scene earlier, he had hurried over, fearing that Yang Chen would agree to these people and put his transaction with Yang Chen behind him.
If Yang Chen really agreed to join these forces, Zhu Hailong would be too late even to cry. After all, he had gone to great lengths to invite Yang Chen.
Who would have thought, however, that Yang Chen would actually refuse? This surprised Zhu Hailong, and he was filled with gratitude. He never expected Yang Chen to be such a focused person, remembering his transaction with him despite all the temptations.
Not everyone had such a state of mind.
Now, Zhu Hailong hurriedly stepped forward to stop these people, fearing they might offer more temptations to Yang Chen. After all, how could a young lad like Yang Chen withstand such enticements?
Seeing Zhu Hailong had stepped forward, the high-level officials of the various forces cursed their bad luck, but couldn’t do much else in terms of open invitations.
However, they wouldn’t give up so easily either.
The higher-ups of these forces bowed and said one after another, “Young friend Yang Chen, if that’s the case, we’ll look for you another day.”
“Young friend Yang Chen, please consider our Yushang Sect.”
“And our Imperial Tao Sect is also sincerely inviting you, young friend Yang Chen.”
“We, Dong Huang Sect, wholeheartedly invite you, young friend Yang Chen, please consider us too.”
Having said that, the higher-ups of these forces reluctantly left.
For a time, Yang Chen had become a delectable figure in the eyes of these major forces.
Of course, not all forces were vying to extend invitations. Only four superpowers and a handful of medium and small forces arrived. The rest regarded Yang Chen with cold eyes, evidently seeing him as an enemy rather than an ally.
This was quite normal, just like Wu Sheng and Han Zheng.
They were the top talents of their respective forces and would not allow others to surpass them. Undoubtedly, Yang Chen had violated the conditions that they could not tolerate. How could they possibly allow Yang Chen to join their ranks?
Yang Chen, of course, would not consider the thoughts of Wu Sheng and Han Zheng. Watching the high-level officials of the various forces leave, he didn’t dare to offend them and bowed his hands.
Zhu Hailong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, having been scared badly. If Yang Chen had really agreed to these people, how could he cope?
Luckily, Yang Chen stayed. This made Zhu Hailong realize just how precious Yang Chen was at the moment. Jokingly, he knew he had to treat Yang Chen well now; otherwise, with just one word, there would be no force unwilling to take him in.
“Young friend Yang Chen, now that the Trial Tower test is over, let’s go back to our quarters first,” suggested Zhu Hailong, coughing twice, anxiety gleaming in his eyes. He didn’t want Yang Chen to stay here any longer. Every extra minute posed a greater risk.
Yang Chen couldn’t help but laugh, understanding Zhu Hailong’s thoughts and intentions. He nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go back first.”
With the Trial Tower test completed, he saw no further purpose in staying. Therefore, leaving was harmless.
And so, Yang Chen and Zhu Hailong left Hao Hai Main City together and returned to the Green Lotus Sect.