'Demon Flow Saber King' Zhuang Yan was staring intently at 'Divine Fist Judge' Xi Bitian.

Xi Bitian also sensed the gaze of this Saber King.

Xi Bitian was slightly surprised, not expecting this person, ranked third on the Heavenly List decades ago, to be outside this tavern.

He secretly raised his guard but, undeterred, stepped past Zhuang Yan, entering the tavern.

Xi Bitian knew he was no match for Zhuang Yan, yet he had remained unharmed despite being hunted by the court for the past two years, which was by no means mere luck.

He had once practiced a Secret Technique that not only allowed him to evade the three-pronged attack from the Western Capital Chu Family, Police Pool of Blood, and the Direct Palace Supervisor, but also escape most adverse situations safely.

Xi Bitian was confident that even the once third-ranked Demon Flow Saber King could not do much to him in You State City.

Only one thing troubled Xi Bitian.

A companion of his was inside this tavern waiting for him.

Fortunately, the Demon Flow Saber King Zhuang Yan only glanced at him and then averted his gaze.

This person clearly had no intention of meddling in the court's pursuit of a fugitive or any plan to purge rebels for the court.

When 'Divine Fist Judge' Xi Bitian stepped into the top floor private room of the tavern, he saw his brother 'Iron-faced Judge' Luo Yang, sitting alone by the window drinking.

His eyebrows raised slightly, and a hint of joy surfaced in his typically icy eyes.

Yet Xi Bitian's expression remained as calm as ever, unfazed: "You succeeded, and my heart is greatly comforted. However, dragging on for half a year is somewhat inept."

He and Luo Yang had not met for half a year, today was a reunion after long separation.

What delighted him most was that Luo Yang had advanced to the Third Grade Lower Tier.

This was indeed a stroke of luck!

Luo Yang's talent was not weak, and under normal circumstances, advancing to the Second Grade would have been no problem.

However, after that incident two years ago, their group of Chu Family rebels not only lost outside resources but also faced ongoing pursuit from the court, making each step of advancement exceedingly perilous.

They couldn't even gather a complete Third Grade Secret Medicine, let alone help Luo Yang complete the promotion ceremony!

Luo Yang knew his companion's temperament.

He was someone without regard for others, extremely proud, with a sharp tongue; yet aside from these flaws, everything else about Xi Bitian was commendable.

He was also a brother who was outwardly cold but inwardly warm, reliable in matters, someone to entrust life and death to.

He stopped laughing, calmly explaining: "I kept you waiting long. This time, with the help of numerous secret medicine components from that generous benefactor, and borrowing Master Lu's 'Dreams Come True' method to complete the ceremony, the preparation was indeed thorough.

Only the search for the main medicine took longer; recently, some upheaval at Buzhou Mountain led to a large-scale confiscation of various medicinal materials, and I had to go to 'Heavenly Emperor Mountain' to search for medicine. Fortunately, I had a little luck, and eventually safely entered the forest of Third Grade."

In fact, during this promotion, he experienced many twists and turns, many dangers, almost failing at the most severe juncture.

But that was all in the past, and there was no need to mention it again.

Luo Yang's face, usually characterized by 'Iron Face,' showed a few traces of concern and warmth: "I worried a lot up north, wondering how our brothers were faring?"

For this promotion, he had traveled north to the Central Earth Territory for nearly half a year.

The two places were separated by millions of miles, and news was scarce.

Luo Yang fretted across distances, concerned about his brothers' situations, fearing they might encounter mishaps.

Originally, those brothers who fled Wang'an City together were only dozens in total.

Later, some were successively lost.

Now, anyone still alive couldn't afford any loss.

"All is well!"

After sitting down, Xi Bitian unapologetically picked up the wine pot on the table and filled his cup: "For the past half-year we've been lying low, what danger could there be? The court hasn't concerned itself with us, and neither the Police Pool of Blood nor the Inner Palace has paid much attention, so life has been quite leisurely.

Additionally, the patron you found is very reliable, quite generous with money; not only you but others have also advanced during this time. Even those who didn't advance were able to inscribe two or three fine War Maps and exchange for one or two suitable Magic Artifacts."

He then squinted his eyes, revealing a hint of cold severity and doubt: "But what I don't understand is, what exactly is this person's purpose for doing all these?"

During this period, five in their group had advanced to the Fourth Grade in this half-year.

If the one assisting them was 'Sword and Dream' Lu Chen, it would be acceptable.

Rumeng Manor was not only deemed a rebel by the court but also a thorn in Emperor Jianyuan's side.

The purpose of this person's support was obvious even by simple reasoning.

The problem was, the real patron was someone else.

In Xi Bitian's view, that person clearly had boundless potential.

As long as that person didn't perish prematurely, they would undoubtedly be the most powerful and highest-ranking figure in Jianghu within the next hundred years.

What reason would they have to associate with and support this group of remnants from the Western Capital Chu Family?

Especially considering the timing.

This person began contacting them before even gaining prominence, right when they had just joined the Formless Divine Sect.

Iron-faced Judge Luo Yang, upon hearing this, appeared thoughtful: "The court's fear of the Formless Divine Sect is not recent, and they've targeted our benefactor multiple times. Otherwise, why would Li Changsheng have stormed the Imperial City and swept through the Inner Palace a year ago? Clearly, this person and the court are foes, not friends. Bi Tian, you need not worry too much."

Xi Bitian remained indifferent.

He thought Luo Yang's words were indeed correct.

Yet given that person's status, fame, and wealth, if they wanted to recruit experts and build forces, wouldn't they be able to recruit whoever they wanted?

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