Chapter 539: Chapter 321: Ingratitude

"Brother Xu, why the rush to leave? I am here to help you."

With a faint flash of light, the middle-aged man who was originally behind Xu Yang suddenly appeared in front of him.

"I don’t need anyone’s help. You have the wrong person," Xu Yang replied, on high alert. The cultivation of this person was at least at the Celestial Essence Second Layer.

"Is that so? Huo Xiaochen has publicly declared that he will snipe you during the Secondary Dragon Ascension. Do you really not need help with that?" The man wore a faint smile, believing he had Xu Yang right where he wanted him. After all, when the fourteenth ranker on the Lingyun List was targeting the ninety-eighth, who would refuse a helping hand? The Secondary Dragon Ascension was tied to the future of one’s Martial Dao. At least, if it were him, he wouldn’t refuse.

"I have already found helpers to deal with Huo Xiaochen. I don’t need yours." Xu Yang suddenly understood. This member of the Demon Sect was trying to use the Huo Xiaochen situation as a breakthrough point to recruit him. If it were anyone else, they might have compromised.

"Are you referring to Liu Rumei and Zhang Jun? How could those two possibly stop Huo Xiaochen?" The middle-aged man shook his head. "Furthermore, from what I know, Lin Jingyu and Huo Xiaochen have joined forces. Lin Jingyu has also agreed to help Huo Xiaochen deal with you. When the time comes, how will the four of you withstand the combined might of two great geniuses? If teaming up with Liu Rumei and Zhang Jun was enough to oppose Huo Xiaochen, I wouldn’t have bothered coming."

Xu Yang’s heart sank. He knew Lin Jingyu and Huo Xiaochen had joined forces, but he didn’t expect Lin Jingyu to actually agree to help target them. The conflict between them and Huo Xiaochen wasn’t merely a competition for the Secondary Dragon Ascension; it was a rivalry rooted in animosity. By stepping in, Lin Jingyu was taking on that grudge as well. Many had drawn a clear line with them because of Huo Xiaochen, but Lin Jingyu was the first one willing to actively move against them for his sake.

"Could it be that you can send two geniuses capable of matching them to help us? Who do you think you are, the Patriarch of a Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family?" Xu Yang probed. "Could someone among the top geniuses on the Lingyun List have already joined the Demon Sect?"

"Don’t worry about that. As long as you agree to join us, we have our ways of taking care of Huo Xiaochen and Lin Jingyu for you," the middle-aged man replied evasively.

Xu Yang sneered. This guy was trying to get something for nothing. If he really joined the Demon Sect, they would have leverage over him. Even if they couldn’t actually solve the issue with Lin Jingyu and Huo Xiaochen, what could he do? He would still be at the complete mercy of the Demon Sect.

"Not interested. Farewell!" Xu Yang cupped his hands and strode away. He didn’t even have much interest in a Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family, let alone the Demon Sect.

"Xu Yang, you will regret this." The middle-aged man felt somewhat resentful. The kid was completely impervious to persuasion.

***

Xu Yang pondered, "The Demon Sect sought me out, which means they’ll likely approach Senior Brother Sun, or perhaps Zhang Jun and Liu Rumei. Should I warn them?" However, he quickly shook his head. Sun Tao probably wouldn’t fall for it. If Sun Tao were the type to join the Demon Sect just because of Huo Xiaochen’s threats, he would have simply severed ties with Xu Yang in the beginning to avoid being implicated. Thus, there was no need for a warning; Sun Tao would never do such a thing.

As for Liu Rumei and Zhang Jun, although they were currently allied, he didn’t know them well. To put it bluntly, he didn’t fully trust them. In an alliance like this, it would be naive to assume everyone was of one mind. Therefore, it was better to keep the Demon Sect’s proposition to himself. There was no need to let untrustworthy people know and potentially cause trouble later. He just needed to keep his guard up around Liu Rumei and Zhang Jun moving forward.

Xu Yang hadn’t expected that, three days later, Sun Tao would actually seek him out over this exact matter.

"Someone approached me, claiming that if I joined their organization, they could help deal with Huo Xiaochen and Lin Jingyu. I suspect they are from the Demon Sect. They might come looking for you. Don’t agree to it," Sun Tao said gravely. He finally understood why Xu Yang kept such a low profile. If you were trash, no one would even bother giving you the time of day. But the moment you displayed a certain level of talent and proved useful, all sorts of shady characters would come knocking, trying to recruit you as their lackey or thug. Refusing them would cause offense, but accepting meant becoming someone else’s beast of burden.

"I understand!" Xu Yang nodded. After a moment of thought, he warned, "Be careful of Zhang Jun and Liu Rumei in the future. As fellow disciples, we have the confidence to reject the Demon Sect’s temptations, but they might not."

Sun Tao paused, deeply agreeing. Both he and Xu Yang had hidden trump cards, which was why they never cared about Huo Xiaochen’s threats. Zhang Jun and Liu Rumei were a different story; they might just cave in. If he and Xu Yang didn’t have their own assurances, they probably would have compromised too, just to ensure a smooth Secondary Dragon Ascension. Many Martial Artists joined the Demon Sect only because various circumstances forced them to bow their heads. What normal person would willingly choose to become a rat scurrying across the street like a Demon Sect member?

"Senior Brothers, Elder Yue and the Young Sect Leader have requested your presence." At that moment, a disciple of the Purple Sun Sect stationed at the premises came to deliver the message.

"Alright!" Xu Yang and Sun Tao stood up, only to find that the messenger had also gone around notifying Qi Xuancheng and the other two.

"For what matter have Elder Yue and the Young Sect Leader summoned us?" Zhang Hanzhou curiously asked the disciple.

The man replied, "It should be regarding the visit of Senior Brother Yuan Chengji and Brother Lü Fengxing."

Xu Yang’s mind stirred. He knew of Yuan Chengji and Lü Fengxing. Both originated from the Purple Sun Sect and had successfully achieved their Secondary Dragon Ascension just like Han Yingjie. Now, they were students at the Celestial Strategy Academy, making them fellow sect brothers. Yuan Chengji, in particular, hailed from the Li Fire Peak and was a disciple of Yue Zhong. As for Lü Fengxing, he seemed to come from the Tianquan Peak. He was a disciple from a cohort earlier than Yuan Chengji and had already been cultivating at the Celestial Strategy Academy for ten years. Yuan Chengji, similar to Han Yingjie, had entered the Celestial Strategy Academy during the Purple Sun Sect’s previous Dragon Ascension. These three were the only current disciples of the Purple Sun Sect within the Celestial Strategy Academy. As for any earlier disciples, Yue Zhong and the others had never mentioned them; it seemed they had either perished or simply cut ties with the Purple Sun Sect.

"Senior Brother Yuan and Brother Lü are here?" Zhang Hanzhou was overjoyed. He had long wanted to get acquainted with these two. After all, they were from the same sect. Once they established a connection, they would have senior brothers to look out for them when they entered the Celestial Strategy Academy in the future. They wouldn’t be bullied and would have some backing.

"Hurry, we can’t let Senior Brother Yuan and Brother Lü wait," Qi Xuancheng said, quickening his pace. Two senior brothers who had been cultivating in the Celestial Strategy Academy for years were absolutely among the most crucial connections they could make. Even Ye Qiuling, who was pursued by many geniuses on the Lingyun List, revealed a hint of anticipation on her face.

"What about Senior Brother Han Yingjie? Did he not come?" Ye Qiuling asked.

Although Yuan Chengji and Lü Fengxing were both disciples of the Celestial Strategy Academy, their talents were relatively unremarkable. They had entered the Academy with ordinary status. The most dazzling among them was still Han Yingjie, who had fought his way into the Celestial Strategy Academy ranking eighty-sixth on the Lingyun List back then. Now, after five years of cultivation, Han Yingjie’s status in the Celestial Strategy Academy was definitely incomparable to that of Senior Brother Yuan and Brother Lü.

"I didn’t see Senior Brother Han Yingjie," the messenger replied. For those stationed here, their primary task was actually to facilitate communication between the Purple Sun Sect and the geniuses who had entered the Celestial Strategy Academy.

Ye Qiuling felt slightly disappointed.

The five of them quickly arrived at the main hall, where they saw Bai Shaoling and Yue Zhong conversing with two imposing men dressed in martial attire. Both men looked young, appearing to be in their early twenties, though their actual ages had, of course, already surpassed thirty.

"You five, come quickly and greet your Senior Brother Yuan and Brother Lü," Yue Zhong stood up with a smile and beckoned them. As a Peak Master of the Sect, he naturally wanted to secure connections for Xu Yang and the others so they would be looked after upon entering the Celestial Strategy Academy. Of course, that was assuming they could get into the Academy in the first place.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Yuan and Brother Lü!" Xu Yang and the other four cupped their hands in unison.

"You are too polite, Junior Brothers and Junior Sister," Yuan Chengji and Lü Fengxing returned the gesture.

"I didn’t expect our Sect to be so full of talent this year, with so many meeting the conditions for the Secondary Dragon Ascension," Yuan Chengji said with a smile.

Yue Zhong shook his head and smiled. "You’re mistaken about that. It isn’t just these five this year. A total of seven people have met the conditions for the Secondary Dragon Ascension; the other two are simply not present."

"Are you referring to Li Lingdu’s son and the Young Master Marquis?" Lü Fengxing asked.

Yue Zhong nodded. A trace of disappointment flashed across Lü Fengxing’s eyes, and his smile gradually faded. He had come specifically for those two, only to find out they weren’t even at the Purple Sun Sect’s outpost.

"Exactly!" Yue Zhong smiled as he looked at Xu Yang and the rest, saying, "Come, let me introduce you to these Junior Brothers of yours."

When introducing Qi Xuancheng and Zhang Hanzhou, even though the two juniors were very enthusiastic, the reactions from Lü Fengxing and Yuan Chengji were flat. After all, in their eyes, it wasn’t even certain whether Qi Xuancheng and Zhang Hanzhou could successfully pass the Secondary Dragon Ascension. Naturally, they wouldn’t feign much enthusiasm.

However, when it came to Ye Qiuling’s turn, their reactions were entirely different—they were exceptionally warm. While Ye Qiuling’s talent wasn’t particularly outstanding either, she was undeniably beautiful, sought after by the top geniuses on the Lingyun List. Getting on her good side was tantamount to getting on the good side of those geniuses. The two of them were more than capable of grasping that simple logic.

Xu Yang shook his head inwardly. "So they’re just a couple of snobs who trample on the weak and grovel to the strong."

Lü Fengxing and Yuan Chengji’s reactions were so obvious that not only Xu Yang, but the others noticed it as well. Only Yue Zhong seemed oblivious to it all as he enthusiastically continued to introduce Xu Yang and Sun Tao, the two geniuses on the Lingyun List. Unfortunately, compared to their reception of Qi Xuancheng and Zhang Hanzhou, Yuan Chengji and Lü Fengxing’s reactions were even colder. As disciples of the Celestial Strategy Academy, they naturally knew about Xu Yang being targeted by Huo Xiaochen, and they wanted absolutely nothing to do with him to avoid being implicated.

Once the introductions were concluded, everyone took their seats.

"Why didn’t Junior Brother Han Yingjie come?" Bai Shaoling, who had remained mostly silent, suddenly spoke up.

"He is currently handling a major matter and couldn’t pull himself away. He asked Junior Brother Yuan and me to convey his apologies to his Master and the Young Sect Leader." An unnatural look flashed across Lü Fengxing’s face.

Only then did Xu Yang and the others realize that Lü Fengxing and Yuan Chengji hadn’t come to visit on their own accord after learning of their Sect’s arrival; they had been explicitly invited by Bai Shaoling and Yue Zhong. Judging by Lü Fengxing’s reaction, everyone present knew that Han Yingjie likely wasn’t busy with anything important—he simply didn’t want to come.

While Xu Yang and his peers didn’t react much, Yue Zhong and Bai Shaoling’s expressions turned somewhat gloomy. They hadn’t expected that in just a few short years, Han Yingjie would completely forget the Sect’s grace in nurturing him. Despite being invited by a Peak Master and the Young Sect Leader, he flat-out refused to show up.

"What an ungrateful wretch," Yue Zhong scoffed coldly. For a moment, the atmosphere grew incredibly awkward.

"I’ll be direct. We invited you two here today because we have a favor to ask," Bai Shaoling said. "Of course, act according to your own capabilities. If you can’t help, we won’t blame you."

Lü Fengxing and Yuan Chengji cupped their hands. "Please speak, Young Sect Leader. If it is within our power, the two of us will not hesitate."

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