The leader of the Tianlang Sect was probably not expecting Li Tan to agree so readily. He was taken aback, clearly surprised, but quickly recovered and happily replied, “Haha, in that case, I will be eagerly awaiting your arrival at the recruitment ceremony in the northern part of the city.”
His speech mostly used respectful language, which was meant to convey his sincerity in recruiting Li Tan.
At this moment, although Li Tan was speaking with the leader of the Tianlang Sect, his thoughts had already drifted entirely to the person behind him.
Although the memory was somewhat blurry, he was absolutely certain—the young man standing behind the Tianlang Sect leader was none other than Liu Yong, his senior apprentice brother from the Feiyu Sect before his rebirth! Encountering Liu Yong here, whom he had long sought, startled Li Tan greatly, and at the same time, a surge of murderous intent arose within him, evident in his sharp gaze.
The Tianlang Sect leader vaguely sensed something unusual in Li Tan’s gaze, even feeling a slight sense of fear, so he furrowed his brows and asked in confusion, “Why does the young master have such an expression?”
Upon hearing this, Li Tan withdrew his gaze and completely concealed his murderous intent.
“Hehe, nothing serious. I just suddenly recalled something unpleasant. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Li Tan glanced once more at Liu Yong, who remained oblivious.
Just moments ago, he had experienced intense inner turmoil. He had strongly desired to immediately take Liu Yong away and demand an explanation, but this fellow seemed to have already joined the Tianlang Sect, and the sect leader would certainly not allow such an act. Even if the Tianlang Sect leader were still at the Xiantian realm level, Li Tan might have taken the risk, but now that he had reached the Grandmaster level, and considering this was the heart of Chi Ze’s territory, attempting such an action would be too dangerous.
Therefore, he gave up on the idea and decided temporarily to join the Tianlang Sect, cultivate his skills, and wait for the right moment to act.
“I see. If the young master has any difficulties, please feel free to tell me. I will certainly ensure justice is done for you,” the Tianlang Sect leader said politely.
Hearing Li Tan agree to join the Tianlang Sect, Zhang Chenghuan happily introduced them to each other: “Father, this young man is Li Tan. We met during the same assessment. Young Master Li, this is my father, Zhang Zhi, the current leader of the Tianlang Sect.”
“Thank you, I understand.”
Li Tan responded briefly.
“Li Tan, hahaha, what a fine name. I have some urgent matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first.”
Zhang Zhi had no objections and bowed slightly, saying, “Master Zhang, I bid you farewell.”
“Remember to come find me when the recruitment ceremony starts!”
Zhang Chenghuan ran over to her father and waved at Li Tan.
After exchanging polite farewells, the two groups parted ways.
Zhang Zhi led the Tianlang Sect members away from the Dan Pavilion heading east, while Li Tan planned to head west directly to a training room for seclusion.
As he was about to leave, Liu Yong secretly cast a glance at Li Tan, his gaze seemingly unfriendly.
“The recruitment ceremony, how quickly things have changed.”
After walking a short distance, Li Tan suddenly stopped, turned around, and gazed meaningfully at Liu Yong’s retreating figure. His eyes no longer held murderous intent but instead gleamed with an amused, almost intrigued light, as if he had seen something interesting.
Soon after, Li Tan returned to the large stone building belonging to the Dan Pavilion. As he ascended to the second floor, he coincidentally encountered the same man who had interrupted his previous cultivation session and stopped him with instructions: “Prepare a training room for me.”
Recognizing Li Tan’s face, the man shook his head and said, “Sorry, but a one-star pill refiner can only use the training room once every week. Please come back next time.”
“I think I should be able to use it again very soon.”
When Li Tan said this, the man was already somewhat annoyed by what he perceived as Li Tan’s unreasonableness, but then he saw Li Tan suddenly produce a wooden tablet.
“What is this?” the man curiously leaned closer to examine it, and his expression immediately changed dramatically, “A two-star pill refiner’s identity token!”
Li Tan put the wooden tablet away: “That’s correct. I just barely passed the assessment. So, I should now be able to use the training room immediately, right?”
“Of course. Please follow me.”
Although the man was obviously filled with questions, he maintained his professional integrity and, without uttering an unnecessary word, led Li Tan to the nearest available training room.
Li Tan entered and immediately began cultivating.
Time passed quickly during cultivation. Several days flew by. Because today was the recruitment day for the Tianlang Sect, Li Tan ended his retreat, leaving the “big stone building.” Blinding sunlight immediately hit him, so he quickly covered his eyes with his hands. After gradually adjusting to the brightness outside, Li Tan glanced at the sky to determine the time.
It was still morning, not yet mid-morning, so there was still about an hour before the recruitment ceremony began.
Li Tan wandered around for a bit and then entered a small noodle shop, intending to satisfy his protesting stomach.
As he entered, he noticed that many people were gathered around a particular table, ignoring the empty seats elsewhere.
What was going on?
Curious, Li Tan used his spiritual sense to scan the crowd and was surprised to find that the people were surrounding a storyteller.
The storyteller was quite old, with white hair and a face full of wrinkles and hardship. He was accompanied by a little girl, who obediently stood beside him holding a tray made of red wood.
“Aren’t these the two people I met last time?
What a coincidence to meet them here.” About a week ago, at a teahouse by the riverside, Li Tan had encountered this storyteller and even rewarded him with a gold coin.
“How coincidental, hehe.” Li Tan chuckled lightly, casually finding an empty seat, calling over the waiter to bring a pot of tea, and then began listening to the old storyteller’s tale.
This time, the story was about the ancient legends of the elves.
It was a touching story about a human cultivator falling in love with an elf.
It was a fascinating story, enough to captivate ordinary people, but after listening, Li Tan merely shook his head with a slight smile.
“It seems the elves aren’t as wonderful as the legends say.” Half an hour passed after the story ended, and Li Tan’s appetite had mostly faded. As he was about to leave, he cast one last glance at the storyteller and the little girl.
At that moment, a soft childish voice suddenly rang out.
“Grandpa, grandpa, it’s that big brother from last time!”
Li Tan stopped in his tracks, turned around, and saw the storyteller and the little girl pushing through the crowd, excitedly walking toward him.
“What a fate! To meet you here again, young master. I really have no way to repay your kindness from last time!” the old storyteller said gratefully.
Li Tan lightly smiled and said with self-deprecation, “It was just a gold coin. Elderly sir, you’re overestimating its importance.”
The storyteller didn’t dwell on the issue and happily invited Li Tan to sit down, hoping to tell him another story as a humble way of repaying him.
The recruitment ceremony would start in a while, and seeing the pitiful look on the little girl’s face, Li Tan softened and agreed.
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