Li Tan sighed.
“Fine, tell me then, who qualifies for the assessment?”
Upon hearing this, the man cast a glance at the disheveled Li Tan and took a half-step back in disgust.
“If you don’t leave now, I’ll call people to drag you out. Every second you linger here costs me one potential candidate for my performance metrics.”
“There’s a reason I look like this. Don’t you think it’s too harsh to bar me entry over my appearance?”
Li Tan furrowed his brows slightly, showing signs of displeasure.
The man, however, maintained his expression of disdain and spoke impatiently.
“Harsh?
Perhaps. But you must understand, not everyone deserves respect.”
“Like me, for example?”
Li Tan was initially angry, but soon calmed down. Thinking for a moment, he found the situation somewhat amusing.
Thus, his counter-question carried a teasing tone.
“Since you understand, don’t waste time. Let’s be clear—today, I absolutely won’t let you in.”
The man declared unequivocally. Suddenly—
“You are!”
A crisp female voice rang out from behind Li Tan, who had been about to leave. He turned around and saw a girl in green clothes standing under an announcement board, staring at him in astonishment.
Li Tan, as if seeing something incredible, had his pupils contract sharply. His mouth opened slightly, mirroring the girl’s shocked expression. However, within a second, waves of joy overwhelmed all his emotions. His hands trembled from excitement as he turned his body and rushed forward, tightly embracing the girl. Large tears immediately streamed down his face.
This action instantly drew everyone’s attention. The startled girl stood frozen in place, while Li Tan mumbled something inaudible, showing no sign of loosening his grip.
Just as the guards responsible for the safety of the Dan Pavilion were rushing toward Li Tan at the angry man’s command, the frightened girl coughed twice, seemingly due to an unusually foul odor.
She asked hesitantly.
“Um, sir, could you possibly have mistaken me for someone else?”
The guards awkwardly stopped their movement.
Li Tan regained his composure somewhat unwillingly loosened his grip.
“Haha, sorry. You just look so much like my wife.”
Li Tan never took his eyes off the girl while speaking.
“Er…” The girl twisted her clothes with her head slightly lowered, her face blushing, seemingly wanting to say something but at a loss for words.
Li Tan smiled gently.
“May I ask the young lady’s name?”
The girl shuddered slightly and quickly replied with her head down.
“Tang Leyin. ‘Le’ as in happiness.”
Li Tan suppressed his excitement and said.
“My name is Li Tan. Pleased to meet you!”
“What? You’re Li Tan?”
As soon as Li Tan’s words fell, the man’s shocked voice suddenly arose.
Li Tan nodded. The man asked again.
“You, from the Li family?”
Li Tan nodded once more. The man’s face instantly turned the color of a pig’s liver.
Sweat appeared on his forehead.
Li Tan originally intended to mock him a bit, but he was in no mood at the moment. As the man fell silent, Li Tan turned his head back. His smile then froze.
The spot where the girl had stood was now empty. The onlookers looked at each other in confusion.
“Has she already left?”
After a moment of daze, Li Tan tightly clenched his fist, his gaze firm.
“I’ve finally seen you again. This time, I absolutely won’t repeat past mistakes!”
The girl who introduced herself as Tang Leyin was undoubtedly Li Tan’s savior and partner.
He remembered that before his rebirth, their first meeting occurred when he was on the brink of death in the Domain of Falling Immortals. Therefore, he never expected to meet her here, and seemingly she had come looking for him with a specific purpose.
“Why is she looking for me?
Strange. Could she have also reborn?
No.” After pondering for a while without answers, Li Tan lightly shook his head and smiled self-mockingly.
“Why do I care so much?
Anyway, meeting her earlier won’t be a bad thing. And…” Suddenly, Li Tan’s face showed hopeful anticipation as he grinned foolishly.
“Leyin is still as kind as before. If it were Lin Cui, she would’ve slapped me just now for hugging her like that!”
Thinking about Tang Leyin’s current cultivation level, Li Tan chuckled self-mockingly at his dangerous action moments ago. He then turned his gaze back to the man who seemed to be a receptionist.
“Let’s talk about the previous matter. What should I do to qualify for the assessment?”
“This…” The man’s expression struggled, as if pondering something, and soon reached a decision.
He raised his head, his expression becoming determined.
“You, a good-for-nothing who can’t cultivate?
What do you think you’re doing by insisting on participating in the alchemy master assessment?
Are you here to cause trouble?”
The mistaken belief that those who cannot generate “inner fire” cannot practice alchemy had already been deeply ingrained in most people’s minds, and now it was being used as an excuse.
“Stubborn and inflexible.”
Li Tan turned around and walked in the opposite direction toward the gate, coldly laughing.
“The famous Dan Pavilion that shakes the Nine Provinces is nothing but this!”
“Say whatever you want. Anyway, I won’t let you participate in the assessment.”
By now, the man had already lost his previous arrogance.
Although Li Tan was a good-for-nothing, his status was far superior to the man’s.
What supported his refusal to compromise was something called self-esteem.
Under the gazes of the spectators and amidst the noisy discussions, Li Tan reached the main entrance, about to leave when another voice sounded from behind him.
It seemed that people particularly liked speaking to him from behind today.
“Stop!”
It was an elderly man with white hair but a vigorous, majestic stride. He stood at the staircase on the second floor, looking down.
Li Tan narrowed his eyes slightly at the old man.
“What now?
Any other business?”
The old man looked at Li Tan—or more accurately, at the spot slightly ahead of Li Tan, where the girl had stood moments ago.
He seemed to be thinking about something important, his expression somewhat grave.
“What’s your relationship with that girl just now?”
Upon hearing this, Li Tan immediately understood the situation.
The old man had stopped him not because of his identity as the eldest son of the Li family, but because of the faint cultivation fluctuation unconsciously emitted by Tang Leyin.
In short, the old man noticed Tang Leyin’s high cultivation level and that Li Tan seemingly had some connection with her.
Therefore, Li Tan answered carelessly.
“We’ve met a few times by chance before. Today was just another coincidental encounter.”
The old man coldly said.
“You just said that Tang girl looked like your wife?
From what this old man sees, Lin Cui and her don’t resemble each other at all.”
Li Tan smirked.
“Why I think they look alike, what does it have to do with you?
Any other business?
If not, I’ll be on my way.”
“You clearly can’t cultivate. Yet you deliberately came here. You must have other intentions, right? Is it related to Miss Tang?”
The old man pressed further.
“You’re overthinking. I merely came here to take the alchemy master qualification assessment. But you all seem rather unwelcoming.”
Li Tan replied calmly, while the old man seemed to abandon his attempt to probe further into his relationship with Tang Leyin.
“You can’t cultivate at all. You came here to swindle and deceive. And you expect us to welcome you?”
Li Tan cast a sidelong glance at him without a word, then turned to leave.
But he was called to a stop again.
“Wait!”
“What now?”
Li Tan looked at the old man impatiently. The old man snorted coldly.
“This old man will give you one chance. Come up.”
Give me a chance?
You’re worried that expelling me might offend her indirectly because I know Leyin, right?
Cunning old fox.
Li Tan thought disdainfully but didn’t refuse. After all, there was no need to make things difficult for himself. For now, cultivation remained his top priority.
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