An Opportunity for Yaji?

"Good prospects are far too rare. What is all this garbage...?!" A female cultivator with starry eyes and sword-sharp brows looked thoroughly exasperated. The people kneeling below would not even qualify as chore disciples back in the Fire Spirit Realm. What infuriated her most was that just yesterday, after turning away an applicant who had no spiritual root, the boy had brazenly declared to her face, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—never look down on a young man just because he's poor!" It was fortunate this was happening here, where surveillance cameras were everywhere. Had they been in the Fire Spirit Realm, she would have slapped him dead on the spot. "I heard the Battle God Sect recently recruited someone with a pure spiritual root. It really makes one envious!" Mentioning this, the female cultivator's face filled with covetous longing. The Battle God Sect and the Xuantian Sect were old rivals. Their feud could be traced back ten thousand years. Ten thousand years ago, however, the Xuantian Sect had thoroughly suppressed the Battle God Sect. Yet over the past few thousand years... well, the Xuantian Sect had declined. "A cultivator with a pure spiritual root, granted smooth cultivation and sufficient resources, might even hope to... step into the Divine Infant Realm!" a middle-aged man beside her sighed, envy shining in his eyes. "The strongest recruit we managed to take in was only an Earth-grade spiritual root. Still, young Zhiqi works very hard, so her future accomplishments won't necessarily fall short." At the mention of Wang Zhiqi, a tender expression softened Xie Tang's face. Within the Xuantian Sect, that child's talent was second only to their missing saintess, Xie Xinsu. "A few days ago, the Battle God Sect seized another portion of our recruitment pool. "What's more, they even want to snatch Tianyue City, where Zhiqi's family lives!" the man added indignantly. The larger the recruitment pool, the greater the number of exceptional talents it produced. For sects like theirs, their sources of recruits depended, first, on the treaties signed with the Seven Martial Stars, and second, on the duels fought among the major sects. Well... in the last martial contest, the Xuantian Sect had lost to the Battle God Sect. As a result, the Battle God Sect had claimed one of the Xuantian Sect's recruitment grounds. Even so, the Battle God Sect was growing entirely too greedy. The territory the Xuantian Sect had lost was clearly Xinshan, yet the Battle God Sect now wanted to snatch neighboring Tianyue as well. "If Senior Sister were still around, how could they dare act so rampant!" Xie Tang fumed. Her senior sister, Xie Xinsu, was the foremost Origin Core cultivator of the Xuantian Sect. Her combat prowess was staggering, and her natural talent was extraordinary. Yet a year ago, Senior Sister had vanished out of nowhere. Sect Master Heyunzi had prayed to the ancestral master to divine Saintess Xie Xinsu's whereabouts, but found nothing. It was fair to say that Xie Xinsu's disappearance had become the Xuantian Sect's greatest mystery. Many in the sect even suspected it was connected to the Battle God Sect. "No, I must go to Tianyue City this time. If they want to take Tianyue, they'll have to ask whether I, Xie Tang, agree first. "It just so happens Zhiqi is heading home this time, so I'll accompany her!" *** Tianyue City, Jun'an Community. Yaji basked in the sunlight, feeling that life was exceptionally comfortable. His little sister sat behind him, lazily playing on a smartphone. Compared to Guiran, where their only form of entertainment had been watching the stars, life here was vastly superior. Most importantly, they didn't have to live in constant terror, fearing that they would be seized and have their organs harvested. All of this had been bestowed by that lord. Toward him, Yaji naturally harbored the deepest reverence and admiration. "Little friend, what a coincidence. We meet again." Right then, an aged voice sounded. An elderly man clad in white robes appeared. Embroidered upon the white robe was a sturdy pine bordered in gold, along with a peculiar demon beast, giving him quite an extraordinary air. Yaji looked at the old man with a trace of vigilance in his eyes, instinctively pulling his sister behind him. Seeing this, the old man offered a helpless smile. "Little friend, you are quite wary of me. "I am Zhang Dayang. I bear you two no ill will whatsoever. Rather, I wish to grant you both a fortuitous opportunity." "We don't want any opportunity!" Yaji raised his head, watching the old man guardedly. Zhang Dayang wore an amiable smile. "Little friend, don't be so quick to refuse. Take a look..." When dealing with children, Zhang Dayang naturally had his own tricks. He opened his hand, and from his previously empty palm, a banana abruptly materialized. Conjuring tricks like this were especially appealing to children. Sure enough, Yaji's sister peeked out from behind him, staring at the banana with a wondrous, puzzled expression. "If you two follow me and take me as your master, in the future... you will be able to do just as I do, conjuring whatever you wish... whenever you wish." Zhang Dayang spoke proudly, brimming with confidence. Just then, a young man standing beside him spoke up: "You two brats are immensely lucky. Back in the Fire Spirit Realm, who wouldn't weep on their knees begging to take the Carefree Wanderer as their master? "With such a tremendous opportunity right before you, why haven't you little brats kowtowed to accept him? "Once you take him as your master, the trajectory of your lives will change entirely! "You will step into a world... that was once unimaginable and unreachable to you." The young man spoke with an arrogant demeanor, exuding the air of someone looking down upon the mortal world from high above. Hearing this, Zhang Dayang shook his head. "Fellow Daoist, you exaggerate. I am merely an unattached cultivator myself. "It is simply that these two... catch my eye, and their aptitude suits my teachings. It is merely a case of recognizing good talent and being eager to guide it. "Little friends, are you willing to follow me? "Do not hesitate. As long as you agree, I will personally go and persuade the adult in your household." The Carefree Wanderer had his own style of doing things, quite distinct from ordinary cultivators. Seeing this, Yaji hastily shook his head. "Sorry, we're not interested." Zhang Dayang paused slightly. "Could it be that my Daoist art wasn't dazzling enough?" He waved his sleeve once more. A small golden dragon materialized around his arm, coiling and soaring gracefully, extraordinarily beautiful. Such a sight was normally irresistible to children. Yet Yaji did not even spare it a glance; he simply took his sister's hand and walked straight away. Zhang Dayang was left dumbfounded, followed by a bitter chuckle. The young man's gaze chilled. "Senior, should I go seize them? "Humph, having eyes but failing to recognize a true dragon. "To let such a heavenly opportunity slip right by." Zhang Dayang shook his head, a smile showing in his eyes. "Throughout my life, what I seek is carefree freedom. Why force others against their will? "Everything depends on affinity. Over the coming days, I'll reveal a few more tricks. If they remain unwilling, it simply means they are fated to cross paths with me, but not to become my disciples." Hearing this, the young man's eyes darted about. "Then I congratulate Senior in advance on acquiring two fine disciples soon. "However... if these two truly share no destiny with Senior, our Battle God Sect... will take them in. I hope Senior will not take offense!" Both youths possessed outstanding talent—one with an Earth-grade spiritual root, the other with a Heaven-grade spiritual root. Had the Carefree Wanderer not stepped forward wanting to accept them as disciples, the Battle God Sect's usual style would have seen them abducted long ago. "You may." The Carefree Wanderer was eccentric and unbound by conventional taboos. If the Battle God Sect wanted to seize them, so be it. "I've already investigated. Neither of them is from Qinyuan; a resident of this community brought them back from Guiran. "Our Battle God Sect has collaborated with the Wu Religion of Wugui before. "When the time comes... we can simply take them away in the name of the Wugui Kingdom. It will be very simple," the young man remarked. *** [Task completed. Acquired: One Ancestor Return Pill.] With a flash of light, a medicinal pill appeared within Qi Yuan's stone chamber. Unlike ordinary pills, this one was a vivid, blood-red hue, giving off a dense, bloody aura. Qi Yuan looked at the pill, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. [To consume the Ancestor Return Pill, please proceed to the Blood Jade Wall for optimal results.] The prompt surfaced once more. The Blood Jade Wall was a blood-colored wall found in every stronghold. Carved upon its surface were the likenesses of all manner of bizarre, monstrous demon beasts. Cultivating beneath the Blood Jade Wall offered immense benefits to blood martial artists. "Seems I need to go out for a stroll. I wonder if this Ancestor Return Pill will let me see my ancestors." Meanwhile, within the stronghold. An Qiao was still in a daze. As the prompt confirming the task's completion sounded, she had finally returned to the stronghold. "Girl An, what happened with you all? A single task... took nearly a full year! This old fellow thought you'd died in the task," Lin Yeshan said, dressed in ragged clothes as he looked at An Qiao with a strange expression. Generally speaking, these tasks were completed very quickly. Taking even a month was considered exceedingly rare. One that took nearly a year, like An Qiao's, was entirely unheard of. Not just Lin Yeshan, but everyone else in the stronghold had assumed An Qiao had perished in the task world. Yet now, nearly a year later, An Qiao's sudden reappearance genuinely shocked many people in the stronghold. A sizeable crowd quickly gathered around her. "What happened, An Qiao? Judging by the difficulty rating, your task wasn't that hard. How did it take an entire year?" "Right! Nearly twenty people participated in this task, yet it dragged on for almost a year. Isn't that absurd?" Looking at the people encircling her, An Qiao swallowed nervously. "Have any of you ever experienced your task target being... carried off by a teammate?" "What?" "Carried off by a teammate, and for a whole year?" "How sinister!" "He wasn't trying to trap you all in the task world forever, was he?!" The expressions of those present shifted as they thought of a terrifying possibility. When undertaking tasks, if one offended a teammate who then abducted the objective to prevent completion, wouldn't that mean... they might be trapped in the task world indefinitely, until their bodies finally ruptured and they died? "Such venomous malice! Did you manage to catch him? "Since the task ended after nearly a year, you must have caught him. "It seems he was quite formidable and skilled at running, taking you all a whole year just to run him down," Lin Yeshan remarked with a sigh. As an Old Martial Artist, he was treated as inferior. Entering task worlds, his chances of completing tasks largely rested on his teammates. If he ever ran into something like this, he wouldn't know what to do at all. He resolved to thoroughly adhere to his principle of playing the subservient grandson and carry it out to the end. "By the way, what about little brother Qi Yuan? I recall he was in the Jade-Blood Realm. Did even he fail to apprehend that villain?" Lin Yeshan couldn't help asking. Hearing this, An Qiao's heart gave a thump, and a bitter smile appeared on her face. "That person... was Qi Yuan." "What... it was him?!" "How could he commit such a conscience-lacking deed? Are there no rules left?!" "Unacceptable! When he comes out in a moment, we must teach him a lesson! Otherwise, if he ends up on our team, how are we supposed to survive?!" "He must be taught a lesson! If..." In an instant, the crowd erupted into a chorus of denunciations. "I think... it's better if you don't try to teach him anything," An Qiao said weakly. "Why? Could it be that he's already reached the middle stage of the Jade-Blood Realm? Humph, the middle stage of the Jade-Blood Realm... he might have some skill, but that's all it is!" "Don't be afraid, An Qiao, we have your back!" "We must have words with him today! Disregarding the lives of his fellow comrades is simply detestable!" "No matter how strong he is, if we all swarm him at once, could he really beat us all to death before his blood-martial qi runs out?" Indignation ran high, their voices passionate and fierce. An Qiao looked at the crowd and muttered, "Yes, he could." "Huh?" Lin Yeshan was startled. The others also turned toward An Qiao, baffled. Then they heard An Qiao say, "Fengyuan has twelve demon dens in total. The weakest has three thousand demon soldiers, commanded by a Demon Hero. "The strongest has twenty thousand demon soldiers, commanded by a Demon Spirit. "During this past year, Qi Yuan took the task target and fought across three thousand li. Single-handedly, all on his own, he wiped out every single demon den... clean! "The only reason he carried off the task target was because he was afraid that if we finished the task, he wouldn't be able to finish exterminating the hundred thousand-plus demons of Fengyuan!" As An Qiao spoke, her excitement grew, and her breathing turned rapid. Hearing this, the men and women present fell utterly silent, dumbstruck. "How is that possible? Over a hundred thousand demons, slaughtered entirely by him alone? "Even a Martial Spirit couldn't achieve that! Even a Martial King... would probably drop dead of exhaustion!" Everyone present was profoundly shaken, finding the claim completely preposterous. After all, demon soldiers were no mere mortals. Twenty thousand demon soldiers commanded by a Demon Spirit could likely wear even a Martial King to death. And... a Martial King? Well, they had never heard of any stronghold possessing a Martial King. Even in task worlds—the extremely massive ones—a Martial King was merely a legend. A Martial King, translated to the cultivation world, was a Purple Mansion cultivator. An invincible Purple Mansion! "An Qiao, you're here? What a coincidence. As it happens, help me send this proof of entry for the Genius Alliance to Yang Guang." A calm, relaxed voice drifted over. In that very instant, everyone present caught a sudden, overwhelming whiff of a dense, bloody stench. For reasons unknown, their blood surged and trembled, as though they were being stared down by a horrifying demon. A handsome young man clad in a blood-red robe appeared before them. The Genius Alliance token landed squarely in An Qiao's hands. Everyone stared at Qi Yuan, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. This trembling felt as though it were etched into their very genes, deep within their bloodlines. Initially, they had suspected An Qiao was exaggerating. Yet now, the moment Qi Yuan appeared, they knew that what she said was absolute truth! That horrifying, sky-blotting killing intent and bloody aura could not be faked. And because their path of blood martial arts was founded upon demon beasts, they felt it more acutely than anyone. They stared at Qi Yuan, shivering from head to toe, all their previous bluster vanished into thin air. Right then, Qi Yuan looked at the crowd. "Did I just hear someone speaking ill of me? "A few days ago at the Four Seasons Restaurant, someone spoke ill of me, so I beat him to death. "Could it be... that there are others speaking ill of me?" With that single glance, a dense, bloody aura permeated the space. The spectators' legs couldn't stop shaking, gripped by sheer terror. They had a distinct feeling that if Qi Yuan wished, he could slaughter them all at any second. "You're all looking at me with such terrified eyes. Could it be... you were all badmouthing me, and now your consciences are guilty?" Qi Yuan looked at them, his expression utterly placid. "No!" "Not at all!" They hurriedly looked back at Qi Yuan with fawning expressions, while some desperately tried to affect innocent looks. "If you weren't cursing me, why are you afraid of me?" Qi Yuan's lips parted. He was reminded of a classic quote. Those present grew even more frightened. They wanted to look unafraid, but their bodies simply refused to cooperate. Yet a moment later, Qi Yuan added, "Forget it. I am a magnanimous person; I won't hold it against you." Qi Yuan decided that once he got back, he would seek out Canary and have her help mask the bloody aura clinging to him. Otherwise, he seemed far too much like a demon. It would tarnish his glorious, righteous image.