Faced with the wooden sword pressing against his throat.
Li Xingtian decisively caved in. After all, he had often had to back down in his previous life within the sect. He raised his hands high and said:
“I’m not, I don’t know those people you’re talking about.”
Li Yingling’s gaze sharpened, and she said coldly, “Then what are you doing here?”
Li Xingtian’s mind raced, trying to find an excuse to gloss over the situation.
From the direction of the temple, a voice drifted softly.
“It must be that our sect has become well-known far and wide. This young talent must be here to join our sect, right?”
Li Xingtian glanced sideways and saw a handsome young man dressed in tattereddao pao leaning against the doorframe, smiling at him.
Li Yingling felt somewhat speechless and said, “Master, I think… is that really likely?”
The state of their so-called sect was something Li Yingling was well aware of. If she didn’t understand, she would be a pure fool.
Her master’s cultivation might be decent, but it was unlikely he could dominate the Xuanwu Kingdom. His identity was also questionable, with no idea where he got so many top-tier techniques.
But to claim they were famous enough to attract newcomers? It was like talking in their sleep.
Chu Xingchen slowly walked over, carefully examining the young man in front of him.
Short hair, slightly emaciated, yet with an unflinching gaze despite the sword pointing at the throat.
He glanced at the system.
**Target:** Li Xingtian
**Cultivation: Qi Condensation Second Layer**
**Golden Trait: Reincarnator**
**Purple Trait: Decisive in Battle**
**Blue Trait: Loyal and Upright**
**Eligible for Recruitment**
The system had just notified him that someone nearby met the criteria for recruitment.
With a sweep of his divine sense, he discovered this person had been caught by Li Yingling.
Chu Xingchen looked at the young boy in front of him with a sense of wonder.
Wow, a reincarnator. This looks like the protagonist template.
Especially with the Loyal and Upright trait—definitely the sect leader’s little helper, though unfortunately, he’s male.
It’s rare to have a disciple come knocking on the door, so how could he not bring him into the fold?
Li Xingtian looked at Chu Xingchen with a sense of alarm, seeing that the man seemed to see through him.
He hadn’t expected a protector to arrive, but rather his master himself.
Li Xingtian took a deep breath and inquired slowly, “May I ask the name of your sect, esteemed elder?”
Upon hearing this question, Li Yingling also turned her curious gaze toward Chu Xingchen.
Because she didn’t know either. Every time she asked, her master would brush it off without answering.
In fact, this wasn’t just a long-standing puzzle for Li Yingling.
It had also been a source of confusion for Chu Xingchen. As someone who struggled with naming things, he had always wanted to come up with a name that was both meaningful and elegant.
Now, seeing Li Xingtian’s questioning gaze, Chu Xingchen knew he had to say something, whether he wanted to or not.
Otherwise, this prospective disciple might just slip away.
He looked up at the sky.
Then, Chu Xingchen said leisurely, “The name of our sect is Heaven’s Mandate Alliance.”
Heaven’s Mandate Alliance? Li Xingtian’s pupils contracted. To dare name themselves after the Heavens?
It seemed that in his previous life, his horizons were too narrow.
He had long heard that there were many hidden immortal sects in the Central Continent. It seemed these two were from one of those.
Li Xingtian quickly bowed and said, “I was just passing by, no intention of disturbing…”
Chu Xingchen quickly raised a hand to interrupt Li Xingtian’s words. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he had detected something.
“You carry the scent of karma. This is… time?”
At these words, Li Xingtian’s heart raced. He dared not meet Chu Xingchen’s gaze.
Could this man see through the causality of time?
What kind of cultivation was that? Nascent Soul? Tribulation Passing?
In this remote corner of the Nan Zhanbu Continent, he had encountered such a mighty figure?
Could it be for the Bone Jade?
But in his previous life, he had obtained the Bone Jade, which meant this senior hadn’t found it!
What Bone Jade? What am I thinking of that for?!
This man already sees through my temporal causality. He knows I’m a reincarnator. Could this elder be planning to capture me for research?
Li Xingtian was going through a storm of thoughts.
Meanwhile, Chu Xingchen was also racking his brain for ways to handle the situation.
After a while, Chu Xingchen slowly spoke, “Boy, being burdened with great karma isn’t necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.”
Li Xingtian was slightly startled. It seemed the senior was hinting at something. He quickly asked, “What do you mean, senior?”
Chu Xingchen put on an air of profundity and said, “Time is like a torrent, a great trend, a law. Swimming against the current, you either end up shattered or rise to fame.”
Li Xingtian took a deep breath. It seemed he understood Chu Xingchen’s implication. He said resolutely, “Whether it’s being shattered or rising to fame, I’ve already understood in this life what I must do.”
Chu Xingchen nodded with satisfaction, showing a look that he approved of the young man’s spirit. He said, “Cultivation itself is defying the heavens.”
Chu Xingchen showed a hint of hesitation, then sighed and said, “Forget it. It seems you’re fated to have a connection with me. Would you be willing to join my sect?”
Li Xingtian was slightly stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Chu Xingchen, hesitating to speak.
Chu Xingchen naturally saw his concern.
It was nothing more than fearing that Chu Xingchen might be setting a trap for him.
Since Li Xingtian was a reincarnator, and his current cultivation was only at the Qi Condensation Second Layer, and seeing his feet were bloodied from rubbing against the ground,
It was clear that the inside of this crumbling temple held something of great importance to him.
And what was that thing? There was no need to think too hard about it.
Clearly, it was Li Xingtian’s most crucial shot at turning his life around, his greatest opportunity.
Chu Xingchen seemed to see through Li Xingtian’s thoughts and said with a sneer,
“You’re still too naive about the world. What you consider a precious treasure, in our eyes, is just something dispensable. Go inside and claim what belongs to you.”
Li Xingtian’s innermost secret was instantly exposed. He couldn’t hide his astonishment as he looked at Chu Xingchen.
Chu Xingchen maintained his demeanor of a great figure and said,
“It’s just a pity that you’re short-sighted and don’t know what a true opportunity is.”
Li Xingtian struggled internally but still clasped his hands and said, “Thank you for your magnanimity, senior. It’s just that I’m not accustomed to the confines of a sect. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Chu Xingchen silently shook his head and turned away, no longer looking at him.
“Yingling, let him go.”
Although she didn’t know what her master was pretending about, nor did she understand the cryptic conversation between them,
Li Yingling knew when to give her master face. Without hesitation, she retracted her wooden sword and respectfully bowed slightly toward Chu Xingchen:
“Yes, Master.”
At the same time, she winked at Chu Xingchen from the side that Li Xingtian couldn’t see, signaling that she was obedient.
Chu Xingchen nodded with satisfaction.
Li Xingtian bowed again in thanks, then climbed back up the slope, not daring to look back.
He stepped into the temple.
The temple now bore a lot of signs of habitation, quite different from when Li Xingtian had first arrived.
Even the wooden boards under the altar had been completely dismantled.
Li Xingtian’s heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly went to the altar and felt around the floor.
But the small stone he remembered was already gone.
What happened?
Did the senior take it? But he spoke so casually, and with his deep and mysterious cultivation,
At his current level of Qi Condensation Second Layer, it would be effortless for him to deal with me.
There was no need to deceive me.
Where did that thing go?
“The thing you’re looking for was taken by me to prop up a table leg.”
Chu Xingchen’s voice came again from behind him.
Li Xingtian didn’t turn to look at him but instead followed Chu Xingchen’s instructions and glanced at a nearby table leg.
The millennium Bone Jade he had been longing for was indeed being used to prop up the table leg.