Even though Huang Xuan had been a Human Great Emperor in his previous life and had exceptionally high standards, he could never have guessed that some cheat called a system had seen right through him.
Hua Yunfei naturally wouldn't admit it. Seeing Huang Xuan staring at him, he chuckled and turned to Lin Yang and the others.
"Go cultivate for now. Feel free to use any of the resources aboard the flying boat. He and I have something to discuss."
Lin Yang and the others nodded and sensibly left.
Once they were far away, the Sage Remnant Soul tugged Lin Yang along, poked his head out, and pricked up his ears, hoping to eavesdrop.
Lin Yang said helplessly, "After spending a few months together, you decided Senior was a pretty decent fellow, so now you're getting a little too bold?"
It had been more than three months since they'd set out from Qingyang Town.
After spending all this time with Hua Yunfei, Lin Yang and the others had come to understand his temperament.
They'd discovered that he was not only kind-natured but also very easy to get along with. Most of the time, he had none of the airs of a powerful cultivator. He won people over with virtue and was always reasonable.
So the fear they'd felt because of Hua Yunfei's terrifying strength had gradually faded.
The Sage Remnant Soul, in particular, had gotten bolder by the day!
"Heh heh, there's no harm in listening!" the Sage Remnant Soul said with a sly grin.
"If you dare eavesdrop again, the next slap I give you might kill you."
How could the two of them hide from Hua Yunfei's senses? He turned to look at them and spoke coolly.
"Exactly! Lin Yang, how could you do something like that?"
The Sage Remnant Soul put on a stern expression and pointed at Lin Yang, scolding him. "I'm ashamed of this low-down eavesdropping of yours. Worst of all, you dragged me into it too. Outrageous!"
With that, the Sage Remnant Soul drifted off, leaving Lin Yang standing there, dumbfounded.
"I..."
Lin Yang was so angry he nearly cursed.
"Senior, what did you mean by what you said earlier?"
Huang Xuan remained calm. Though his memories were incomplete, he had once been a Human Great Emperor, after all. His composure was beyond question.
He wasn't sure whether Hua Yunfei had truly discovered his identity, so he decided to test him.
At this, Hua Yunfei smiled faintly. "What you're thinking is what I'm thinking. Do you understand?"
Boom!
A storm surged through Huang Xuan's heart. So he really had seen through him?
But how?
He still didn't want to believe it, thinking Hua Yunfei might be bluffing.
Hua Yunfei saw through his thoughts and said, "There's no need to doubt it, and no need to cling to any hope. I have my own methods. But rest assured, I won't harm you."
Huang Xuan was only half-convinced. "Then why did Senior bring me aboard this flying boat?"
He didn't think Hua Yunfei could remain unmoved by a trace of Emperor Blood and a body reborn from a trace of a Great Emperor's soul!
Emperor Blood and an Emperor's soul—how many people dreamed of possessing such things?
Even a single trace would draw any Quasi-Emperor who heard of it, racing across the starry universe to seize it!
That was why he'd left the deeply rooted Supreme Dao Holy Land of Yaoguang without hesitation.
According to the broken memories left from his previous life, the foundations of these Supreme Dao Holy Lands were terrifying—far more than they seemed on the surface.
Hua Yunfei didn't beat around the bush. "Seeing your extraordinary background made me want to take you as my disciple."
"You want me as your disciple?"
Huang Xuan laughed. As for the powerful figures of this age, there were barely any Sages on the surface. What could they possibly teach him?
Though his memories were incomplete, he still recalled many top cultivation techniques that Great Emperor Xuanhuang had studied in his previous life, as well as the cultivation insights of Great Emperors at every realm.
With all that, he had no need for a master.
He'd joined Yaoguang Holy Land and Qiankun Grotto-Heaven solely for their resources.
Resources were all he lacked.
Hua Yunfei could tell Huang Xuan didn't take him seriously. That was only natural. How could a Great Emperor's vision look up to a powerful figure of the current age?
Even a Quasi-Emperor wouldn't qualify, let alone someone like Huang Xuan, whose powers were incomplete.
But!
Hua Yunfei believed he did qualify, and he immediately proved it with his actions.
With a sudden sweep of his sleeves, hundreds of thousands of High-grade Spirit Stones and all kinds of precious medicines at Sage Tier or higher appeared around them.
A closer count showed that there were hundreds of precious medicines at Sage Tier or higher!
In an instant, the flying boat was already thick with Spiritual Energy, yet clouds of holy qi gathered within it and lingered.
The fragrance of the precious medicines drew Lin Yang and the others back over.
"Holy crap!"
"Holy crap!"
"Holy crap!"
The Sage Remnant Soul shook Lin Yang by the shoulders, pointing at the treasures surrounding Hua Yunfei, practically drooling.
If he could just get one of those, he'd ascend on the spot!
"Could you calm down?" Lin Yang rolled his eyes.
"Quasi-Emperor Level medicine! True Dragon Precious Medicine!"
The other medicines, whether at Sage Tier, Saint King level, or even Great Sage Level, did little to move Huang Xuan.
But when he spotted a golden precious medicine shaped like a dragon, his expression turned to astonishment.
"Don't look at me. I'm a legend you'll never get your hands on."
The Quasi-Emperor Level True Dragon Precious Medicine had long since gained sentience!
Its eyes slowly opened on its stem and leaves. It glanced disdainfully at Huang Xuan. Where had this country bumpkin come from? Had he never seen such a handsome face?
Huang Xuan wasn't surprised that it could speak.
Many precious medicines at Sage Tier possessed sentience. They could even lift their feet and run away to avoid being picked by cultivators.
It was only natural for a Quasi-Emperor Level medicine to speak.
Looking at Hua Yunfei, Huang Xuan found him increasingly mysterious!
With one wave of his hand, he'd produced more than a hundred precious medicines at Sage Tier or higher, including a True Dragon Precious Medicine that could become a Great Emperor Level medicine after cultivating for five hundred thousand years!
Who was this man?
The old ancestor of some Supreme Dao Holy Land?
It was possible!
The more Huang Xuan thought about it, the more likely it seemed. In fact, it was the only explanation.
Otherwise, why would Hua Yunfei be so extravagantly generous?
Huang Xuan even thought that not even the old ancestors of the Supreme Dao Holy Lands were this wealthy!
Most precious medicines were planted and guarded in the medicine gardens of the Holy Lands. How could they be grown so casually in Purple Mansion Grotto-Heaven?
Hua Yunfei swept his sleeve again, and the spirit stones and precious medicines vanished into Purple Mansion Grotto-Heaven. In their place appeared several Great Emperor scriptures!
Over the years, he'd acquired only one Ultimate Emperor Weapon, but he had so many Imperial Dao scriptures that he couldn't hold them all in both hands.
Even the cultivation technique he practiced had been chosen from among them.
Having too many Great Emperor scriptures was a problem in itself.
Did anyone understand how that felt?
"Master, please accept Huang Xuan's bow!"
Thump!
Huang Xuan dropped to his knees without hesitation and performed the formal bow of a disciple!
His expression was solemn, and he didn't even glance at the Great Emperor scriptures.
Great Emperor scriptures and resources didn't matter.
He just wanted to become Hua Yunfei's disciple!
"Hahaha, good disciple."
"Quick, get up!"
Hua Yunfei put away the treasures and laughed with delight.
Huang Xuan had top-tier talent and had once been a Human Great Emperor.
With a little nurturing, he would undoubtedly become a supreme asset to Kaoshan Sect in the future!
He might even get to lie in the deepest part of the Ancestral Tomb!
Hua Yunfei took out the Taiyi Sword Art, an Imperial Dao Sword Art, and handed it to Huang Xuan. "Your master doesn't have anything particularly good. Take this ordinary technique as your acceptance gift. Don't think too poorly of it."
Huang Xuan accepted the Taiyi Sword Art with a serious expression.
"Master, the value of a gift lies in the feeling behind it. This disciple understands that. Thank you for bestowing this sword art upon me!"
"Good!"
"Good!"
"Good!"
Hua Yunfei said "good" three times, thoroughly satisfied with Huang Xuan.
He'd assumed that Huang Xuan, having been a Great Emperor in his previous life, would be somewhat stiff in this one.
After all, he'd once looked down on all living beings. Surely he'd be unused to treating others as equals.
But it seemed he'd been overthinking it.
Huang Xuan was quite smooth and not the least bit rigid or affected.
He hadn't slipped into the role of a Great Emperor. He knew that times had changed, and he was no longer the Human Great Emperor.
[ Ding! The second disciple, Huang Xuan, has been successfully recruited. Calculating rewards now. ]
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