It was another ten hours before he saw Felton, Bram, and Cecilia again.
The three met in a knights' tavern within Lion Fortress.
Unlike before, when Zhang Tie entered the knights' tavern again this time, a wave of whispers immediately rose among the knights at the sight of him.
"That man is Cui Li..."
"An Earth Knight!"
"I heard he possesses a secret art comparable to Purgatory Reincarnation, one that lets people condense chakras quickly. He even made a wager with the Supreme Elder of Taiyi Mystical Sect—and won..."
"What kind of secret art could let a knight condense chakras so quickly?"
Amid those whispers, the gazes some of the knights directed at Zhang Tie gradually grew heated.
The words reached Zhang Tie's ears, but he acted as if he had heard nothing. Spotting Felton and the other two, he walked straight over.
The looks in all three of their eyes were somewhat strange. None of them had expected that after merely being apart for a few hours, Zhang Tie would become the center of attention again the moment he returned to Lion Fortress. When they heard about what Zhang Tie had done in the Tower of Radiance, they could scarcely believe it—first clashing head-on with a Phantom Knight, then actually making that Phantom Knight suffer a setback and winning the airship of Great Xia's foremost sect.
"Alright, I know what you want to say. It was just luck!" Before Felton could open his mouth, Zhang Tie spoke first. Pulling out a chair, he sat down and asked the waiter for a cup of water melon wine.
"We have some newly brewed water melon wine here. Its flavor is quite distinctive. Would you like to try some?" the tavern waiter politely recommended.
"Sure, bring me some!" Zhang Tie said carelessly.