Yet several breaths passed, and nothing stirred in Lin Changqing's mind.
Lin Changqing frowned slightly. Why hadn't the task been completed?
He asked inwardly, System, did you freeze? Why haven't you issued the reward?
"Ding! A verbal agreement is not binding. The host must establish a formal connection with the faction—such as receiving an appointment, signing a contract, or swearing a blood oath—before the task can be deemed complete and the reward issued."
"..."
Lin Changqing was speechless for a moment.
So talking wasn't enough. He had to go through the formalities.
This system was rather strict.
Fine. He would wait until he reached Capital City and received his official appointment.
It was only a day or two away.
After they chatted a little longer, Lin Changqing stored all the gifts his visitor had brought in the Infinite Storage Space with a thought, then glanced at the sky.
"Boundless Saint Emperor, it's getting late. Why not rest here tonight? We can set out for Capital City together first thing tomorrow morning. What do you think?"
The Sixth Ancestor had no objection. Lin Changqing had agreed to join the Great Yu Dynasty, after all. He nodded with a smile. "That suits me perfectly."
He summoned Ma Yuanzhong, who had been waiting in the distance.
Ma Yuanzhong rushed over almost as if he had teleported.
"What can I do for you, Saint Venerables?"
Lin Changqing said, "The Boundless Saint Emperor will stay here tonight as well. Prefect Ma, please arrange another guest room."
Ma Yuanzhong froze.
The Boundless Saint Emperor was spending the night at his residence too?
That meant two Martial Saints would be staying at the Prefectural Governor's Mansion!
Who would believe him if he told them?
Across the entire Great Yu Dynasty, there were probably few residences besides the Imperial Palace that had ever received such an honor.
Wild delight and pride filled Ma Yuanzhong's eyes.
"No trouble at all! This humble official will arrange it at once! To host two Saint Venerables at the same time is a blessing I must have earned over eight lifetimes. Your presence brings glory to this humble mansion!"
He hurried off to make the arrangements.
Soon, the Sixth Ancestor was settled into a fine guest room beside Lin Changqing's.
The two Martial Saints retired to their rooms.
Lin Changqing sat cross-legged on the bed and continued cultivating the Heavenly Saint Profound Art.
Purple-gold light flowed over his body as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth slowly gathered.
He made no deliberate attempt to conceal the disturbance caused by his cultivation.
In the room next door,
the Sixth Ancestor also sat cross-legged on his bed, but he was not cultivating.
His divine sense picked up the Spiritual Power fluctuations coming from the adjoining room, and his heart stirred once more.
The aura was domineering yet pure. Purple-gold Spiritual Power formed a slowly turning vortex in the night sky.
As though answering a summons, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured into that room without cease.
The more the Sixth Ancestor sensed, the more startled he became.
He had lived for over thirteen hundred years and seen countless Cultivation Techniques.
Yet judging by the aura alone, the technique being cultivated next door was definitely no lower in grade than the Su Clan's most closely guarded secret art!
It might even be superior!
"With strength like this... I wonder how he compares to the Supreme Ancestor."
The Sixth Ancestor murmured to himself, raising his assessment of Lin Changqing's strength another notch.
He had originally thought the Evergreen Saint Venerable was a newly advanced Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak.
But now, it seemed Lin Changqing's foundations ran deeper than he had imagined.
Fortunately, the Great Yu Dynasty had already won over such a formidable figure.
The Sixth Ancestor took a Message Talisman from his sleeve.
He had brought it specifically for this trip from Capital City. It could connect to the communication array in the Imperial Palace from ten thousand miles away.
He channeled Spiritual Power into the talisman, and a faint glow appeared on its paper.
"After I appealed to his feelings and reasoned with him, the Evergreen Saint Venerable has agreed to join the Great Yu Dynasty. We depart for Capital City tomorrow. Be sure to prepare a proper welcome."
"Also, the Evergreen Saint Venerable's true cultivation is Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak. Receive him with honors equal to those of the Grand Profound Saint Ancestor. There must not be the slightest neglect..."
Once the message was sent, the glow on the talisman gradually faded.
The Sixth Ancestor put away the Message Talisman and let out a long breath.
He looked at the moonlight beyond the window, a smile touching his lips.
He had brought too few gifts on this trip to Green Province, but the outcome was even better than expected.
A Martial Saint Peak joining Great Yu was tremendous news for the entire dynasty.
His grandson would probably be too excited to sleep when he received the message.
The night deepened, and all fell silent.
Time passed bit by bit.
The eastern sky turned pale as a fish's belly.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window lattice into the room.
Lin Changqing finished cultivating and opened his eyes.
Four maids were already waiting outside the door with washing supplies and a lavish breakfast.
At his instruction, they brought the breakfast into his room.
It was just as sumptuous: spirit-rice porridge, buns stuffed with spirit-beast meat, several delicate dishes of spirit vegetables, and a pot of steaming Spirit Tea.
After breakfast, Lin Changqing left his room.
The Sixth Ancestor was already waiting in the courtyard.
They exchanged a smile.
Ma Yuanzhong stood respectfully outside the courtyard gate with his wife and son, Ma Chengye. His voice was heartfelt as he said,
"My lord Saint Venerable, this humble official cannot accompany you to Capital City and attend to you. Please take good care of yourself on the journey."
Ma Chengye stepped forward, knelt properly, and kowtowed three times.
"Chengye bids the Evergreen Saint Venerable farewell."
Lin Changqing waved a hand.
"All right, get up. Prefect Ma, sorry for imposing on you these past few days."
Ma Yuanzhong hastily replied, "You haven't imposed at all! Your visit to my humble home is a blessing earned by my ancestors' virtue!"
Lin Changqing said no more. He turned and exchanged a glance with the Sixth Ancestor.
Both men raised a hand and slashed through the empty air before them.
Riiip!
Two Spatial Rifts tore open at once.
Purple-gold light flowed within Lin Changqing's rift, while the Sixth Ancestor's gleamed silver-white as frost.
They stepped into the rifts and vanished into the void.
Ma Yuanzhong stood in the courtyard, staring at where the Spatial Rifts had closed, his eyes full of envy.
Tearing through space to cross hundreds or thousands of miles in an instant.
It was a method unique to Ninth-Rank Martial Saints.
He probably had no hope of reaching that level in this lifetime. He could only hope Chengye would go farther than he had.
In the sky above the border of Green Province,
two Spatial Rifts opened at once, and Lin Changqing and the Sixth Ancestor stepped out of the void.
The Sixth Ancestor pointed ahead with a smile. "Once we cross that mountain range, we'll be out of Green Province."
Lin Changqing was about to speak when his brow twitched.
He stopped and looked toward the distant horizon.
"Someone's coming."
The Sixth Ancestor paused, then sensed it too. A Martial Saint-level aura was approaching rapidly.
It moved with extraordinary speed and made no attempt to hide itself.
Whoever it was might not be hostile, but they were definitely coming for them!
The Sixth Ancestor's expression darkened slightly.
He had already guessed who it was.
Soon, a rift tore open in the distant void.
A middle-aged man in a moon-white robe stepped out.
He looked to be around forty, with refined features and three wisps of long beard.
He radiated the aura of a Mid-stage Ninth-Rank Martial Saint.
His gaze fell on Lin Changqing and the Sixth Ancestor. Seeing that they were headed toward Capital City, he sighed inwardly.
The Su Clan had acted quickly indeed.
They had already made contact with the Evergreen Saint Venerable, and from the look of things, they seemed to have reached an agreement.
Still, since he was here, he had to try.
A smile spread across the man's face as he cupped his hands in greeting.
"Boundless Saint Emperor, it's been many years. I trust you've been well."
The Sixth Ancestor snorted. His tone was far from cordial.
"I wondered who it was. So it's the Dharma Image Saint Venerable, one of the Myriad Laws Sect's three saints. What brings you to Green Province instead of staying at your sect?"
The Dharma Image Saint Venerable took no offense. He chuckled and said, "Come now, Boundless Saint Emperor. Green Province isn't the private property of the Great Yu imperial family. Do I need to report to you before coming here?"
He turned to Lin Changqing, his smile growing brighter.
"You must be the Evergreen Saint Venerable whose name has recently shaken Green Province. I am the Dharma Image Saint Venerable of the Myriad Laws Sect. I've long admired your reputation, and now that we've met, your bearing truly is extraordinary."
He paused, a hint of recruitment entering his voice.
"Evergreen Saint Venerable, you emerged from seclusion to slay demons, with the people's welfare in your heart. I admire you greatly. Would you consider joining the Myriad Laws Sect?"
Before Lin Changqing could answer, the Dharma Image Saint Venerable continued.
"If you're willing to join, I can appoint you an Attendant Ancestor of the sect immediately, with standing equal to that of the three saints."
"You would receive five hundred thousand Top-grade Spirit Crystals each year as your stipend and full access to every Cultivation Technique and martial art in our scripture repository. You could also command any of the Myriad Laws Sect's branches throughout the Fourteen Provinces."
"The Myriad Laws Sect may not have the Great Yu imperial family's vast resources, but we are still one of Great Yu's three great sects, with deep foundations. Joining us would certainly not be beneath your standing."
His offer sounded sincere, and he had taken a humble stance.
But the Sixth Ancestor sneered inwardly. So the man really had come to poach Lin Changqing from him.
Five hundred thousand Top-grade Spirit Crystals a year?
Standing equal to the three saints?
For an ordinary Early Martial Saint Stage cultivator, those terms would indeed be generous.
But they fell far short of what he had offered last night.
The Sixth Ancestor felt relieved.
Fortunately, the Dharma Image Saint Venerable did not yet know that Lin Changqing's true cultivation was Martial Saint Peak.
Otherwise, the Myriad Laws Sect would certainly have offered far more and pursued him relentlessly.
He spoke at once, his voice tinged with satisfaction.
"Dharma Image, you're too late."
"The Evergreen Saint Venerable agreed last night to join the Great Yu Dynasty. The matter is settled. Your Myriad Laws Sect can forget about it."
The Dharma Image Saint Venerable did not bristle at the news. Instead, he smiled.
"That's not quite right, Boundless Saint Emperor."
"It was only a verbal agreement. Without a formal pact, how can you call it settled?"
He looked at Lin Changqing and continued his appeal. "Evergreen Saint Venerable, you've only just emerged after many years in seclusion. You may not be familiar with the current balance of power on the Heavenly Martial Continent."
"Choosing a faction is a serious matter. Why not compare a few offers before deciding?"
"Though the Myriad Laws Sect is slightly weaker overall than the Great Yu imperial family, we rank among the foremost sects. More importantly, a sect doesn't have the imperial family's rigid rules. If you join us, you'll be free to come and go as you please."
"For cultivators, nothing matters more than freedom. The Great Yu imperial family has countless rules, and court politics are a tangled mess. Why wade into those muddy waters?"
At that, the Sixth Ancestor's brows shot up.
"Dharma Image! What did you say?"
The Dharma Image Saint Venerable kept smiling.
"I only spoke the truth. Why get angry, Boundless Saint Emperor?"
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