Each Taking a Step Back

Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi stood before him, their faces full of vigilance. Qian Daoliu, who led the group, frowned.

"Where is that fellow Chen Xin? I'm already here, and he won't come out to meet me?"

Qian Daoliu's tone was filled with arrogance. Clearly, he had no intention of observing conventional etiquette.

Yet no one could fault him for that.

As one of the few Limit Douluo on the entire continent, he had every right to be arrogant.

Even so, Gu Rong did not indulge him.

"Qian Daoliu! Why have you brought people here uninvited today? Spare me the nonsense. I don't have the patience to listen!"

Gu Rong's response made Qian Daoliu chuckle softly, but he did not get angry.

"Fine, then let's discuss business. Yue Guan, you explain."

Hearing Qian Daoliu's order, Yue Guan did not dare object. He immediately stepped forward and said bluntly,

"Since you don't like beating around the bush, I'll ask directly. Does your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have a boy named Jiang Xuan?"

The moment those words were spoken, Ning Rongrong, who had been hiding inside the main hall as Ning Fengzhi had instructed, immediately perked up.

She instantly forgot every last word of her father's instructions when he had left. Her legs moved quickly as she ran out of the hall.

"You just said Brother Jiang Xuan? Have you seen him somewhere? Where is he now? How is he? Is he hurt?"

The instant Ning Rongrong spoke, Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong were already too late to stop her.

They did not know why the people from Spirit Hall were looking for Jiang Xuan, but Rongrong's words were practically an admission that such a person existed within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. She had directly placed the entire sect in a highly passive position.

Still, neither man could bring himself to blame her.

After all, Rongrong was only nine years old. She merely missed her Brother Jiang Xuan. What was wrong with that?

Of course, where some worried, others rejoiced.

Such as Yue Guan at this very moment.

After hearing Ning Rongrong's words, he was practically grinning from ear to ear.

He had guessed right after all!

That boy really was from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!

Now that they knew his background, things would be much easier.

"Hehe, little girl, there's no need to worry. Jiang Xuan is doing very well! The reason I asked today is that I happened to encounter him once in Sunset Forest not long ago. He did not reveal his origins at the time, but after observing his pill-refining technique up close, I found that his fire-control methods were extremely similar to the Heart Separation Control technique inherited by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It seems my judgment was indeed correct!"

Seeing that Yue Guan's attitude was relatively amicable, Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong took the opportunity to exchange a few quiet words.

"Fengzhi, why do I feel like these two old men are here to poach someone?"

"Uncle Gu, your guess is the same as mine. Spirit Hall must have discovered Jiang Xuan's astonishing talent in the path of alchemy, but because they fear that he is a disciple of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they do not dare act by force."

"Then what do we do?"

"Spirit Hall harbors wolfish ambitions. I fear their goal is not so simple. Therefore, our bottom line today is that no matter what methods Spirit Hall uses, we cannot agree easily!"

After the two reached a unified understanding, Ning Fengzhi took charge of keeping Ning Rongrong quiet and preventing her from saying anything else. Gu Rong spoke again.

"So? What exactly is your main objective?"

At that, Yue Guan cleared his throat before saying,

"I presume you also know that Spirit Hall has always respected talent. The Grand Worshiper and I came here today precisely to demonstrate Spirit Hall's regard for Jiang Xuan and invite him to visit Spirit Hall."

Gu Rong immediately sneered.

"Demonstrate regard? Hmph, I think it's intimidation! There's nothing to discuss. Go back. We won't see you off!"

If Yue Guan had come alone today, then Gu Rong's attitude would have left him with little recourse.

But Qian Daoliu stood beside him, which changed everything.

"It seems that my years of seclusion have made the world believe that Spirit Hall has become easy to reason with."

As he spoke, Qian Daoliu released the pressure of his Soul Power. In an instant, Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi both felt an overwhelming oppression.

Still, the old man had some sense of martial conduct.

The Soul Power pressure he released targeted only the two of them and did not affect the young Ning Rongrong.

Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi relaxed slightly and hurriedly sent Ning Rongrong back into the main hall, ordering her not to come out again without his permission.

Then, he summoned his Martial Soul.

"Seven Treasures Turn, Glazed Shine! First, Strength!"

With Ning Fengzhi's amplification of his Soul Power, the pressure Gu Rong endured immediately eased greatly. Yet this also made him clearly realize just how terrifying Qian Daoliu was.

If this man went all out, then even with Gu Rong's exceptional defensive abilities, he would likely be defeated swiftly.

Even so, he would not submit easily.

"What, words aren't enough, so you're preparing to use force? Qian Daoliu! Have you considered the consequences of making a move in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect today? The Upper Three Sects share common cause. If you attack us, it will be equivalent to Spirit Hall declaring war on all three Upper Sects! Declaring war on the Upper Three Sects is, to a certain extent, no different from making an enemy of the entire continent. Is Spirit Hall truly prepared to become the enemy of the whole continent?"

If Qian Daoliu had merely been alone, then Gu Rong's words would have meant no more to him than a fart and posed no threat whatsoever.

But the problem was that he was not alone.

Spirit Hall was the life's work of the Angel Clan.

Qian Renxue, moreover, was the meaning of his existence in this world.

He could certainly act recklessly for the sake of momentary satisfaction, but doing so would leave Spirit Hall and Xue'er with a huge mess that would be difficult to clean up. Given Qian Daoliu's character, unless absolutely necessary, he would never do something that destroyed his own foundations.

Thus, he forced himself to calm down. After taking a deep breath, he withdrew his Soul Power pressure and said,

"Why not have each side take a step back? Spirit Hall came seeking cooperation. Jiang Xuan need not go to Spirit Hall, but he must provide Spirit Hall with a certain number of pills each year. In exchange, Spirit Hall will become the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's most loyal ally. No matter what troubles arise, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect may entrust Spirit Hall to resolve them. This is my final concession. Do not try to test my limits again!"

After saying this, Qian Daoliu had expected Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong to resist and engage him in fierce bargaining. He had even prepared himself for it.

Yet to his surprise, after hearing his words, both men wore strange expressions.

"You just said... Spirit Hall wants the pills that Jiang Xuan produces?"