Ji Yuan: Me, go to the front lines? Not a chance!

"Me?"

Ji Yuan pointed at himself, looking slightly puzzled.

I've already joined the Water Dragon Sect. What else could there be? Surely they aren't sending me to the front lines again? The thought flashed through Ji Yuan's mind, and he felt a sinking sense of foreboding.

His spiritual awareness instantly reached for the Communication Talisman in his Storage Bag.

If that really was the case, he could only call Li Changhe over to bail him out.

No, perhaps that would not be necessary. The Ascension Token should be enough to prove his standing.

"Mm."

Yun Shangping nodded lightly.

Ji Yuan and Du Wanyi exchanged a glance. In the end, they could only step forward and approach Yun Shangping.

"Greetings, Martial Uncle Yun."

In the Water Dragon Sect, unless there was an explicit master-disciple relationship, disciples at the Qi Refining Stage addressed cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm as martial uncle.

"Mm."

With his hands clasped behind his back, Yun Shangping smiled at the two of them. "Among the seven of you today, you are the strongest."

"You flatter me. I hardly deserve such praise."

Hearing this, Ji Yuan hurriedly cupped his hands.

"Our Water Dragon Sect has always had a rule: the stronger you are, the greater your responsibility. Take our supreme elder, for instance..." Yun Shangping raised his head toward the north, a trace of reverence in his eyes.

"He single-handedly upholds the great name of our Water Dragon Sect on the Cangluo Continent."

The supreme elder Yun Shangping mentioned was presumably a Nascent Soul powerhouse. Everyone present felt their hearts soar with longing, but the more Ji Yuan heard, the more something felt wrong.

Isn't this the tone bosses use when they start their brainwashing routine?

"So—the same goes for you!"

Yun Shangping's voice deepened as his gaze