Seemingly affected by the atmosphere before him, even Ning Lin, who had always appeared innocent and unpretentious, fell silent.
His clear black-and-white eyes widened, and he looked as though he wanted to speak but held back.
In the end, he could not restrain himself and asked timidly, "Um... are, are you Fang Qianyuan?"
"How dare you! Show respect in Venerable Fang's presence!"
The attending Snow Wolf Guards glared at him, and one of the guards on duty, who appeared to be their leader, rebuked him outright.
Elder Xu pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed inwardly, but could only steel himself and step forward to smooth things over. "Please forgive him, Venerable Fang. Fellow Daoist Ning comes from the countryside and is unfamiliar with proper etiquette."
"Uh..." Ning Lin was not actually stupid. Seeing both the Snow Wolf Guards and Elder Xu glaring at him, he could only shut his mouth sheepishly, though his eyes still kept darting toward Fang Qianyuan with irrepressible curiosity.
"Indeed. I am Fang Qianyuan."
Fang Qianyuan had already heard reports about Ning Lin from his subordinates. Earth Rank Tenth Transformation was neither particularly high nor particularly low, but it was enough to draw his attention.
Of course, there were hundreds of Heaven Tier experts in the world, and Earth Rank Tenth Transformation cultivators numbered well over a thousand.
Not everyone had hopes of advancing, nor did everyone merit his regard.
Ultimately, Fang Qianyuan had taken some interest because Ning Lin had attained such cultivation at so young an age, nearly matching his own past achievements.
Over the years, newly risen experts and talented youths had emerged one after another throughout the markets. The vast majority had adopted methods of advancement that spared no cost. Though these could bring temporary gains, they all but exhausted