Half a day later, Li Ping emerged from the Bo Family Ancestor's courtyard with a rather grim expression.
In truth, the Bo Family Ancestor had been resting and recuperating within his lineage all this time. His main reason for coming to the Immortal City today had been to meet Li Ping.
During their meeting, he had not only shared a piece of news with Li Ping, but also invited him to become a Guest Elder of the Bai Family.
It had to be said that the terms the Bai Family offered were exceptionally generous. The Bo Family Ancestor was already advanced in years, and the Bai Family had yet to produce a second Foundation Establishment cultivator, leaving it in danger of losing its Foundation Establishment strength entirely.
Li Ping said he needed to consider the invitation to become a Guest Elder carefully, and the Bo Family Ancestor did not press him.
What truly troubled him was the news the Bo Family Ancestor had shared: the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage had actually made its "refusal to accept Li Ping as an Immortal City Retainer" public.
The Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage had openly stated that it refused to let Li Ping join the Immortal City because his successful foundation establishment was suspected to be connected to a Foundation Establishment Pill lost by one of its disciples.
This had displeased Fairy Dai, who managed the Immortal City on her master's behalf, and she had rejected his application to join.
By now, most forces with Foundation Establishment cultivators or stronger within the Immortal City's jurisdiction knew of the matter.
On his way back to his own courtyard, Li Ping silently considered how this would affect him.
First, although the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage had not explicitly explained how its disciple had lost her Foundation Establishment Pill, everyone knew that the Qi Refining cultivator named Lin Yue had suffered something utterly degrading after being abducted by a mysterious person. She had lost her sanity, and her future had been ruined.
Regardless of their relationship with the Immortal City, cultivators generally sympathized with Lin Yue.
Yet Li Ping had benefited from this affair. In the eyes of those who did not know the truth, he had successfully established his foundation using Lin Yue's lost Foundation Establishment Pill, making him look like someone feasting on buns soaked in another person's blood.
His reputation would undoubtedly suffer as a result.
Ordinarily, reputation might not matter much. But in situations such as teaming up to explore a Secret Realm, its influence was enormous.
No one would feel safe entrusting their back to a cultivator with a foul reputation.
Second, Fairy Dai of the Immortal City had rejected Li Ping's application to join, which meant she disliked him. Perhaps the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage's cultivators would even target him in the future.
The possibility that a Sword Cultivator at foundation establishment perfection disliked him and regarded him with hostility would make any forces or cultivators hoping to befriend Li Ping think carefully and weigh the risks.
Most cultivators might reduce their dealings with Li Ping out of fear of offending the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage.
Li Ping pondered for a long time, yet still could not understand why the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage had done this.
In his earlier conversation with Dai Sangyu, he had made himself perfectly clear: he did not know the mysterious person who opposed the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage, nor did he have any intention of becoming its enemy himself.
He had also cooperated fully with their investigation, without telling a single lie throughout.
Although Dai Sangyu had ultimately refused to let him join the Immortal City, Li Ping had thought that even if the deal fell through, goodwill ought to remain.
Why, then, had Fairy Dai gone on to spread "the decision to reject Li Ping's application to join the Immortal City and the reasons behind it" far and wide?
You don't have to love me, but please don't hurt me, okay?
There's another problem. By spreading the news, the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage has also exposed my identity in the Black Market. Li Ping thought of another complication.
When he had bought the Foundation Establishment Pill in the Black Market, he had concealed his identity.
The mysterious person selling the Foundation Establishment Pill had not known who had bought it.
But after this, that mysterious person probably knew he was the buyer.
Li Ping suspected that the mysterious person had chosen to sell the Foundation Establishment Pill in the Immortal City Market rather than keep it for his own disciples or juniors.
His aim had not been Spirit Stones so much as sickening Dai Sangyu and throwing her state of mind into turmoil.
That's it. Something suddenly stirred in Li Ping's mind, and an idea surfaced. Now that mysterious seller knows I bought the Foundation Establishment Pill. After successfully establishing my foundation, I apparently fell out with Dai Sangyu and was ultimately turned away by the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage. I might very well resent them because of it... could he come forward to recruit me to help him fight the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage?
Li Ping suddenly grew excited. He had guessed what Dai Sangyu intended to do. Dai Sangyu is using me as bait to catch a fish!
But even as he figured it out, more doubts surfaced in his mind.
No, no. That mysterious seller isn't an idiot. He won't show himself and approach me so easily. After all... how would he know I'm not putting on an act with the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage to deliberately lure him out?
Besides, Dai Sangyu's state of mind is damaged now, leaving her unable to attempt core formation. The longer this drags on, the more anxious she'll become. He's hidden in the shadows; all he needs to do is wait patiently.
Why go to the needless trouble of risking himself to recruit me?
Then why is the Azure Dragon Mountain Lineage doing this? Could Dai Sangyu really be so out of options that she's like a desperate patient grabbing at any doctor?
As he pondered, the sky darkened before he knew it.
Although he was convinced that Dai Sangyu's attempt to use him as bait would yield nothing and was doomed to fail, there were no absolutes.
He was not one of the people involved, after all. How could he know what they were thinking?
Thus, Li Ping still felt uneasy, afraid that the moment he left the area covered by the Immortal City's formation, something would happen.
The mysterious person preventing Dai Sangyu from achieving core formation might suddenly appear, followed closely by Windmist True Person with the third-tier spirit beast, Little Azure Dragon.
The two sides would erupt into battle without a word, and the shock waves of their clash would reduce him to ashes.
When a conflict involved Core Formation forces, even its aftershocks were enough to doom Li Ping beyond redemption.
I should be safe inside the city. The Immortal City is protected by a third-tier formation. Even Core Formation cultivators wouldn't dare run wild within it. But outside the city, there's no telling. At that thought, Li Ping's expression fell silent and somber.
According to Daoist Ji's letter, his master, Yan Guike, was bedridden and did not have long to live. Before dying, he hoped Li Ping could return to see him once.
Li Ping had originally planned to leave the Immortal City tomorrow and make a trip back to the Jiang Kingdom.
But under these circumstances, how could he dare leave the Immortal City?
Let alone travel tens of thousands of li back to the Jiang Kingdom to see his master one last time.
"Fucking Sword Cultivators. Why do you have to drag me into your fight?" Li Ping let out a long breath.
He was not someone who let his emotions rule him. It seemed he would not be able to see his master one last time.
If he risked dying just to make the journey back for a final meeting, his master would call him a fool if he learned of it.
Ultimately, even if he returned to the Jiang Kingdom in time, he could not extend his master's life. He could only ease one small regret.
Compared with the reality facing a living person, the regrets of someone about to die mattered less in the end.
With a sigh, Li Ping abandoned his plan to return to the Jiang Kingdom.