Jiang Che guessed at a glance that the man before him, with his air of otherworldly grace, must be the instance's protagonist, Li Qiubai.
As he sized the man up, the man noticed him as well.
The white-robed cultivator looked over, his gaze passing over Jiang Che's clothes and waist token. There was no arrogance in his manner; instead, he smiled first. "Junior brother, I don't believe we've met. What brings you lingering at my door?"
His voice was clear, his tone warm, without the slightest displeasure at being intruded upon.
Yet Jiang Che felt a slight jolt of alarm.
This could be troublesome.
He was a disciple of the Azure Mystic Sect. That much was unquestionably true.
But he was an Azure Mystic disciple from twenty-one years in the future. His name was not on the Verdant Mist Hall's current rolls.
Still, that did not mean his cover would be blown immediately.
He wore an Azure Mystic disciple's robes, the waist token hanging from him was genuine, and the cultivation art circulating within his body was an authentic Azure Mystic inheritance. That spiritual bearing could not be faked.
The Azure Mystic Sect had so many disciples, spread across the lower courts, branch courts, and Upper Court, as well as all its peaks and halls. Who could possibly recognize them all?
As long as he did not cause enough of a stir to make someone check the rolls and verify his background, an ordinary encounter should not expose him so easily.
Having settled his thoughts, Jiang Che cupped his hands in greeting and answered calmly, "Might you be Senior Brother Li Qiubai? Please forgive me. As I passed this way, your extraordinary bearing caught my eye, and I momentarily forgot my manners."
"Oh, is that all?" Li Qiubai chuckled. "No