Chen Linjian

Beneath the Sky Screen.

"Oh? Is it my turn to appear this time?"

At the Holy Orchid Institute, Chen Linjian watched what was playing on the Sky Screen.

He had recently made up his mind to explore the Gulan City Ruins near Glory City.

It seemed the screen was showing him recruiting people for the expedition.

Would Nie Li come along of his own accord?

Chen Linjian drew a clear line between gratitude and grudges. He was generous by nature and never fussed over trifles; otherwise, he would never have casually tossed out a suit of armor worth a hundred thousand, though that amount was mere pocket change to him.

That was why he had always wanted to get to know Nie Li. But when he went looking for him at the Holy Orchid Institute, he discovered that Nie Li had already been taken to the City Lord's Mansion, leaving him no choice but to give up.

On the Sky Screen.

Chen Linjian counted the people present and decided he needed to recruit a few more, so he took a small pouch out of his Space Ring.

Everyone recognized its contents: Sacred Nether Grass, a soul force-enhancing herb unique to the Sacred Nether Family.

By repeatedly offering treasures like Sacred Nether Grass, Chen Linjian convinced a crowd of people to join him on this venture.

Lu Piao had been calling out too, but Du Ze dragged him back.

Lu Piao still refused to give up. After all, that was Sacred Nether Grass.

But he was weaker than Chen Linjian, so he got put in his place.

Meanwhile, the commotion around Chen Linjian caught Nie Li's attention.

Chen Linjian, the legitimate son of the Sacred Nether Family, one of the Three Great Peak Families. Although I never had dealings with him before, I heard he was someone who clearly distinguished gratitude from grudges. And after hearing that the Sacred Family had defected, he personally rushed to the West Gate and cut down six of their people.

The scene changed.

It showed the Wind Snow Demon Beasts storming into Glory City.

Chen Linjian stood at the West Gate with a longsword on his back, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Chen Linjian of the Sacred Nether Family stands here! Anyone from the Sacred Family who dares flee will die!"

Beneath the Sky Screen.

At the Sacred Nether Family.

The family head, Chen Zhenglong, laughed heartily. "That's my son!"

"Our young master is so outstanding. He's bound to achieve great things!"

Chen Zhenglong had done an excellent job as head of the Sacred Nether Family. He had always been a staunch supporter of the Wind Snow Family, had united his own family more strongly than ever, and had raised such an outstanding son.

At the Sacred Family.

The moment he heard Chen Linjian's declaration on the Sky Screen, Shen Hong's face turned black as thunder.

This time, Shen Yue did not dare say a word.

Chen Linjian was far beyond a pampered wastrel like him, who spent every day eating, drinking, and amusing himself.

He was already a Bronze Five-Star at fifteen.

And he was the Sacred Nether Family's only legitimate son.

His succession as the next head of the Sacred Nether Family was nailed down beyond doubt.

Forget Shen Yue-even his elder brother, Shen Fei, had to give Chen Linjian a wide berth.

At the Holy Orchid Institute.

"Young Master Chen is mighty!"

"Young Master Chen is formidable!"

Everyone cheered for Chen Linjian.

Chen Linjian had tremendous charisma among his classmates.

After all, who wouldn't want to follow a young noble who was generous, openhearted, and clear about gratitude and grudges?

Especially when the people Chen Linjian cursed and killed belonged to the Sacred Family, who had always thrown their weight around under the protection of their family's influence.

At the City Lord's Mansion.

"Oh, it's Brother Chen."

The Three Great Peak Families were longtime family friends, so Ye Ziyun naturally knew Chen Linjian.

Nie Li looked at Chen Linjian. Right!

Gulan City!

My first demon spirit was waiting right there!

I still had to make the trip myself.

Otherwise, nobody else would recognize it.

Besides, I needed to expand my team, and Chen Linjian would make a good companion.

Bold, steady, generous, and clear about gratitude and grudges.

There would be no problem making friends with him.

"Father-in-law, send the Sacred Nether Family an invitation too."

Ye Zong looked at Nie Li. "Let me repeat myself: I haven't agreed to marry Zi Yun to you yet!"

He really could not muster any anger. Cultivation techniques, medicinal formulas, inscriptions-Nie Li had given so much to Ye Ziyun and even Glory City itself.

With all that merit, would I really have to give him my daughter?

Still, Ye Zong's main approach now was to remain stubborn in word.

Of his whole body, his mouth was the most unyielding part.

On the Sky Screen.

Nie Li also walked over of his own accord and asked to join.

But when the people around him saw how young he was, they mocked him, saying he probably had not even reached Bronze rank.

Naturally, if Nie Li wanted to join Chen Linjian's team without even reaching Bronze rank, he would have to show some genuine ability to shake them up.

Chen Linjian, however, did not look down on Nie Li because of his age.

Nie Li recalled that both Ye Ziyun and Shen Yue had joined this expedition and returned with rich rewards. In particular, there was that item Shen Yue had brought back. This time, he was determined to get it.

An image of a lamp appeared on the screen.

When Chen Linjian heard Nie Li say that their destination was the Gulan City Ruins, his pupils contracted slightly.

"How did you know?"

Nie Li invented a perfectly reasonable explanation. News of the Gulan City Ruins had only recently broken, and Chen Linjian was gathering people at this very moment. Wasn't his goal obvious?

Chen Linjian became interested in Nie Li, especially after learning his name.

After all, word of how Nie Li had used his extensive reading to publicly humiliate the Sacred Family had already spread throughout Glory City.

Nie Li modestly claimed he had not read that much, though he had certainly read more than everyone present.

Quite a few of those around him burst out laughing. Nie Li had only been at the institute for a few days. How could he possibly have read more than them?

Chen Linjian was smiling too, but he did not look down on Nie Li. Instead, he wanted to test him a little. If he could give a satisfactory answer, there would naturally be no harm in taking him along.

"Then can you tell me which era the Gulan City Ruins date back to?"

Nie Li said, "According to the information currently available, Gulan City consists entirely of stone buildings with domed roofs, and its roads are laid out in a very orderly fashion along the four cardinal directions. That was the architectural style of the Wind Snow Empire and Sacred Empire eras. Apparently, an enormous lotus mural was also discovered within the city. As the saying goes, mountains govern descendants, while water governs wealth. Lotuses symbolize harmony bringing prosperity. The late Sacred Empire was peaceful and prosperous, which matches the mural's meaning. So we can be fairly certain that this city dates to somewhere between the late Sacred Empire and the Dark Age."

This analysis left everyone present utterly stunned and prompted Chen Linjian to applaud.

Nie Li clearly possessed considerable talent, and Chen Linjian wanted to recruit him.

Actually, for anyone else, following Chen Linjian would have been an excellent choice.

Chen Linjian could be considered an almost perfect young noble. He did not casually bully commoners, treated his subordinates with great generosity, and clearly distinguished gratitude from grudges.

Following him would certainly be better than following Shen Yue or Shen Fei, right?

Never mind-putting it that way was an insult to Chen Linjian.

What standing did those two have to compare themselves to him?

But he had encountered Nie Li.

Nie Li said there was no need for that; they could each take what they needed. He could guarantee that Chen Linjian's party would reap rich rewards, but in exchange, he wanted first pick of one of the treasures they found.

The people behind them could not have been more shocked. This brat was not only arrogant but also talked big. Not only had he turned down Young Master Chen's offer to recruit him, he had even demanded first pick of their finds.

In the end, Chen Linjian decided to trust Nie Li and take a gamble. He agreed.