"So you really have heard of me, fellow Daoist. I am hardly anyone of note, but I was indeed once one of the Setting Sun Sect's True Disciples.
"But as you said, after I failed to reach foundation establishment and lost my status as a True Disciple, I left the sect to travel throughout the Wu Kingdom. I only returned recently, and then I received a message from Brother Yu, which brought me here to join in the excitement." Gu Lian showed no surprise at all, answering with a smile instead.
"I see. But given your standing, don't you think entering a contest like this is rather like a grown man bullying children?" Li Tianqi first nodded, then spoke with some frustration.
"Haha, I merely hold the title of former True Disciple. Until I reach foundation establishment, I remain an Immortal Cultivator in the qi refining realm. However you look at it, I meet the requirements for this contest.
"If even that counts as breaking the rules, then you must be a member of the Li Household, the foremost clan of the Four Symbols Sect, correct? For a mighty clan like yours to send its members to fight for someone else's spirit vein quota hardly seems fitting either," Gu Lian said with a hearty laugh.
"Hmph, I only came because I couldn't turn down a close friend. I entered this contest as a guest retainer in my personal capacity. It has nothing to do with the Li Household!" At his words, Li Tianqi snorted, her expression darkening slightly.
Others might have feared Gu Lian's standing, but as a member of the Li Household, which had several Foundation Establishment Ancestors presiding over it, she had little reason to be wary of him.
"The same goes for me. I merely came to