Stepping in to Stop It

Aimei City, one of the Temple Alliance's most prosperous major cities.

Situated deep within the alliance's territory, this enormous city had hardly ever undergone the baptism of war.

Its prosperity was second only to the Holy City, where the Temple Alliance was based.

Once they reached here, they were not far from the temple.

Their party stopped here to rest and recuperate.

Long Haochen and the others went to the hotel to wash up and rest, while Jiang Li merely washed up there before heading out to wander around the city.

Calling it wandering was not quite accurate. His real purpose was to collect some high-level forging blueprints and techniques, as well as various techniques for refining pills.

Although Jiang Li had no money left on him, that did not mean Qian Renxue had none.

Although high-grade items were sold in the city, Jiang Li did not buy any here. The reason was simple: his teacher had already helped make the arrangements.

Aside from that, Jiang Li also collected various meditation methods and books concerning meridians and acupoints, to help bring his cultivation method into existence sooner.

"Come on, let's go join the excitement at the auction in this city."

After collecting some of the things he needed, Jiang Li planned to take Qian Renxue to the city's auction.

Judging by the timing, his junior brother and the others should be auctioning off that Jade Twin-Blade Demon by now.

It was here that his junior brother met his future teammate, the mage who knew no offensive magic, Lin Xin.

That fellow had even taken advantage of his junior brother.

Jiang Li's impression of this fellow was rather lukewarm.

He was a genius in fire magic, yet knew no offensive magic.

The reason was actually childhood psychological trauma. He had voluntarily sworn not to learn or use offensive magic.

Having watched his parents get blown to death during a magical experiment, it was understandable that he had been left with a psychological shadow.

Since he could not overcome that shadow, he should just honestly live his comfortable life, rather than enter the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament or join someone else's Demon Hunt Squad and bring harm to others.

A fire mage who knew no offensive magic could very well drag everyone down to their deaths if he joined someone else's Demon Hunt Squad.

Even if he transformed in the future, that was a matter for the future.

Had he been an earth mage focused on defense, Jiang Li would not have had anything to say.

Just as Jiang Li had thought, Long Haochen, Li Xin, and the others had already met Lin Xin at the city's auction.

Lin Xin had bought that Jade Twin-Blade Demon at a high price.

Afterward, Lin Xin began cozying up to Lin Xin, inviting him to attend the auction.

When Jiang Li and Qian Renxue arrived, they happened to see his junior brother and a youth with long, dark green hair enter a private room at the auction house.

"Room Six? Perfect, let's go join the fun."

After spotting them, Jiang Li fixed on their direction.

He headed over with Qian Renxue.

"Your emotions are fluctuating quite a bit. Has something upset you?"

Walking beside Jiang Li, Qian Renxue noticed something unusual about him and asked in puzzlement.

"It's nothing. My junior brother is sometimes a little too sincere, which makes it easy for people to deceive him."

Jiang Li spoke calmly, but there was a measure of coldness in his tone.

Admittedly, when he first approached Long Haochen, he too had harbored motives and schemes.

In his heart, he had even prepared himself to treat Long Haochen as he would Tang San.

But after they got to know each other, as the bond between the two fellow disciples continued to deepen over the following days, Jiang Li's mindset had changed somewhat.

He could take advantage of his junior brother, but that did not mean anyone else could.

Of course, there was one crucial factor in all this.

The issue with his talent had been resolved.

At this moment, inside the room, Lin Xin was boasting to Long Haochen about his pills.

He had used Insight to examine Long Haochen's cultivation and failed, leaving him shocked.

Then he began making his proposal.

"Brother Long, if you manage to place in the final top three, please choose me as your teammate."

Just as he reached the door to VIP Room Six, Jiang Li heard Lin Xin's voice from inside.

As Jiang Li was about to enter, he heard Long Haochen's reply.

"Sorry, I can't agree to that condition."

Looking at the pills and other things Lin Xin had laid on the table, Long Haochen thought they were quite impressive, but they still fell far short of the pills his senior brother refined.

What was more, he was already a Fifth-Order Knight now, so these pills would not do much for him.

Trading a promise to choose a teammate for these things was not appropriate.

"I was the one letting concern cloud my judgment."

Hearing his junior brother's answer, Jiang Li smiled.

That was right. Because of his intervention, Long Haochen was already different from the Long Haochen of the original timeline.

Fooling him was no simple matter.

"Why wouldn't you agree?"

Lin Xin truly had not expected Long Haochen to refuse.

The bargaining chips he had offered were hardly meager.

Was this little fellow before him being a little too greedy?

But he still wanted to take a gamble.

It was really because of his own unusual circumstances. Once outsiders learned of them, probably no one would let him join their Demon Hunt Squad.

Just then, a stone sphere was wheeled onto the auction stage.

As the stone sphere was wheeled out, Long Haochen's mount, Haoyue, sensed something, then appeared and displayed a longing for it.

Jiang Li naturally knew what was inside: a dragon's Dragon Pearl.

"Brother Long, how about these things, plus me bidding for that stone sphere, as our trade?"

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Xin immediately spoke.

Hearing Lin Xin's offer, Long Haochen hesitated.

Haoyue wanted it, and he truly did not know how to refuse.

Besides, those pills could help Sister Li Xin improve her strength. Trading them for an undecided teammate slot did not seem like a loss.

His senior brother, he himself, and Sister Li Xin were all knights, so they could not be selected to join his own Demon Hunt Squad.

As for Lin Jialu, the only mage he knew, according to Lin Xin, she would not make it that far.

It did not seem like a loss.

"Junior brother, if you need money to buy something, you can come to your senior brother."

"As for pills and such, when I have time, I'll refine a batch of better-quality ones for you."

Jiang Li knew it was time for him to step in and stop this.

As for why he had waited so long to act, the reason was simple.

For one thing, it was force of habit.

Previously, in order to leave a strong enough impression on Long Haochen and win his favor, many of his actions had been deliberate, and he had grown accustomed to appearing at the most crucial moment.

Even though there was no longer any need for that, he still subconsciously waited until the crucial moment to appear.

Just as the saying went, behind every graceful entrance lay ample preparation by someone who had planned it.

As for the other reason, he had not wanted to interfere too much. His junior brother had already explicitly refused, and he had thought that would be the end of it.

Who knew there would be a second hurdle?

As he spoke, Jiang Li pushed open the door and entered Lin Xin's private room with Qian Renxue.