Not choosing a single one?
Every single person present stared at Yang Zhen in astonishment, wondering if they had misheard him.
Every cultivator who came to the Youzhou Grand Assembly, whether a disciple of a minor sect or a Rogue Cultivator, hoped to put on a spectacular display and catch the eye of the five great sects, becoming a disciple of one of them.
Everyone was doing their utmost to show off their potential and talent, all in the hope that even if just one of the five great sects took a fancy to them, their wish would come true.
Yet all five great sects had taken a fancy to Yang Zhen at once. Although he had some friction with the Tonglin Sect, that was no great matter. What sect had no conflicts between its disciples?
Even Zhang Zongjin could only smash his grudge against Yang Zhen to pieces and swallow it for the sake of the sect's important task of recruiting talent. If the sect's other elders learned that Zhang Zongjin had cost the sect a disciple of Yang Zhen's extraordinary talent over a few conflicts, he probably wouldn't come to a good end.
That was also why Ma Dexing, though angry, had not made things too difficult for Yang Zhen after learning that Duan Langcai was the one who had poisoned Zhang Zongjin.
All the minor sect disciples and Rogue Cultivators present had barely begun to look envious when they heard Yang Zhen say he didn't want to choose any of them. They were so shocked they nearly bit their tongues.
Luo Yan narrowed his eyes and smiled at Yang Zhen. "Can you tell me why?"
Duan Qing likewise took a deep breath and asked Yang Zhen, "Yang Zhen, you must understand that the higher the cultivation realm, the greater the need for resources and advanced Cultivation Methods. Without a good sect, your future cultivation will be as hard as climbing to heaven."
The crowd couldn't help nodding, looking at Yang Zhen in confusion.
Ma Dexing's face was equally full of bewilderment. He snorted softly and looked at Luo Yan and Duan Qing with some schadenfreude.
The two old fellows had pulled out all the stops to compete for Yang Zhen, only for him to choose neither of them in the end. Luckily, they were broad-minded and could keep their composure, so their expressions hadn't changed on the spot. Had it been anyone else, Yang Zhen's failure to appreciate their kindness would probably have earned him a lesson by now.
Yang Zhen smiled at the two men and said, "Well... I'm used to being free on my own, and I'm not used to being tied down. Great sects are good and all, but they don't quite suit me."
Hearing this, everyone present nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.
You're a disciple of a minor sect, so what are you telling everyone about freedom for? Isn't that utter nonsense?
Although great sects had many rules, their disciples were, relatively speaking, far freer than those of minor sects. What was all this about being tied down?
In fact, Yang Zhen was also at a loss. His circumstances were rather special: his talent was heaven-defyingly high. Whatever the Cultivation Method or martial technique, he could raise it to the maximum grade and level within the limits of what it could be improved to.
If the Great Evolution Wind and Thunder Sword and the Three Origins Ghost Shadow Sword had not been limited by the techniques themselves to heaven grade, Yang Zhen reckoned he could have pushed both straight to saint grade.
As a result, if Yang Zhen joined one of the five great sects, he simply wouldn't be able to cultivate its Cultivation Methods and martial techniques. Otherwise, the moment he used them, his secret would be exposed.
Once Yang Zhen's ability was discovered, even those ancestors who had long since passed away probably wouldn't be able to keep their coffin lids down. They would crawl out and insist on catching him.
It was too dangerous. Yang Zhen wouldn't join any sect even if he were beaten to death.
Luo Yan and Duan Qing exchanged a glance, both looking a little embarrassed. But when they thought of Yang Zhen's talent and aptitude, they could only sigh and forcibly suppress their displeasure. In grave voices, they said, "Yang Zhen, are you trying to make demands of us?"
Hiss!
The surrounding crowd immediately erupted in an uproar.
Everyone else would have been desperate to kneel and beg the five great sects to take them as disciples, yet Yang Zhen could make demands of them. No wonder he'd said he was used to freedom. As if we'd believe that! Wasn't he just holding out for a higher price so he could make a few demands?
Comparing people makes you want to die; comparing goods makes you want to throw them away. Could someone really do whatever he wanted just because he was talented and handsome?
Everyone present felt a little like questioning their lives-the kind of questioning brought on by Yang Zhen's infuriating behavior.
"To tell the truth, it's not that my eyes are so high above my head that I look down on the five great sects. It's just that I already have a master." Yang Zhen sighed and said with boundless regret, "It was a stormy night. The sky was dark, and torrential rain washed over everything..."
Everyone stared at Yang Zhen, dumbfounded. Who could have imagined he could spin such nonsense the moment he opened his mouth? And so Yang Zhen told them at length a story about an old, peerless expert who was like a divine dragon whose head could be seen but not its tail. The old man had stumbled upon Yang Zhen, a heaven-gifted genius, and had wept and pleaded, insisting on taking him as a disciple. The tale was so vivid that even those who smelled it shed tears, and those who heard it wept with emotion.
Everyone listened to Yang Zhen's astonishing stroke of fortune with shock on their faces. Some were filled with longing, while most were envious.
"S-since that's the case, it really is a bit of a pity," Luo Yan said with a sigh, somewhat regretful that he had failed to take Yang Zhen as a disciple.
Duan Qing was silent for a moment before saying, "I wonder when this senior, like a divine dragon whose head can be seen but not its tail, will appear again. I would like to pay him a visit."
Yang Zhen laughed. "The old gentleman roams freely between heaven and earth. He likes to travel around and contemplate the Heavenly Dao, and his whereabouts are always unpredictable. When he appears again, I'll let you two seniors know. Ah, the green mountains remain, and the green waters flow on. Seniors, until we meet again."
With that, Yang Zhen leaped toward the exit of the valley without waiting for anyone to ask him to stay. He went faster and faster, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
In the valley, the crowd stared dumbfounded at Yang Zhen's swift and decisive departure. Luo Yan sighed. "What a bold and decisive young man. He acts true to his nature, without dragging his feet in the slightest. I truly wonder what radiance he will shine with on the Youzhou Continent in the future."
"You and I still have some time left to live. We can wait and see!" Duan Qing, who had also grown more pleased the more he saw of Yang Zhen, nodded and spoke with emotion.
Ma Dexing's face was dark as water as he ordered people to carry Zhang Zongjin up the mountain.
Before long, a hysterical roar came from the mountaintop. "Yang! Zhen!"
Everyone was startled and hurried up the mountain.
What happened? Ma Dexing's hoarse, furious roar makes it sound as if Yang Zhen stole his family's treasure.
Not knowing what had happened, the group exchanged glances, then set everything else aside and rushed toward the source of the sound.
Yang Zhen shuddered all over when he heard Ma Dexing's ghostly wail and wolfish howl, and his feet carried him a little faster. Oh, good thing I left quickly. From the sound of it, that fellow Zhang Zongjin has probably woken up already.
After walking for who knew how long, Yang Zhen heard voices talking nearby. His heart stirred, and he headed toward them. Sure enough, he saw a party of several people: four women and six men.
The one speaking was a woman in yellow. Her voice was even, but it wasn't hard to hear the excitement in her words. She seemed to be talking about some nine-story demon tower.
A nine-story demon tower here too?
Yang Zhen was taken aback. He went over to the group and asked, "Pretty young lady, what did you mean by the nine-story demon tower you just mentioned?"
Pretty... young lady?
The woman in yellow was startled. When she recovered, her face turned slightly red, and she lowered her eyes shyly, not daring to look Yang Zhen in the face. A moment later, she burst out laughing, shot him a glance, and said with a mixture of indignation and shyness, "What 'nine-story demon tower'? What nonsense are you talking about, young master?"
Though the woman in yellow was not an unrivaled beauty, every frown and smile she had just shown carried a fully ripened charm that set hearts racing.
The six men around her stared at Yang Zhen, dumbstruck, their faces full of bewilderment.
With a single sentence, he had made a strange woman blush, yet she hadn't gotten angry. It would have been one thing if she simply hadn't gotten angry, but she had even laughed, and so happily at that. The charm in that glance she gave him was enough to kill a man.
Wh-wh-where did this man-no, this monster-come from?
Impressive indeed!