What, You Look Down on It?

"Rise," Ye Zichen said.

The group slowly got to their feet.

"Now that you've seen me, do you still have any questions?"

"None, my lord. Now that I've met you, everything has become clear. Since it was your decision, I have no objections!" Ye Ling answered firmly.

Was he joking? Whoever this lord wanted to kill, whichever sect he wanted to destroy, no one would dare say no. Even the heavens themselves couldn't stop him!

Besides, the Crimson Yang Sect and the Tyrant Saber Sect had always thrown their weight around. Now they had paid the price for stirring up trouble. They had brought it on themselves.

Ye Zichen took a sip of tea and continued, "In that case, there is one more thing I need you to do."

"My lord, what is it? I'll do everything in my power!" Ye Ling was delighted. He could finally do something for the lord!

"Lingyao, show him," Ye Zichen instructed, glancing at Zhang Lingyao.

"Yes, my lord!"

She then stepped to the side, held her breath, and focused. Cold Qi poured out of her, freezing the nearby flowing water into weapons of ice.

Ye Ling was astonished.

"Th-this is an Ice Spirit Physique?"

It was Ye Ling's first time seeing such a cultivation physique. The lord had actually fully awakened this young woman's physique!

"Wow! Senior brother, look, that's so pretty!"

Jian Ningshuang glanced at Zhang Lingyao, who stood nearby, and tugged on Xie Lingyun's sleeve as she whispered. Watching the scene, even the normally calm Xie Lingyun couldn't help feeling somewhat surprised.

"How about she joins your Sword Sect to cultivate from now on?" Ye Zichen asked Ye Ling, pointing at Zhang Lingyao.

Ye Ling was so excited he couldn't close his mouth. He hurriedly replied, "What has the Sword Sect done to deserve your favor, my lord?"

"I won't say it a second time." Ye Zichen was speechless. Why did he hear such pleasantries everywhere he went?

"Then I thank you here on behalf of the Sword Sect, my lord!" He hurriedly bowed again.

"I, your junior Zhang Lingyao, thank you, my lord!" Zhang Lingyao hadn't expected Ye Zichen to give her such an opportunity. This was the Sword Sect, first among the ten great sects!

"This cultivation method is rather suited to you, so I'll give it to you." With that, Ye Zichen tapped a finger, and a flash of spiritual light entered Zhang Lingyao's mind.

As she sensed the profound cultivation method in her mind, Zhang Lingyao realized she had never seen one of this rank. It was on an entirely different level from the one she had obtained not long ago!

"Thank you, my lord. I'll cultivate diligently and won't let you down in the future." Zhang Lingyao knelt and kowtowed deeply to Ye Zichen.

Ye Zichen didn't think much of it. These people were among the first he had met, after all, so he would treat it as finding them some company. He would go wherever he pleased, and he couldn't be bothered to deal with them later.

"Cultivate well. Your achievements will extend far beyond the lower realm."

Ye Zichen casually picked a cultivation method suited to an Ice Spirit Physique from his space. Most of the things in there were useless to him anyway, so he could use them as he pleased.

"City Lord Zhang, I've been here for nearly a year. I should thank you for taking such care back then."

Ye Zichen turned to Zhang Xu as he spoke. He had stayed for almost a year. Though Zhang Xu usually couldn't even see him, he had still treated him like an honored ancestor all this time.

"My lord, your words are too much for me to bear! I merely arranged a quiet place for you. After all this time, I should be thanking you for helping us."

Zhang Xu hurriedly bowed. What had he done to deserve the lord's thanks? He still had to thank the lord for clearing the obstacles from Clear Wind City!

"No more pleasantries. Take this." Ye Zichen waved his hand, giving Zhang Xu a pill.

"A H-Heaven Tier supreme-grade pill!"

When Ye Ling saw the pill in Zhang Xu's hand, he found it hard to breathe, and his Qi and Blood surged!

Even a holy land couldn't produce more than a pill or two of this kind! Though he didn't yet know what it did, the appearance of a single Heaven Tier supreme-grade pill was enough to shake the entire Eastern Continent!

Behind him, the two disciples, Jian Ningshuang and Xie Lingyun, also breathed rapidly at the sight. They had only ever read about such things in books! Their understanding of this lord suddenly rose to a new level!

"Th-this is far too precious, my lord!"

Zhang Xu was trembling all over. When Ye Ling suddenly announced that it was a Heaven Tier supreme-grade pill, even the hand holding it grew unsteady.

"What, you look down on it?"

Ye Zichen raised an eyebrow. He had countless pieces of trash like this, so why would he care about one pill? As far as he was concerned, it didn't even count as a reward.

"Absolutely not! Absolutely not! Thank you for your gift, my lord!" Zhang Xu hurriedly replied, afraid he might say the wrong thing, and accepted the pill.

"All right. Now that we've met today, I'll be leaving before long. Consider these your rewards."

Ye Zichen spoke calmly. He wanted a change of scenery and to continue his travels.

At this, father and daughter were both very surprised. They had known the day would come when the lord would leave, but they hadn't expected it to be so soon.

Unlike Zhang Xu and Zhang Lingyao, Ye Ling immediately thought of something when he heard this. "My lord, I have a request."

Ye Zichen didn't answer. He looked at Ye Ling, signaling him to speak.

"In a little over a month, the Eastern Continent Sect Conference will be held. The Flawed Light Holy Land is leading it this year, and the higher-ups of every sect in the Eastern Continent will attend. Why not come and see the excitement, my lord?"

Ye Ling put forward his suggestion.

After a moment, Ye Zichen nodded slightly, accepting.

He had just thought it over. With every sect there, he might encounter something interesting.

"Thank you, my lord. We'll await your arrival at the Flawed Light Holy Land then!" Ye Ling was pleasantly surprised. The lord had actually agreed.

With the conversation over, the group withdrew from the courtyard.

Once outside, they walked along the road, looking at one another.

The first to speak was the liveliest of them, Jian Ningshuang. "Wow, Master! That lord's presence was so overwhelming! Senior brother and I watched from behind, and everything that just happened amazed us! Who exactly is he? How powerful is he?"

When Ye Zichen had descended upon the Sword Sect before, only the sect master, the patriarch, and a few elders had known. The Sword Sect's disciples naturally had no idea what had happened that day; they only knew that a startling phenomenon had briefly appeared inside the main peak's great hall.

"Ningshuang, you must not speak thoughtlessly about that lord. When we get back, your punishment is to copy a book five hundred times."

Ye Ling rapped Jian Ningshuang on the head. This girl's temperament really left him at a loss.

"Ah... please don't, Master!" Ningshuang deflated like a punctured ball.

Ignoring her antics, Ye Ling turned to Zhang Xu and Zhang Lingyao.

"Miss Lingyao, since you're willing to join the Sword Sect, we're all members of the sect now. Besides, you have an Ice Spirit Constitution, and the lord has also bestowed a cultivation method on you. Your future prospects are boundless! How about this? When we return, I'll discuss it with the patriarch and have him teach you. What do you think?"

Ye Ling had just given it some thought. With talent like hers and the supreme cultivation method she had received from the lord, the Sword Sect was reaching above its station. Only the patriarch could take her as a disciple.

Zhang Lingyao opened her mouth, unsure for a moment what to say. After thinking it over for a long time, she finally said, "I'll leave everything to your arrangements, Sect Master!"

"City Lord Zhang, you're truly blessed to have such a heaven's favored daughter!" Ye Ling praised.

"You're too kind, Sect Master," Zhang Xu replied with a smile.

Ye Ling thought for a moment, then spoke again with a solemn expression.

"The lord just gave you that Heaven Tier supreme-grade pill. I hope you'll take it soon, City Lord, to avoid drawing the attention of other petty villains!"