The Phantom Sect's Sect Master increasingly felt that Li Yan was exceptionally dependable in handling matters, especially since he had not only brought back dozens of Nascent Soul disciples from the two sects, but had also returned with evidence.
Li Yan had accomplished what the vast majority of disciples could not, so although she appeared not to have given him any tangible reward, merely a verbal promise—
—in reality, he could request any one thing he truly needed, whether a high-level cultivation technique, rare medicinal pills, raw materials, or something else.
Such a reward was the most generous of all, unlike ordinary rewards that confined disciples within a predetermined range.
Yet Li Yan had been so eager to request permission to leave the sect because he was deeply helpless about the matter.
When he had first returned to the sect with Bai Rou, he had intended to see whether he could refine those silver sands, or improve his soul arts before leaving the sect with Zi Kun.
That would likely have taken at least several years, perhaps even several decades, before he could set out.
At the same time, he had long thought of another matter: the time he had promised the "Soul Suppression Palace" to descend to the lower realm had actually passed long ago.
But he had had no choice. Urgent matters had come one after another, piling up like waves, and all of them required time. He simply could not split himself in two.
Moreover, as he came to understand the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect better, coupled with his several clashes with Yan Qingchen, Li Yan deeply understood that he was still weak. Improving his strength remained exceedingly urgent.
The time he could truly devote to cultivation now was not much. Many of his methods required early-stage accumulation.