Winning Him Over

It was no news that Hongku brought calamity upon his students. People had mentioned it time and again.

Some believed in the mystical notion that a lone star under a baleful destiny brought calamity to those around them, but few among the top great cultivators believed such things.

"Our holy land's inner disciples have seen no new talent rise to replace the old these past few decades. We've had no one of use to show for it, and we're far behind the Xieluosi River and Nine Spirits. Dharma Master Hongku, you need to take it easy too!"

Venerable Lei clearly belonged to the latter group. He tapped the stone table to drive home the warning.

The Yedie River Holy Land took in a new group of entrants every three years. Three were carefully selected as inner disciples, whom the holy land was willing to provide resources to train.

Hongku often chose the best students, but he struggled to nurture them into capable cultivators. Instead, his students kept dying.

Year after year, the Yedie River Holy Land had ended up with virtually no strong young cultivators worth presenting.

This gradually began to bear bitter fruit: fewer outstanding students came to the Yedie River Holy Land to study.

But Hongku's conduct remained within the bounds permitted by the holy land, so even those who objected found it difficult to fault him.

Wu Jin, who had caught Venerable Lei's eye, was evidently no more than a spellcasting expendable to Hongku.

The difference displeased Venerable Lei and left him dissatisfied, with a measure of heartache mixed in.

Hongku's face turned slightly ashen at Venerable Lei's words, a trace of gloom settling over it.

His aged face changed slightly. After pondering for several seconds, he dipped a finger into the wine in his cup. By