Liu Qingyan's Toast

"What color?"

After Mu Fan asked, Gu Chen answered instinctively:

"Light cyan..."

Halfway through his answer, Gu Chen's expression changed.

"Junior Brother Mu, I really only went in because I had something to do."

"I understand, I understand."

Mu Fan patted his chest and said playfully:

"Light cyan, huh? This Liu Qingyan really was the same on the inside and out..."

Gu Chen: "..."

"All right, I'll stop teasing you." Mu Fan laughed. "Did you find anything when you went in, Senior Brother Gu?"

As he spoke, Mu Fan got up and headed outside.

Gu Chen followed, his expression shifting slightly:

"I did find something."

"But I'll have to go back and take a look before I can be sure."

With that, Gu Chen picked up his pace and returned to the banquet.

"Congratulations, your disciple Gu Chen has completed the sign-in task. Disciple Gu Chen has received: low-grade spirit beast core-Iron-Armored Demonic Ape core ×1; host has received: high-grade spirit beast core-Earth Demonic Bear core ×1, experience points ×200."

"Hmm?"

Lu Changzhi raised an eyebrow.

An Earth Demonic Bear core.

It seemed to be just what he needed.

His luck was rather good.

A single sign-in task had given him exactly what he had needed earlier.

"Could this be what Jin Fugui is good for?"

Lu Changzhi murmured softly.

The Earth Demonic Bear was an earth-attribute spirit beast.

Its core could be used to activate Luo Ling'er's physique.

Originally, he had asked Cang Wenyu to look for one.

But only spirit beasts had spirit cores, and spirit beasts were all extremely powerful.

He had later planned to buy one from the system.

This saved him the expense of spending experience points.

Not long afterward, two figures returned one after the other.

"Master, guess where Senior Brother Gu just went?" Mu Fan asked, looking amused.

Lu Changzhi smiled faintly and asked:

"Where?"

Gu Chen's expression changed, and he hurriedly said:

"Master, I found something."

"Oh?" Lu Changzhi raised an eyebrow. "Let's hear it."

"Master, look over there," Gu Chen said through a voice transmission, indicating a direction to Lu Changzhi.

Lu Changzhi looked over.

"At the place with the most people, the one dressed all in white-something has very likely already happened between him and Liu Qingyan."

The presence on the sash beneath the bed in Liu Qingyan's room belonged to that very man.

Lu Changzhi looked over.

"Someone from the Mystic One Sect?"

The Mystic One Sect was the foremost of the six major powers.

The young man was named Xie Yang, and among those the Mystic One Sect had sent this time, he had the greatest talent and strength.

He was at the Life and Death Realm Fourth Layer, with Supreme-Grade Spirit Rank aptitude and a peak Heaven Rank Clear Wind Physique.

He could be said to be among the very best of the younger generation present today.

"If it's him, that's not surprising."

Lu Changzhi nodded. "The Flower Spirit Sect only ranks fifth, while the Mystic One Sect is first. He's so outstanding, too, so it wouldn't be surprising if something happened."

Gu Chen was slightly taken aback.

Then he understood.

That was true. What great winds and towering waves hadn't a big shot like Master seen?

He had probably seen plenty of it.

There was nothing strange about it.

"But why haven't the two of them shown any such intimacy?"

Gu Chen wondered about it, but didn't ask further.

At least, for now, he had managed to cover up the matter of his visit to Liu Qingyan's room.

Just then, Mu Fan, who was beside him, suddenly spoke:

"Master, it looks like Liu Qingyan is coming to see you."

Lu Changzhi looked over.

Sure enough, Liu Qingyan was walking toward him with a wine cup in hand.

At the same time, the attention of those present followed her.

"Peak Master Lu, I've long heard of your great name."

Liu Qingyan stopped before Lu Changzhi. A faint smile appeared on her face as she saluted him and said:

"I, Qingyan, would like to offer you a toast."

Her speech and conduct were exceedingly proper.

Countless eyes turned toward Lu Changzhi.

From the Mystic One Sect's area, Xie Yang also looked at Lu Changzhi.

At the same time, a system prompt sprang into view:

"Liu Qingyan wishes to toast you. You choose:

"One: gladly accept. [Reward: high-grade Heaven Rank pill furnace—Ember Flame ×1.]"

"Two: refuse. [Reward: high-grade Heaven Rank cultivation technique, Bone-Forging Art ×1.]"

"Three: ignore her. [Reward: experience points ×300.]"

Under the watchful eyes of countless people.

Lu Changzhi picked up his chopsticks and began eating as though no one else were there.

"This..."

The expressions of many people changed slightly.

"What is the meaning of this? Fairy Liu is offering him a toast, and he's pretending not to see her?"

"That's going too far, isn't it? If a fairy like her offered me a toast, I'd accept at once, yet he's putting on airs."

"That really is a little rude."

Some went even further and spoke up to question him directly:

"Peak Master Lu, isn't this a little excessive?"

As soon as the words fell, another choice popped up.

"Faced with Zhou Chen's questioning, you choose:

"One: rebuke him. [Reward: high-grade earth-tier longsword-Cloud Cleaver ×1.]

"Two: attack him. [Reward: one month of cultivation.]

"Three: keep your head down and eat. [Reward: experience points ×50.]"

There was no need to choose. Naturally, he kept his head down and ate.

Seeing this, the others' faces also filled with indignation, and they spoke up one after another.

For a moment, it almost seemed as though they were all rising up to denounce him.

Lu Changzhi's expression didn't change as he kept his head down and ate.

Inside, his heart was blooming with joy.

The system kept popping up choices as though it had bugged out.

All he had to do was keep his head down and eat.

In that short time, his experience points had shot up by a full six hundred.

Liu Qingyan looked at Lu Changzhi, her delicate brows slightly knitted.

She hadn't expected Lu Changzhi to ignore her.

But she soon smiled and said:

"Since Peak Master Lu is busy, Qingyan won't disturb you."

With that, she began to turn away.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from a distance.

"Wait."

Everyone looked over.

It was Xie Yang who had spoken.

He slowly rose to his feet, looked at Lu Changzhi, and said slowly:

"Peak Master Lu, you certainly carry yourself with great authority. Could it be that you look down on everyone here?"

As he spoke, he walked forward step by step.

"How about I offer you a toast instead?"

The surroundings suddenly fell silent.

Liu Qingyan's eyes flickered as she watched Xie Yang approach.

Although Lu Changzhi had ignored her, she had still achieved her objective.

At the same time, another choice popped up before Lu Changzhi.

He paid it no mind and continued eating with his head down.

Unexpectedly, this time it gave him a full four hundred experience points.

Even Lu Changzhi was slightly taken aback.

Just then, Xie Yang spoke again:

"What, does a dignified peak master of the Five Symbols Sect lack the courage to accept a cup of wine from me?"

Xie Yang stopped, and the pressure of the fifth level of the Life and Death Realm bore down on everyone present.

At the same time:

"Xie Yang wants to provoke you into attacking so he can test your strength. You choose:

"One: oblige him. [Reward: experience points ×500.]

"Two: refuse him. [Reward: experience points ×700.]

"Three: ignore him. [Reward: experience points ×400.]"