“Let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Bi Zhuang, the ‘Zhuang’ as in mighty!” Bi Zhuang stretched out his hand.
“Lin Xiao!” Lin Xiao clasped the offered hand, glancing at the man’s short, skinny frame and rather sleazy-looking face. He genuinely struggled to connect any of it with the word “mighty”.
“These wings should be able to carry two people, right?” Bi Zhuang eyed the wings beneath Lin Xiao’s feet. “Let’s talk while we travel!”
With that, he simply landed on the Void Heaven Phoenix Wings.
“We need to head northwest, a bit more to the west. There’s an Azure Dragon Sect teleportation outpost a few hundred thousand li away. We have to move fast, or the Ji family will catch us before we reach it,” Bi Zhuang urged.
Lin Xiao was speechless. Did Bi Zhuang think powering the Void Heaven Phoenix Wings came free?
Still, he did not complain. He fed a large number of low-grade pills into the wings.
“With your talent and strength, the elders of our Azure Dragon Sect are bound to take notice. Brother Lin Xiao, have you ever considered joining us?” Bi Zhuang asked as they flew.
“I already have a master and a sect. More importantly, I’m planning to head to Spirit Pool Island to participate in the Continental Spirit Controller Grand Tournament, so it wouldn’t be convenient to join the Azure Dragon Sect,” Lin Xiao politely declined.
The Azure Dragon Sect was undoubtedly extraordinary, but he had no intention of halting his journey for it. Becoming a disciple there had never crossed his mind.
The restrictions of joining a sect were far too numerous.
“The Continental Spirit Controller Grand Tournament?” Bi Zhuang paused for a moment. “A sixth-grade intermediate spirit controller with the combat power of an early seventh-grade spirit master, who also possesses a spiritual ability… it would indeed be a shame if you didn’t take part.”
He chuckled, then added, “Heh heh, although our Azure Dragon Sect isn’t quite on the same level as the Ji family overall, in Yang Province we rank among the top two or three great powers. Countless people would kill to get in. Even Long Tutian eventually became a disciple here.”
“And you just turned us down flat. When the elders hear about it, they’ll probably be shocked again.”
Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed slightly. “The Azure Dragon Sect wouldn’t hand me over to the Ji family, would they?”
Bi Zhuang shook his head. “Our Azure Dragon Sect isn’t much weaker than the Ji family, and we have our pride. We would never hand you over.”
“Besides, with your talent, even if you don’t wish to join us, the elders would definitely admire you. Which sect wouldn’t want to befriend a genius with limitless potential?”
Lin Xiao could agree with that. A great sect like the Azure Dragon Sect had stood in Yang Province for who knew how many years. They played the long game and would certainly cultivate relationships with geniuses of immense promise. Who knew what heights those geniuses might reach in the future?
But that only applied if the Ji family didn’t press the matter.
“What if the Ji family learns I’m in the Azure Dragon Sect and comes knocking? The sect wouldn’t truly clash with the Ji family over a junior like me, would they?” Lin Xiao asked, still a little worried.
Such things weren’t impossible. If that happened, he would have delivered himself straight into the tiger’s den.
He wasn’t even guaranteed to meet Long Tutian.
Bi Zhuang shook his head again. “Don’t worry about that. Since I’m the one bringing you in, I’ll naturally ensure your safety. If it really comes to handing you over, I’ll go straight to my uncle-in-law.”
“Your uncle-in-law?” Lin Xiao was puzzled.
Did Bi Zhuang’s uncle-in-law hold some special position in the Azure Dragon Sect?
Would asking him actually help?
Seeing Lin Xiao’s expression, Bi Zhuang gave a smug little laugh. “My uncle-in-law is Long Tutian.”
“What?” Lin Xiao froze.
Bi Zhuang’s uncle-in-law was Long Tutian?
Long Tutian was married?
“When Long Tutian joined the Azure Dragon Sect back then, it was largely because of my aunt. She was a monstrous genius of the sect herself. The two of them married years ago, but they’ve always kept it very low-key,” Bi Zhuang explained.
Lin Xiao was stunned. Long Tutian married to Bi Zhuang’s aunt? Was this true or was Bi Zhuang pulling his leg?
Yet judging by the man’s gleeful expression, it somehow felt fake.
“With my uncle-in-law’s personality, he’ll definitely protect a genius like you with everything he has,” Bi Zhuang added confidently.
“We’ll talk about it once we’re inside the Azure Dragon Sect,” Lin Xiao thought to himself, keeping his own connection to Long Tutian secret for now. Aloud, he asked, “I’d be extremely grateful. Would it be possible for me to meet Senior Long Tutian?”
“For anyone else, probably not. But I can make it happen.”
Bi Zhuang continued, “Only after he comes out of seclusion on his own, though. Otherwise, unless it’s something critically important, it would just waste one of my rare chances.”
“Then I’ll thank you in advance, Brother Bi Zhuang!” Lin Xiao said gratefully, inwardly delighted. If Bi Zhuang was telling the truth, meeting Long Tutian would be far simpler.
…
Along the way, Lin Xiao fed the Void Heaven Phoenix Wings a steady stream of pills and blue spirit stones. Bi Zhuang, standing beside him, did not contribute a single one.
After a full day of travel, the two finally arrived at a mountain range dotted with dozens, perhaps hundreds, of buildings.
Following Bi Zhuang’s instructions, Lin Xiao put on a mask and completely concealed his aura.
Bi Zhuang also wore a mask, but he did not fully hide his aura.
Anyone whose cultivation surpassed his, or who possessed keen divine sense like Lin Xiao, could still see through it.
After entering the main gate, Bi Zhuang produced his Azure Dragon Sect identity token. The guard immediately led them to a room to meet the person in charge of the outpost.
The person in charge was a seventh-level Martial Emperor elder. The moment he saw Bi Zhuang’s token and sensed his aura, recognition dawned. He asked in confusion, “What is all this about…?”
“Elder Pan Qi, we’ve run into some trouble and need to keep our identities secret. Please activate the teleportation array for us as quickly as possible,” Bi Zhuang replied.
Pan Qi guessed that the two had probably done something shady. After a brief pause, he nodded. “Follow me.”
Lin Xiao and Bi Zhuang followed Pan Qi out of the room and flew down to a small valley at the base of the mountain range. There, a formation platform stood prominently.
“Go!” Bi Zhuang glanced at the platform, gave a low shout, and shot forward.
Lin Xiao followed. The two quickly landed on the array.
Pan Qi landed at the edge and immediately activated the teleportation formation. In a flash, Lin Xiao and Bi Zhuang were drawn inside.
“Elder Pan, did that fellow get himself into trouble again?” a middle-aged guard watching the platform asked.
“He entered a teleportation array with a large group before, and now he’s back with just one person, deliberately masking his face. He’s obviously caused some kind of incident and needs to report it to the sect urgently,” Pan Qi replied.
After a pause, as if something had occurred to him, Pan Qi added, “No one is to speak of their use of the teleportation array.”
