The scene deepened the crowd’s indignation. Nearly five hundred cultivators stood there, yet the two ancient clan disciples had fawned only on those three powerful elders. The uprising Li Guanqi had expected never came.

“Are those three at the Illusory Refinement Realm?”

“Must be. Otherwise, why would those two be so attentive? Look at them, like they’ve met their fathers!”

“Ah, but those three seniors are above all of this.”

“Right. In the end, both the Six Gates Holy Sect and the ancient clan behind them will probably want those three on their side, so they might as well curry a little favor.”

“Wonder if any of those three have disciples to carry on their legacy?”

“Tsk, don’t even think about it. They’d pick a dog over you.”

Li Guanqi listened somewhat helplessly. Why do these people think it’s only natural for three Illusory Refinement cultivators to be treated this way? Not one of them has complained.

He glanced behind him. Kong Xun had somehow slipped away from the other two and moved to his side. Kong Xun caught his expression and cupped his hands.

“Fellow Daoist,” he said softly. He hesitated, then added, “This must seem hard to understand, no?”

Li Guanqi was slightly startled. “What do you mean?”

Kong Xun pointed to himself with a smile. “That the way people like us think must seem strange to you.”

Li Guanqi nodded, watching the ancient clan disciple bow as he led the three elders through the gate. “A little, yes.”

Kong Xun pondered for a long moment, looking at Li Guanqi with some surprise. Finally, he sent a voice transmission. “Perhaps in your heart, when something like this happens, you think one should push back, and that pushing back is only natural and proper.”

Li Guanqi nodded slightly. “But you only think that way because you have the strength to chase that so-called justice.”

Li Guanqi glanced at the youth beside him. Kong Xun didn’t return the look. His gaze stayed on the three Illusory Refinement elders flying overhead, heads held high, not sparing the crowd so much as a sideways glance.

A self-mocking smile touched Kong Xun’s face. “We don’t have the strength to reason with people like them. Class differences have always been a reality, though perhaps you’ve never had to feel them yourself. Take these Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators, for example. Even the ancient clans don’t dare offend them lightly, and they’ll spare no effort to win them over.”

Li Guanqi hadn’t given much thought to any of this. Every faction he visited, he was either there to kill people or on his way to kill people. As for the other sects, now that he considered it, Kong Xun was right. A flicker of realization crossed Li Guanqi’s eyes. He hadn’t expected to learn something from a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

Li Guanqi looked into Kong Xun’s eyes and spoke softly. “You saw through me?”

Kong Xun’s expression turned stern. He knew what Li Guanqi meant.

Kong Xun smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying softly, “I don’t have any special abilities. It was just a hunch. You didn’t seem as simple as you looked.”

Li Guanqi smiled and casually pressed a Heavenly Intelligence jade pendant into Kong Xun’s palm. He said softly, “I’ll be in touch.”

Kong Xun stared at the pendant in his hand, his heart pounding. A Heavenly Intelligence jade pendant?! Just who is he?

He swallowed hard. Even among Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, fewer than one in a thousand would ever hold one of these. It wasn’t just a symbol of wealth. It meant the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion had acknowledged something about the bearer: their standing, their strength, something worth their notice. Their intelligence wasn’t for sale at any price. And Li Guanqi had handed one over without a second thought. Whoever he was, he was even more of a mystery now.

As an elder of the Heavenly Calamity Sect's outer sect, Kong Xun was accustomed to disciples from the inner sect, like Pei Shishi, speaking to him however they pleased. Now, with the sect about to be swallowed up by an ancient clan, if he had a chance to follow Li Guanqi, he’d leave without a backward glance.

Kong Xun cupped his hands and bowed, discreetly pocketing the jade pendant.

Li Guanqi sent a silent message via his jade slip, his thoughts in motion. “Investigate Kong Xun of the Heavenly Calamity Sect. Determine if he’s worth recruiting.”

Ji Yuchuan’s voice came back almost at once.

—Yes, Pavilion Master. I’ll have an answer in half an hour.

Ji Yuchuan and Su You’s attitudes toward Li Guanqi pleased him. Part of it came from admiration for what he did inside the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion, while the rest came down to the promise he made them.

Once the three elders vanished through the light screen at the gate, the crowd grew restless again. Restless enough that the ancient clan disciple’s threats were no longer enough. The cold-faced youth’s eyes flashed coldly, fine beads of sweat gathering on his forehead. The scene was teetering toward chaos, and he was starting to wonder whether he should just cut down a few of the loudest to make an example.

Buzz!

A crushing pressure rolled out, and a deep voice came from the mountain peak. “Enough!”

The voice rang like a great bell in everyone’s ears. The commotion died at once. The aura pouring off the newcomer was that of an Illusory Refinement Realm cultivator, and no one there could afford to provoke him. The ancient clan disciple exhaled in relief. The barrier behind the gate rippled, and a tall young man with a grim expression slowly emerged.

A hint of playful amusement flickered at the corner of Li Guanqi’s mouth. The newcomer was none other than Sun Zhen, whom he’d met just recently,

So the Sun clan didn’t give up after I left. They’ve chased me all the way from the Falling Sunset Territory to the Daochan Territory...

The ancient clan disciple bowed to the stern-faced Sun Zhen. “Second Young Master.”

Sun Zhen spared him an indifferent glance, then swept his eyes over the crowd below. “All of you may enter with the tokens you already purchased. But... each of you will need to pay half the original cost again. That is our final offer. If you’re unwilling, you can turn in your token for a refund and leave.”

His voice was firm and clear, leaving no room for negotiation.

At that, much of the crowd’s resentment dissipated. They had to pay more, but at least the spirit stones they had already spent wouldn’t go to waste. Nearly all of them accepted.

Only Li Guanqi’s eyes flickered as he watched Sun Zhen. The Sun clan... ambitious, aren’t they?

Just then, Pei Shishi of the Heavenly Calamity Sect darted forward, flying up beside Sun Zhen. She respectfully saluted and smiled. “You must be Second Brother? I’m Pei Shishi of the Heavenly Calamity Sect, your eldest brother’s fiancée.”