Sparing the lives of these two back then was indeed the right choice.

Just as Alex was about to put his hands behind his back and stroll toward the seats further back, a hand suddenly patted his shoulder, and a voice laughed.

"Taryn, why are you here?"

Alex instantly froze. How was there someone in the Hale family Holy Land who recognized his other identity?

He turned his head to look, and sudden realization dawned on him. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The person standing behind him was exactly the former Master of the Divine Blade Sect’s Falling Dust Peak, Nerin.

"Senior Nerin, long time no see." Alex smiled faintly.

"Are you here to participate in the Hale family’s Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony?"

"Hehe, that is right!" Nerin nodded, saying quite proudly.

"This year’s Hale family can be described as being in the limelight, like the sun at high noon. All the major sects have sent people to attend the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony. How could our Divine Blade Sect fall behind? The Sect Master specifically ordered me to represent the entire Divine Blade Sect and come offer congratulations."

Alex nodded, secretly pondering.

Why did he not see Nerin’s name on the list last night?

Oh, right. The list he looked at yesterday was the first page, which basically consisted of first-rate sects and Saint Lineage families.

And the Divine Blade Sect right now was, at best, a second-rate sect. Naturally, he had not flipped far enough to see his name.

"Taryn, you are representing your Lark family to attend the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony, right?" Nerin said cheerfully.

"The seats for third-rate families are behind our second-rate sects. You should just go sit at the very back."

To tell the truth, Nerin had finally let out a breath of foul resentment in his heart.

He had given up his identity as Master of Falling Dust Peak to become the Deputy Peak Master of Broken Sword Peak.

As a result, he had become like a clown. Whether it was Aya or Master Sylra, neither took him seriously in the slightest.

After careful consideration, Nerin had summarized the root cause.

The most fundamental reason was that this Taryn did not place enough importance on him.

Both Aya and Master Sylra clearly listened to Taryn’s words.

If Taryn treated him as a respected elder, how could Aya and Master Sylra ignore him?

However, although Nerin hated Alex in his heart, he could only swallow his anger, having no opportunity for revenge. He never expected to bump into him today at the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony.

This was a god-given golden opportunity. Although he did not dare cause trouble on the Hale family Holy Land’s territory, he still dared to humiliate him with a few words.

"Taryn, honestly speaking, it was fundamentally unnecessary for you to even attend this ceremony." Nerin said with a grin.

"Your Lark family, even in the mountains region, is merely a declining, fallen minor family."

"And how grand is this Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony? Only people with status and power have the qualification to attend. Even if you came, Saint Lord Alex would not spare you an extra glance."

"Let me ask you, when you came in from outside, did you directly enter the venue, or did you first go to a small room and meet Saint Lord Alex privately?"

Alex revealed a look of interest. "Uh... I directly came in."

"Hmph, exactly!" Nerin crossed his arms, saying quite meaningfully.

"Let me tell you, this is the unspoken rule of the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony."

"If Saint Lord Alex meets you privately, it means he places enough importance on you. In the future, if you have any matters, you can ask him to lend a hand."

"And only those who are not valued enough are directly led into the venue, meaning your trip this year is equivalent to coming for nothing!"

"Oh, so that is how it is." Alex nodded thoughtfully.

"Then I wonder, did Senior Nerin receive a private summons?"

"Heh heh, of course I did!" Nerin patted his chest, saying quite proudly.

"Saint Lord Alex and our Sect Master, Sword Master Magnus, are old friends of many years, and I came representing the entire Divine Blade Sect, so how could Saint Lord Alex dare to neglect me?"

"Oh?" Alex narrowed his eyes slightly, the smile on his face becoming somewhat peculiar.

Just now, he had only seen about a dozen people in total.

The vast majority were families that were also Saint Lineages. As for sects, he had basically only seen the Hundred Beasts Sect and Moon Brilliance Sect, who had prepared generous gifts.

Although the Divine Blade Sect was relatively familiar, their gifts and personnel clearly showed they did not place enough importance on this. Therefore, Alex could not be bothered to waste time and did not grant a private audience.

He did not expect this Nerin to actually put on an act in front of his own junior.

Let alone a mere Deputy Peak Master like you.

Even if Magnus came personally, whether I would see him is still up in the air.

"Taryn, listen to a word of teaching from me." Nerin patted Alex’s shoulder, speaking with deep sincerity.

"People like you are all late-born juniors in the current cultivation world. In the future, perhaps you will indeed have massive prospects, but absolutely not right now."

"Oh?" Alex asked with interest.

"What does Senior Nerin mean by this?"

Nerin said faintly. "You indeed have superior talent and extraordinary aptitude, but so what? With so many people present today, all strong figures from various sects, how many do you actually know?"

"At the end of the day, the current cultivation world is not about fighting and killing. It is about worldly wisdom and social connections, understand?"

Alex nodded, seemingly understanding yet not. "I think I understand a bit?"

"Exactly!" Nerin smiled in satisfaction.

"Right now, you are merely sprouting seedlings waiting to grow. You should properly cultivate your abilities, and especially focus on respecting your teachers and valuing the Dao."

"After you go back, you must also pass these words of mine onto Miss Aya, understand?"

"Mhm, understood." Alex could not help but laugh.

Good boy, so this is what you were waiting for.