"Who said I can only inscribe First-Grade Divine Runes?"

Yi Tianyun’s words were a heavy slap across their faces. A Fourth-Grade Divine Rune lay right before their eyes, perfectly inscribed without the slightest flaw. Regardless of the difficulty, simply being able to create it was more than enough.

It was a resounding slap back in Lin Li’s face! It was as if to say, ’It’s just a Fourth-Grade Divine Rune. I can casually carve one out anytime!’

The surrounding crowd was dumbfounded. He said he would inscribe it, and he actually did. They exchanged glances, seeing the utter shock reflected in each other’s eyes. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

At this moment, Li Tianlong, who was nearby and hadn’t left yet, saw the scene and walked over. He carefully examined the Fourth-Grade Divine Rune and praised, "Not bad. Not bad at all! This Fourth-Grade Divine Rune is exceptionally well-inscribed. Speaking of which, why were you so unwilling to inscribe Fourth-Grade Divine Runes? Why did you keep focusing on First-Grade ones? Or is it that you can’t inscribe the more difficult Fourth-Grade Divine Runes?"

This was the same question on everyone’s mind. He clearly had the skill to inscribe Fourth-Grade Divine Runes, yet he insisted on First-Grade ones. Was it all just to keep a low profile and set up this dramatic reveal? If so, he had certainly achieved his goal.

"That was my original intention, but I was mocked just for inscribing a First-Grade Divine Rune. The rules state that as long as the rune meets the requirements, any grade is acceptable. Besides, who says the effects of a First-Grade Divine Rune are the worst? Take a closer look at the effect of my five-layered, First-Grade Divine Rune. I always prioritize substance over flash!"

Yi Tianyun’s gaze was calm as he coolly responded to their questions.

Li Tianlong then recalled, a look of realization dawning on him. "Now that I think about it, the final First-Grade Divine Rune you inscribed was the simplest Power Divine Pattern. After the five-layer enhancement, its might was doubled. Most Fourth-Grade Divine Runes are of the elemental Attribute type. If a weapon or piece of armor already has such Attributes, their usefulness is limited..."

"Yes. I’ve always prioritized practicality over superficiality." Yi Tianyun smiled faintly. "I was just under the impression that we could take the Divine Runes with us..."

"Haha, you can keep this one. Your skill is truly remarkable." Li Tianlong thought for a moment before extending a warm invitation, "I heard you were the expert invited by Patriarch Zhu, and it seems your skills are indeed impressive. Though I don’t know your sect or school, how would you like to come to our Main Pavilion and serve as an Honored Guest Elder? We place great importance on talent like yours. We wouldn’t require much of you, just to help inscribe some Divine Runes when you have free time."

For Li Tianlong to extend such an invitation now... if Yi Tianyun were to accept on the spot, it would undoubtedly be another slap in Lin Li’s face.

Yi Tianyun smiled calmly and tactfully declined, "Thank you for your kind offer, Pavilion Master Li, but I don’t have any such plans at the moment."

"That’s a real shame." Li Tianlong smiled and continued, "I hope you’ll give it some thought. We wouldn’t place many restrictions on you, and we could offer you far greater resources."

"I will consider it," Yi Tianyun said with a nod.

After extending the invitation, Li Tianlong went to tend to other matters. He had offered an olive branch; it was now up to Yi Tianyun to decide whether to accept it.

Meanwhile, Li Tianlong completely ignored Lin Li, who stood at the side. Even though Lin Li’s skill wasn’t low, Li Tianlong hadn’t extended an invitation to him. His abilities were decent, but not enough to warrant a personal invitation from the Pavilion Master.

This was because Lin Li could only be considered a pseudo-Fourth-Grade Divine Rune Master, whereas Yi Tianyun was a true, well-grounded Fourth-Grade Divine Rune Master. Li Tianlong had seen it in his technique. Combined with his earlier performance, Yi Tianyun was definitely in the upper echelons of Fourth-Grade Divine Rune Masters—and so young, too. How could he not set aside his status to extend an invitation?

It wasn’t that Li Tianlong was particularly affable; it was that Yi Tianyun was truly worthy of his personal invitation!

This, without a doubt, was yet another heavy slap across Lin Li’s face, creating a stark contrast.

"I’ve won the bet, so I’ll be taking this." Yi Tianyun smiled and took the Storage Ring. He had won the wager. What Lin Li thought about it was none of his concern.

Lin Li’s face turned ashen, and a vicious glint flashed in his eyes. He clenched his jaw, stewing for a long moment before finally forcing out a single sound.

"Hmph!" Lin Li turned and walked away. He was too ashamed to face anyone and just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

As Lin Li turned and left, Patriarch Wang came down from his seat, his expression dark and gloomy.

"Patriarch Wang, I apologize. This was my mistake," Lin Li said, filled with remorse.

"Say no more. This has nothing to do with you, and taking second place is already quite good. But this brat... just where did he pop out from? We must investigate him thoroughly... I can’t just swallow this," Patriarch Wang said, his face grim.

"Patriarch Wang, are you saying..." Lin Li looked up slightly and saw the murderous glint in Patriarch Wang’s eyes.

"He cannot be allowed to live. It’s clear he’s on Patriarch Zhu’s side. Patriarch Zhu is my rival for the Vice Pavilion Master position in the upcoming contest, and now he has this victory... On top of that, Pavilion Master Li just showed that brat great favor. That being the case, we have even more reason to get rid of him!" Patriarch Wang’s gaze was icy.

Lin Li nodded. ’Good. An opponent like that must be eliminated to prevent future trouble!’

After they left, Zhu Tianhong walked over, laughing heartily. "Did you see the look on Patriarch Wang’s face? It was practically black! That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him suffer such a humiliating defeat. You’ve worked hard."

"It was mutually beneficial." Yi Tianyun gave a calm smile. His only reason for agreeing to help Zhu Tianhong was to get Zhu Yuwei and Zhu Yuxuan.

"I understand that. And you’ve left me very satisfied this time!" Zhu Tianhong gestured for Steward Liu and Steward Huang to come over. The two approached timidly, their heads bowed, not daring to even look up at Yi Tianyun.

"The two of you know what to do, don’t you?" Zhu Tianhong said, staring at them coldly.

Though unwilling, Steward Huang and Steward Liu raised their hands and slapped themselves hard across the face several times until their cheeks were swollen.

"We’re sorry, Master Yi... It’s all our fault. We spoke out of turn. We were blind and failed to recognize your greatness..." They didn’t want to do this, but since Patriarch Zhu had given the order, they had no choice but to obey.

Yi Tianyun watched them with an icy gaze, not even bothering to stop them. In his eyes, this was nothing more than a self-pity ploy.

Zhu Yuwei and Zhu Yuxuan both shook their heads but said nothing. The stewards were only acting on behalf of the Zhu Family; their mistake wasn’t so egregious.

"Alright, my part is done. From now on, they are no longer part of the Zhu Family. Any past debts of gratitude have been repaid today," Yi Tianyun said in a low voice.

"Of course. I am a man of my word and will not make things the least bit difficult for them," Zhu Tianhong said with a faint smile. "If possible, I hope we can cooperate again in the future. We can be generous with the compensation."

"If the opportunity arises," Yi Tianyun replied, his expression impassive. It seemed he had no intention of interacting with them much further.

Zhu Tianhong shook his head, sighing internally. ’What a shame. If not for those unpleasant incidents, we could have become excellent partners. If we could have him as our Honored Guest Elder, it would undoubtedly add a great deal of strength to the Zhu Family.’

As for forcing Yi Tianyun, Zhu Tianhong was unwilling to go that far. He was, after all, a man of principle.