Chapter One Hundred Nineteen: A Conversation

Met once?

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Liu Changtian’s mouth as he began contemplating how best to utilize the extra resources allocated by the City Lord’s Mansion. Hearing the latter half of Luo Tian’s words, he was momentarily stunned, “Ah, kill him? Kill him?”

“You killed him?” Seeing the Sect Leader rise abruptly, Luo Tian nodded calmly, “Yes.”

In an instant, Liu Changtian seemed to transform into a sharp, elongated blade. Merely standing there, he emanated an overwhelming aura of piercing sharpness, as if a slight movement would effortlessly cleave through everything before him.

The atmosphere in Liu Changtian’s courtyard turned tense, even the wind seemed to tremble and wail.

His expression unchanged, but Liu Changtian’s eyes fixated on the young man before him with an intensity that suggested a desire to devour him alive.

What was this?

Luo Tian understood clearly—the sharp true intent of the Metal element and the true intent of incarnation?

The reason Luo Tian was so straightforward in revealing the matter was calculated. A disciple from the Divine Sun Sect had killed the City Lord’s son; no matter the cause, if the City Lord’s Mansion discovered it, not only would Luo Tian be doomed, but the entire Divine Sun Sect would likely perish alongside Jiang Zhenglong. Thus, once Liu Changtian found out, he would surely do everything in his power to conceal it, afraid to make a sound, let alone seek credit or reward.

Moreover, who would believe a Qi Condensation realm cultivator could kill a Pulse Flow realm expert?

Therefore, as long as the Divine Sun Sect maintained a unified account, even if investigators came from the City Lord’s Mansion, no conclusion could be reached.

As for secretly eliminating Luo Tian—this was even less likely. The death of the City Lord’s son was a grave matter. Major forces within Wan Feng City and the five great sects nearby would inevitably be questioned. Liu Changtian would neither dare to harm Luo Tian nor neglect protecting the disciples involved.

Otherwise, wouldn’t he have something to hide?

At such a critical moment, caution was paramount. Luo Tian was confident in his deduction.

Besides, it was far better to prepare everything in advance than to be caught off guard when the City Lord’s Mansion sent people knocking.

“Who else knows about this?”

Liu Changtian’s gaze swept sharply over Luo Tian’s calm face. After a long silence, he asked in a measured tone.

“Only Jiang Zhenglong’s name is known to Li Yang and Yuan Zhou, two outer disciples, but they don’t know his true identity. At their level, they cannot even access Wan Feng City,” Luo Tian replied, confirming everything aligned with his assumptions, feeling increasingly composed. “They will just quietly be good disciples of the Divine Sun Sect; the City Lord’s Mansion won’t suspect the sect.”

Liu Changtian remained silent. When he first heard of Jiang Zhenglong’s death, his murderous intent was barely contained; he wished to eradicate Luo Tian immediately, but reason restrained him.

He could even see that Luo Tian believed himself to be in control of the situation.

That only made Liu Changtian more uneasy.

“You’ll stay at Purple Sun Mountain these days. Don’t go anywhere. Even if you break through to the Pulse Flow realm, it doesn’t matter.”

Although a perfect excuse was finally at hand, Liu Changtian would rather Jiang Zhenglong were alive, so there would be no need for worries.

“When the formal Wind and Cloud Guard assessment begins, I’ll arrange for someone to send you to Wan Feng City. You know the gravity of Jiang Zhenglong’s case without me saying it. If you don’t want to die, keep your mouth shut.”

“Yes.”

Luo Tian nodded slightly, without question. Even though he could guess Liu Changtian’s thoughts, others would have no reservations.

“If anyone asks, just say the Pulse Flow cultivator was injured and couldn’t exert full strength.”

Liu Changtian said lightly, since he wasn’t present at the scene. As long as Luo Tian kept the story straight, it wouldn’t implicate him much.

“The Wind and Cloud Guard’s tests are extremely strict. If you want to pass, be prepared for injury or death.”

“That serious?”

Luo Tian frowned. Just joining the Wind and Cloud Guard meant risking life?

Of course, he wasn’t afraid, just caught off guard.

“Of course. The Wind and Cloud Guard only recruits the elite Pulse Flow cultivators. If there are no qualified applicants in a given year, no one will be accepted. They’d rather have none than the unworthy.”

Liu Changtian said indifferently, “The Wind and Cloud Guard gathers all the top experts within Wan Feng City’s sphere of influence. Even daily training consumes vast precious resources, not to mention access to rare texts and treasures.”

“Are there any other benefits?”

Luo Tian asked, somewhat dissatisfied. If that was all, he really didn’t think much of these things. Nothing in terms of cultivation resources could compare to the Essence-Transforming True Ga Fire he possessed, and he had no particular need for books or treasures.

Liu Changtian sneered coldly. The assessment hadn’t even started, yet this kid was already thinking about future perks. Truly ambitious.

But then, recalling Luo Tian’s cultivation speed and combat prowess, he felt even more troubled. Asking about the battle wouldn’t help—every cultivator had secrets and opportunities. Besides, this was the Seventh Prince’s man; any good fortune was off-limits.

“Fear is, you won’t even get the chance.”

Liu Changtian glanced at Luo Tian, suddenly remembering how unlucky the youth was—arriving with no memories, whether sealed or erased was unknown.

“Wan Feng City belongs to Tian Feng Prefecture, which periodically selects the finest cultivators from its cities to compete in the Empire-wide Martial Competition. If you can stand out even slightly in such a contest, you’ll attract the attention of many powerful figures.”

“In such circumstances, whether you choose a faction under the Empire’s true strongholds or seek famous masters, you’ll have considerable autonomy.”

Is that so?

Luo Tian suddenly recalled a significant event from Qin Tianyu’s memories. He had been puzzled about how the Yunfeng Empire chose its brightest talents, but now, linking it with Liu Changtian’s words, it made sense.

Wan Feng City spanned a vast area but was only one of eight cities under Tian Feng Prefecture. The Yunfeng Empire comprised ten prefectures, and every so often the Empire organized a grand martial contest covering all ten prefectures.

However, this competition wasn’t about ranking first, second, or third; it was about selecting the most elite young talents to represent the Empire in higher-level battles.

In that case, joining the Wind and Cloud Guard was truly indispensable.

Luo Tian exhaled softly. Was it finally time to leave the Divine Sun Sect?

Though helpless regarding the sect’s current dire situation, Luo Tian was confident that with time, he could change its fate.

Watching Luo Tian leave calmly, Liu Changtian’s gaze flickered with inner struggle before returning to its usual stillness.

This disciple, who brought him many troubles, was someone he truly wanted to eliminate. Moreover, Luo Tian’s presence seemed to stir a restlessness among the otherwise docile outer disciples of humble origins.

Liu Changtian understood Luo Tian’s intentions clearly. The only reason he hadn’t killed him was fear of the Seventh Prince’s intervention; everything else was insignificant.

Luckily, this boy was about to leave. Otherwise, Liu Changtian felt he might no longer tolerate him any longer.