rú guǒ méi yǒu cāi cuò de huà ， zhè xiǎo zi de xiū wèi yě yīng gāi dào le zhù jī hòu qī ， yǔ zì jǐ nán fēn bó zhòng ， jiù zài lín xuān xīn lǐ zhuǎn guò zhū bān niàn tou de shí hòu ， hóng fā lǎo zǔ què tū rán shōu huí le shén shí ， lián shuāng yǎn yě bì shàng ， jiù fǎng fú xiàn rù le rù dìng yī yàng 。
如果没有猜错的话，这小子的修为也应该到了筑基后期，与自己难分伯仲，就在林轩心里转过诸般念头的时候，红发老祖却突然收回了神识，连双眼也闭上，就仿佛陷入了入定一样。
If his guess was correct, the young man's cultivation had also reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, making it hard to tell who would come out on top. As Lin Xuan pondered all these thoughts in his mind, the Red-haired Patriarch suddenly withdrew his divine consciousness and closed his eyes, as if he were entering a state of meditation.
zhòng rén bù yóu yī dāi ， kū mù zhēn rén zhè shí què zhàn le chū lái ， xiān yòng mù guāng zài lín xuān děng sān wèi zhù jī qī xiū shì shēn shàng sǎo le yī quān ， rán hòu cái cóng róng bù pò de kāi kǒu le ：“ hóng fā qián bèi lái cǐ ， shì xiǎng yào zài zhù jī qī xiū shì zhōng ， shōu yī wèi pú rén ， bù zhī dào sān wèi xiǎo yǒu ， shuí néng huò cǐ jī yuán 。”
众人不由一呆，枯木真人这时却站了出来，先用目光在林轩等三位筑基期修士身上扫了一圈，然后才从容不迫的开口了：“红发前辈来此，是想要在筑基期修士中，收一位仆人，不知道三位小友，谁能获此机缘。”
The crowd was left speechless. At this moment, Elder Dry Wood stepped forward and swept his gaze over Lin Xuan and the other two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators before speaking calmly: "Senior Red Hair has come here to seek a servant among the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. Do any of you three young friends wish to seize this opportunity?"
“ shén me ， shōu pū ？ bú shì shuō ， hóng fā zǔ shī shì xiǎng yào zhǎo yī wèi tú dì ， chuán chéng yī bō de ma ？”
“什么，收仆？不是说，红发祖师是想要找一位徒弟，传承衣钵的吗？”
"What? Seeking a servant? Didn't it say that Senior Patriarch Red Hair was looking for a disciple to pass on his teachings?" Lin Xuan and Tian Xiaojian remained silent, but Xu Han appeared both shocked and angry as he spoke.
lín xuān hé tián xiǎo jiàn yī rán chén mò bù yǔ ， dǎo shì xǔ hàn xiǎn de jīng nù jiāo jí ， qì jí bài huài de kāi kǒu le 。
林轩和田小剑依然沉默不语，倒是许翰显得惊怒交集，气急败坏的开口了。
"Oh, perhaps the rumors outside were mistaken!"
“ ó ， kǒng pà shì wài miàn chuán wén yǒu wù ！”
“哦，恐怕是外面传闻有误！”
Despite Elder Dry Wood's kind expression, he seemed more like an old fox. Xu Han wanted to say more, but the nearby condensation core stage cultivator who looked somewhat similar to him spoke up: "Alright, Han'er, it’s only natural for rumors to spread. This matter is most likely a misunderstanding on your part."
kū mù zhēn rén yī rán shì yī fù cí méi shàn mù dì biǎo qíng ， rán ér zěn me kàn ， zěn me xiàng lǎo hú lí 。
枯木真人依然是一副慈眉善目的表情，然而怎么看，怎么像老狐狸。
In Youzhou, while the Xu family was indeed a considerable cultivation clan, they were still far from the strength of Tianmu Sect. Moreover,纠缠下去可能会激怒Red-haired Ancestor Master，给家族带来无法想象的disaster。
xǔ hàn hái xiǎng shuō huà ， páng biān nà wèi zhǎng dé yǔ tā pǒ yǒu jǐ fēn xiāng sì zhī chù de níng dān qī xiū shì què kāi kǒu le ：“ hǎo le ， hàn ér ， yǐ é chuán é zài zhèng cháng bù guò ， cǐ shì duō bàn shì nǐ men zì jǐ nòng cuò le 。”
许翰还想说话，旁边那位长得与他颇有几分相似之处的凝丹期修士却开口了：“好了，翰儿，以讹传讹再正常不过，此事多半是你们自己弄错了。”
"Yes, Uncle Third," Xu Han wasn’t a fool and quickly understood the implications. He bowed his head submissively as he stepped back.
zài yōu zhōu ， xǔ jiā suī rán yě suàn shì pǒ dà de xiū xiān jiā zú ， dàn zì rán yuǎn yuǎn hé tiān mù pài de shí lì xiāng bǐ ， hé kuàng zài jiū chán xià qù ， hái yǒu kě néng jī nù hóng fā lǎo zǔ ， nà gèng huì wèi jiā zú ， dài lái wú fǎ xiǎng xiàng de zāi huò 。
在幽州，许家虽然也算是颇大的修仙家族，但自然远远和天目派的实力相比，何况再纠缠下去，还有可能激怒红发老祖，那更会为家族，带来无法想象的灾祸。
Elder Dry Wood sighed inwardly. When he received the threatening letter from both sides of the conflict, he was at his wits' end. Suddenly, Senior Red Hair came to visit.
“ shì ， sān shū 。”
“是，三叔。”
Naturally, Elder Dry Wood treated him with great respect. Even Tianmu Sect wouldn’t dare offend this talented free cultivator. However, Senior Red Hair presented a token. It turned out that when they were both Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, their mentors had become bosom friends.
xǔ hàn yě bú shì bái chī ， shāo yī chén yín zhī hòu ， dāng rán yě míng bái de qí zhōng de lì hài guān xì ， lián máng dī méi shùn mù dì tuì le xià qù 。
许翰也不是白痴，稍一沉吟之后，当然也明白的其中的厉害关系，连忙低眉顺目的退了下去。
Understanding this relationship made Elder Dry Wood overjoyed. Establishing a connection with an Incarnation Stage cultivator would be immensely beneficial to his sect.
kū mù zhēn rén zé zài xīn zhōng tàn le kǒu qì ， dāng tā jiē dào zhèng mó shuāng fāng wēi bī lì yòng de xìn hán ， zhèng zài jiāo tóu làn é de shí hòu ， tū rán hóng fā lǎo zǔ lái fǎng 。
枯木真人则在心中叹了口气，当他接到正魔双方威逼利用的信函，正在焦头烂额的时候，突然红发老祖来访。
If he could persuade him to join the sect and become a Supreme Elder, the current problem would be easily resolved.
kū mù zhēn rén zì rán shì xiǎo xīn jiē dài 。 jiù suàn shì tiān mù pài 。 yě bù gǎn dé zuì zhè wèi sàn xiū zhōng dì qí cái 。 rán ér hóng fā zǔ shī què chū shì le yī jiàn xìn wù 。 yuán lái 。 tā hái shì zhù jī qī xiū shì zhī shí 。 jiù yǔ kū mù zhēn rén dì shī zǔ jié chéng le mò nì zhī jiāo 。
枯木真人自然是小心接待。就算是天目派。也不敢得罪这位散修中地奇才。然而红发祖师却出示了一件信物。原来。他还是筑基期修士之时。就与枯木真人地师祖结成了莫逆之交。
Thus, Elder Dry Wood treated Senior Red Hair with utmost respect. But as soon as he hinted at wanting to recruit him, the Red-haired Patriarch immediately rejected it.
liǎo jiě le zhè céng guān xì 。 kū mù zhēn rén dà xǐ guò wàng 。 néng gòu yǔ yī wèi yuán yīng qī xiū shì lā shàng guān xì 。 duì yú mén pài dì hǎo chù shì bù yán ér yù dì 。
了解了这层关系。枯木真人大喜过望。能够与一位元婴期修士拉上关系。对于门派地好处是不言而喻地。
Having been used to living like a free spirit, he was unwilling to be bound by a sect. Besides, his situation was clear; although he had managed to condense an Incarnation due to various coincidences, compared to a mid-stage Evil Tyrant Sovereign, he was undoubtedly inferior. The three major factions were numerous and powerful, with four Incarnation Stage Elders each. How could one solitary person compete?
rú guǒ néng gòu dòng yòng sān cùn bù làn zhī shé 。 shuō fú tā jiā rù běn pài 。 chéng wéi tài shàng zhǎng lǎo 。 yǎn qián dì nán tí 。 gèng shì yíng rèn ér jiě 。
如果能够动用三寸不烂之舌。说服他加入本派。成为太上长老。眼前地难题。更是迎刃而解。
Joining Tianmu Sect would be a hundred disadvantages and no benefits. Senior Red Hair, a genius of his generation, naturally wouldn’t bind himself.
yú shì kū mù zhēn rén 。 duì yú zhè wèi qián bèi 。 shì fèng dé zhōu dào zhī jí 。 kě tā gāng gāng tòu lù chū xiǎng yào lā lǒng duì fāng zhī yì 。 hóng fā zǔ shī què yī kǒu huí jué 。
于是枯木真人。对于这位前辈。侍奉得周到之极。可他刚刚透露出想要拉拢对方之意。红发祖师却一口回绝。
However, despite the old man’s odd temperament, he was someone who kept his promises. Back then, he had once received a great favor from a friend in Tianmu Sect and offered to take one of their Foundation Establishment stage disciples as a disciple, as compensation.
zuò guàn le xián yún yě hè 。 nǎ lǐ yuàn yì shòu mén pài dì shù fù 。 hé kuàng zì jǐ dì shì qíng zì jǐ qīng chǔ 。 suī rán yīn wèi zhǒng zhǒng jī yuán qiǎo hé 。 jiǎo xìng níng jié yuán yīng chéng gōng 。 kě yǔ jí è mó zūn zhōng qī dì shí lì xiāng bǐ 。 zì jǐ kěn dìng yuǎn yuǎn bù jí 。 ér sān jù tóu nà biān 。 zé rén duō shì zhòng 。 yǒu sì gè yuán yīng qī zhǎng lǎo 。 zì jǐ gū jiā guǎ rén 。 rú hé yǔ tā men xiāng zhēng 。
做惯了闲云野鹤。哪里愿意受门派地束缚。何况自己地事情自己清楚。虽然因为种种机缘巧合。侥幸凝结元婴成功。可与极恶魔尊中期地实力相比。自己肯定远远不及。而三巨头那边。则人多势众。有四个元婴期长老。自己孤家寡人。如何与他们相争。
He chose the Foundation Establishment stage because their cultivation wasn’t deep, making them more malleable. Condensation Core stage experts already had their own life-bound treasures, making it difficult to pass on his teachings.
jiā rù tiān mù pài 。 yǒu bǎi hài ér wú yī lì 。 hóng fā lǎo zǔ yí dài rén jié 。 zì rán bú huì zuò jiǎn zì fù 。
加入天目派。有百害而无一利。红发老祖一代人杰。自然不会作茧自缚。
Although he couldn’t recruit someone from that sect, this result still made Elder Dry Wood overjoyed. He immediately convened the top Foundation Establishment stage cultivators of his sect and let Red Hair Patriarch choose among them.
bù guò cǐ lǎo pí qì suī rán gǔ guài le diǎn ， què yě shì ēn yuàn fēn míng nà zhǒng 。 dāng nián ， céng jīng shòu guò tiān mù pài nà wèi hǎo yǒu de dà ēn ， dāng jí tí chū lái ， yuàn yì shōu yī tiān mù pài zhù jī qī de dì zǐ wèi tú ， jiù dàng zuò shì bǔ cháng le 。
不过此老脾气虽然古怪了点，却也是恩怨分明那种。当年，曾经受过天目派那位好友的大恩，当即提出来，愿意收一天目派筑基期的弟子为徒，就当做是补偿了。
However, after a series of tests, the results disappointed Tianmu Sect greatly. Although they practiced orthodox cultivation techniques, their heart methods emphasized worldly involvement, which conflicted with what Red Hair Patriarch had learned. In other words, he couldn’t pick someone from that sect to inherit his teachings.
zhī suǒ yǐ xuǎn zé zhù jī qī ， shì yīn wèi tā men xiū wèi bù shēn ， gèng jù yǒu kě sù xìng ， níng dān qī gāo shǒu lián běn mìng fǎ bǎo dōu yǒu ， hěn nán chuán chéng zì jǐ dì yī bō 。
之所以选择筑基期，是因为他们修为不深，更具有可塑性，凝丹期高手连本命法宝都有，很难传承自己地衣钵。
Although this was a pity, it was time to stop here.
suī rán méi néng jiāng duì fāng lā rù mén pài zhōng 。 dàn zhè ge jié guǒ ， yě lìng kū mù zhēn rén dà xǐ guò wàng ， lì kè zhào jí běn pài zhù jī qī xiū shì zhōng de jiǎo jiǎo zhě ， ràng hóng fā lǎo zǔ tiāo xuǎn 。
虽然没能将对方拉入门派中。但这个结果，也令枯木真人大喜过望，立刻召集本派筑基期修士中的佼佼者，让红发老祖挑选。
However, some gossipmonger spread the news, and it eventually became known that Senior Red Hair wanted to take a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator as a disciple, allowing anyone present to participate, provided they obtained the qualifications for the Condensation Core experts' trading meeting.
rán ér yī fān cè shì yǐ hòu ， jié guǒ què lìng tiān mù pài shàng xià jǔ sàng bù yǐ ， suī rán tā men suǒ xí de yě shì zhèng dào de xiū zhēn gōng fǎ ， rán ér běn mén de xīn jué ， què jiǎng jiū rù shì ， zhè yǔ hóng fā lǎo zǔ suǒ xué 。 gé gé bù rù 。 hù xiāng chōng tū ， huàn jù huà shuō 。 lǎo zǔ bù kě néng cóng gāi pài de dì zǐ zhōng tiāo xuǎn rén lái ， jì chéng yī bō 。
然而一番测试以后，结果却令天目派上下沮丧不已，虽然他们所习的也是正道的修真功法，然而本门的心诀，却讲究入世，这与红发老祖所学。格格不入。互相冲突，换句话说。老祖不可能从该派的弟子中挑选人来，继承衣钵。
When Elder Dry Wood and Senior Red Hair learned of this, the news had already spread far and wide. They were both shocked and angry, but words once spoken couldn’t be taken back.
suī rán cǐ shì lìng rén è wàn tàn xī ， dàn jìn xíng dào zhè lǐ ， yě gāi dào cǐ wéi zhǐ 。
虽然此事令人扼腕叹息，但进行到这里，也该到此为止。
Senior Red Hair, despite his odd nature, was a man of honor who kept his promises. He valued his word highly and feared being seen as someone who reneged on his promise.
rán ér bù zhī dào shì nǎ ge duō zuǐ zhī rén ， hú shuō bā dào ， jū rán jiāng xiāo xī xiè lòu le chū qù ， bìng qiě yǐ é chuán é ， zuì hòu biàn chéng le ， hóng fā lǎo zǔ yù shōu yī wèi zhù jī qī xiū shì wèi tú ， zhǐ yào lái zhè lǐ de zhù jī qī xiū shì dōu kě yǐ cān jiā ， qián tí shì yào de qǔ dé cān jiā níng dān qī gāo shǒu men jiāo yì huì de zī gé 。
然而不知道是哪个多嘴之人，胡说八道，居然将消息泄露了出去，并且以讹传讹，最后变成了，红发老祖欲收一位筑基期修士为徒，只要来这里的筑基期修士都可以参加，前提是要的取得参加凝丹期高手们交易会的资格。
Although he hadn’t said anything about it, the question was: Who believed him?
dāng kū mù zhēn rén yǔ hóng fā lǎo zǔ huò xī cǐ shì ， xiāo xī yǐ jīng guǎng wèi liú chuán ， liǎng rén zì rán shì yòu jīng yòu nù ， kě shuō chū qù dì huà ， nǎ lǐ hái néng zài shōu huí 。
当枯木真人与红发老祖获悉此事，消息已经广为流传，两人自然是又惊又怒，可说出去地话，哪里还能再收回。
Elder Dry Wood was even more troubled. Having already failed to get his disciples to seek out Senior Red Hair, this major setback made things worse. Seeing the Patriarch’s displeased expression, if not for their deep bond, Tianmu Mountain would face a great calamity.
piān piān zhè wèi hóng fā lǎo zǔ xìng qíng suī rán gǔ guài ， què shì jí jiǎng xìn yì zhī rén ， yí nuò qiān jīn ， shēng píng zuì pà de jiù shì bié rén shuō tā chū ěr fǎn ěr 。
偏偏这位红发老祖性情虽然古怪，却是极讲信义之人，一诺千金，生平最怕的就是别人说他出尔反尔。
What should he do?
suī rán zhè jiàn shì qíng tā què shí méi yǒu shuō guò ， wèn tí shì shuí xìn a ！
虽然这件事情他确实没有说过，问题是谁信啊！
The best solution was to downplay the matter and let it fade away.
kū mù zhēn rén gèng tóu téng ， ràng běn pài dì zǐ bài shī yǐ shì zhú lán dá shuǐ ， rú jīn yòu chū le zhè tiān dà de yì wài ， yǎn chǒu zhe hóng fā lǎo zǔ biǎo qíng bù shàn ， ruò bú shì yǔ zì jǐ dì zǔ shī guān xì fěi qiǎn ， bù yòng děng zhèng mó dǎ lái ， tiān mù shān jiù huì miàn lín dà nàn 。
枯木真人更头疼，让本派弟子拜师已是竹篮打水，如今又出了这天大的意外，眼瞅着红发老祖表情不善，若不是与自己地祖师关系匪浅，不用等正魔打来，天目山就会面临大难。
Since rumors couldn’t be refuted, he decided to make Foundation Establishment stage cultivators withdraw by making the qualification test so difficult. It was ostensibly about gathering Wood Spirit Fruits but actually allowed them to kill each other in plain sight.
zěn me bàn ？
怎么办？
However, Elder Dry Wood underestimated the appeal of seeking an Incarnation Stage master for low-ranking cultivators. Eventually, three people stood out.
zuì hǎo de bàn fǎ dāng rán shì jiāng cǐ shì dà shì huà xiǎo ， xiǎo shì huà le 。
最好的办法当然是将此事大事化小，小事化了。
In the end, it was Senior Red Hair who came up with a solution. Since the rumor had caused this, he might as well use the same tactic by saying that he didn’t want disciples but needed a servant instead. The change was minimal, but its meaning was entirely different. Rumors would always distort things, and no one would blame him for breaking his promise.
yáo yán méi yǒu bàn fǎ biàn jiě le ， nà jiù ràng zhù jī qī xiū shì men zhī nán ér tuì ， gù ér zhè cì cān jiā jiāo yì huì de zī gé shāi xuǎn cái nà me biàn tài ， biǎo miàn shàng shì qǔ mù líng guǒ ， shí jì shàng shì ràng dà jiā ** luǒ de hù xiāng cán shā 。
谣言没有办法辩解了，那就让筑基期修士们知难而退，故而这次参加交易会的资格筛选才那么变态，表面上是取木灵果，实际上是让大家**裸的互相残杀。
Everything seemed to be in place until he saw Lin Xuan and Tian Xiaojian in the grand hall. At 700 years old, with an Incarnation Stage lifespan of nearly a thousand years, he wasn’t considered old but certainly not young either. It was time to find someone to inherit his teachings.
kě kū mù zhēn rén hái shì dī gū le bài shī yuán yīng qī lǎo guài duì dī jiē xiū shì men de yòu huò ， zuì zhōng hái shì yǒu sān gè rén tuō yǐng ér chū 。
可枯木真人还是低估了拜师元婴期老怪对低阶修士们的诱惑，最终还是有三个人脱颖而出。
Initially annoyed by the rumor, now looking at Lin Xuan and Tian Xiaojian, both in their youth yet reaching late Foundation Establishment stage, they were truly prodigies. If he could take them as disciples, it would be an excellent choice.
If his guess was correct, the young man's cultivation had also reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, making it hard to tell who would come out on top. As Lin Xuan pondered all these thoughts in his mind, the Red-haired Patriarch suddenly withdrew his divine consciousness and closed his eyes, as if he were entering a state of meditation.
The crowd was left speechless. At this moment, Elder Dry Wood stepped forward and swept his gaze over Lin Xuan and the other two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators before speaking calmly: "Senior Red Hair has come here to seek a servant among the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. Do any of you three young friends wish to seize this opportunity?"
"What? Seeking a servant? Didn't it say that Senior Patriarch Red Hair was looking for a disciple to pass on his teachings?" Lin Xuan and Tian Xiaojian remained silent, but Xu Han appeared both shocked and angry as he spoke.
"Oh, perhaps the rumors outside were mistaken!"
Despite Elder Dry Wood's kind expression, he seemed more like an old fox. Xu Han wanted to say more, but the nearby condensation core stage cultivator who looked somewhat similar to him spoke up: "Alright, Han'er, it’s only natural for rumors to spread. This matter is most likely a misunderstanding on your part."
In Youzhou, while the Xu family was indeed a considerable cultivation clan, they were still far from the strength of Tianmu Sect. Moreover,纠缠下去可能会激怒Red-haired Ancestor Master，给家族带来无法想象的disaster。
"Yes, Uncle Third," Xu Han wasn’t a fool and quickly understood the implications. He bowed his head submissively as he stepped back.
Elder Dry Wood sighed inwardly. When he received the threatening letter from both sides of the conflict, he was at his wits' end. Suddenly, Senior Red Hair came to visit.
Naturally, Elder Dry Wood treated him with great respect. Even Tianmu Sect wouldn’t dare offend this talented free cultivator. However, Senior Red Hair presented a token. It turned out that when they were both Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, their mentors had become bosom friends.
Understanding this relationship made Elder Dry Wood overjoyed. Establishing a connection with an Incarnation Stage cultivator would be immensely beneficial to his sect.
If he could persuade him to join the sect and become a Supreme Elder, the current problem would be easily resolved.
Thus, Elder Dry Wood treated Senior Red Hair with utmost respect. But as soon as he hinted at wanting to recruit him, the Red-haired Patriarch immediately rejected it.
Having been used to living like a free spirit, he was unwilling to be bound by a sect. Besides, his situation was clear; although he had managed to condense an Incarnation due to various coincidences, compared to a mid-stage Evil Tyrant Sovereign, he was undoubtedly inferior. The three major factions were numerous and powerful, with four Incarnation Stage Elders each. How could one solitary person compete?
Joining Tianmu Sect would be a hundred disadvantages and no benefits. Senior Red Hair, a genius of his generation, naturally wouldn’t bind himself.
However, despite the old man’s odd temperament, he was someone who kept his promises. Back then, he had once received a great favor from a friend in Tianmu Sect and offered to take one of their Foundation Establishment stage disciples as a disciple, as compensation.
He chose the Foundation Establishment stage because their cultivation wasn’t deep, making them more malleable. Condensation Core stage experts already had their own life-bound treasures, making it difficult to pass on his teachings.
Although he couldn’t recruit someone from that sect, this result still made Elder Dry Wood overjoyed. He immediately convened the top Foundation Establishment stage cultivators of his sect and let Red Hair Patriarch choose among them.
However, after a series of tests, the results disappointed Tianmu Sect greatly. Although they practiced orthodox cultivation techniques, their heart methods emphasized worldly involvement, which conflicted with what Red Hair Patriarch had learned. In other words, he couldn’t pick someone from that sect to inherit his teachings.
Although this was a pity, it was time to stop here.
However, some gossipmonger spread the news, and it eventually became known that Senior Red Hair wanted to take a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator as a disciple, allowing anyone present to participate, provided they obtained the qualifications for the Condensation Core experts' trading meeting.
When Elder Dry Wood and Senior Red Hair learned of this, the news had already spread far and wide. They were both shocked and angry, but words once spoken couldn’t be taken back.
Senior Red Hair, despite his odd nature, was a man of honor who kept his promises. He valued his word highly and feared being seen as someone who reneged on his promise.
Although he hadn’t said anything about it, the question was: Who believed him?
Elder Dry Wood was even more troubled. Having already failed to get his disciples to seek out Senior Red Hair, this major setback made things worse. Seeing the Patriarch’s displeased expression, if not for their deep bond, Tianmu Mountain would face a great calamity.
What should he do?
The best solution was to downplay the matter and let it fade away.
Since rumors couldn’t be refuted, he decided to make Foundation Establishment stage cultivators withdraw by making the qualification test so difficult. It was ostensibly about gathering Wood Spirit Fruits but actually allowed them to kill each other in plain sight.
However, Elder Dry Wood underestimated the appeal of seeking an Incarnation Stage master for low-ranking cultivators. Eventually, three people stood out.
In the end, it was Senior Red Hair who came up with a solution. Since the rumor had caused this, he might as well use the same tactic by saying that he didn’t want disciples but needed a servant instead. The change was minimal, but its meaning was entirely different. Rumors would always distort things, and no one would blame him for breaking his promise.
Everything seemed to be in place until he saw Lin Xuan and Tian Xiaojian in the grand hall. At 700 years old, with an Incarnation Stage lifespan of nearly a thousand years, he wasn’t considered old but certainly not young either. It was time to find someone to inherit his teachings.
Initially annoyed by the rumor, now looking at Lin Xuan and Tian Xiaojian, both in their youth yet reaching late Foundation Establishment stage, they were truly prodigies. If he could take them as disciples, it would be an excellent choice.