"What?" The Head Chiefs entered another bout of shock.
"What do you mean boy?" Iokepa fixated his gaze on Lu Zheng.
Hong Haoyu and Lannah behind him were also intrigued by what he had to say.
"I do not wish to be tied down to any force. The position of an upper echelon of Blazing Flame Palace is tempting but I do not desire it" Lu Zheng's tone was firm.
Iokepa was surprised by the words leaving Lu Zheng's mouth.
Never in his entire life had he heard of someone rejecting an offer to assume a high position of any force, especially one as strong as Blazing Flame Palace.
He had made a deal with Lu Zheng for him to join Blazing Flame Palace's meeting in order to bring up the topic of making him an upper echelon.
In hindsight, he had already believed that Lu Zheng would jump at the proposition.
Hong Haoyu stared at Lu Zheng. No one could comprehend what he was thinking of at the moment.
"Very well" Iokepa's tone was low. "You may leave now"
"Just like that?!" Many of the Head Chiefs exclaimed.
Lu Zheng let out a short breath of relief and bowed before turning to leave with Hong Haoyu and the rest.
Only after the group had left did the Head Chiefs continue speaking.
"King, you left them alone… after insulting our Blazing Flame Palace?!" A wizened man asked.
He felt that Lu Zheng's words meant that he overlooked Blazing Flame Palace entirely and that if he stayed there any longer, they would only hinder his progress on the path of Dao.
The rest of the Head Chiefs similarly felt insulted by Lu Zheng's arrogance.
"You fools" Iokepa's tone was strange. "Don't you know that for a young lad like that to have a strong bloodline and a sense of pride, he must originate from a Super Clan?"
"A Super Clan?" The Head Chiefs were tongue-tied.
"Yes, such existences are beyond our strength and we cannot survive their anger. It would be best to leave a good impression on that kid" Iokepa continued. "Besides, that lad has guts… I like it"
Lu Zheng and the others stood outside the large meeting hall.
"You declined the offer to be an upper echelon…" Lannah could not wrap her thoughts around Lu Zheng's decision.
"Hmm. I do not like belonging to forces. They are very restrictive" Lu Zheng explained. "I wouldn't have even gone with Iokepa if he did not make that offer of his"
"The meat of high ranking beasts?" Hong Haoyu asked.
"Yes, the refined fleshy and blood energy of high ranking beasts is a very good tonic for the body. Not only will it strengthen your constitution, it can also act as a catalyst for breakthroughs" Lu Zheng replied.
"Still…" Lannah was still disturbed by the matter.
"The position of high echelon of a Palace is truly tempting but if you set your eyes on such matters, you will never achieve anything on the path of Dao" Lu Zheng said.
"To be honest, I did not expect them to take it so well. I thought we'd be punished a bit" Lu Zheng chuckled.
"Lu Zheng, right?" A female approached the group.
"That's me" Lu Zheng replied.
"Miss Olina said I should give you this" The female said as she brought out a shiny spatial ring.
Lu Zheng collected the spatial ring and checked its contents. Only after a while did he smile and look up.
"It was nice doing business to you" Lu Zheng bowed and left with the rest.
"What now?" Hong Haoyu asked.
"We should find ourselves suitable accommodation. I'll look for a Chef that can cook the meat" Lu Zheng replied unhurriedly.
"Why not do that yourself?" Lannah asked.
"I can but some people specialise in cooking the meat of high ranking beasts in such a way that the refined fleshy and blood energy in it would not be wasted" Lu Zheng smiled.
Unlike Lannah and the others, he was not fazed by his decision back then. Lu Zheng believed that with his past life's knowledge of Dao and the Vermillion Bird Race's potential, he could reach the peak of cultivation on his own.
– And kill Long Aotian.