That was a youth of average build and average appearance, but his eyes made him seem like a vulgar, perverted man, no matter how he tried to act otherwise.
"Hello, this little brother is known as the know-it-all of the Xuantian Monastery, and if elder brother has any questions, you can always ask me. There is nothing I don't know about this place," vowed that person solemnly, patting his chest in confidence.
Long Chen was startled and looked at this seemingly perverted youth with confusion, not understanding what was going on.
"Anything, no matter how small or big, about the Xuantian Monastery?" asked Long Chen.
"Of course! Ten years ago I already began to gather information about the Xuantian Monastery. I've managed to thoroughly investigate everything within the monastery, especially the information about the disciple selection! But if my information satisfies you, then I'll have to ask for a small consultation fee!"
That person acted extremely bashfully when he brought up the consultation fee, but his acting couldn't fool anyone. That was because the expression in his eyes completely sold him out.
"You started gathering information ten years ago? Are you this sure of being able to enter the Xuantian Monastery?" asked Long Chen.
"Of course! This is what is called preparing ahead! By taking the long view at the beginning, one doesn't need to worry about the future. Look at those fresh rookies who are so confused. They don't know anything about the trial procedure, and so they'll definitely suffer greatly. So, elder brother, are you interested?" asked that youth fervently.
Long Chen noticed he accidentally glanced at Little Snow behind him and realized this youth had probably recognized what Little Snow was. He probably thought that he was some wealthy, rich kid.
A Scarlet Flame Snow Wolf was a peak third rank Magical Beast. As for all the geniuses here who were applying, they also had Magical Beast steeds, but the absolute majority were only at the second rank. Third rank Magical Beasts were few and far in between.
He really hadn't expected this perverted youth to have a keen enough eyesight to see through Little Snow's disguise.
Then sensing his cultivation base, he saw this youth was at the late Blood Condensation realm with an extremely sturdy foundation. Although his eyes revealed an obvious hint of pervertedness, his power was extremely reserved. He was definitely an expert.
"What's the fee?" Since he had nothing to do at the moment anyway, he decided to ask. In any case, there were countless gold coins in his spatial ring. If he could use them to buy some useful information, he wouldn't care about the loss.
"I, Guo Ran, am extremely upright and will never cheat anyone. For a normal question, I will only take a middle grade second tier medicinal pill.
"If it's a question regarding the more important details of the selection, the price will go up a bit to a high grade second tier medicinal pill.
"Of course, I also have exclusive secrets pertaining to the details of what will happen after joining the monastery. This little brother solemnly promises that if you knew these secrets, you would definitely be able to live in the Xuantian Monastery like a fish in water and quickly stand out.
"I see that elder brother is an extremely honest person, so I will also offer you a special all-inclusive deal. For just ten third tier medicinal pills, I will tell you everything I know.
"This is a huge discount just for you! You definitely won't suffer a loss for those ten medicinal pills. Those ten medicinal pills can let you skyrocket here.
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"These ten pills aren't expensive or much! Only by investing can you truly make profit…" That Guo Ran continued on and on smoothly as he tried to entice Long Chen.
"Okay, okay, stop. You're such a salesperson, were you born in a street stall?" Long Chen looked strangely at Guo Ran.
Guo Ran laughed with some embarrassment. "Ah, isn't this just because I think brother is extremely honest and I am afraid you'll miss out on this great opportunity? That would be equivalent to giving up a great future. This is all for elder brother's benefit!"
Long Chen truly felt as if his eyes had been opened up to the world. Not only did the Xuantian Monastery contain talents and geniuses, but it also contained oddities like this.
"Do you really know everything about the Xuantian Monastery?" asked Long Chen.
"Of course! I will tell no lies or cheat anyone! If it's a question about the Xuantian Monastery and I can't answer, I'll tell you everything I know free of charge!" Guo Ran patted his chest confidently.
"Then let me ask you, when the Xuantian Monastery's leader does number two, does he wipe his butt with his left or right hand?" asked Long Chen.
Guo Ran's eyes widened with disbelief. It took a while before he resentfully said, "Brother, you look so talented, but why do you have to do things so wrongly? Who could possibly know something like that?"
"Just because you don't know, doesn't mean others don't know. Looks like you'll have to keep studying to really become a know-it-all." Long Chen shook his head.
"This is an insult to me! Tell me, who could possibly know this secret?" raged Guo Ran.
"Me." Long Chen pointed to himself.
"You?! Are you just using me for amusement?" Guo Ran felt as if he was being messed with.
"Hey, don't get angry. I really do know," laughed Long Chen.
"Ok, if you can tell me, then I, Guo Ran, will tell you all my secrets free of charge. But if you can't, then you and I will really have a duel." Guo Ran obviously had been infuriated by Long Chen.
A duel? Long Chen smiled slightly. Instead of directly answering, he asked in a roundabout fashion, "As a know-it-all, I'm sure you know who the Xuantian Monastery's sect leader is, right?"
"Of course, sect leader Ling Yun-zi is a peak expert whose sword swept across the lands. Three hundred years ago, his name already shook the heavens. Who doesn't know this? Get to the point." Guo Ran's anger had yet to fade.
His words were absolutely correct. The Xuantian Monastery's sect leader Ling Yun-zi had been at the peak back then. But in the past three hundred years, no one had seen him ever take action again.
But as for the legends about him, there were many. There were also quite a few portraits of him that had been passed on. A few families even had such portraits in their shrines. Those portraits were all of Ling Yun-zi in his youth, gracefully wielding his sword like an immortal.
Although Long Chen hadn't been paying that much attention on the way, he had heard others speaking about him and remembered a few fragments of it.
At the very least he knew that the current Xuantian Monastery sect leader was a powerful sword cultivator. Just knowing that much was enough.
"Since you know the sect leader is a sword cultivator, then you should also know that other than during fights, sword cultivators must always keep their right hand empty?" asked Long Chen lightly.
Guo Ran immediately had nothing to say. Sword cultivators were not the same as other cultivators. Other cultivators would keep their weapons within their spatial rings.
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But the personal sword of sword cultivators always had to be kept on their backs or held on their waist. That was a habit of sword cultivators. In fact, it was practically a rule, as there were no exceptions.
They didn't view their swords as weapons but as a part of themselves and their lives. And so their swords were always kept within reach.
Furthermore, they would not use their sword hand to touch anything other than their sword, as that would be a kind of blasphemy against the sword.
Long Chen had already seen some applicants stealthily take out a portrait of the sect leader in admiration, and he had seen that the person in those portraits was holding his sword in his right hand. That was why he could conclude that he would have to use his left hand for everything else.
Hearing this, Guo Ran's anger disappeared. He had no choice but to admit to himself that he had lost.
"Elder brother, you truly were a step ahead of me. I've lost, and since I bet, I must pay. I'll tell you everything I know, but you must swear never to tell others. I still need to do business."
"It's okay, you can just continue doing your business. I'm not that interested in those secrets you know. Some things are only interesting if you find them out yourself." Long Chen shook his head.
Guo Ran was shocked; Long Chen had declined his good intentions? While it was true that he was somewhat of an unscrupulous businessman, he had truly gathered a lot of important information over the past few years.
Otherwise, if others had spent their wealth to buy useless secrets from him, he probably would have already been beaten to death. The kind of information he had was something many people urgently needed.
Seeing that Long Chen was about to leave, Guo Ran grabbed his arm and said, "No, business must be conducted fairly. Are you acting like this to make me be a promise-breaker?"
Long Chen was surprised, not expecting this youth with his perverted eyes to possess such integrity.
"Okay then, tell me some stuff. Why did that person who lost have to give up his spot?"
"Ah, that kid, hehe. He's someone who married into the Wonder River Valley family, an opponent of the Ying family. Unfortunately for him, Ying Mingyang cornered him, and the two of them made an agreement that whoever lost would have to get out of the Xuantian Monastery. Look, this is only the start, but many disciples from different families with various relationships have entered the monastery now. In the future, it will definitely be very lively," said Guo Ran.
So it was like that, Long Chen thought to himself. The Xuantian Monastery truly was not lacking in crouching tigers and hidden dragons. The situation here was even more complicated than he had thought.
"Right, I still haven't asked elder brother for his name and his origin," Guo Ran said with some awkwardness.
"I'm Long Chen. As for where I came from, hehe, it's not suitable for me to say it." Long Chen laughed mischievously.
He definitely couldn't say that he came from some rustic, far-off region like the Phoenix Cry Empire. These disciples mostly came from various powerful families or groups.
Phoenix Cry was too remote and desolate. There were no true great powers within it, while in comparison, he had noticed that everyone whom he had encountered on his journey here all came from families which possessed their own extremely powerful backgrounds and inheritances.
In comparison to them, Long Chen's background was nothing. Although he might not feel inferior, being asked this still made him feel embarrassed.
Guo Ran didn't become suspicious when Long Chen refused to tell him his background. Someone who possessed a third rank Scarlet Flame Snow Wolf couldn't possibly come from a low background, right?
For Long Chen to refuse to answer, that must be because he didn't want to borrow the power of his background in order to intimidate others. Just how superior was that in comparison to those arrogant fellows who bragged about which mountain and which family they came from? This is what it meant to possess hidden strength. Guo Ran truly was starting to admire Long Chen more and more.
Although he had failed to sell anything, he wasn't the slightest bit discouraged. He possessed a businessman's amicability that could make him easily rich.
But at the same time, he was also extremely curious about Long Chen. He was extremely low-key, and his cultivation base was hidden. But his eyes were as calm as water, making it so others were unable to comprehend his full level.
The two of them randomly chatted for a while. Long Chen learned that Guo Ran had also come from an influential family, but his family was quite a bit weaker than the majority of the other applicants.
That was why Guo Ran had immediately started his business as soon as he entered the Xuantian Monastery. That was to pull in more bargaining chips, making preparations for him to soar rapidly once he became a disciple. That made Long Chen see him in a new light.
"Right, brother Long, which faction are you planning on relying on?" Looking around to see that no one was present, Guo Ran stealthily asked Long Chen this question.