"Well, well! It is fate! This was obtained by my master's ancestor, Monk Duoxin, hundreds of years ago in the mountains. At that time, he encountered a mythical fire phoenix! After battling the beast for over 80,000 rounds, he finally defeated it under his staff!
My master then extracted its spirit crystal and crafted this red-speckled glass bead bracelet! Today, this treasure has finally found its destined owner…"
"30!"
Lin Jiu didn't even let the old monk finish his boasting, directly cutting to the chase.
"What? What did you say, kind sir? I must have misheard!"
The old monk thought he was hallucinating.
"Will you sell it for 30?"
Lin Jiu asked gently.
"Deal!"
The old monk quickly handed the bracelet to Feng Baobao, didn't even take the 30 yuan, and packed up his stall to flee.
"Tsk… my haggling skills have improved again. I can use this elsewhere in the future."
Lin Jiu was quite pleased with his negotiation and calmly sheathed his [Dawn Shadow].
"Ah, why am I so unlucky? I thought people wouldn't dare to make trouble in a place like Dragon Tiger Mountain, so I set up my stall here. But I still ran into someone who doesn't play by the rules!"
The old monk dragged his bag, looking for other auspicious spots to continue his trade.
"You're amazing!"
Feng Baobao put on the bracelet, not even considering whether the painted plastic beads might be harmful to her skin.
Wang Ye: "..."
Zhang Chulan: "..."
"Why do I feel like this sect leader is surprisingly in sync with Baobao!"
Xu Si couldn't help but remark.
Xu San: "Maybe it's because they both have a peculiar understanding of the world."
Zhang Chulan thought: No wonder he's in charge of a sect, managing to describe someone with 'brain issues' so tactfully!
Wang Ye, sensing that following these people's thought processes would lead to nowhere, directly got to the point: "Zhang Chulan, why are you participating in this event?"
"Ah, Daoist Wang Ye, I'm sure you're aware of my situation. My grandfather had many secrets tied to Dragon Tiger Mountain. If I can win this competition and meet the Grand Celestial Master, I can ask…"
Of course, Zhang Chulan, ever the schemer, wouldn't reveal all his reasons.
"Meeting the Grand Celestial Master… follow me!"
Wang Ye, with a strange expression, gestured for Zhang Chulan to follow him.
"Fourth Brother, I'm going ahead with Daoist Wang Ye!"
Zhang Chulan called out and then followed Wang Ye in a certain direction.
Naturally, Lin Jiu noticed Zhang Chulan and Wang Ye heading to meet the Grand Celestial Master. To be honest, if it weren't necessary, Lin Jiu would prefer not to meet him.
The reason: power! While the other Ten Elders were at the peak of the first tier, no matter what techniques they practiced, Lin Jiu wasn't afraid of any of them in terms of raw strength. But the Grand Celestial Master was at the pinnacle of personal martial prowess in this derived world. Lin Jiu believed that even within the second tier, the Grand Celestial Master was a formidable master.
In short, Lin Jiu had almost no chance of resisting if the Grand Celestial Master made a move. If, on a whim, the Grand Celestial Master decided to kill him, he'd be done for.
Luckily, the Grand Celestial Master stood on the side of order. Otherwise, Lin Jiu wouldn't have come to this Raten Taishō at all and would have stayed as far from Dragon Tiger Mountain as possible. Other contractors didn't share this concern, as to them, the Grand Celestial Master and the other Ten Elders were equally dangerous—any one of them could kill them with ease.
Compared to Lu Ci's madness or Wang Ai's cruelty, the calm and genteel Grand Celestial Master was very popular among most contractors.
"Baobao has special circumstances, but why is he so wary?"
Xu Si noticed Lin Jiu's slight frown, suspecting that Lin Jiu wasn't too keen on interacting with the Grand Celestial Master and wondered why.
"Leader Red, why are you here at the Raten Taishō? Is it for the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art?"
Xu Si decided to chat with this peculiar leader.
"Heaven Communicating Talisman Art, huh… If I get it, great; if not, it's fate. I came here at the invitation of the Celestial Master's Sect, just to broaden my horizons."
While Lin Jiu's goal was indeed the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art, he wasn't fixated on it.
"Broaden your horizons…"
Xu Si thought back to the scene of Lin Jiu standing calmly among a pile of corpses. The contrast made Xu Si feel that Lin Jiu didn't need to broaden his horizons.
There was no point in comparing him to the younger generation. His ruthlessness surpassed even theirs. What would Zhang Chulan do if he crossed paths with him?
…
"Ah!"
The Grand Celestial Master, who had just finished taking a photo with visiting officials, saw Zhang Chulan being brought over by Wang Ye.
"Wudang's Wang Ye, greetings to the Grand Celestial Master! Look who I've brought!"
Wang Ye bowed and announced.
"Ah, little Wang Ye… how's your master's health?"
"..."
Normally eloquent, Zhang Chulan was momentarily speechless.
"Is this Chulan? Call me grandmaster! Your grandfather taught you both the Golden Light Spell and Thunder Arts. Although you aren't a formal disciple of Zhengyi, you're worthy of calling me grandmaster."
The Grand Celestial Master, upon seeing Zhang Chulan, slightly opened his normally squinted eyes.
"Grandmaster!"
As they acknowledged each other, Xu Si's group slowly arrived.
"Lingyu, go greet the other guests. I have things to discuss with Chulan…" The Grand Celestial Master dismissed Zhang Lingyu, preparing to have a private conversation with Zhang Chulan.
However, the Grand Celestial Master suddenly paused, turned to Lin Jiu, and remarked, "The younger generation these days is truly impressive!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Grand Celestial Master."
Lin Jiu smiled faintly. Judging from the Grand Celestial Master's reaction, it seemed that Lu Ci had indeed come to the Raten Taishō. The injury on Lu Ci's left shoulder wasn't fully healed, and the Grand Celestial Master had likely deduced that Lu Ci had been injured by Lin Jiu.
"It seems I'll need to tread carefully during this."
Lin Jiu's thoughts were full of caution. He hadn't forgotten that, in the original timeline, the Grand Celestial Master was about to personally intervene and take out Zhuge Qing, had it not been for Wang Ye's interference.
Clearly, in the Grand Celestial Master's eyes, no one from the younger generation could stop Lin Jiu, so Lin Jiu couldn't guarantee that the Grand Celestial Master wouldn't make a move against him.
"This young man is tricky… Even if I act, I may not be able to subdue him. And with his personality, things won't settle down easily after the fact. People will die before this gets resolved. What a headache."
The Grand Celestial Master quickly turned and dragged Zhang Chulan inside, preferring not to see Lin Jiu and be troubled.
Anyone who could give Lu Ci such a tough time wasn't someone easily dealt with. The Grand Celestial Master didn't feel like he was digging his own grave by inviting Lin Jiu—after all, even if he hadn't invited him, Lin Jiu could still have participated in the Raten Taishō.
"Sigh, I'll just have to take things one step at a time."
The Grand Celestial Master sighed internally and sat across from Zhang Chulan.
"Who on earth is that guy?!"
Zhang Chulan, sharp as always, immediately noticed the Grand Celestial Master's frustration after seeing the leader of the Reincarnation Sect.
This was the Grand Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, the head of the righteous path, and the widely acknowledged strongest individual in the world of Outcast.
The Grand Celestial Master: "I'm frustrated on your behalf, you brat!"
"Grandmaster… I…"
Zhang Chulan had many questions but didn't know where to start.
"I know what you want to ask… But first, how come you're nothing like your grandfather, Zhang Huaiyi! That short old man, having such a tall grandson…"
The Grand Celestial Master couldn't help but compare Zhang Chulan to his memories of his old junior brother.
"My grandfather's name was Zhang Huaiyi?"
Zhang Chulan focused on the most critical part of the conversation.
"Yes. Zhang Xilin was the name he used to escape trouble. That's all I can tell you for now. The rest will have to wait until you inherit the Celestial Master title."
The Grand Celestial Master couldn't reveal the full truth just yet.
Zhang Chulan was utterly baffled. Even though the truth was tied to the Celestial Master's inheritance, there was nothing either he or the Grand Celestial Master could do about it right now.