Chapter 115: The Future Sect Leader, Shen Lingfei

"Hey, that emergency rescue mission from our sect has been posted for days, yet it seems hardly anyone has taken it."

"I have seen a few people take it, but they never returned. It seems they just went to throw their lives away, just like those poor wretches led by Zhao Yishui."

"What a bunch of fools! We outer sect disciples from commoner backgrounds simply cannot handle such dangerous missions. Those bandits are ruthless; unless the elites from the Four Great Families step in, there's no way to defeat them!"

Inside the Mission Hall, several disciples looked at the rescue mission posted days ago. Seeing that it had still not been closed, they knew those reckless individuals must still be in a dire situation.

It was truly their own fault. Out of so many missions, they had to choose the bandit-extermination one. Not only was the journey long, but it was also prone to issues during the final audit. Since there were so many bandits, if a few escaped and regrouped, the sect contribution points already issued would be retracted.

That would be bad enough, but now they had even provoked the backers behind those bandits. Even a bandit at the late stage of the Condensing Qi Realm was not someone to be trifled with.

What were bandits? They were people who lived by the blade and faced death every day. Compared to ordinary disciples, their combat experience was vastly superior. Unless one possessed overwhelming strength, suffering losses or losing one's life was only natural.

When you go looking for trouble, who can you blame?

"What? Yue-ran has sought out that kid several times?"

Shen Lingfei, who had just returned from Shenyang Mountain, heard that the woman he had always taken an interest in had sought out this fellow named Luo Tian several times under the guise of asking for guidance.

Shen Lingfei possessed decent talent and had grasped the Essence of Fire; thus, he enjoyed considerable prestige within the Shen family, and the bias toward him in cultivation resources made others green with envy.

In particular, the hint dropped by Elder Shen Qingkong about bestowing a "treasure" upon him had everyone salivating.

Cultivation pills? High-quality artifacts? Because no one knew exactly what it was, the curiosity only grew. How formidable must an item be to be labeled a "treasure" by an elder?

Only Shen Lingfei had a vague guess in his heart. If he understood correctly, that treasure should be an Elemental True Spirit!

Whenever he thought of this, Shen Lingfei’s blood boiled. The current Sect Master, Liu Changtian, only possessed a single Origin Spirit Pill, yet even that was enough to earn him the unanimous support of the entire sect—the Four Great Families—allowing him to sit firmly on the throne.

He, however, was destined to become a peerless powerhouse possessing a True Spirit Pill!

Shen Lingfei was incredibly arrogant. Naturally, he felt that those around him were separated from him by an unbridgeable chasm; it was a sense of superiority born from his standing.

Yet, this proud son of heaven found that the girl he desired was throwing herself at someone else. What kind of nonsense was this?

Shen Lingfei's face twisted slightly. Tang Yueran knew he had feelings for her, yet she openly did such things; it was practically an insult to his status as the future Sect Master.

As for the claims that Luo Tian could guide others in their cultivation, Shen Lingfei was skeptical. The world was full of wonders, and it was normal for a freak talent to appear now and then. But Qi cultivation was merely the foundation; without understanding an Essence, one was ultimately a piece of trash.

Even if this Luo Tian had high comprehension and mastered the Blazing Essence so quickly, it did not mean he could help others do the same.

Of course, if Luo Tian truly possessed such miraculous ability, it wouldn't hurt for him, the future Sect Master, to lower his status and ask a few questions—it would be Luo Tian's honor. But as things stood, nothing was set in stone. The true elites of the Four Great Families hadn't moved because Luo Tian wasn't yet worth the sect's serious attention.

He would have to teach this kid a lesson, to make him act with more humility. Showing off a little ability to fool commoners was one thing, but Tang Yueran was one of his future women. If Luo Tian dared to harbor any crooked thoughts, he had better be prepared to suffer.

Believing himself favored by Shen Qingkong and soon to possess a Fire Element True Spirit as his pill core, Shen Lingfei was too proud to tolerate any slight or insult.

"Young Master Fei, I’ve kept an eye on it. Each time, the duration was short; it seems to be just normal guidance."

A Shen family disciple nearby, fearing Shen Lingfei’s wrath, quickly clarified, "Also, many of the less-favored disciples of the Four Great Families have gone there too, though none from our Shen family, of course."

"Hmph, the Shen family must have the pride of the Shen family! What kind of cultivation problem requires asking an outsider?"

Shen Lingfei had just finished assisting a clan uncle in refining a batch of pills on Shenyang Mountain, so his mood was relatively good, preventing any inexplicable outburst, though he remained annoyed. "Where is this so-called Luo Tian now?"

"Young Master Fei, he went to Wanfeng City a few days ago, but I heard from Elder Liu Neng that he should be back today." The underling was well-informed, though this was hardly a secret.

"Liu Neng? Hmph!"

Shen Lingfei now held absolute disdain for those who only reached the Origin Pill stage by consuming pills. He was the future Sect Master destined for a True Spirit Pill; when that time came, even dozens of elders combined wouldn't be his match. "Let's head out now! I want to see just what this Luo Tian looks like!"

After consulting with Yuan Zhou, Luo Tian quickly found a nearby Yang family post station. The reason this station survived was that it paid a protection fee to the local bandits annually, though the amount was merely symbolic. After all, if the bandits demanded too much, the station would simply shut down, which the bandits found more troublesome.

Sect disciples of the Shenyang Sect always carried spare sets of clothing, so the people at the Yang family station were quite obliging in providing a carriage. Naturally, they were pleasantly surprised when Luo Tian didn't use it for free but left a usage fee behind.

"Senior Brother Luo, is it really okay not to return to Wanfeng City?" Seeing Luo Tian remain silent, Li Yang couldn't help but worry. If Elder Liu Neng went to Wanfeng City as expected and found that Senior Brother Luo wasn't there, it would likely lead to trouble.

Interrupted while contemplating the identity of Jiang Zhenglong, Luo Tian looked up slightly and said dismissively, "It's fine. Elder Liu will have to go there to drop off the Shen family members anyway. I'll just return to the sect first; there won't be any issues."

Luo Tian remained puzzled as to why Liu Neng had used such a far-fetched reason to get him out of the sect, but he had no leads.

Yuan Zhou, standing to the side, watched with deep envy. Look at that—a cushy job that so many people were desperate for, yet Senior Brother Luo not only had the privilege of being escorted by an elder, but didn't even seem to care for it. It really made one despair at the difference between people. He wondered if Senior Brother Luo would ever change his name to Senior Brother Liu, or perhaps marry a woman from the Liu family?

That would truly be a leap to the heavens, becoming a person above others.

Envy! Yuan Zhou felt a restless urge; he became even more determined to stick with Senior Brother Luo. Fortunately, he hadn't been foolish enough to follow that Zhao Yishui earlier, or he would be crying underground right now.

Upon entering Ziyang Mountain, Luo Tian intended to head to the Mission Hall to close the rescue mission and pick up some contribution points along the way. Although he hadn't accepted the mission beforehand, as long as he was the one who saved the people, it didn't matter; the rewards should still be his.

"So you're Luo Tian? Come, give me some pointers. I, Shen Lingfei, want to see what kind of skills you actually have!"

Just as they approached the Mission Hall, Luo Tian saw a handsome young man step forward, looking at him with disdain through his flared nostrils.