Chapter 8: An Ordinary Old Man.
Wuhun City today was unlike the solemn and austere past.
Brightly colored flags hung from the city's high points, and ornate ornaments adorned every corner. A red carpet, over a thousand feet long, stretched from the city gates to the front of the Pope's Palace.
"The Elephant Armor Sect has arrived!"
Li Tianyi, clad in a crimson robe, stood beside the servant announcing the arrivals. His cold face seemed to twitch, as he mentally railed against the detestable Ju Douluo. "
You're so concerned about your own reputation, you insist on holding this ridiculous apprenticeship ceremony? Have you ever considered my feelings?"
Li Tianyi felt utterly distressed as he watched the guests scrutinize him like a monkey.
"The White Tiger Sect of the Seven Great Sects has arrived!"
White Tiger Sect? Isn't that the Xingluo royal family, the clan that possesses the Evil-Eyed White Tiger Martial Spirit?
Li Tianyi looked at the three arriving people curiously, then couldn't help but turn his head and curl his lips. They did have a certain royal aura, but compared to the majesty? That was far from the image of his own empress.
"The Elephant Armor Sect, one of the seven great sects, has arrived!"
The Diamond Mammoth Spirit, the sect boasting ultimate defense? Li Tianyi simply ignored it. If Tang San could shatter a spirit, what else could he expect?
"The Wind Sword Sect has arrived!"
Huh? This sect suddenly piqued Li Tianyi's interest. Remember, the novels from his previous life never mentioned this sect at all.
The Wind Sword Sect had only an old man, dressed in plain clothes, with a very ordinary appearance, and the slow gait of a dying man.
Li Tianyi's body shuddered, his spirits lifted. Historical experience taught him that, compared to those mindless show-offs who only caused trouble, those who kept a low profile were often the truly ruthless.
"Do you, the Wind Sword Sect, look down on our Spirit Hall by sending an old man like you to watch the ceremony?"
Platinum Bishop Sarath, who was in charge of welcoming the guests, looked on with deep dissatisfaction as he arrogantly rebuked the old man.
"Old man! This Bishop is asking you a question. Are you hard of hearing?"
Li Tianyi coldly observed the Platinum Bishop's sarcastic expression and shook his head.
Has power gone to your head, or is the Spirit Hall's food poisonous? Otherwise, how could you have become so arrogant?
Li Tianyi declared that once this mindless superiority-minded bastard has risen from a junior disciple to a senior leader in the Spirit Hall, he must be expelled without a single one.
The old man seemed to have heard nothing, stumbling down the red carpet towards the main hall.
Seeing the other man ignore him, the Platinum protagonist, Saras, felt his face thicken with anger. "Old man, if you were from the Upper Three Sects, I wouldn't bother with you, but I, Saras, don't even take you, the Lower Four Sects, without a Titled Douluo, seriously."
"Bang!" Saras' body shook, and nine halos instantly rose from below.
Yellow, purple, black, and black.
Titled Douluo? Amazing!
No wonder he spoke so arrogantly, yet he wasn't afraid of a beating. He's a man with a lot of confidence.
Li Tianyi was also taken aback by the man's nine rings. He hadn't expected the Spirit Hall to be so generous that even the contestant accompanying the servant to greet guests could possess such a high level of cultivation.
At this moment, Li Tianyi looked at the old man with concern. From what he knew, the Lower Four Sects were indeed lacking a single Titled Douluo due to a lack of cultivation resources.
Even if this old man was powerful, he was probably only a Soul Douluo at best.
Overwhelmed by the power of Saras's nine rings, the old man from the Wind Sword Sect paused and slowly raised his head, as Li Tianyi's gaze filled with worry.
He lacked the hidden charm he had imagined, only old wrinkles and a pair of cloudy eyes. He began to doubt his previous assumptions. Was he just a random dispatch?
Seeing the old man faltering under the powerful aura of the Platinum Bishop, a trace of pity crossed Li Tianyi's cold face.
"Your Excellency?"
Li Tianyi turned and was about to plead for the old man, but his words suddenly stopped.
He noticed something was amiss on Bishop Platinum's face, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong. Did he look like he was constipated?
"The Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Clan of the Upper Three Sects has arrived!"
The servant, seemingly unfazed, continued with his duties.
After shouting, the old man lowered his head and continued his slow march toward the hall. Sarath's spirit ring vanished instantly, and he gasped for air like a drowning man, his eyes filled with fear.
The bizarre scene before him left Li Tianyi bewildered.
He was certain something had just happened, but he had been standing there observing the entire process. If something was truly fishy, how could he not have noticed?
Haha, it seemed he needed to find a way to quickly improve his strength.
"The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan of the Upper Three Sects has arrived!" the servant's voice interrupted his thoughts, and then a familiar figure approached.
"Master Chen!" Li Tianyi looked at the old man in snow-white robes, not addressing him by his title, but with an inexplicable warmth.
"It's you?" Jian Douluo saw Li Tianyi greeting him, and a flicker of surprise flashed across his eyes, followed by a flash of realization.
"Uncle Jian, do you know him?" a middle-aged man, wielding a scepter and bearing an imposing demeanor, asked from the side.
"Only once." Jian Douluo glanced at Li Tianyi, a flicker of regret crossing his indifferent face.
Uncle Jian, scepter? It was Ning Fengzhi, for sure.
Li Tian instinctively touched his nose, quickly identifying the newcomers.
"So it's Sect Master Ning and Sword Douluo. I apologize for not welcoming you!" Saras, having recovered, rushed forward, bowing and smiling.
It turns out he wasn't clueless; it seemed the old man was choosing his menu based on the person. A flash of understanding struck Li Tianyi.
The Spirit Hall was packed with guests. With the exception of the Haotian Sect, with whom he held a deep blood feud, almost everyone else was present, demonstrating the immense power of the Spirit Hall.
Ju Douluo Yue Guan, his face beaming with joy, was also draped in a vibrant red robe. He affectionately led Li Tianyi to the center of the hall.
He then spoke aloud, "A few days ago, I, Yue Guan, accepted a fine disciple. I'd like to take this opportunity to have some fun with you all."
The audience fell silent. Many, however, understood Ju Douluo's pretense of pride and didn't want to bother with him, only being forced to come because of the Spirit Hall's pressure.
The Elephant Armor Sect's leader quickly intervened, saying, "Seeing Ju Douluo so excited, I must believe this beloved disciple must be exceptionally gifted!"
Several other smaller sects seized the opportunity to chime in, saying, "Yes, yes, how could Master Ju have chosen someone without talent? He must be a true dragon among men, truly extraordinary."
Li Tianyi listened with a cold expression, his temper already flaring.
Ju Douluo, upon hearing the voice he'd longed to hear, instantly became excited, his face gleaming with pride, his voice rising several notches higher as he declared, "I, Ju Douluo, am exceptionally powerful myself, so my disciple's talent must be of the highest order to befit my status."
A voice immediately chimed in, "Master Ju, why don't you take this opportunity to show us the talent of your precious disciple, so we can all be envious and open our eyes?" "
Haha, tell me, how much did Old Ju give you?
"Li Tianyi seriously suspected this person was a hired hand by Mother Ju, otherwise why would he always speak so pertinently?
Everything wasn't over yet. Hearing the voices echoing, "Mother" Ju's face quickly showed hesitation.
Several different voices suddenly answered simultaneously from the audience.
"Hey, Master Ju, please don't keep us in suspense, we can't wait!"
"Yes, yes, we are all waiting to see your disciple show his prowess!"
Are you serious? Do the disciples of your sect know that you are so shamelessly acting as proxies for others?
Li Tianyi was speechless.
Ju Douluo nodded secretly, expressing his great satisfaction. It seemed that the money was not wasted. The atmosphere created was indeed on point. Now it was time for her to show off her power.
"Mother" Ju immediately lowered her head, looking at Li Tianyi with loving pride, and said confidently and domineeringly: "Come on! My dear disciple, show them your unparalleled martial spirit!"
(End of this chapter)