"Brother, it's been a while. From today onward, we're fellow disciples…"
Li Zongyin cupped his hands toward Li Ye in greeting, his way of addressing him subtly shifting along with his status.
"I hope Senior Brother will look after me from now on!"
"Haha, I'm just an ordinary spirit farmer disciple," Li Ye replied with a laugh. "My cultivation is even a level lower than yours what ability do I have to look after anyone?"
He chuckled, brushing off the pleasantries, clearly not interested in exchanging hollow words.
The disciple recruitment ceremony had concluded the day before.
Li Zongyin, with decent talent and already at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, had no trouble joining the sect especially with the Li Clan being close allies of the Purple Profound Sect.
During the ceremony itself, he'd been accepted as a disciple by a Foundation Establishment elder on the spot.
Now, Li Zongyin wore the robes of a full Purple Profound Sect disciple.
With his thick brows and sharp eyes, decent looks, and a steady demeanor, he gave off an air of composed confidence.
At first glance, he completely outshone the plainer Li Ye standing across from him.
Li Ye's gaze swept over him, and he nodded subtly, quite satisfied.
This was exactly what he wanted.
The more attention this guy attracted, the less scrutiny he would receive especially once Li Zongyin started making appearances around Cai Siwei.
In fact, according to what Li Ye had gathered over the past two days
At this year's recruitment ceremony, two disciples with high-grade spiritual roots appeared: one male and one female.
The girl, in particular, possessed a rare wind-element variant root.
While her cultivation speed didn't quite match a true earth-grade root, the wind root itself shared the same spiritual resonance as a Core Formation elder, making her a prime candidate for inheriting such a legacy.
It was said that as soon as her root was discovered, it caused a huge stir among the sect's upper ranks.
In the end, the sect master himself stepped in to personally guide her though he didn't formally accept her as a disciple, sparking speculation that he intended to recommend her directly to the Core Formation elder.
In her dazzling spotlight
Even the male disciple with the high-grade gold root had been overshadowed.
And within just a day, even someone as renowned as Cai Siwei once considered the rising star among Qi Refinement disciples found his spotlight dimming.
Whispers had already begun in the sect, comparing this newly joined girl to Cai Siwei.
After all, Cai Siwei only possessed a mid-grade spiritual root. Though his awakened Blood Soul Physique did boost both combat power and cultivation…
If that girl was truly taken in as a Core Formation elder's disciple, her future accomplishments would almost certainly outshine his.
And if he was being overshadowed…
Then Li Ye a mere spirit farmer disciple was practically forgotten by everyone.
Once Li Zongyin started "taking the hits" for him by staying close to Cai Siwei, Li Ye could already see his dream of a peaceful farming life waving at him from the horizon.
"Uh…"
Li Zongyin seemed a bit taken aback that Li Ye had skipped even the bare minimum pleasantries, momentarily at a loss for words.
Li Ye wasn't in the mood to keep chatting awkwardly either. Just as he was about to suggest they move on, a playful voice rang out:
"Zongyin-gege!"
A pretty female cultivator with wide eyes and a round face flew over on a ribbon-like magical tool.
The moment she landed, she looped her arm through Li Zongyin's, pouting as she whined,
"Zongyin-gege, why didn't you come to find me after you got settled? Didn't we agree to explore the Purple Profound Sect together?"
Clinging to him sweetly and completely absorbed in their little world, the girl didn't spare Li Ye so much as a glance as if he didn't exist at all.
Li Zongyin cast an awkward glance at Li Ye, gently freeing his arm from the girl's grip. Under her displeased gaze, he introduced her,
"This must seem laughable to you, Brother. This is Zhang Jingjing… my fiancée, daughter of the Zhang Clan head."
"Jingjing, come pay your respects to my brother."
The Zhang Clan…
Could it be that Zhang Clan is one of the major Foundation Establishment families with close ties to the Li Clan?
Li Ye gave Zhang Jingjing a once-over, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
So, even an engagement like this had already been arranged for him. Li Zongyin was now considered the future pillar of the Li Clan.
It was one thing for the third branch to think this way, but even the main branch was on board.
When facing Li Zongyin, Zhang Jingjing appeared sweet, but the moment her gaze shifted to Li Ye, her cute face immediately soured.
A look of undisguised disdain and contempt surfaced.
"So, you're Li Ye? The one who even tried to sell off the clan's spirit fields?"
"You've been in the Purple Profound Sect for years, and you're still stuck at the fourth level of Qi Refinement. So mediocre… and you claim to be close with Senior Brother Cai?"
"Are you trying to deceive my Zongyin-gege?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Li Zongyin's expression changed.
"Jingjing, mind your manners!"
"It's fine."
Li Ye waved a hand dismissively, clearly unfazed by Zhang Jingjing's outburst.
Compared to the days when his reputation had been in tatters within the sect, the suspicion and scorn from this girl meant absolutely nothing to him now.
What did surprise him a bit, however, was that a matter like this something internal to the Li Clan had made its way to an outsider's ears.
Tch…
Then again, when it came to the Li Clan, it was hardly a question which of them he or Zhang Jingjing was more important.
The moment he accepted that he found himself even less bothered.
Ignoring the girl's glare, Li Ye turned to Li Zongyin and said,
"Though I don't know how family matters from within our Li Clan ended up reaching the ears of someone who hasn't even officially married yet…"
"But since you two still have doubts even after I made a Heart Demon Oath… to avoid dragging this out any longer, why don't I take you to visit Senior Brother Cai right now?"
"Are you serious?" Li Zongyin's face lit up.
"Of course," Li Ye replied casually. "Otherwise, what do you think I came to find you for today?"
The rhetorical question caught Li Zongyin a bit off guard, and he began to fumble for words.
Although he had treated Li Ye with the proper respect since their meeting, he knew exactly what price the family had paid to convince Li Ye to make this introduction.
Originally, he assumed that Li Ye would try to extort more resources during this meeting, so he had gone out of his way to act humble hoping that by saving Li Ye's pride, he might avoid being squeezed further.
But now… had he misjudged him entirely?
"Unless you have other matters, come along."
With a flick of his sleeve, Li Ye summoned a green-leaf flying boat and soared into the sky.
Seeing that Li Ye didn't even bother saying another word before leaving, Li Zongyin glanced apologetically at Zhang Jingjing.
"Jingjing, head back and rest for now."
"This visit to Senior Brother Cai is far too important to treat lightly. Once everything's settled, I'll accompany you around the sect tomorrow."
With that, he ignored the displeasure on his fiancée's face, summoned a fire crow, stepped onto its back, and chased after Li Ye's departing figure.
His fiancée might be important but compared to his cultivation path, she wasn't worth mentioning.
"To leave just like that… How unromantic," Zhang Jingjing huffed, stamping her foot.
"That down-and-out cousin with such weak cultivation he's more important than me?"
"If it weren't for Father's insistence, I'd never agree to marry such a blockhead!"
She glared after the two figures disappearing into the distance, then stomped off in frustration.