767: Guest

The Zhao Family.

"Brother Lin Yang, please forgive the slight, but you will temporarily reside here at Yunshui Villa. If you need anything, feel free to order the servants to do it."

Lin Yang returned to the Zhao Family residence with Zhao Hu and the others. Zhao Hu personally arranged for him to stay in the Villa specially prepared by the Zhao Family for distinguished guests.

Lin Yang took a rough look. This Yunshui Villa was very large, with an elegant and quiet environment, much better than the immortal cave he had lived in previously in Jidong Prefecture.

This certainly couldn't be considered a slight.

If he were to rent a place of this standard in the city, Lin Yang estimated the cost would not be cheap.

"Brother Zhao Hu, you have gone to much trouble," Lin Yang said.

Zhao Hu smiled: "You have traveled a long way and must be exhausted. Brother Lin Yang, please rest first. Tomorrow, our clan will hold a banquet to thank Brother Lin Yang for your help on the road. I will come to get you then."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yang couldn't help but say: "Is that necessary? It's too much trouble. Besides, I did it to avoid being robbed by that gang of bandits myself; there's no need to hold a special banquet."

Zhao Hu chuckled: "Regardless, we only escaped disaster this time because of your help, Brother Lin Yang. A banquet is necessary, so please don't decline."

"...Alright then." Lin Yang knew he couldn't refuse, so he didn't say anything more.

Zhao Hu left.

Lin Yang familiarized himself with the situation at this Yunshui Villa and then began to rest.

Actually, he didn't really need to rest; he was just going through the motions.

After resting for most of the day, Lin Yang left the Villa and prepared to tour Xiwu City.

Behind him followed an attendant named Zhao Mu, who was an attendant specially arranged for him by the Zhao Family.

Lin Yang had originally planned to tour by himself, but after thinking about it, he decided to let Zhao Mu follow.

Having a local follow him would be much more convenient.

Xiwu City was similar to Bi Xia City, and it was hard to get fully familiar with it in such a short time.

Lin Yang strolled for a while and chatted with Zhao Mu: "What are the major powers within Xiwu City?"

"Senior Lin, there are many family powers in Xiwu City. Among them, the Shen Family, Liu Family, Chen Family, Mu Family, and He Family are the five most powerful, known as the top families."

Zhao Mu immediately introduced them:

"Next are the seven or eight first-class families led by the Zang Family and the Yue Family, and after that are second-class families like our Zhao Family, totaling about fourteen or fifteen families."

"Besides these, there are some scattered families and some powerful rogue cultivators."

Lin Yang nodded slightly.

The situation in Xiwu City was indeed quite complex, with dozens of large and small family powers combined.

One can only say it lives up to being a major border city.

A single Xiwu City was much more complex and powerful than the prefecture city of Jidong Prefecture.

"It seems that gaining a foothold in Xiwu City will not be an easy task," Lin Yang mused to himself.

...

Meanwhile, inside the Zhao Family.

Zhao Chen was telling the current Zhao Family head, Zhao Xiongshan, and several other Zhao Family elders about Lin Yang's previous actions.

After hearing him out, Zhao Xiongshan's expression became solemn: "To be able to severely injure a powerhouse at the peak of the Nie Kong Realm with the cultivation of the mid-stage of the Nie Kong Realm, this strength is truly astonishing, and the potential is even greater."

"Second Elder, you did very well to invite him back for us."

"Since that is the case, let's try our best to invite him to join our Zhao Family at tomorrow's banquet. In this way, it will be equivalent to us gaining an existence at the peak of the Nie Kong Realm."

Zhao Chen nodded: "I think so too, but in terms of treatment, I'm afraid we need to increase it a bit, otherwise I estimate we won't be able to keep him."

"That is easy to discuss. As long as we can keep him, everything else can be negotiated," Zhao Xiongshan waved his hand.

"Then I am relieved," Zhao Chen said.

The reason he didn't immediately hold the banquet for Lin Yang was that he wanted to touch base and discuss it with Zhao Xiongshan and several other high-level members of the Zhao Family.

A powerhouse at the peak of the Nie Kong Realm could be considered high-end combat power in Xiwu City, not to mention that Lin Yang's cultivation was only at the mid-stage of the Nie Kong Realm.

It was worth them paying a higher price to win him over.

"I wonder if the First Elder can successfully break through this time..."

Zhao Chen muttered, finalizing the plan to host Lin Yang the next day.

...

Lin Yang returned to Yunshui Villa.

He had toured for half a day and did not continue.

Mainly because Xiwu City and Bi Xia City were basically the same.

Having a preliminary understanding was enough.

This was a very large place, enough for him to develop.

"Above the Nie Kong Realm is the Yuan He Realm. According to what Lin Mu said, every major family in Xiwu City has at least one or two Yuan He Realm existences, but basically, they are all in the early or mid-stages of the Yuan He Realm."

"If one can reach the Yuan He Realm, even in a place like Xiwu City, one can be considered a big shot."

Lin Yang thought.

On the Primal Ancient Continent, the Nie Kong Realm is considered a master, while the Yuan He Realm is a step further, with a boost in status and position at another level.

The peak of the Nie Kong Realm can serve as the ancestor of a sect in some ordinary places.

The Yuan He Realm can serve as the guardian existence of a sect or clan in large prefectures and major factions.

There is a threshold from Nie Kong to Yuan He.

Many Nie Kong Realm practitioners are stuck at the peak of the Nie Kong Realm, unable to advance further.

As for above the Yuan He Realm, that is the level of the Dao Wulou Realm.

Starting from igniting the Dao fire, going through the accumulation of the Nie Kong Realm, and then the refinement of the Yuan He Realm, from empty to combined, the mastery of the Dao has reached its limit, and finally, one reaches the Dao Wulou Realm.

This means that in the field of the Dao, at least one Great Dao is completely perfect, with no more flaws.

At this level, even among the major ancient clans, sects, and ancient orthodoxies, one is a pillar-like figure.

It is the peak on the Primal Ancient Continent.

As for going further up, there are the three realms: Heng, Wei, and Gu.

These three realms are already beyond the scope of ordinary reach.

That is the foundation of the entire race.

Existences beyond the mundane.

They no longer participate in ordinary affairs and things.

Their existence is only for the survival of the race; they are the protectors of the entire race.

In other words, the Dao Wulou Realm is the limit that all ordinary practitioners on the Primal Ancient Continent can reach.

The existence of the Heng, Wei, and Gu realms is unimaginable and unreachable.

This means that if Lin Yang can reach the Yuan He Realm, with his ability to fight above his level, as long as he doesn't provoke those ancient orthodoxies or ancient powers with a Dao Wulou Realm Practitioner sitting in charge, he would be safe enough.

Not to say he can walk sideways, but he could basically go wherever he wants.

Of course, only within the human territory.

If he goes to the Foreign race, it's hard to say.

Lin Yang pondered that he should improve his cultivation as soon as possible.

Although he is safe enough now, as long as no Yuan He Realm practitioners appear, he is invincible.

But there are Yuan He Realm practitioners in Xiwu City, and quite a few of them.

It's still not safe enough.

"The resources currently in my hands are enough to raise me to the late stage of the Nie Kong Realm, but it's still a bit short to reach the peak of the Nie Kong Realm in one go. As for completely breaking through to the Yuan He Realm, that will require even more accumulation."

"I still have to find a way to get more resources!"

Although he has a large amount of yuan sand in his hands now, compared to future needs, Lin Yang still feels it is not enough.

The higher the cultivation, the more the demand for various resources increases exponentially.

Now that he is in Xiwu City, where he can trade with the Gu Xu Clan, if he can have enough channels, it is a good place to earn wealth.

Ideas began to emerge in Lin Yang's mind, intending to use the geographical advantage of Xiwu City to accumulate some capital for himself.

...

The next morning.

Zhao Hu came to Yunshui Villa to invite Lin Yang to attend today's banquet.

Lin Yang had already agreed to attend the banquet yesterday, so he followed Zhao Hu directly.

The scale of the banquet was very high.

Zhao Family head Zhao Xiongshan and several other high-level Zhao Family elders were all present.

Although Lin Yang didn't know them, under Zhao Hu's introduction one by one, he was quite surprised.

This was giving him too much face.

"Fellow Daoist Lin Yang, thank you for your help this time, which saved my Zhao Family from loss. I toast you," Zhao Xiongshan raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Patriarch Zhao is too polite; I was also protecting my own interests," Lin Yang also raised his glass and drank.

The other elders also toasted him one after another.

Lin Yang dealt with them one by one.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhao Chen smiled and said: "Fellow Daoist Lin Yang, you have toured Xiwu City, do you have any plans?"

Lin Yang pondered.

Xiwu City is big, but many of the resource outputs here are monopolized by major families.

If one has the strength, one can go to trade with the Gu Xu Clan, which is also the main source of income for some powerful rogue cultivators.

But if one's strength is not enough, it is difficult to get by without joining a family power.

After all, Xiwu City is a border city and carries some things.

The situation is complex, but it is not really chaotic.

This leads to the fact that rogue cultivators actually don't have many resources to obtain.

It is best to have a power to rely on.

But joining a power...

Lin Yang inadvertently glanced at Zhao Chen, Zhao Xiongshan, and others, and immediately had a plan in his heart, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Zhao Chen, do you have any connections you can introduce? You know, I am new here and not familiar with Xiwu City."

Zhao Chen smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoist Lin Yang, since you have said so, I will speak directly."

He looked directly at Lin Yang and said seriously: "I want to invite you to join our Zhao Family!"

Lin Yang raised his eyebrows, both surprised and not surprised.

Given the strength he showed when dealing with the bandits earlier, it is reasonable for the Zhao Family to want to win him over.

Moreover, today's banquet, the Zhao Family head and others are all gathered, which shows their intention.

It's just that he didn't expect Zhao Chen to be so direct.

He thought the Zhao Family would pave the way a bit more, or wait a few days before saying it.

After a pause, Lin Yang said: "Thank you for your kindness, please allow me to consider it."

The Zhao family are good people, but joining a power here is also something that needs to be treated with caution.

Lin Yang was not intentionally pushing it off.

He really wanted to think about where to go from here.

This concerns his practice for a long time in the future.

Seeing this, Zhao Xiongshan said directly: "Fellow Daoist Lin Yang, if you join our Zhao Family as a Guest Elder, we will give you three times the treatment of a normal Guest Elder, and you don't need to worry about ordinary affairs, just take action at critical moments."

"Three times the treatment?" Lin Yang was a bit surprised when he heard this.

This is not a small amount!

Zhao Xiongshan nodded: "Yes, three times the treatment. Fellow Daoist Lin Yang, if you have other needs or conditions, you can also bring them up, and we can discuss them."

Lin Yang pondered again.

The sincerity of the Zhao Family is not insufficient.

It even exceeded his expectations a bit.

He knew the Zhao Family would definitely win him over, but he didn't expect them to be so generous, offering three times the treatment right away, and he could discuss other conditions.

This made it a bit difficult for him to say anything for a while.

However, after thinking about it, Lin Yang said: "Thank you, Patriarch Zhao, for thinking so highly of me, but I plan to go into seclusion for a period of time, probably at least tens of thousands of years."

"During this period, if any accidents happen, I may not be able to take action. Perhaps Patriarch Zhao can wait until I come out of seclusion to make a decision. After all, tens of thousands of years is not short, and Patriarch Zhao can also save the resources for these years."

The various materials he currently has in his hands are barely enough for him to cultivate to the peak of the Nie Kong Realm.

Even if it is still lacking, he can spend the yuan sand before going into seclusion to buy resources.

Seclusion was also something he had planned long ago.

Since he has resources in his hands, he must convert them into his own cultivation as soon as possible.

So he told Zhao Xiongshan truthfully.

Hearing this, Zhao Xiongshan laughed: "I thought it was something. Since Fellow Daoist Lin Yang is about to break through, it is important to go into seclusion to improve cultivation. Let alone tens of thousands of years, even more than a hundred thousand years or longer is no problem."

"As for what Fellow Daoist Lin Yang said about saving tens of thousands of years of resources, since our Zhao Family invites you with sincerity, we naturally won't care about these."

"If Fellow Daoist Lin is willing, from today on, you will be a Guest Elder of our Zhao Family. Our Zhao Family is also willing to provide an additional portion of the resources you need for your cultivation, how about it?"

"..." Lin Yang was silent for a moment, then said: "Since Patriarch Zhao has said so, then I will respectfully comply."

The sincerity given by Zhao Xiongshan was already very sufficient, so he no longer hesitated.

"Hahaha, welcome Guest Elder Lin Yang to join our Zhao Family!" Zhao Xiongshan laughed loudly.

"Welcome Guest Elder Lin Yang!" Zhao Chen and other elders of the Zhao Family, including Zhao Hu, all spoke up to welcome him.

The banquet finally ended in a harmonious atmosphere.

Lin Yang returned to Yunshui Villa.

Not long after, Zhao Hu came again and took out a spatial ring and handed it to him:

"Brother Lin Yang, this is what the Patriarch asked me to give to you. Inside is the remuneration for the Guest Elder for fifty thousand years, plus an additional portion of resources needed for Nie Kong Realm cultivation. It is paid to you in advance, hoping to help you break through smoothly."

Lin Yang was a bit surprised: "You gave me so much at once?"

"Hehe, anyway, it will be given sooner or later. Since you, Brother Lin Yang, are going to go into seclusion, you must need resources," Zhao Hu said with a smile.

"Then please thank the Patriarch for me." Lin Yang didn't stand on ceremony anymore and accepted it directly.

He really needed this large amount of resources now.

"Then Brother Lin Yang, when are you going into seclusion? Do you plan to go into seclusion in Yunshui Villa? Or set up a special seclusion room?" Zhao Hu asked again.

"In two days, I still need to prepare some things," Lin Yang said, "As for the place of seclusion, it would be best if you could prepare a seclusion room for me."

"No problem, I'll go arrange it for you now," Zhao Hu said and left.

Lin Yang went straight to some shops in the city and bought a large amount of resources.

This time he was prepared to break through to the peak of the Nie Kong Realm in one go.

...

Two days later.

Under the witness of Zhao Xiongshan and the elders of the Zhao Family, Lin Yang entered the seclusion room specially prepared for him.

Seeing him enter.

An elder of the Zhao Family couldn't help but say: "Patriarch, why not wait until he comes out of seclusion to talk? Paying remuneration in advance and providing extra resources, is this a bit too preferential?"

Zhao Xiongshan smiled faintly: "When he comes out of seclusion, his strength will be stronger, and it will be even harder for us to invite him then. Delays may cause changes. I think these investments are worth it."

"Besides, if it weren't for the Second Elder and Zhao Hu having some friendship with him, I'm afraid it wouldn't be our Zhao Family's turn at all."

(End of this chapter)