Visit the elders!

Regarding Li Na’s performance, he naturally rewarded and punished clearly.

With a wave of his hand, he conjured two thousand Spirit Stones, and a pile of Qiankun bags were all given to her.

He then instructed Li Na to keep an eye out for auctions and for spiritual materials needed to refine Foundation Establishment Stage Corpse Fiend, or Yin-attributed Spiritual Artifacts.

“As for Li Na leaking secrets? There’s no need to worry at all. People are greedy when faced with great profit, not to mention she accidentally ingested poison….”

A single banquet, and the gains were immeasurable….

Li Tan looked up at the sky. The scene above him appeared particularly gloomy, with light obscured by thick clouds. The world seemed shrouded in darkness, leaving only a somber gray.

Li Tan, feeling unwilling, wanted to reach out and touch it, yearning to tear through the clouds and behold the light! To let all things once again bask in endless warmth.

Heaven seemed to respond to the young man. A strong wind howled, relentlessly striking the young man’s Face.

The young man’s ink-black hair fluttered freely in the strong wind, and his white robes danced wildly, making him appear somewhat shaky and unsteady.

Even with the mighty wind, the young man’s posture did not waver in the slightest….

….

Simply by utilizing the Family’s system of “the big eating the small, the small gnawing on the old,” Li Tan made a fortune.

The Family system is always restrictive; it will strip every Family member, finally offering a few empty titles and honors. The true beneficiaries are always the Family high-ranking members….

During the banquet, although every disciple was like a bowstring drawn, they were not swayed by Li Na’s words. With great tacit understanding, each offered two thousand Spirit Stones.

This amount was not much for them, but not small either; it gave Li Tan enough Face while allowing them to save a little for themselves.

After all, only by becoming strong oneself is truly useful.

“Relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself; asking others for help is not as good as helping oneself.”

Gazing at the immense eighty thousand Spirit Stones in his storage ring, Li Tan silently pondered his next move….

“It’s time to reel in the net….”

…….

The scene shifts to the Third Elder’s private residence.

“Third Elder, there is someone outside claiming to be the grandson of Second Elder Li Yong, requesting an audience.”

A deep, hoarse voice emanated from the young man’s mouth. This young man knelt on one knee, his hands clasped in a salute.

His attitude was very respectful, as if he feared that with one misstep, the old man seated in the high position would devour him.

The Third Elder above revealed a thoughtful expression, then shifted his gaze to his good friend who had come to visit beside him.

“Old Chang, indeed, the waves behind push the waves ahead. Even the young ones of this generation have grown up.”

The old man also sighed repeatedly upon hearing this: “This young one truly has courage. Back then, we were afraid of encountering those old fogeys.”

“Each of us wished we could burrow into a crack in the ground to avoid their attention.”

The Third Elder said it was interesting and then ordered his subordinate to invite the person in.

As Li Tan was led by the subordinate, he finally arrived at a reception hall.

This reception hall was very simple, with only seats arranged from top to bottom, clearly just a guest room for negotiations.

Li Tan was not so arrogant as to visit the Third Elder using his own reputation. At the end of the day, he was just a Junior. Even with some fame, it wasn’t enough to challenge an Elder.

And Li Yong, as a highly sought-after neutral party, with his strength, no matter which side he joined, he would create a one-sided situation.

Therefore, Li Tan was certain that the Third Elder would definitely receive him!

As for why he didn’t choose the Grand Elder, one reason was his previous conflict with the Grand Elder.

Secondly, Ninth Elder and Ten Elder completely followed the Grand Elder’s lead, and the Grand Elder had absolute veto power.

As for the third reason, it was naturally that the more people there were, the greater the disputes, and the more benefits he could gain.

As for the fourth reason, it was naturally because of the first-rank Dao Artifact! Every Elder’s collection must be substantial. The more people, the more choices, and naturally, a greater chance of finding a Magical Artifact he liked.

The fifth reason was that the Elder faction was weak and needed Li Yong even more!

As he pondered this, two old men walked in from outside the door.

One had a sharp, mean appearance, with eyes full of cunning and treachery. The other had an expressionless Face, further highlighting his unpredictable moods.

Li Tan’s thoughts drifted, his expression subtly sinking, but he immediately adjusted it back.

Li Tan had naturally prepared notes on these two beforehand: Third Elder Third Elder Li Yin! Fourth Elder Li Rongchang!

It was rumored that Third Elder Third Elder Li Yin was cunning and never woke up early without profit. He loved to stab people in the back, acting one way in public and another in private, a truly despicable villain.

As for the other, Fourth Elder Li Rongchang, there were not many rumors about him. The only useful information was that Li Rongchang disliked flattery the most.

He would instantly kill anyone who contradicted him, and he would torment those who flattered him to death. He was known as the Faceless One, with unpredictable moods.

Li Tan originally had no intention of visiting this difficult bone to chew, but fate is unpredictable, and heaven plays tricks on people.

However, since he had come, he would make the best of it. Since he was here, he would definitely experience it.

Only a moment passed in the outside world. Li Tan broke the silence first, speaking: “Junior Li Yasi pays respects to Third Elder! Fourth Elder!”

Facing this young man, Fourth Elder Li Rongchang questioned him in confusion: “Junior, among the ten Elders, why did you specifically visit the Third Elder?”

Fourth Elder’s words were sharp, showing no mercy at all. It seemed that if Li Tan’s answer did not satisfy him, he would violently attack, completely disregarding Li Tan’s identity.

This also made Li Tan extremely troubled, inwardly crying out, “A fatal question!”

“If my reason cannot satisfy this old fellow in front of me, I’m afraid I won’t get any resources this time, and my life-saving trump card will also be lost.”

“This Fourth Elder, in particular, is someone who doesn’t respond to gentle persuasion but reacts violently to hard tactics. If I act tough, I can’t beat him.”

“If I act soft, he’ll still violently attack. He’s truly unpredictable, truly deserving of the title ‘Living King of Hell’.”

He had to think three times before speaking.

In a flash of lightning, Li Tan’s thoughts collided furiously. The next moment, he spoke with an unchanged expression:

“Before coming, this Junior followed grandfather’s advice and first visited Third Elder and Fourth Elder.”

“Grandfather often said that Fifth Elder is unfathomable, Eighth Elder enjoys making friends through poetry, and Sixth Elder and Seventh Elder are like Dragons, seen only by their heads and not their tails.”

“Outside, rumors and slanders abound, maliciously defaming the Elders. But how could Elders with their heaven-reaching cultivation have walked an easy path?”

“In this Junior’s eyes, all the Elders must have fought their way out step by step from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. How can the path of cultivation be based on luck?”

“Without seeing their true appearance, I will not dismiss them. Malicious rumors are merely born of jealousy. Therefore, after careful consideration, this Junior decided to presumptuously come and visit Third Elder and Fourth Elder.”

By noon, the dark clouds in the sky had dispersed, and sunlight reappeared on earth….

Under the radiant sunlight, Li Tan appeared sacred, his words resounding like a great bell, righteous and eloquent!

Fourth Elder Li Rongchang showed a hesitant expression: “I feel like this young man in front of me is flattering me, but I can’t tell where the flattery is. Yet, hearing it feels so comfortable.”

As he said, it was indeed the truth; which Elder had not fought their way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood?

After a brief moment of hesitation, Fourth Elder and Third Elder couldn’t help but show admiration, and their evaluation of Li Tan increased by a few points in their hearts.

So, did Li Tan flatter them? Did he, but also didn’t?

In fact, Li Tan was merely stating facts, but he deliberately beautified the process to make the outcome more appealing and vivid.

“Commonly known as ‘borderline flattery’.”

“Half-true, half-false; true and false mixed together, distorting the truth.”