268: It can be seen that he is still strong despite his age.

After exiting the main hall, Xie Weilou saw Yan Junlin.

"Brother Xie!" Yan Junlin waved at Xie Weilou, a wide smile on his face.

Xie Weilou's face lit up with joy, and he quickly stepped forward to bow, saying, "Greetings, Grandmaster!"

Yan Junlin immediately supported Xie Weilou, saying, "Brother Xie, we are brothers, no need to be so formal. Congratulations on passing the assessment. I originally planned to greet you when you were taking the assessment, but something came up and delayed me. Please forgive me."

The Xia Emperor was at the Saint Institute, so he naturally didn't dare to act rashly before. Now that the Xia Emperor had left, he quickly rushed to greet Xie Weilou.

He had bet on Xie Weilou, and Xie Weilou's status was now rising, so he felt he would definitely profit.

Xie Weilou smiled and said, "Oh! We are brothers, no need for such formalities. I understand completely."

Yan Junlin's face was filled with emotion, and he asked again, "Brother Xie, which Hall or Peak did you join?"

Xie Weilou said with a broad smile, "My situation is a bit special. Ordinary people aren't qualified to be my teachers."

Upon hearing this, Yan Junlin immediately felt something was off, subconsciously assuming Xie Weilou hadn't been chosen by any of the Halls or Peaks. He quickly comforted him, saying, "Brother Xie, there's no need to worry. The Saint Institute is very large, and its management is quite lenient. You can go to any Hall or Peak to attend lectures and study. No one will stop you."

His Imperial Father now valued Xie Weilou, so even if Xie Weilou didn't join any Hall or Peak, it wouldn't be a big problem. With this connection, who would dare to prevent Xie Weilou from studying?

"Mm!" Xie Weilou nodded lightly, not explaining too much.

Seeing that Xie Weilou didn't show any sadness, Yan Junlin smiled and said, "The assessment is over. How about we go for a drink?"

Xie Weilou mused, "An elder just asked me to see the Dean. I'll go check that out first! After I'm done, I'll come find you for a few drinks."

Yan Junlin's expression was a bit strange. See the Dean?

He nodded lightly and said, "In that case, I'll wait for Brother Xie in Heavenly Barrier City. When we meet, we brothers won't stop until we're drunk."

"It's a deal! Then I'll go take care of my business first."

Xie Weilou smiled warmly and walked in a certain direction.

"See the Dean? That's interesting!" Yan Junlin watched Xie Weilou's retreating figure, a faint smile on his face.

----------

Xie Weilou walked along the main road. He didn't go directly to Star Lake, but instead passed by the bamboo forest covered by Restriction.

As he approached, the Demon Hand reacted. The demonic creatures sealed within the bamboo forest greatly intrigued him.

However, he couldn't act on it for now; it would easily draw attention. He needed to find a perfect opportunity.

After walking for a while, Xie Weilou saw Lin Qinghuang and Song Shenfeng.

"How was it?" Xie Weilou stepped forward, a wide smile on his face, looking at Lin Qinghuang.

Lin Qinghuang nodded lightly, "The Heavenly Barrier checkpoint was indeed very difficult, but I successfully passed through."

Song Shenfeng looked at Xie Weilou and said with a smile, "Boy, you and Lin Qinghuang should come to my Thunder Peak later."

"Alright!" Xie Weilou bowed to Song Shenfeng.

Song Shenfeng smiled indifferently, then left with his hands behind his back.

After Song Shenfeng left, Xie Weilou gazed at Lin Qinghuang, "Did you get the item?"

Lin Qinghuang extended her hand, and a unique white crystal appeared in her palm. This crystal contained powerful energy.

"This is...?" Xie Weilou was a bit surprised. This crystal was far from simple, making him instinctively think of something from cultivation novels: spirit stones!

Lin Qinghuang softly said, "This is Spirit Source, which contains powerful energy and can be used for cultivation. It's an extremely important cultivation resource, but it's hard to find even a few in the entire Great Xia, or even the surrounding Imperial Dynasties. Coincidentally, the Saint Institute has one. This item is of great use to me; it can be used to activate the teleportation array..."

She took this item not for cultivation, but to activate the teleportation array in the Void Heaven Sword Arena.

"I see." Xie Weilou didn't ask further. He waved his hand lightly and said, "You go to Thunder Peak first. I need to go see the Dean."

"Alright." Lin Qinghuang put away the Spirit Source and walked forward.

Xie Weilou looked at Lin Qinghuang's back, smiled, and walked in another direction.

Lin Qinghuang walked a few steps, then stopped. She looked at Xie Weilou, wanting to speak but hesitating...

Half an incense stick later, Xie Weilou arrived at Star Lake.

By the lake, Dean Zhou Xuantian was wearing a straw hat and fishing. There was a fish basket beside him. He pulled on his fishing rod, and a Starry Fish was reeled in.

Xie Weilou stepped forward and bowed, "Greetings, Dean!"

Counting it, this was his first time meeting Zhou Xuantian. This old fellow was extremely formidable; a Divine Court Realm expert was naturally terrifying.

Zhou Xuantian put the fish into the fish basket and said with a smile, "You boy, now that you've entered the Saint Institute, is there anything you want to do?"

Xie Weilou said earnestly, "Practice the coolest sword techniques, wield the fiercest blades, drink the strongest wine, look at the most beautiful women, touch the longest and most delicate fair legs..."

Zhou Xuantian's mouth twitched, and he glared at Xie Weilou, saying, "I just asked what you want to do, not what your strange fetishes are."

Xie Weilou casually found a stone stool and sat down, "These are the things I want to do."

"Useless!" Zhou Xuantian was somewhat speechless.

Xie Weilou said nonchalantly, "I am at the peak of the Xuanhuang Realm, how am I useless?"

Zhou Xuantian casually pulled out a token and handed it to Xie Weilou, "This is your identity token. With this token, you can go to any Hall, Peak, or major Cave Mansion. The Seven Grandmasters, various Peak Masters, Sword Immortals, Song Shenfeng, and even I, can teach you cultivation. See what you're interested in and you can go learn it. If you don't understand anything, you can ask me!"

Xie Weilou took the token and stared at Zhou Xuantian with a strange expression, "Divine Court Realm experts don't die that easily, do they? Is the Dean perhaps about to kick the bucket?"

If someone suddenly treated you well, it was very strange. He and Zhou Xuantian were complete strangers, so why was the other party acting like this?

If this old man was about to die, then he would have to suspect whether the other party had ill intentions, such as wanting to seize his body or coveting something he possessed.

Aren't all tropes like this?

Zhou Xuantian seemed to know what Xie Weilou was thinking. He said speechlessly, "Don't overthink it. Being nice to you is purely out of respect for your Third Uncle. This Dean wouldn't even look twice at your weak and frail body."

He naturally had to give face to Xie Bian and the Xia Emperor.

"Cough, cough!" Xie Weilou coughed lightly, "The Dean worries too much. I merely have a kind heart and sympathize with the elderly."

"What? Elderly?" Zhou Xuantian immediately stood up, threw down his fishing rod, took off his straw hat, and stomped his foot on the ground.

He glared angrily at Xie Weilou, "I've been cultivating for less than two hundred years. How am I old?"

"It's clear, you're still vigorous in your old age!" Xie Weilou gave a thumbs up.

"Hmph!" Zhou Xuantian snorted coldly. He changed the subject, "You boy, you've entered the Saint Institute now, but don't even think about my Starry Fish. Catching one or two occasionally is fine, but if you dare to use a net to catch them next time, don't blame this Dean for being impolite."

"Got it." Xie Weilou yawned, looking utterly exhausted.

"Go on!" Zhou Xuantian impatiently waved his hand. He had originally planned to give Xie Weilou some pointers, but seeing the boy's demeanor, he decided to put it off.

This boy was lazy by nature; he needed some tempering first. He decided to let Song Shenfeng train him first, to make him rein in his temperament, otherwise, his future path wouldn't be easy!

"Disciple takes his leave." Xie Weilou reached out, skillfully picked up the fish basket from the ground, and turned to leave.

Zhou Xuantian: "..."

He stared blankly at the fishing rod in front of him, then looked at the fish basket in Xie Weilou's hand. Taking the fish on the sly?

This boy was truly thick-skinned, truly shameless, just like him when he was young!

"Heh!" Zhou Xuantian laughed, a nostalgic look in his eyes. Who hasn't been young before?

He shook his head, picked up his fishing rod, and flew away.

As for the Xia Emperor's judgment, they would just have to wait and see.

Not long after, Zhou Xuantian reappeared by the lake. He picked up the straw hat from the ground, wiped off the dust, put it on his head, and left again...