It's really helpless

The sky was clear, and the sun shone brightly.

Dugu Feng, high above the clouds, heard Liu Tianming's words, and after a moment of surprise, burst out laughing.

He had thought there was some profound reason for Liu Tianming's troubled expression.

He never expected it was because Liu Tianming was afraid he couldn't afford to give them away.

This truly made him feel a bit helpless.

Lu Wanli, standing nearby, couldn't bear it anymore.

"Young man, do you know who this person is?"

"With my Master's ability, let alone just a few Disciple, even ten times more wouldn't be a problem."

He felt both speechless and amused.

His Master was a noble and esteemed individual, whose collection was incredibly vast, not to mention that before coming to Phoenix Feather Sect this time, he had traveled overseas to acquire a secret realm.

If he hadn't known that Liu Tianming meant no harm, he would have made the other party understand what it meant to look down on someone.

At the same time, he secretly thought, "A small sect is indeed a small sect. Even if it has some extraordinary qualities, its knowledge and experience are too shallow. A 'true god' is before them, and they don't even realize it; an opportunity arrives, and they don't know how to seize it."

Liu Tianming saw the two of them looking confident and composed, and felt quite helpless.

It wasn't that he looked down on them; it was mainly that the other party probably didn't understand the true quantity.

Just then!

A voice came from below the clouds.

"It is a joy to have friends come from afar!"

"Mr. has come a long way, why not come in for a chat?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a thatched cottage courtyard beside Heavenly Dao Institute.

Inside the courtyard, a person was drinking freely on a colorful glazed stone stool beneath a lush jujube tree.

As the voice sounded, the courtyard gate was gently pushed open by a soft force.

Liu Tianming quickly descended from the clouds.

He bowed to him in a salute: "Disciple, greets Master!"

In the entire Phoenix Feather Sect, the only one who could be called Master was naturally Zhong Qing.

Zhong Qing glanced at him: "No need for formalities, you may withdraw first!"

"Yes, Master!"

Liu Tianming bowed and retreated.

At this moment, Dugu Feng brought Lu Wanli down from the clouds and entered the courtyard.

Zhong Qing made a gesture of invitation: "Please sit!"

Dugu Feng laughed aloud: "After several days apart, little friend's demeanor is even more striking than before!"

As he spoke, he had already sat down on the stone stool opposite Zhong Qing.

The more he looked at Zhong Qing, the more satisfied he became.

He was indeed the Disciple he valued. With such a refined and ethereal temperament, even Dugu Feng, who had lived for so many years, would find it difficult to find a few people who could compare with Zhong Qing in terms of temperament and appearance.

Not to mention Zhong Qing's terrifying cultivation advancement speed; looking through ancient and modern times, one would not find anyone who could compare with him.

Today, Zhong Qing wore a green robe, his hair, like a galaxy waterfall, draped to his waist. With a gulp of strong liquor, he exuded a hint of unrestrained indulgence.

He casually waved his hand, a stream of light flashed, and several jars of fine wine appeared on the stone table.

"Please!"

Dugu Feng was also a bold and unrestrained individual; he didn't stand on ceremony, immediately guzzling half a jar as if he were a whale or an ox.

Afterward, he let out a long sigh: "Good wine!"

"Zhong Qing, little friend, you have sincerely entertained me with fine wine."

"This old man cannot be without any expression!"

"These past few days, this old man made a trip to Shuo North and retrieved a few treasures. Take a look and see if you like them?"

As he spoke, he waved his long sleeve, and several jade boxes appeared on the stone table.

Lu Wanli, standing by, quickly stepped forward and opened one of the jade boxes.

In an instant, an ethereal glow shimmered from within the box, and along with the spiritual light, a fragrant aroma wafted out.

Inside the box was a fist-sized, three-colored exotic fruit covered with mysterious runes!

Lu Wanli introduced: "This fruit is the Three Yuan Six Harmony Fruit, a top-grade spiritual medicine among Venerable Realm-grade great medicines. Consuming one can increase the probability of a Returning to One Realm Great Perfection breaking through to the Venerable Realm by thirty percent, and the effect can be stacked."

"Consuming two can increase the probability to sixty percent, and consuming three can increase the probability to ninety percent."

"These three jade boxes contain nothing but Three Yuan Six Harmony Fruits."

As he introduced them, Lu Wanli's gaze towards Zhong Qing couldn't help but reveal a hint of envy.

He was currently at Venerable Realm Second Heaven.

If he had had such rare and exotic fruits to assist him back then, how could his path have been so difficult?

Such a supreme treasure, he was confident, held immense appeal even for the top geniuses of the three sects, one institute, and one dynasty in the Southern Domain.

For those in the Returning to One Realm, it was even more fatally alluring.

He thought that no matter how extraordinary Zhong Qing was, upon seeing such rare and exotic fruits, he would surely not be able to remain calm.

However, the result disappointed him.

Zhong Qing merely glanced at it casually, his face very calm.

So calm that it was as if the object before him was just ordinary and commonplace.

Not getting the expression he wanted from Zhong Qing's face made Lu Wanli's mentality a little shattered.

He even felt very uncomfortable.

These were treasures his Master had traveled for several days to search for him.

Even if he had shown a slightly joyful expression, it would have made people feel better.

What, is he looking down on them?

Zhong Qing didn't look down on a few Venerable Realm-grade spiritual fruits, but they indeed held no appeal for him.

After all, he now had quite a few Saint-grade spiritual medicines in his possession.

Even his Disciple were already eating medicinal meals brewed from Saint-grade spiritual medicines.

How much appeal could they have for him?

What made his head ache even more was this.

He had originally thought that after his last refusal, the other party would have given up the idea of taking him as a Disciple.

But now it seemed that the desire to take him as a Disciple was still alive!

Zhong Qing put down the wine in his hand, feeling somewhat at a loss for words.

He had always been the one to take Disciple from all over the world.

But now, he was being chased and sought after by someone who wanted to be his Master.

This feeling made his mood quite complex.

Zhong Qing sat upright on the stone stool, pondered for a moment, then looked at Dugu Feng and said, "Mr., I cannot accept this Venerable Realm-grade spiritual medicine!"

Upon hearing this, Dugu Feng was stunned.

He had thought that three Three Yuan Six Harmony Fruits, even if they couldn't persuade Zhong Qing to become his Disciple, could greatly change his attitude, making him less resistant to the matter of apprenticeship.

He had even made a long-term plan in his mind for this.

He wanted to change Zhong Qing's perception step by step.

But he didn't expect that this first step would be met with rejection.

"Zhong Qing, little friend, this is just a small token of my regard."

"Why must you refuse?"

Zhong Qing shook his head.

They say that when you eat someone's food, you are beholden to them; when you take someone's gifts, your hands are tied. Some things are not so easy to accept.

Moreover, this thing was truly useless to him.

"Mr. needs not say more. I have no use for this, please take it back!"

Dugu Feng became anxious.

"Zhong Qing, little friend, I admit that I indeed wanted to move you with my sincerity and take you as my Disciple."

"But if little friend is unwilling, this old man will never force you."

"And this treasure can provide immense assistance on your path of growth; you must not act impulsively!"

Seeing this, Zhong Qing knew that further words were useless.

He released his aura, revealing the unique presence of a Venerable Realm expert.

...