Chapter Forty-One: Reunion with an Old Friend

“What plans do you have, Brother Chen? If you haven’t decided yet, perhaps we could travel together?” At this moment, only Chen Daolin remained at Lin Fan’s side; Shen Yan and the others had already vanished without a trace.

“I wouldn’t call it a plan. I came here merely to look around, and I don’t know many people. If you invite me, Brother Lin, I might just accept.” Chen Daolin, rarely one for jokes, made an exception; he and Lin Fan got along well, their friendship quite strong.

“Haha, then let us go together. I don’t know many people either.” Lin Fan laughed heartily and left the square. Though he did not know where Gu Renfeng and the others stayed, he reasoned that, given their status, few would fail to recognize them.

…

“The Divine Son Alliance is powerful. Even we, as scions of noble houses, suffer their oppression—let alone ordinary disciples. There are thousands of inner disciples in the Heavenly Capital Sect; must they all become lackeys of the Divine Son Alliance? We need a fair competitive environment. Wherever there is oppression, there will be resistance. That is exactly how the Divine Court was established. We must build a faction that can rival the Divine Son Alliance. After my flower blooms, all others will perish.”

In a vast courtyard, Feng Yu was expounding his views with fervor, spittle flying as he spoke. Below him sat the core members of the Divine Court, drawn together by him and Gu Renfeng.

“Master Feng, we have no objection to establishing the Divine Court, but we need a leader—a leader who can stand against the Divine Son. Otherwise, we’re just ants trying to stop a chariot.”

Someone spoke up, striking directly at the heart of the matter. There were few fools in the world; for the Divine Court to truly take shape, it required powerful backing. Noble houses were one part, but a formidable leader was even more crucial.

“You needn’t worry on that account. Our Divine Lord is absolutely formidable. He is currently in the process of accumulating strength for a great breakthrough. Let me reveal another secret: you know Senior Sister Yunxi, recently named Divine Maiden among the true disciples? She is the consort of our Divine Lord. Tell me, would someone capable of winning over Senior Sister Yunxi be an ordinary man?”

Feng Yu’s eyes sparkled, his tongue slick with lies, weaving stories so convincing they seemed true.

“This Feng Yu is utter nonsense.”

Outside the courtyard, a figure cursed quietly—it was Lin Fan. Chen Daolin beside him was already dumbfounded; he had never expected such secrets.

“Brother Lin, I truly never imagined you’d have such a connection with the sect’s ice-cold beauty.”

Chen Daolin looked at Lin Fan with admiration, feeling himself inferior.

“Don’t listen to Feng Yu’s nonsense, Brother Chen. He’s just trying to win people over.”

Lin Fan was at a loss for words, so he simply stopped explaining.

Half an hour later, Feng Yu finally finished and dismissed everyone.

“Feng Yu, your eloquence has improved quite a bit.”

Lin Fan finally had a chance to step forward, startling Feng Yu.

“Brother Lin, you’re finally here! Look around—pretty good, isn’t it? These are all people I’ve brought in, the future backbone of the Divine Court.”

Seeing Lin Fan’s face, Feng Yu laughed and invited praise. The commotion outside drew Gu Renfeng and Zhuge Tai out as well.

“Greetings, Divine Lord.”

Unlike Feng Yu, Gu Renfeng and Zhuge Tai were reserved. Since they agreed to establish the Divine Court, they addressed Lin Fan as the Divine Lord.

“Brother Gu, Brother Zhuge, you’re both here. But the Divine Court hasn’t yet taken shape, so there’s no need to call me Divine Lord. With no outsiders present, let’s use our usual names.”

Seeing Gu Renfeng and Zhuge Tai, Lin Fan felt a sense of camaraderie. He patted their shoulders, noticing that all three had reached the tenth level of physical cultivation, their strength likely no less than three elephant’s might.

“Come, let me introduce someone.”

Lin Fan pulled Chen Daolin forward, about to make introductions when Gu Renfeng and the others called out, “Young Sect Master.”

“What, you know each other?”

Lin Fan was puzzled; Chen Daolin had never mentioned his background. It now seemed he was from an extraordinary lineage.

“Haha, a flood washed into the Dragon King’s temple; family members didn’t recognize one another.”

Clearly, Chen Daolin and Gu Renfeng were on excellent terms, though Feng Yu’s focus had been solely on Lin Fan and had paid no attention to Chen Daolin.

After some discussion, Lin Fan marveled at the intricacies of fate; it turned out Chen Daolin was the Young Sect Master of the Heavenly Capital Sect, meaning his father was the current Sect Master—an illustrious status. Even Duanmu Ci would not dare to put on airs before Chen Daolin.

The group moved to a secret chamber, where they sat and exchanged greetings amid lively conversation.

“I never expected you to possess such strength, Brother Chen. But your reputation as the inner sect’s top disciple is shrouded in mystery—even Shen Yan doesn’t know you.”

Lin Fan was impressed. Though he always felt Chen Daolin was extraordinary, he had not imagined that his position was so esteemed, as the legendary first disciple of the inner sect.

“That’s just an empty title. Only those who reach the Heaven and Man realm can truly dominate. Who would have thought Duanmu Ci would have achieved that?”

Chen Daolin shook his head; his standards were high. What ordinary people dreamed of—the Pulse Condensation realm—was, to him, insignificant.

“Indeed, to gain real influence, one must possess overwhelming strength. In the current situation, even the Pulse Condensation realm can hardly speak for itself.”

Lin Fan nodded in agreement. He too had ambitions and was no longer satisfied with merely achieving Pulse Condensation.

“You two are enough—don’t disparage yourselves in front of us.”

Feng Yu rolled his eyes at the pair, muttering inwardly.

“Still, everyone’s strength has surged lately, advancing as never before. The bottleneck of the Pulse Condensation realm isn’t as strong as it used to be.”

Chen Daolin looked serious; he clearly knew more secrets but chose not to speak, as if wary of something.

“Enough, these matters don’t concern us. If the sky falls, the tall will bear it. Seizing opportunity is the true path. Let’s take advantage of this moment to step into the Pulse Condensation realm—then the Heaven and Man realm will be within reach.”

Lin Fan stopped the conversation, for he had urgent business and did not wish to be delayed.

“Do you know where Senior Sister Yunxi is staying? I have important matters to discuss with her.”

Lin Fan looked to Gu Renfeng and the others. Since learning that the people of the Ghost Domain were appearing, he suspected the emergence of the Demonic Clan was not so simple and wanted to report to the sect’s higher-ups. The only way he knew to do so was through Yunxi. Though Chen Daolin and the others had noble status, at this moment they likely could not meet a Heaven and Man realm master.

“As far as I know, Senior Sister Yunxi resides in Orchid Heart Hall. Perhaps you didn’t know, Brother Lin, but half a month ago she was officially named Divine Maiden.”

Gu Renfeng, though curious about Lin Fan’s urgent need to find Yunxi, did not wish to conceal anything.