Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

"Heh heh. My Lingyun Sect not only boasts considerable achievements in Martial Arts, but our mastery of Elixirs is unmatched in the entire Southern Wilderness Martial Arts World. If you join our Sect, you'll gain access to all sorts of Martial Arts Techniques and receive a variety of Elixirs. With your talent, your cultivation is bound to progress with incredible speed."

"In the Martial Arts World, your Realm is everything. A high Realm, combined with powerful martial arts talent, will allow you to rise above all others."

"That's right, Young Master Ling. Joining our Sect would be the wisest choice you could make," another steward from the Lingyun Sect immediately chimed in.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, I must disagree," the steward from the Beiming Sword Sect immediately retorted. "My Sect has Elixirs as well. With Young Master Ling's talent, he won't need many to achieve a breakthrough. What he truly needs are profound Martial Arts. I can see that Young Master Ling is exceptionally talented in the Sword Dao. If he were to join my Beiming Sword Sect and cultivate our Beiming Sword Technique, he would surely become a great Swordsmanship Grandmaster in the Southern Wilderness."

"Fellow Daoist Cheng, your words are biased," the Lingyun Sect steward shot back. "My Lingyun Sect's Martial Arts are just as vast and profound; we're no worse than your Beiming Sword Sect. And with the aid of Elixirs, one can easily rise above the competition. Sometimes, when you hit a bottleneck, it's nearly impossible to break through without the help of an Elixir!"

"Fellow Daoist Fang, you're mistaken," the man from the Beiming Sword Sect said, his face dark. "In the recent minor competitions among the sects of the Southern Wilderness Martial Arts World, it has always been my Beiming Sword Sect holding your Lingyun Sect down. So how can you claim to be the ones who rise above the competition? Elixirs are nothing but a side path."

"Fellow Daoist Cheng, don't you think you're going too far!" said Steward Fang of the Lingyun Sect. "A few wins and losses hardly define the whole picture, do they?"

The stewards from both Major Sects had grim expressions, their words thick with animosity. They looked ready to trade blows at the slightest provocation.

At this point, it was no longer a simple matter of the sects recruiting apprentices.

They were pitching themselves, trying to win over Ling Fei.

The scene left the other so-called geniuses standing nearby feeling utterly awkward.

At the same time, everyone who looked at Ling Fei did so with undisguised envy.

When had the high-and-mighty stewards from the Southern Wilderness Martial Arts World ever been this contentious while selecting talent?

This alone was enough to show the status Ling Fei held in their eyes.

To them, he was a once-in-a-generation genius who simply could not be missed.

Liu Chen and his companions' faces were filled with envy.

At the same time, they were seething with hatred.

The sight of an enemy is infuriating enough, but to see that enemy so flushed with success? It was impossible for them to be in a good mood.

"Ahem. Fellow Daoists, there's no need to be hasty. I believe we should ask for Young Master Ling's opinion on the matter," the Celestial Emperor said from his Throne with a smile.

"Ling Fei, which Sect do you wish to join?"

Instantly, all eyes turned to Ling Fei.

"I am very grateful for the generous offers from all you seniors. I hold every Sect in high regard. However, my father is injured and requires the finest Elixirs for his treatment. Therefore, I wish to join the Lingyun Sect, so that I might learn the Alchemy Technique and heal him." Ling Fei first clasped his fists toward the stewards of the various sects to show his gratitude, then stated his intentions.

"Join the Lingyun Sect to study the Alchemy Technique?" Upon hearing this, Steward Cheng of the Beiming Sword Sect shook his head. "Young Master Ling, you have a rare talent for the Sword Dao. If you focus on cultivating it, you could become a Swordsmanship Master for a generation in our Southern Wilderness World. If you abandon your strengths to study Alchemy, I fear it will be detrimental to your future development!"

"Indeed!" another steward from the Beiming Sword Sect added. "The Alchemy Technique is incredibly difficult to learn, and becoming an Alchemy Master is next to impossible. If you lack talent in Alchemy and rashly pursue it, you will only ruin your life!" In his eyes, Ling Fei learning Alchemy was tantamount to destroying his own future.

Hearing Ling Fei's words, the stewards from the Lingyun Sect were also taken aback.

They had intended to attract Ling Fei with the Sect's Elixirs, not for the boy to actually want to learn Alchemy himself.

This made them frown.

Everyone knew that Alchemy was not so easy.

"Heh heh, Young Master Ling, since you wish to learn Alchemy to heal your father, joining my Lingyun Sect is clearly the best choice," Steward Fang said with a laugh. "With your talent, you can study Alchemy while also learning other Martial Arts. Besides, the path of cultivation is long. You can treat the Alchemy Dao as a hobby; over time, you can still achieve something. Of course, if you wish to make Elixirs your main focus, that is also possible—as long as you have the talent for it."

At this moment, he couldn't be bothered with the details. All that mattered was that the boy joined the Lingyun Sect.

'If he has no talent for Alchemy, he can still cultivate Martial Arts, can't he?'

The important thing was that once Ling Fei entered the Lingyun Sect, the other sects wouldn't be able to poach him.

At this thought, an involuntary smile touched the corners of Steward Fang's mouth.

"Talent for Alchemy?" Hearing this, Ling Fei's brow furrowed.

Before, he had only focused on learning Alchemy to heal his father, completely overlooking the need for talent.

'It seems becoming an Alchemy Master isn't so simple after all!'

"Heh heh, Young Master Ling, you needn't worry. We won't know if you have a talent for Alchemy until you're tested at the Sect," Steward Fang said with a smile. "Besides, with your level of talent, even if you lack an aptitude for Alchemy, you will still receive priority training. So you have nothing to worry about."

"Furthermore, even if you can't perform Alchemy yourself, as long as you become a powerful expert, the Sect will find a way to refine the Elixirs you need."

He continued, trying to dispel all of Ling Fei's worries.

"Alright!" Hearing this, Ling Fei nodded. "I am willing to join the Lingyun Sect."

In his mind, as long as there was even a sliver of a chance, he wouldn't give up.

As for the Martial Arts of the Beiming Sword Sect, Ling Fei wasn't overly concerned.

After all, he possessed the True Dragon Visualization Image, the True Dragon Transformation Technique, and other Martial Arts.

'Surely these techniques are no worse than those of the Beiming Sword Sect?' he thought.

Besides, the Lingyun Sect also had plenty of powerful Martial Arts.

"Heh heh, Young Master Ling, this is the Quasi-apprentice Waist Token of my Lingyun Sect!" Steward Fang grinned and quickly presented a Waist Token to Ling Fei.

WHOOSH!

The Waist Token flew toward Ling Fei like a rainbow.

"Thank you, Senior." Ling Fei caught the Waist Token in his hand.

Seeing this, the stewards from the Beiming Sword Sect standing nearby looked on with great regret.

Such a promising new talent had fallen into the hands of the Lingyun Sect.

'I hope this Ling Fei gives up on the Alchemy Dao in time. Otherwise, a delay of one or two years will cost him the ability to compete with his peers.' Steward Cheng of the Beiming Sword Sect shook his head and muttered to himself. Though he had no connection to Ling Fei, he didn't want to see a genius he admired fall from grace.

'Heh heh, the fool actually chose to cultivate the Alchemy Dao. This is for the best. If his strength stagnates, there will be more opportunities to deal with him in the future.' Liu Chen's eyes narrowed into a smile. 'If Ling Fei's strength stalls, perhaps even a few experts at the Small Primordial Pill Realm could be enough to eliminate him.'

Small Primordial Pill Realm experts were rare in the Great Tang Empire, but there were plenty of them within the Major Sects.

As long as one could pay the price, they could be hired.

Besides, weren't Li Yufeng and Li Qinghou still around?

At this thought, Liu Chen felt a sense of immense relief and pleasure.

This grudge would be settled, sooner or later.

'As for now, I'll let you live a little longer.' Liu Chen gazed at the center of attention, Ling Fei, and a savage grin twisted his lips.

'The Southern Wilderness will be the start of your nightmare!' Unconsciously, cold smirks appeared on the faces of Wang Yuyang, Li Zheng, and the others.

All of them were now waiting for an opportunity to take their revenge.

It might be difficult to make a move within the Empire.

But once they entered the Southern Wilderness Martial Arts World, there would be plenty of opportunities.

Unless, of course, Ling Fei turtled up in the Lingyun Sect and never came out.