The newcomer was one of Li Tiantong's few friends in the Five Elements Tower, Zhang Yi.
Li Tiantong turned around and was about to ask who was looking for him when he saw a group of people walking from the end of the corridor. The leader was none other than the Outer Sect Deacon, Zhang Dayuan.
Zhang Dayuan was short and stout, with a customary arrogant smile on his round Face. Behind him followed three or four lackeys, all broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with cultivation levels seemingly at the Late Stage of the Eternal Dao Lord realm; it was clear they were brought along specifically to put on a show.
They walked hurriedly and reached Li Tiantong in an instant, shoving Zhang Yi aside before he could speak.
"Li Tiantong, what are you still dawdling here for?"
Zhang Dayuan stood with his hands on his hips, his chin slightly raised as he looked down his nose at Li Tiantong.
"You've already received the mission Jade Slip, so why haven't you set off yet? The Nine Mountains Mining Area is far away. If you delay and something goes wrong with the job at the mine, can you afford the consequences?"
The lackeys behind him also joined in the jeering, chiming in one after another to urge him on, their tones filled with schadenfreude.
"Exactly. Just an Outer Sect Disciple, yet he puts on such grand airs."
"Senior Brother Zhang coming personally to urge you is giving you enough Face already. If you know what's good for you, get lost quickly."
Li Tiantong gripped the Jade Slip in his hand and took a deep breath, suppressing the anger rising in his chest.
He looked up at Zhang Dayuan's greasy Face and tried to make his voice sound as calm as possible.
"Senior Brother Zhang, please allow me to pack my belongings. I will set off in half an hour at most."
"Pack what belongings?"
Zhang Dayuan waved his hand, his smile turning colder. "Don't you know the rules for Outer Sect Disciples? You depart immediately after receiving a mission. This is the tower's regulation, not something a newcomer like you can haggle over. Besides, what doesn't the Nine Mountains Mining Area have? Do you really need to bring this junk?"
He glanced at Li Tiantong's simple attire, his lips curling into a mocking sneer. His eyes clearly said:
You don't have anything worth bringing anyway, so you might as well just leave.
Li Tiantong's fingers trembled slightly.
He knew Zhang Dayuan was deliberately making things difficult for him, but he also knew he didn't have the capital to resist.
In the Outer Sect, a single word from Zhang Dayuan could make his life miserable.
"Senior Brother Zhang, I..."
"I what?"
Zhang Dayuan interrupted him, his voice rising. "Aren't you going to get lost yet? Do I have to call someone to kick you out?"
The lackeys stepped forward threateningly, looking ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
Li Tiantong's Face turned ashen, his lips pressed into a thin line, his heart already filled with extreme rage.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yi spoke up:
"Tiantong, someone is looking for you."
"Looking for what?!"
Zhang Dayuan interrupted:
"What time do you think it is? Just leave already."
"Fine, I'm going."
Li Tiantong unclenched his fists.
Just then, a leisurely voice came from the end of the corridor, carrying a weight that could not be ignored:
"Brother Li, wait a moment."
Everyone's gaze simultaneously turned toward the direction of the voice.
A young man stepped out from the shadows of the corridor, wearing a moon-white robe with a dark purple token hanging from his waist. He walked with composure, his Face handsome, and his brow carried an innate nobility that he deliberately restrained. Behind him followed two attendants, also dressed in clean, simple attire, walking with steady steps and eyes as sharp as lightning.
Zhang Dayuan's pupils constricted sharply.
A Hun Family token.
Having spent tens of thousands of years in Qianhun City, he might not have had other skills, but he certainly had an eye for recognizing people. This was an Advanced token, not something an ordinary person could possess.
The Hun Family's status in Qianhun City was absolute.
Forget a lowly Outer Sect Deacon like him; even an Elder of the Five Elements Tower would have to show some Face to a direct descendant of the Hun Family. The young man approached and bowed to Li Tiantong with cupped hands, keeping his posture very humble.
"I am Hun Jiuge. I apologize for the intrusion and hope Brother Li can forgive me."
Li Tiantong was stunned.
Someone from the Hun Family? Looking for him? He reflexively returned the bow, but his mind was in a state of turmoil.
He had been in Qianhun City for decades and had never had any dealings with the Hun Family. Why would they suddenly come looking for him?
Li Tiantong's heart sank.
The Hun Family?
As a Loose Cultivator who had achieved Transcendence from the Lower Realm and was barely scraping by as an Outer Sect Disciple of the Five Elements Tower, how could he possibly know someone from the Hun Family?
Could it be... his identity had been exposed?
This thought struck his mind like a bolt of lightning, causing his back to tense up instantly.
He knew that there were powers on the Eternal Continent that specifically sought out Cultivators who had achieved Transcendence from the Primordial Chaos.
After all, the Primordial Chaos existed by relying on the eternal tree. If it could be refined or utilized, one could reap enormous profits from it.
The reason he had been so careful to hide his identity was precisely for fear of being targeted by such powers.
Now that the Hun Family had suddenly come looking for him...
Seeing no reaction from Li Tiantong, Hun Jiuge turned his gaze to Zhang Dayuan, sizing him up with an indifferent tone.
"And this is..."
A smile squeezed onto Zhang Dayuan's round Face, looking worse than if he were crying.
"I am Zhang Dayuan, an Outer Sect Deacon of the Five Elements Tower. I did not know the Young Master of the Hun Family was visiting. Please forgive my lack of a proper welcome."
"Outer Sect Deacon?"
Hun Jiuge repeated the title, his gaze falling on the Jade Slip in Li Tiantong's hand with a faint, mocking smile.
"I just heard you say you wanted Brother Li to 'get lost'? And that you would 'kick' him out?"
Zhang Dayuan's Face instantly stiffened.
The lackeys behind him also shrank back, each one as quiet as a winter cicada, their former arrogance completely vanished.
"A misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."
Zhang Dayuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a smile. "I was just urging him to head to the Nine Mountains Mining Area quickly. He has a mission, and it can't be delayed..."
"Nine Mountains Mining Area?"
Hun Jiuge raised an eyebrow, took the Jade Slip from Li Tiantong's hand, and glanced at it. The smile on his Face deepened, but it held no warmth.
"Nine Mountains Mining Area, Overseer for a hundred years. Deacon Zhang, your mission arrangement is quite 'thoughtful'."
Zhang Dayuan caught the sarcasm in his words, and his smile nearly crumbled.
He opened his mouth to explain, but Hun Jiuge was no longer looking at him.
Hun Jiuge tucked the Jade Slip into his sleeve and said to Li Tiantong:
"Brother Li, you don't need to go on this mission."
Zhang Dayuan's eyes widened.
He doesn't need to go?
This was an Outer Sect mission assignment. On what grounds could someone from the Hun Family just cancel it?
But he only dared to think this in his heart; he didn't dare to utter a single word.