After the discussions ended, Yang San Mu turned toward Jian Long and spoke with a faint smile.
"How are you, genius of the Bai clan?I heard your performance in today's battle was outstanding."
Jian Long finally snapped out of his thoughts before calmly replying:
"Ah, you overestimate me ،I'm certain that anyone with my level of strength and even a shred of courage could have accomplished what I did… perhaps even better."
The moment he finished speaking, smiles appeared on the faces of both Yang San Mu and Wu Shuai.
As for Fang Gong he struggled to suppress his laughter.
Jian Long had been trying to appear humble…
but without realizing it, he had directly insulted the other elders.
Because the battle had ended only recently, he still did not know that—aside from Yang San Mu, Wu Shuai, Fang Gong, and himself—
the remaining elders had either not dared to fight the Heavenly Sun Birds at all or had fled from the battlefield entirely.
And in truth this was one of the main reasons Yang San Mu had allowed Jian Long to attend the elders' meeting and even granted him a seat so close to him.
In a subtle way he wanted to humiliate the other elders.
From Fang Gong's perspective, Jian Long's achievements had greatly eased the dissatisfaction he felt over yesterday's incident.
With accomplishments like these—
overlooking Jian Long's earlier actions had become only natural.
"Unfortunately, young man… it seems some people truly do not possess even a shred of courage."
Yang San Mu spoke in a mocking tone.
Jian Long quickly understood the situation and realized that he had unintentionally insulted the other elders.
But he was not bothered by it.
With his current strength and status, he no longer feared them.
…
After the meeting ended and everyone left the tent, Fang Gong followed Jian Long until he caught up beside him.
"Well done, little hero. Your performance today was truly magnificent."
"What do you say? Why not join me for lunch again today?"
Jian Long smiled and replied in a respectful tone:
"Please forgive me, brother. I have many matters to deal with today, and I'm still exhausted from the battle."
"If you have something to say, then speak directly and leave the formalities aside."
A faint trace of annoyance appeared on Fang Gong's face when Jian Long addressed him as "brother" instead of "lord."
After all, Jian Long was extremely young and had only recently begun his journey as a Gu Master.
But Fang Gong had no grounds to complain.Jian Long had already been publicly recognized as an elder equal to himself.
"Truly, nothing escapes your notice, brother ,I heard that you obtained Dawn Light Gu, Fire Blade Gu, and Dragon Breath Gu from the Heavenly Sun Bird you killed."
"And as you know, I and my clan follow the fire path, so I would like to purchase them from you."
"Of course, I have no objections,and honestly, who would be more suitable than you to own those Gu worms?"
"But as you know, I lack experience in buying and selling Gu.So I asked Lord Yang San Mu to personally supervise the sale of my Gu worms."
"Then let us meet there shortly."
"I look forward to it."
Fang Gong bid him farewell before leaving.
As Jian Long watched him depart, he suddenly recalled his earlier conversation with Yang San Mu.
In truth, Jian Long was facing a serious problem.
He needed to sell the Gu worms he had obtained…
but naturally, he was completely ignorant when it came to the prices of Gu worms, especially Rank Two Gu.
In fact, even many Rank Two Gu Masters themselves did not fully understand their market values.
Under normal circumstances, people would hire an appraiser to help determine the true value of the Gu.
But Jian Long's situation was far from normal.
He was inside the caravan, yet he did not belong to any faction.
And if he hired an appraiser, that person would most likely side with the buyer—
who, in the end, would be one of the influential caravan elders.
And so Jian Long decided to approach Yang San Mu directly after the elders' meeting ended.
When Jian Long made his request, Yang San Mu agreed without hesitation.
However, in exchange, he asked for a favor of his own.
"Very well, I agree."
"But in return, I would like you to do something for me as well."
The moment Jian Long heard this, he immediately displayed proper courtesy.
"Please, ask whatever you wish. If it is within my abilities, then I will gladly be of service."
Yang San Mu nodded approvingly.
"Good.But this is not something I can speak about here."
"After we arrive at Yanmen City, come meet me one month later at the White Rose Inn."
"It is a well-known inn there. Once you arrive, simply tell them you were invited by me, and they will bring you to me."
"At that time, I will explain what I want from you,Then you may choose whether to accept or refuse my request."
"The decision will be entirely yours. I will not force you."
"But understand this If you agree and successfully complete what I ask of you, I will give you something extremely valuable—something of great importance to you."
Ever since that conversation, Jian Long could not stop thinking about it.
What kind of matter would require the help of a powerful Gu Master like Yang San Mu?
And what was this "extremely valuable" thing that Yang San Mu intended to give him in return?
....
"Alright, are you ready?"
Zhou Quan asked.
"Yes. The moment you give the signal, I'll take flight."
Jian Long replied.
The two of them stood at the edge of the caravan, overlooking vast plains devoid of trees.
Jian Long had obtained a flying-type Gu worm from the fire path.
He had taken it from one of the Heavenly Crown Birds he killed during the battle. From the looks of it, the Gu had originally served as support for the bird's flight.
When Jian Long found it, Zhou Quan immediately advised him not to sell it and instead keep it for now so he could learn how to fly.
"I'll fly first. Watch me carefully—maybe you'll learn something by observing."
"And when I give you the signal, fly at a very low altitude."
"Understood."
The moment Zhou Quan finished speaking, he shot into the sky and began soaring through the air with practiced movements.
"Incredible! You're really skilled at this!"
Jian Long shouted in admiration.
The thought of finally being able to fly filled him with excitement.
"Hahahahaha! Of course I am!"
"It only took me a few months before I could leave the ground, but it took me several years to become this skilled."
Zhou Quan laughed proudly.
The main reason he wanted to teach Jian Long was precisely so he could show off his flying skills and enjoy himself after obtaining such rich spoils from yesterday's battle.
Zhou Quan slowly descended closer to the ground.
"Alright, your turn. Stay close to the ground at first so I can catch you if you fall."
"Okay."
Jian Long activated his Gu worm.
Immediately, a pair of flaming wings erupted from his back, each stretching nearly four meters long.
The sight instantly shocked Zhou Quan.
The wings were far larger than they should have been.
Then Jian Long took flight.
At first, he only hovered slightly above the ground.
"How does it feel? Do you feel like you're losing balance?"
Zhou Quan asked.
"No. Actually… this feels incredibly easy."
"Let me try flying higher."
"What? Wait, don—"
Before Zhou Quan could finish speaking, Jian Long suddenly shot upward into the sky at high speed.
His movements were smooth and natural, as though he had been born to fly.
"Hahahahaha! This is amazing!"
"I feel like I was born for the skies!"
Zhou Quan: "..."