"What have you decided?"
Ji Yuan furrowed his brow slightly, as if he had forgotten something important, unable to recall it no matter how hard he thought.
Helpless, he could only sigh silently and turn to the person before him, asking if they had made up their mind.
"I need you to be clearer," Li Buwei said, his expression somber, a multitude of unusual emotions flickering in his eyes.
A single sentence was not enough to make him risk his life. To be blunt, he needed more, more detailed promises to convince himself to make a decision.
He was indeed tempted, or rather, he had almost gone mad at that sentence.
Those who were not born as rogue cultivators, who had never experienced the hardships of life, being ordered around like ants, could hardly understand his current state of mind.
It was a pipe dream for him to establish his own sect, but no matter how high one's cultivation was, it was almost impossible to join even a small sect.
Even the smallest sect had its established lineage, and under normal circumstances, outsiders were not allowed to join midway. At most, one could be granted the position of guest elder.
For rogue cultivators, an identity was desperately needed. Otherwise, they would always remain the lowest-level cultivators, and even in major cities, they could only set up stalls in the market, unable to conduct business or own property.
Even if they stumbled upon some fortuitous resources by chance, they would be labeled as demonic cultivators by ill-intentioned cultivators, who would then casually kill them and seize the treasures.
Li Buwei was well aware of the difficult plight of rogue cultivators, as he himself had experienced it for nearly ten years, enduring countless hardships and grievances.
"At least an inner sect elder, belonging exclusively to the Xuantian lineage, with your name in the Ancestral Hall and a position on the Inheritance Peak. Besides providing cultivation resources, you will also be able to take disciples in the future and pass on your own legacy."
Ji Yuan understood the other party's thoughts and said without hesitation.
These simple words were enough to make any rogue cultivator excited and willing to risk everything for a gamble.
It was the same old saying: those who have not experienced it can never truly understand how arduous and helpless the situation of rogue cultivators is.
No faction allowed them to engage in business. Any faction with a little power would not hire them. To obtain even a bit of cultivation resources, one had to either abandon their dignity or risk their life.
Even so, they would often be robbed by cultivators from established sects and various factions. If they were not careful, they would be labeled as demonic cultivators and killed.
"Is what you say sufficient?"
Li Buwei stared at him intently, his eyes already bloodshot.
"I am the current master of Xuantian Temple, and the current leader of the Xuantian lineage. My words are naturally sufficient."
Ji Yuan smiled faintly and said solemnly.
There were two people who inherited the Xuantian lineage in this era: himself and his disciple, Zhao Yuebai.
Even if he couldn't form a Golden Core within thirty years, as long as he reached the Third Realm, he could be called a peak grand elder. When he eventually condensed a Golden Core, he could naturally succeed as the sect leader.
It would merely mean missing the opportunity for the Nine Profound Sect to advance to a higher rank, and he would encounter numerous obstacles, possibly even having to hand over the Nine Profound Scripture.
However, regardless of the path he ultimately took, he had the qualifications to fulfill his current promise and was not speaking empty words.
"Remember what you said just now!"
After a long while, Li Buwei let out a long sigh, and the tension in his body suddenly relaxed.
He looked deeply at the young man before him, then suddenly stood up and left the tent. His slightly emaciated back suddenly exuded an indefinable aura, giving him a spirited appearance.
Ji Yuan watched his retreating figure, knowing that he was about to give his all, offering it as a token of his commitment in exchange for an identity and a future.
"What's wrong?"
After a long pause, he slowly withdrew his gaze and then, as if sensing something, turned his head to look to the side.
He saw Zhou Lianying gazing at him, tilting her head and smiling occasionally.
"It's nothing. I just feel a little emotional. Not only did I meet a 'big figure,' but we've also gone through so much together."
She thought for a moment and then spoke her mind.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, a blush crept onto her cheeks, and her eyes showed a hint of shyness.
But Ji Yuan did not notice these expressions. He quickly averted his gaze, lowering his head to look at the ground before him, as if contemplating something.
"He's not a 'big figure' at all. He's just like you, struggling on the path of cultivation."
He murmured to himself and then began to patiently deduce how he could retreat as safely as possible after luckily obtaining a Golden Core.
Beside him, Zhou Lianying sat cross-legged, resting her chin in her hand and quietly watching the person before her.
From the first moment she saw this young man, who was even younger than herself, she had felt a slight liking for him.
At some point, this liking inexplicably grew stronger and stronger. Now, after meeting again after several months, her heart felt as if it had developed a few romantic feelings.
Zhou Lianying naturally sensed something unusual, but it always felt as if something was clouding her mind, creating a barrier between them, making it impossible for her to understand or see clearly.
Over time, it seemed to matter less. After all, she enjoyed this feeling.
For three to four days, Li Buwei did not return to the tent. He was either wandering around the gathering place aimlessly or leaving alone for half a day.
On the fourth day, he finally sat before the two of them, his body weary and panting.
"It's all arranged. Some people will join forces to create more chaos."
As soon as he sat down, Li Buwei began to speak rapidly, detailing his arrangements over the past few days.
Ji Yuan and Zhou Lianying listened with increasing astonishment, finding it hard to believe that he had accomplished so much in just three to four days.
While it wasn't flawless, it was indeed the best that could be done at the moment. Even a cultivator in the Third Realm might not have been able to plan better.
"I need to rest for a while. In a few more hours, the three major sects should be able to open a gap."
Li Buwei said quickly. Before closing his eyes to recuperate, he also urged the two to make their final preparations.
This was the first time Ji Yuan had felt a sense of reliability from someone else, further reinforcing his belief that his decision was wise.
The reason he made the promise was not only to seize the Golden Core but also because he valued Li Buwei as a person, and the Xuantian Peak was indeed in dire need of manpower.
Although they had the support of Mingxin Pavilion, they were ultimately not his own people. It was fine to borrow their assistance for now, but it couldn't be relied upon in the long run.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to clarify whether the Xuantian Peak belonged to his lineage or to the Qian family of Mingxin Pavilion.
And such a situation would never be tolerated by the higher echelons of the Nine Profound Sect. While borrowing assistance initially was acceptable, they would never allow another force to truly interfere.
Therefore, establishing his own power became imperative. Before reaching the Third Realm or condensing a Golden Core, the Xuantian Peak would not have the qualification to open its doors and recruit disciples in large numbers.
Under such circumstances, he naturally took a liking to Li Buwei's abilities. The fact that the latter, despite his background as a rogue cultivator, could fare no worse than disciples of ordinary sects was enough to demonstrate his capabilities.
Not to mention that after several encounters, even with the strength of himself and Lin Yubai, they had suffered heavy injuries, yet the other party remained unharmed.
And now, it seemed that this person's skills far exceeded his expectations!
Over three hours passed in the blink of an eye. As Ji Yuan completed his final preparations and adjusted his aura to its peak, Li Buwei also woke up at the same time.
The three inside the tent exchanged glances, their expressions gradually becoming solemn. They then left the place together and disappeared into the dense tree shadows.
About an hour later, Ji Yuan and Li Buwei arrived more than thirty miles away, hiding among the branches of a towering ancient tree. However, Zhou Lianying was nowhere to be seen.
And dozens of yards in front of them, more than forty people had already gathered, surrounding a luminous barrier.
Three elders, appearing to be in their seventies or eighties, stood before the luminous barrier, each holding an artifact of a different shape and emitting various spiritual lights.
Although they were drenched in sweat and their internal mana was being heavily depleted, the three elders gritted their teeth and persisted, driving array flags into the luminous barrier before them, doing their best to calm the violent power within and decipher the array patterns that had existed for thousands of years.
"It seems the entire gathering place should be empty now."
Ji Yuan said softly, his hand holding a sound-blocking talisman.
Hearing this, Li Buwei nodded slightly. He could sense dozens of hidden presences in the surrounding woods.
In reality, the number of cultivators lurking around was at least thirty to forty percent more, all waiting for the three major sects to open a gap in the array.
However, despite the large number of cultivators in the vicinity, most of them were only at the Enlightenment Realm. Only a small portion had reached the Spirit Point Realm or above.
The former were mostly there for the spiritual energy and herbs within the array, while the latter were naturally after the remains and the Golden Core of the Golden Core cultivator.
"What can be sensed now are mostly cultivators from various factions."
Ji Yuan glanced around, guessing the actual number of cultivators in the vicinity.
Cultivators who truly came from sects with established lineages, as well as rogue cultivators and lone cultivators, all possessed secret techniques for concealing their vital energy, making it difficult to detect them easily with spiritual sense.
Instead, it was the cultivators from factions who, lacking the accumulation of several hundred years of heritage or the cautiousness of the latter, typically did not cultivate such secret techniques.
After all, for them, their monthly salary was meager, and what they accumulated throughout the year might not even be enough for their own cultivation, let alone spending extra to acquire such secret arts.
"The actual number should increase by at least fifty to sixty percent."
Li Buwei said slowly, estimating based on his experience.
However, neither of them showed the slightest seriousness at this number of cultivators. Instead, they felt it was slightly insufficient, wishing it could double.
Only when the situation was sufficiently chaotic would their chances of obtaining the Golden Core be higher, and their subsequent retreat would be safer.
Now, they could only hope that enough cultivators in the Third Realm would be drawn here, so that when their plans were set in motion, the situation would be pushed to its most chaotic state.
"Each of the three major sects has at least five cultivators in the Third Realm."
Ji Yuan first looked at the three major sects that had already gathered before the luminous barrier, then swept his gaze around. "Seven existences in the Third Realm can be sensed overtly."