Chapter 708: Little Flower Pavilion, Looking for Shibo

Today was the day the delegation from Tian Sang City arrived in Dong Tian Wang City.

The delegation included disciples from Tian Sang Ling Gong's inner court, young lian dan shi from the Lian Dan Shi Association, and young ling zhen shi from the Ling Zhen Shi Association.

Although these factions in Tian Sang City were usually at odds, constantly clashing with one another, they now shared a sense of mutual respect and solidarity as they traveled together to participate in the Wang City trials. After all, under the immense pressure of absolute power in the Wang City, and with other county cities eyeing them covetously from outside, people from the same city had no choice but to band together; otherwise, they would be easily crushed by external forces.

The main leaders of this Tian Sang City delegation were three individuals: Ye Xiaotian, Shi Ti, and Chao Zhi Dao.

"Shi Ti, president, wait a moment! There's danger here!"

No sooner had the delegation entered the headquarters of the Dong Tian Wang City Lian Dan Shi Association than the reception staff let out a startled cry.

This made everyone tense up.

Anyone with sharp eyes could see that the atmosphere in the inner hall of the Lian Dan Shi Association headquarters was decidedly off.

Chao Zhi Dao, the elder, stepped forward, flipping out a tower-shaped array disc from his hand. His aura surged powerfully, forming a tower-shaped barrier that protected the young talents behind him.

As the president of the Tian Sang City Ling Zhen Shi Association, his first instinct in such a situation was to ensure the safety of the delegation's key participants.

Ye Xiaotian hovered at the back of the group.

He didn't move, but with a twist of spatial force, all the disciples from Tian Sang Ling Gong were instantly drawn to his side.

"What is this?"

Shi Ti was the calmest of them all.

Only he truly understood the strength of the Dong Tian Wang City Lian Dan Shi Association headquarters, so he didn't think anything like the Tian Sang City Dan Ta explosion could happen here.

He stopped at the doorway, his gaze sweeping past the receptionist and landing on the center of attention in the inner hall.

— A young woman!

Even if this woman was strikingly beautiful, it wouldn't catch Shi Ti's attention.

But what stood beside her was an eye-catching large bathtub.

To others, this bathtub-shaped dan ding might indeed cause misunderstandings or chaos, but to Shi Ti, it was impressively familiar.

"Xu Shi Dan Ding?" At that moment, another old man at Shi Ti's side stepped forward. He rubbed his blurry eyes, speaking with a mix of surprise and doubt.

His name was Yun He.

He was the first victim of the Tian Sang City Dan Ta explosion that day, so seeing this standard Xu Shi Dan Ding made him even more animated than Shi Ti.

"It's not wrong; it should be a dan ding. In this world, there aren't so many coincidences."

"Of course it is. That day, the young man surnamed Xu used this exact size of bathtub... I mean, dan ding."

"Is this young woman associated with that Xu fellow?"

"She probably is..."

The Tian Sang City Lian Dan Shi Association had brought along quite a few veteran predecessors this time.

The Wang City trials before the Saint Palace selection were the only reason these old-timers ever left their city.

Such refining dan events were excellent opportunities for the various lian dan shi to exchange experiences and address their own shortcomings.

And among them, the dan ding owned by the young woman not far away was all too familiar.

After all, on that day, Xu Xiao Shou had left an indelible impression on all the veteran lian dan shi in Tian Sang City.

"What happened?"

Shi Ti narrowed his eyes and asked, pointing at the group of guards that had formed in the inner hall. He demanded, "Is this how the association headquarters maintains order?"

As the president of the Tian Sang City Lian Dan Shi Association, even in Dong Tian Wang City, Shi Ti's rank was equivalent to that of the honorary vice president of the headquarters.

In terms of actual authority, he was a step below the elder council, but it was still a very high level.

"Shi Ti, president."

The receptionist stepped forward, bowing nervously before quickly explaining, "This young woman came to visit President Dong Ling, but she couldn't produce any token to prove her identity, and there's no appointment record. Moreover..."

She lowered her voice and whispered, "President Dong Ling and the various vice presidents and elders have all gone with the city lord's people to the Saint God Hall to discuss the details of the 'Refining Dan Trials.' So, the headquarters' leadership is currently vacant, which is why..."

The receptionist paused, leaving the rest unsaid.

With the president away, and this young woman who could refine people showing up—her intentions, abilities, and origins were all unclear—who wouldn't be on edge?

Shi Ti pondered for a moment and waved his hand.

"First, have them stand down."

He was speaking to the guards.

The guards clearly recognized Shi Ti, who had visited the headquarters multiple times, and they immediately retreated upon his order.

Shi Ti signaled for the Dan Ta's internal staff to stay calm, then approached Hua Song with a kindly expression. He said, "Young lady, could you please show me your lian dan shi badge?"

No matter who it was, as long as they brought a dan ding to the Dan Ta, they shouldn't be treated as a threat—even if this dan ding looked rather unconventional.

That was Shi Ti's thinking.

"No."

Hua Song shook her head and then countered, "Are you the president of a branch of the Lian Dan Shi Association? Your name is Shi Ti?"

"Yes."

Shi Ti nodded, somewhat surprised by her composure in the face of danger.

The other party didn't seem like a bad person. As for her tone, it carried a hint of respect, but more so an air of superiority.

In this situation, it felt more like he, Shi Ti, was the junior, and this young woman was someone of much higher standing.

The respect was due to her age, but addressing him directly by name was because she couldn't afford to call him "senior," or the hierarchy would be completely messed up.

A strange feeling welled up in Shi Ti's heart.

In this young woman, he vaguely saw a shadow of his friend with wild ideas—Sang Qi Ye.

But even more, he saw traces of Sang Lao's disciple, that even more arrogant and overbearing Xu Xiao Shou.

"You're the branch president? That makes things easy!"

Hua Song's eyes lit up at the confirmation, and she patted the dan ding. "Do you recognize this big treasure?"

"Ah—"

A miserable cry echoed from inside the dan ding at that moment.

Shi Ti frowned; he could tell it was a human scream, and that strange feeling in his heart grew clearer.

"I recognize it," Shi Ti nodded, while harboring some doubts. "But I don't know if the 'big treasure' you're referring to is the same one I know."

"Exactly! Since you recognize it, that's perfect!"

Hua Song slapped her thigh, not caring at all about her image.

Others might not know how rare the Jin Zhao lineage was, but she did!

Anyone in the world who used a dan ding of this scale for refining dan had to be one of their own. Even if the one Shi Ti knew wasn't her shibo Xu Xiao Shou, it had to be one of Xu Shibo's disciples or grand-disciples—one of their generation's genius lian dan shi!

"Come on, let's go to a private room to talk."

Hua Song grabbed Shi Ti's hand and, like they were family, started heading toward one of the association headquarters' private rooms.

But after a few steps, she remembered this wasn't her place and awkwardly turned back to the receptionist. "Where's the private room you mentioned earlier?"

The receptionist was stunned.

Not just her—everyone in the Tian Sang City delegation was stunned, as were the onlookers inside the Dan Ta.

Where did this young woman get the nerve to grab Shi Ti, the president's, hand like that?

Didn't she know about respecting elders, or the proprieties between men and women?

"Young lady, please mind your behavior..."

The receptionist's superior glared at Hua Song in anger.

Shi Ti, however, didn't mind.

He was now fairly certain of his suspicions and said to the receptionist, "It's fine. Special people get special treatment. We should cultivate our character and not be impulsive; we need to learn to be tolerant and magnanimous..."

As he spoke, Shi Ti's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Ye Xiaotian at the back of the group.

"Dean Ye, could you come over for a moment? She might be looking for someone from your side."

Ye Xiaotian's eyebrows twitched slightly. He quietly instructed Zhao Xi Dong at his side before floating forward.

"Please."

Shi Ti was familiar with the private room's location. He gently withdrew his hand from Hua Song's grasp and gestured to the two of them.

Then, Shi Ti turned back to the group. "Brother Chao, could you take care of the team? Follow the Dan Ta staff and rest for a bit."

"Alright." Chao Zhi Dao nodded and began organizing the group behind him.

Inside the private room:

"You're saying you're looking for someone? That person is your shibo? Surnamed Xu, named Xu Xiao Shou?" Shi Ti confirmed with the young woman in front of him once more.

"Yes." Hua Song nodded.

"So, who are you?"

"I can't say. My identity has to be kept secret."

"Then..." Shi Ti fell silent for a moment; his mind was a bit fuzzy. "Could you describe your shibo Xu—Xu Xiao Shou? His general appearance, age, features?"

Ye Xiaotian was also intrigued and turned his attention to the young woman.

"Age and features, huh..."

Hua Song murmured, picturing her shizun Bai Lin in her mind.

"I'm not entirely sure about the details, but he's probably around middle-aged? Male... yes, he's male! He should be an incredibly strong lian dan shi, and his combat abilities aren't bad either..."

"That's it!"

As Hua Song described her imagined shibo, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"My shibo should be quite famous in the Dong Tian Realm."

The two of you, if you know of someone named Xu Xiao Shou, then that's definitely my shibo. After all...

"He couldn't possibly be unknown—that wouldn't be my shibo!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Ti fell silent again.

Xu Xiao Shou, male... he knew him well!

But middle-aged, with superb refining dan skills, strong combat abilities, and famous in the Dong Tian Realm...

That didn't quite match the Xu Xiao Shou he knew!

Ye Xiaotian, listening from the side, suddenly smiled slightly. He interjected, "You haven't met your shibo?"

"Uh... yeah." Hua Song nodded in admission.

"Then where did these descriptions come from? Or are they just your imagination?"

Ye Xiaotian asked further.

"Part of it is what my shizun told me, and the other part..." Hua Song trailed off and fell silent.

She remembered.

It seemed her shizun Bai Lin had only told her about the shibo and the name.

The rest was all her own speculation.

"You..."

Hua Song looked at the white-haired boy in surprise. This person knew quite a lot—was he some kind of mind reader?

Ye Xiaotian suddenly chuckled. "What's your shizun's name?"

"Bai... uh, I can't say."

Ye Xiaotian pondered the surname in his mind but couldn't recall any old acquaintances with that name.

But his thoughts suddenly sharpened, focusing on the term "shibo" that the young woman had used, and he quickly realized.

"Mu Lin, what relation is he to you?" Ye Xiaotian asked, his eyebrows raised high.

"You!" Hua Song jumped up from the sofa, her face paling in shock, her expression full of astonishment. "Who... who are you?!"

She hadn't revealed anything at all.

How did this white-haired shorty know her shizu's name?

Ye Xiaotian saw her reaction and confirmed his suspicion.

He never expected the Saint God Continent to be so small—that he'd encounter a disciple or grand-disciple of an old acquaintance just by coming to Dong Tian Wang City.

"You're from the Saint Palace, Jin Zhao lineage?" Ye Xiaotian said calmly.

Hua Song's pupils contracted, and she was too shocked to speak. "You... you... how... how do you know?"

This left Shi Ti stunned as well.

People from the Saint Palace...

"Saint Palace envoy?"

Shi Ti quickly caught on.

Every year before the major Wang City trials on the continent, Saint Palace envoys would travel incognito, seeking the most outstanding talents.

But the continent had five domains, and the East Domain alone had one hundred and eight realms. Saint Palace envoys were extremely rare.

Shi Ti never imagined that this year, a Saint Palace envoy would come to Dong Tian Wang City and that he'd run into one by chance.

He hurriedly stood up, a bit flustered, and said, "So it's the Saint Palace envoy. My apologies for the disrespect..."

As he spoke, Shi Ti prepared to bow.

But at that moment, Ye Xiaotian straightened up. Though seated, he floated slightly and pressed a hand on Shi Ti's shoulder.

"You're probably going to shorten her life."

Shi Ti turned back, puzzled as to why Ye Xiaotian was stopping him.

This was a Saint Palace envoy!

The entire world's Lian Dan Shi Association—even the main headquarters in the Central Domain—was nominally under the control of the Saint God Hall.

And the Saint Palace, as the training ground for the world's saints, stood on equal footing with the Saint God Hall.

If the person opposite was a Saint Palace envoy, then he, as a mere branch president of the Tian Sang City Lian Dan Shi Association under the Dong Tian Wang City in the East Domain, was insignificant.

Not bowing now could lead to punishment from the Saint Palace, which he, Shi Ti, couldn't bear.

"Just sit properly."

Ye Xiaotian pressed Shi Ti back into his seat.

The two of them had completely different thoughts and weren't even on the same wavelength.

Ye Xiaotian was thinking that as a friend of Sang Lao from the past, even if Shi Ti was now just a small branch president, as long as the Saint Palace hadn't removed Sang Lao's name from the Jin Zhao lineage, there were few so-called "envoys" from anywhere in the world that Shi Ti needed to humble himself for.

Besides, the "envoy" status of the young woman in front of them was still up for debate.

Ye Xiaotian knew that Saint Palace envoys didn't need to be so secretive and mysterious, hiding their identities.

And as for the Jin Zhao lineage...

When had they ever had the time to take on trivial tasks like Saint Palace envoy missions?

Had Jin Zhao Bansheng Long Rong fallen?

Or had the Jin Zhao lineage been completely erased from the Saint Palace?