Chapter 286: Exchange Meeting

The silk was indeed tough. Many hard objects, even without direct contact, would be sliced by the Purple Sword's energy. Yet, the silk before him only severed when the Purple Sword's blade made direct contact, and only then did it finally snap!

The massive net was a unified whole; a single breakage caused a chain reaction. When one strand snapped, the entire net, like a taut steel cable, suddenly broke apart, sending silk strands whipping wildly in all directions. Everything in their path was sliced.

Jiang Fan was quick-witted and agile. Taking advantage of the moment the silk untangled, he leaped through the opening in the roof.

Yue Mingzhu was stunned. For a moment, she couldn't comprehend how her Tianshan silk had been cut. It wasn't until Jiang Fan had slipped out that she suddenly sat up, intending to pursue him.

But the broken silk strands were dangerously whipping around the hall! She had to gather the silk first before she could pursue him.

When she leaped onto the roof and looked around, there was no trace of Jiang Fan. With his agility, he could disappear in the blink of an eye, let alone after such a delay.

"Damn him!!!" Yue Mingzhu stomped her foot in fury, causing the entire roof to instantly collapse! Biting her silver teeth, she snapped, "Issue an order! Everyone in the sect, from top to bottom, go out and find him! Dig three feet deep if you have to, but find him!"

This was no longer about whether or not to accept Jiang Fan as a disciple; it was a matter of face! How could she, the esteemed Sect Master, personally intervene and still fail to keep Jiang Fan? What an utter disgrace!

Ji Ruyue trembled as she watched the furious Sect Master. "Junior Brother Jiang is too extraordinary, isn't he? The Sect Master personally intervened, and he still managed to escape?" Even knowing Jiang Fan was exceptionally formidable, his escape still shocked her.

Elder Ling wore a speechless expression. Forcibly taking a disciple from another sect violated the rules among the Nine Sects. But she dared not object. The Sect Master was currently in a frenzy; if she dared to say no, she might be strung up and whipped by the Sect Master!

And so, soon, everyone in the Joyful Union Sect, from elders to disciples, each holding a portrait, began searching inside and outside the sect.

Little did they know, at this moment, Jiang Fan had already quietly descended the cliff.

"Joyful Union Sect Master! You'd better hope you never face misfortune, otherwise I'll definitely be a scoundrel and kick you when you're down!" Jiang Fan looked at his clothes, torn by thorns, and his black saber, which now had a chip in its blade. His heart bled. His black saber had been with him for many days, and it was just destroyed like that; he was beyond frustrated.

However, his most urgent task now was to quickly leave the Joyful Union Sect — no, to leave the Joyful Union Sect's territory entirely.

Passing through a thicket of thorns, he saw a large cluster of houses at the foot of the mountain. This was the city at the base of the Joyful Union Sect.

Out of caution, Jiang Fan changed into a new robe and re-wrapped the Purple Sword. Finally, he put on his long-unused Number One Shadow Guard mask, then nonchalantly blended into the city.

He discovered that the city was filled with Joyful Union Sect disciples, holding his portrait and asking around.

"They're still doing a city-wide arrest?" Jiang Fan clicked his tongue. "Is it really necessary?" He dared not linger here for even a moment, much less contact Yi Lianxing, Qin Caihe, and Chu Xingmeng. He feared they might already be under surveillance, and if he contacted them, he would be immediately discovered.

"Senior Brother Tang, I think I'd better not go to the exchange meeting," a voice said. "Only elite disciples from various sects participate. What qualifications do I have to attend?" Walking through the crowd, Jiang Fan suddenly heard the familiar voice. He turned his head and saw a man and a woman walking side by side. The woman speaking had a delicate appearance, and her graceful figure was accentuated by a long emerald-green dress. With each gentle step, a pleasant medicinal scent drifted on the wind. She was none other than Su Qiuning, a disciple from the Medicine Peak of the Azure Cloud Sect. The man beside her was someone Jiang Fan knew extremely well: Tang Tianlong, who had come to the Joyful Union Sect to perform a Class 2 mission.

"Don't worry, Junior Sister Su, with me here, who would dare speak ill of you?" Tang Tianlong said. Although his arm had not fully healed, his cultivation realm was still formidable. None of the elite disciples attending the meeting would provoke him without reason.

Su Qiuning still felt very uneasy and said, "Senior Brother Tang, let's just forget it. I don't have anything valuable to exchange, and I wouldn't want to embarrass you." She was a little helpless. She had recently arrived at the Joyful Union Sect after completing a Class 3 mission. When Tang Tianlong learned of her arrival, he had been very eager to invite her. Besides valuing her alchemy skills, she vaguely felt that Tang Tianlong would occasionally sneak glances at her chest and other sensitive areas. This made her feel disgusted, and she had been avoiding him. Today, when she went out to buy some medicinal ingredients, Tang Tianlong ran into her and strongly invited her to attend the elite disciples' exchange meeting.

"Junior Sister Su, are you being so disrespectful?" Tang Tianlong said with a stern face. "I'm only trying to look out for you, seeing as we're from the same sect. Are you repeatedly refusing because you look down on me?" Su Qiuning quickly waved her hand. "No, no, I didn't mean that." Tang Tianlong then said, "So, you'll be attending tonight's exchange meeting?" Since he had put it that way, refusing again would mean falling out with him. Far from the sect and alone, Su Qiuning couldn't afford to do so. She could only compromise and say, "Alright, then I'll see you tonight."

Tang Tianlong watched her walk away, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Within the sect, you had Elder Wen protecting you. But outside the sect, can I still not control you? Tonight, you'll be mine!" For someone like him, poised at the cusp of greater influence, a woman with first-class looks and figure, who also knew alchemy, was an invaluable asset!

But he noticed nothing. Jiang Fan, walking ahead of him, revealed a hint of coldness in his eyes. "A scoundrel never changes!" he thought. "I broke one of his arms, yet he learned absolutely nothing."

He had planned to leave immediately, but now had to find an inn, rest temporarily, and wait for nightfall. Wen Hongyao had treated him well. Now that a disciple from his distant sect was being coveted, and he had encountered the situation, he couldn't just pretend not to see it, could he? Moreover, he looked at the chipped black saber in his hand. He also wanted to try his luck at the exchange meeting to see if he could find a suitable replacement.

Soon after, night fell. Jiang Fan slipped onto the street and found that people from the Joyful Union Sect were still wandering everywhere. He couldn't help but feel speechless. "They're truly persistent," he thought. Immediately, his eyes flashed, and he headed towards the Joyful Union Sect.

He arrived at the mountain gate. Just as he had expected, most of the Joyful Union Sect's personnel were in the city, leaving the sect interior largely empty. There were no guards even at the mountain gate; the carriages were only guarded by their owners.

Jiang Fan, under the cover of night, carefully leaped onto the carriage that held the Silver-winged Thunder-bird's claws. Chu Xingmeng, Qin Caihe, and Yi Lianxing were sleeping inside. It seemed they were waiting for Jiang Fan to return. Jiang Fan sighed silently, fearing they would have to part ways here. After a moment's thought, he took out three small jade bottles, each containing a Rejuvenation Pill, and placed them in front of the three women. Their journey had ended. Silently taking the claws, Jiang Fan disappeared into the darkness, departing without a sound.

Taibai Tower. Jiang Fan, carrying the long claws, ascended to the second floor. The claws, wrapped in cloth strips, appeared very mysterious, immediately drawing frequent sidelong glances upon his arrival. Coupled with Jiang Fan wearing a mask and a loose robe, his identity became even more unguessable. The elite disciples from various sects in the building all showed some apprehension.

Su Qiuning and Tang Tianlong had already arrived and, like the other disciples, had formed a circle, sitting on the floor. Su Qiuning was very reserved. Seeing the formidable Jiang Fan, she couldn't help but feel a flutter of panic in her heart. What made her eyes dart away even more was that Jiang Fan was actually walking directly towards her.