Chapter 329: Giving an Opportunity but Ineffective

Ling Guihai had already almost vanished from sight, running at full speed. If they didn't catch up soon, they would lose him completely. Xu Yining was greatly puzzled. In her opinion, the place Ling Guihai was heading must surely be the best.

Jiang Fan said expressionlessly, "Don't ask so many questions, just follow me." Without a second thought, Xu Yining executed her movement technique and quickly followed him. She trusted Jiang Fan unconditionally.

Meanwhile, Nie Yunxi and the four Qingyun Sect disciples hesitated. "Senior Sister, what should we do?" one of the Qingyun Sect disciples anxiously asked. Nie Yunxi was in a dilemma. Based on her judgment, following Ling Guihai would surely be the right choice. But Jiang Fan...

At that moment, Ji Ruyue's eyes lit up, and she activated a movement artifact on her chest, catching up to Jiang Fan. She asked eagerly, "Can our Joyful Union Sect follow you, young master?" It turned out that all the other sects were focused on Ling Guihai. Only the Joyful Union Sect, under Ling Jinghu's discreet instruction, was watching Jiang Fan. Wherever Jiang Fan went, they would follow.

Jiang Fan turned his head to glance at the Qingyun Sect disciples who were still contemplating, and he sighed slightly. Out of camaraderie, he had wanted to help them, but they lacked even the most basic trust. Conversely, a few outer disciples from the Joyful Union Sect trusted him unconditionally. He had given them the opportunity, so he felt no regret.

"Come on," Jiang Fan said, no longer looking at Nie Yunxi and the others, and darted away. Ji Ruyue, beaming with joy, waved to the Joyful Union Sect disciples behind her. "Hurry, young master has allowed us to follow!" The Joyful Union Sect disciples excitedly activated their talismans and quickly caught up.

This scene made Nie Yunxi even more hesitant. Why did the Joyful Union Sect disciples trust Jiang Fan so much? Feng Guchan watched the disciples leave while Nie Yunxi remained indecisive. He snapped, "Why are you still standing there?"

Nie Yunxi replied with difficulty, "Grand Elder, who should I follow? One is heading east, the other northwest. They're poles apart. If we choose the wrong place, all the good spots will be taken." Feng Guchan also began to hesitate. His reason told him that Ling Guihai's direction was surely right.

However, the unusual actions of the Joyful Union Sect greatly puzzled him. Could that masked young man understand the Sword Forest better than Ling Guihai? He too fell into contemplation.

Ling Jinghu rolled her eyes. Jiang Fan was offering benefits to his senior martial siblings, yet they were still so hesitant? She couldn't bear to watch anymore. Undetectably, she poked Feng Guchan in the ribs and subtly nodded towards the direction of the Myriad Sword Sect Master.

Feng Guchan glanced sideways and was stunned. He saw the Myriad Sword Sect Master, currently with a grim expression, staring intently in the direction Jiang Fan and his group had gone. He seemed very annoyed and anxious. Feng Guchan slapped his forehead.

Suddenly, everything made sense. He cursed Ling Guihai for being cunning. He then quickly kicked Nie Yunxi, urging, "What are you still hesitating for? Hurry and follow that young master!" If they were late, the good spots would be taken by the Joyful Union Sect. This was originally a benefit Shadow Guard Number One intended for the Qingyun Sect disciples. It couldn't be let go to the Joyful Union Sect!

With the Grand Elder's command, Nie Yunxi no longer hesitated. She gritted her teeth and declared, "Follow Shadow Guard Number One!" Only then did the Qingyun Sect disciples set off one after another.

A few miles was not a great distance for elite disciples, especially when they were equipped with movement artifacts and talismans. Before long, Jiang Fan and Xu Yining were the first to arrive at the northwest, in a dense Sword Forest.

There, several broken swords, emitting powerful sword qi, were surrounded by countless other swords, appearing like stars circling the moon. The spiritual energy around them was astonishingly rich, ten times more abundant than anywhere else. Notably, there were two broken top-grade magical longswords. These were most likely relics of a former elder, or even a supreme elder. Not only was the spiritual energy abundant there, but the sword qi was also extremely rich. Jiang Fan decisively pulled Xu Yining, choosing to occupy the spot under one of the longswords.

As soon as he sat down, Jiang Fan felt the spiritual power, infused with sword qi, penetrate his body. His cultivation subtly began to waver. He was delighted. Unlike ordinary spiritual energy, spiritual energy merged with sword qi had the miraculous effect of breaking through bottlenecks. For many late-stage Core Formation martial artists for whom pills had lost their efficacy, this was simply a holy land, rarely encountered.

He said no more and quickly sat cross-legged to cultivate. Ji Ruyue followed closely, bringing her people. She immediately spotted another top-grade broken sword and decided at once, "Go there!"

Thus, the four Joyful Union Sect disciples occupied the other best cultivation spot. A moment later, Nie Yunxi arrived, panting, leading the four Qingyun Sect disciples.

Looking at several broken swords radiating abundant spiritual energy, her face filled with delight. "Shadow Guard Number One didn't lie to us! There really are excellent cultivation spots here!" She was joyfully surveying which spot was better when she inadvertently noticed that the locations occupied by Jiang Fan and the Joyful Union Sect disciples had terrifyingly abundant spiritual energy and sword qi.

The best of the remaining excellent cultivation spots was less than thirty percent as good as those two! Her joyful expression instantly vanished. It turned out that there were indeed two such premium cultivation locations here! In comparison, the remaining few seemed very ordinary.

What truly upset her was that the spot occupied by the Joyful Union Sect disciples was originally left for them by Jiang Fan. But at the critical moment, they hesitated repeatedly, and the opportunity was snatched by the Joyful Union Sect!

"Senior Sister..." The Qingyun Sect disciples realized this and were all filled with remorse. They had only hesitated for a moment. How could the treasure land have been taken by the Joyful Union Sect? Nie Yunxi wished she could find a hole to crawl into and was also somewhat annoyed that the Joyful Union Sect had taken their chance.

She stepped forward to negotiate, "Friends of the Joyful Union Sect, this place was left for us by our junior brother. Could you please make way?" Ji Ruyue rolled her eyes, then closed them, seizing the time to cultivate. She had no intention of responding to Nie Yunxi. First come, first served—this was an eternal, undisputed principle. Even if Nie Yunxi argued till the heavens fell, Ji Ruyue would still be in the right.

Helpless, Nie Yunxi reluctantly approached Jiang Fan, cupped her hands, and said, "Junior brother, can you please help us again?" A premium cultivation spot was three or four times better than a good one. It made a huge difference. If she could fight for it, she still wanted to try. But Jiang Fan also ignored her.

Finally, Nie Yunxi helplessly turned to Xu Yining for help. "Junior Sister, you have a good relationship with Shadow Guard Number One. Please speak for us. That treasure land was left for us by Shadow Guard Number One." Xu Yining looked at her with a disappointed expression. "I'm not criticizing you, Senior Sister," she began.

"Shadow Guard Number One and the Joyful Union Sect have been very close all along, yet he didn't even think of helping them; he chose to help you. But you, on the other hand, hesitated. This was your own choice; you can't blame the Joyful Union Sect for taking your treasure land." Nie Yunxi was unwilling to give up. She spoke again, "Junior Sister Xu, please be kind..."

At this point, Jiang Fan frowned slightly, slowly opened his eyes, and said, "Hurry up and choose your spots. Ling Guihai will bring the Myriad Sword Sect disciples here soon. If you hesitate any longer, you won't have any choices left." After speaking, he continued to silently circulate his cultivation technique.

Only then did Nie Yunxi completely give up. With a disheartened expression, she led the Qingyun Sect disciples to choose the third-best location. Although it was quite good, looking at the two premium cultivation spots, her heart ached with regret as if pricked by needles.

An hour passed. As the group was deeply immersed in cultivation, a few streaks of sound came from afar, drawing closer. It was Ling Guihai. He said triumphantly, "Haha, a bunch of self-proclaimed clever fools, trying to take advantage by following me? Let them be dazed in that barren place!"

"Hahaha..." As he laughed, he suddenly couldn't laugh anymore. He looked at the scene before him with an expression as if he had seen a ghost.