Chapter 186: Looks Like You Really Want to Be Discriminated Against
Zhai Xiaotian had indeed seen that Zhan Sheng was extraordinary.
The fact that he treated her differently, even proposing a backdoor entry, was enough to show how incredible Zhan Sheng’s talent was.
What a pity. Great talent needs great timing.
Zhan Sheng took a sip of wine and shook her head slightly. "Senior, this junior doesn’t want to go anywhere. I only want to stay in the Longevity Sect."
She knew her talent was good; the system had told her so.
And it had also told her not to tell anyone.
As for whether she could go to another Sect, that wasn’t something Zhan Sheng was even considering.
Her main goal was still to figure out what was going on with this game.
When she first arrived, she understood why Shuitan could go to a Major Sect while she couldn’t. Her talent was too eye-catching. If she went to a Major Sect, she could easily expose the Longevity Sect’s secrets.
She knew why Song Jiulai had told her to hide her Spirit Root’s talent from the other players as well.
But Zhai Xiaotian clearly found this difficult to understand.
He frowned, a rare occurrence, and looked at Zhan Sheng. It seemed to be the first time he found a disciple of the Longevity Sect to be foolish beyond his expectations.
Everyone in the world knew that a Major Sect could determine the upper limits of one’s cultivation.
Zhan Sheng had such great talent, and she knew it, yet she still chose to stay in the Longevity Sect.
Wasn’t this just holding her back?
He admitted that the Longevity Sect was a bit peculiar—but its current resources were absolutely insufficient to support the needs of Zhan Sheng’s training.
After a long moment, Zhai Xiaotian seemed to understand something. His tone was laden with meaning. "Are you worried that if you go to the Taixue Sect, the Longevity Sect’s secrets will be exposed?"
Zhan Sheng’s fingers tensed.
It was obvious that their identities as players could not be revealed. And Zhai Xiaotian, a native of Yunzhou, had long since seen that this group of players had an extraordinary background.
Plus, there had recently been rumors on the Yunzhou Continent about visitors from beyond the heavens.
No matter how she looked at it, Zhan Sheng saw Zhai Xiaotian as a ticking time bomb.
She looked up at Zhai Xiaotian. Though her eyes were calm, her mind was already racing, contemplating his motives and his true identity.
Zhai Xiaotian picked up the wine jug and drank straight from the spout. After downing more than half of it, he let out a heavy sigh, slammed the jug on the table, and uncouthly wiped the wetness from his mouth with his sleeve.
Then he said, "I won’t tell the Taixue Sect where you come from."
Zhan Sheng’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Zhai Xiaotian said, "Your Sect Master, and your entire Sect... only the ignorant local Cultivators of the Feique Sect area wouldn’t notice anything. If you were in Liu Xian City, you would have been rooted out long ago."
Zhan Sheng was silent for a long moment before she spoke. "If that’s the case, Senior, why are you helping me? Or rather, why are you helping our entire Sect?"
Zhai Xiaotian looked at her thoughtfully. "Do you like the Longevity Sect that much?"
’She defaulted to "our Sect." It means that deep down, she considers the Longevity Sect her home, unmoved even by the prospect of the Taixue Sect. Now that’s a rare thing. Zhan Sheng hasn’t been here for long, yet she’s already this loyal? There are a few talented ones among these players, but none of them have ever really thought about leaving the Longevity Sect. But still, the Longevity Sect is certainly interesting.’
Zhan Sheng said solemnly, "The Sect Master is my family. I could never betray her."
System: "Who knew someone as seemingly honest as you could be such a brown-noser."
Zhan Sheng: "..."
Zhai Xiaotian scoffed. "Every man for himself, or the heavens will strike you down. On the path of Cultivation, you must put yourself first. Going to a Major Sect means better resources. Staying here is pointless. What kind of magic does your Sect possess to make you so devoted?"
’It’s not that it has any magic, it’s mainly because the system is in my head.’
’Without the Sect Master, how could I have even gotten into this game?’
Zhan Sheng remained silent, only sighing inwardly.
Zhai Xiaotian: "Why don’t you ask for your Sect Master’s opinion. If she truly won’t let you go, then just pretend I never said any of this."
’And he’d have to admit he was wrong about Song Jiulai.’
Zhan Sheng fell silent, then asked the system, "The Taixue Sect... can I go?"
System: "Hang on a minute."
The system relayed the situation to Song Jiulai, who was still in the Secret Realm.
Song Jiulai nearly jumped. "Holy shit, Zhai Xiaotian isn’t even pretending anymore."
’Doesn’t this just make it obvious that he knows everything about the Longevity Sect and its big problems?’
’Couldn’t he at least try to fake it?’
Although, she had expected this for a while.
After a moment, Song Jiulai said sourly, "We players are so lucky. We’re actually getting resources."
System: "So you’re saying you’ll let her go?"
"Of course she’s going! Someone’s offering to cover for her, so why not?" Song Jiulai said, full of confidence. "I was just worried before because Zhan Sheng’s talent is too high, and having her come from our Longevity Sect would be too conspicuous. Now that Zhai Xiaotian is willing to hide her identity and send her over, why wouldn’t I be happy about it?"
System: "You’re not afraid Zhai Xiaotian will screw up?"
Song Jiulai waved her hand dismissively. "What’s there to be afraid of? If he was going to screw up, he would have already. We’re all in the same boat now. He’s even helping us get smuggled in. The players will have to rely on him in the future. Have Zhan Sheng ask him what he’s really up to."
She was also wondering what Zhai Xiaotian was trying to do.
’Not only is he helping players get smuggled in, he’s also giving them resources and new identities. Is he trying to win over the Longevity Sect?’
Song Jiulai shook her head.
That idea was too shameless. With Zhai Xiaotian’s cultivation—although Song Jiulai had no idea what level he was at—he could probably wipe out the Longevity Sect several times over without breaking a sweat.
’What could he possibly want?’
’Does he want the Longevity Sect’s players for their bad manners and constant bickering in the channel?’
The system relayed Song Jiulai’s words.
On her end, Zhan Sheng slowly spoke to Zhai Xiaotian. "Senior, why are you doing this, and why haven’t you reported us to Liu Xian City?"
"Report you?" Zhai Xiaotian laughed heartily. "Things are finally getting fun. Why would I report you?"
He said languidly, "The Yunzhou Continent has had peaceful days for thousands of years. It’s time for a change. As for what I’ve proposed, once you have your Sect Master’s reply, come find me and give me your answer."
Actually, she had already gotten the answer.
Considering how shockingly fast that would be, Zhan Sheng just nodded. She stood up and made a fist-and-palm gesture toward Zhai Xiaotian. "Thank you for your high regard, Senior. If I have the chance, I will definitely treat you to a drink."
Zhai Xiaotian didn’t look at Zhan Sheng. Only after she had left did he pick up his wine jug again and nod.
"It’s been peaceful for too long. I see many of the old geezers have forgotten... that curse from back then... It’s time they remembered. Yes, it’s time they remembered..."
After leaving the tavern, Zhan Sheng began to ponder. ’The Taixue Sect? It’s a rather low-key Sect. The books I’ve read barely mention it.’
System: "Based on current data, it’s pretty far from the Longevity Sect. If you go, you’ll be all on your own, so you have to take good care of yourself! It’s a long journey, and a system worries when its girl travels far from home!"
As soon as it finished speaking, it suddenly went silent.
Zhan Sheng was also: "..."
She wiped her face, ignoring the system that was probably having a mental data glitch, and said, "I’ll go back and look up information on the Taixue Sect."
System: "Oh, right. Since you’re going on a long trip, I’ll give you a chance to change your body. Next time you log into the game, you can remake your face."
This was mainly because Song Jiulai was worried that Zhan Sheng’s default system face was too ugly and she’d be discriminated against at the Taixue Sect.
Zhan Sheng: "..." She was stunned for a moment, then said, "I don’t know how to customize a face. Can the Sect Master do it for me?"
System: "It seems you really do want to be discriminated against."
Zhan Sheng: "..."