Chapter 3864 — The Purpose of the Banquet

And while Wei Zhao was within the jade pendant's space, diligently cultivating and accumulating depth for the breakthrough to come, what he did not know was that the two most troublesome enemies he now faced had met.

After being rebuffed at Hualan Residence, just as Shangguan Tianxia had predicted, Nantian Guan did not give up. Though there were few great figures who could step forward on his behalf and pressure Hong Zhong, Shangguan Tianxia was hardly the only one in the Chongtian Pavilion.

For instance, Xu Yuanzheng, one of the members of the Sandie Pavilion's council of elders and the Third Elder of the Chongtian Pavilion, was equally capable of doing so.

This time, however, Nantian Guan did not go directly to Xu Yuanzheng's door alone as he had with Shangguan Tianxia. Xu Yuanzheng was different from Shangguan Tianxia—though he too was one of the Chongtian Pavilion's few towering figures, he was only the Third Elder, not the Pavilion Master.

Shangguan Tianxia was the undisputed head of the Chongtian Pavilion; Nantian Guan's visit to him could not be faulted by anyone. But if he were to call on Xu Yuanzheng alone, it would all too easily be read by interested parties as taking sides.

Before choosing a side, seated in the crucial position of the Chongtian Pavilion's managing senior disciple, he could maneuver smoothly among all parties and maximize his own interests. But once misconstrued as taking sides and branded with a factional label, it would be hard to keep playing both ends against the middle.

That did not, however, prevent him from seeking help from Xu Yuanzheng, the Chongtian Pavilion's Third Elder—because Xu Yuanzheng had a well-known spokesman under him: his legitimate grandson, Xu Lingchong. By passing word through this young master, Nantian Guan could likewise achieve his aim without taking any unnecessary risk.

The place Nantian Guan and Xu Lingchong agreed to meet was set at Huayang Residence, the Chongtian Pavilion's foremost tavern.

"Young Master Xu, spending such a fortune to feast that fellow Nantian Guan—aren't you giving him too much credit?" said the young master seated beside Xu Lingchong, his face full of puzzlement.

This man was Lou Tianyou. Like Xu Lingchong, he was the legitimate grandson of a powerful elder of the Chongtian Pavilion, though his grandfather ranked below Xu Yuanzheng, which by the rules of the second-generation circle put him a notch beneath Xu Lingchong in standing.

He and Xu Lingchong were extremely close, their friendship exceptionally deep; within the circle, he was Xu Lingchong's most reliable and most depended-upon sworn brother.

Wherever Xu Lingchong was, he was effectively the number two man. As for the junior followers Xu Lingchong had recently taken on, like Kang Jingming and Meng Jueming, their standing was far below his and could not be mentioned in the same breath.

For this meeting with Nantian Guan, Xu Lingchong had ordered Lou Tianyou to arrange everything personally. Not only was it set at Huayang Residence—the food and drink alone had cost nearly a thousand spirit jades, an enormous sum. Even for young masters like them, spending on that scale was somewhat excessive.

"Tianyou, what do you suppose my purpose is in hosting Nantian Guan to this meal?" Xu Lingchong asked with a deeply knowing look.

"Isn't it because the fellow sent word saying he wanted you to pass a message to the Third Elder?" Lou Tianyou, though Xu Lingchong's diehard supporter and decent in both strength and family background, was a young master who had never been fond of using his head.

Xu Lingchong laughed at this. "If he wants me to pass a message, then he should be the one treating me to a meal. Why on earth would I turn around and spend such a fortune to entertain him? I'm not out of my mind!"

"Then... why?" Lou Tianyou scratched his head, utterly at a loss.

"The reason is simple. He is the Chongtian Pavilion's managing senior disciple, and I am now its managing second disciple—ranked below him." Xu Lingchong smiled enigmatically.

"So what? Ranked below him means you have to entertain him like this? With your background, Young Master Xu, crushing that sort of goods underfoot would take a matter of minutes. Before, when your strength was a notch inferior, there was nothing to be said for letting him have the managing senior disciple post, but now that you're also at the peak of the Foundation-Establishing realm, what's left to fear?" Lou Tianyou was now even more bewildered.

Two months ago, when he had served as the Chongtian Pavilion's welcoming envoy to receive the newcomers, Young Master Xu had only been at the peak of the late Foundation-Establishing stage. But now, two months later, with the aid of various pills, he had reached the great perfection of the Foundation-Establishing realm—just like Nantian Guan, the managing senior disciple, only a single step from the Golden Core stage.

Hearing Lou Tianyou's confusion, Xu Lingchong could not help but laugh. "Tianyou, haven't you seen it clearly enough? I'll speak plainly: the purpose of my lavish banquet for Nantian Guan today is to tell him that I am now an expert at the great perfection of Foundation-Establishing, and it's time he yielded that managing senior disciple's seat."

"So that's it! I said to myself, how could our Young Master Xu be the sort of fool to let others take advantage of him for nothing—so there was deep meaning in it after all!" Lou Tianyou laughed heartily, then frowned. "It's just that Nantian Guan does have some background after all. If you just say the word, Young Master Xu, will he really step aside on his own?"

"Hmph, that depends on whether he knows what's good for him. Courtesy before force—today's meal is only a greeting; there are plenty of methods to come." Xu Lingchong gave a cold snort.

Even he, Young Master Xu, was somewhat wary of the background of the Three Heroes of the Nan clan. Unless driven to it, he was unwilling to make an enemy of them lightly. But cultivators put their interests first, and if the other side truly lacked sense and insisted on blocking his path, then Xu Lingchong would not mind paying a price to trample him down.

"You people spend all day on schemes and intrigues—it wears me out just listening. Anyway, when the time comes, I'll do whatever you tell me to, Young Master Xu." Lou Tianyou scratched his head with a pained expression, then his face changed with excitement. "Forget these headache-inducing matters—let me tell you something amusing, Young Master Xu."

"Something amusing?" Xu Lingchong raised an eyebrow in surprise. When these young masters gathered, there was rarely any serious business; it was basically every variety of play. And Lou Tianyou here was the most playful of them all.

"That shameless slut Murong Zhen—I kicked her all the way down to the Welcome Pavilion with one stroke, and had her pinned as a newcomer of the Qingyun Pavilion. Even after she leaves the Welcome Pavilion, she'll only be able to squat in a waste-collection depot like the Qingyun Pavilion. Isn't that amusing, Young Master Xu?" Lou Tianyou chuckled with a look of seeking credit, speaking smugly.

Unexpectedly, Xu Lingchong looked utterly baffled. "Murong Zhen? Who's that?"