Chapter 4132 — The Strength of Di Xingdao
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
"Brother Tian, what's weighing on your mind?" Wei Zhao kept Di Xingdao company for a few cups before asking. In his eyes, Di Xingdao had always been a man of unyielding spirit—one who had endured even the shattering of all his meridians for so many years—so ordinary troubles should hardly have reduced him to such gloom.
"Ah, Brother Wei Zhao, your old brother here really has been in a funk these past couple of days. The warmth and coldness of human feeling, the fickleness of the world—you truly can't rely on such things. In the end, a man can only rely on himself." Di Xingdao smiled bitterly.
"Brother Tian, tell me—what exactly happened?" Wei Zhao asked.
"A few days ago at that Central Island Grand Auction, I had thought I'd get to see a few old friends, but not one of them showed up. So the day after I got back, I paid a visit to the Island Master's Pavilion atop Central Peak, thinking I'd see my old friends and restore my identity as island master along the way—my injuries are nothing serious now, after all, and it was only a matter of time." Di Xingdao spoke as he drank.
"And then? Something went wrong?" Wei Zhao had a vague guess.
"Hmph. Your old brother thought it was all a matter of course, but that island master refused my request on the grounds that I'd been absent from the Island Master's Pavilion these past years, saying something about needing a meeting to study the matter. And what chilled me most was that those old friends of mine who serve as vice island masters all took the same attitude—not one was willing to stand up and speak for me. It's truly enough to freeze a man's heart and leave him speechless. Damn it, and to think I'd always counted them as sworn brothers who'd die for me!" Di Xingdao seethed with indignation.
After hearing him out, Wei Zhao showed no particular surprise. No matter how lofty one's level of strength, in the end none could escape the two words "self-interest."
"It's not really hard to understand. From where they stand, not one of them would want another vice island master to come out and contend with them for power, would they, Brother Tian?" Wei Zhao analyzed for him.
"Yes, it's not that I don't understand the logic—it's just that whenever I think of it, my heart still feels stuffed full!" Di Xingdao sighed. "If only that old fellow Zhang Lifeng were here. He's the honorary island master of Cloud Tier Island; one word from him and even the island master would have to weigh it carefully. It's just a pity he's always been a dragon that shows its head but never its tail—finding him is easier said than done."
"Never mind. The way I see it, little brother, they're probably using this to sound out your bottom line, Brother Tian—to find out just how much strength you've recovered. Once they've seen it clearly, I fear they'll turn on you even more ruthlessly." Wei Zhao shook his head.
He did not know exactly what strength Di Xingdao now possessed, but one thing was certain: Di Xingdao's power must still be far from his peak—otherwise he would never have met with such treatment.
In the end, strength determined who had the final say. To make those people nod, relying on personal ties would surely get nowhere; the only proper course was to swiftly recover his formidable power.
"To be frank with you, brother, my strength has now recovered to the peak of the late Golden Core stage, the great perfection—just one final step from restoring my Nascent Soul. But it's precisely that last step, ah..." Di Xingdao sighed helplessly.
Given his combat prowess, the great perfection of the Golden Core realm was by no means weak, but to restore his status as vice island master of Central Island on that alone was a fool's dream.