Chapter 137: An Unwelcome Guest

The person who had been waiting for him was none other than Elder Xu.

The moment Long Feng recognized him, the good mood he had built up while climbing the mountain instantly disappeared.

’Why is he here?’

Long Feng’s gaze unconsciously swept across the hall once more before returning to Elder Xu.

Of all the people who could have been waiting for him, Elder Xu was probably one of the last people he wanted to see tonight.

After all, the two of them were not exactly strangers.

Long Feng still remembered the ugly expression on Elder Xu’s face when he had taken advantage of that situation and obtained the Tyrant Blood Yang Pill from him at a price that he still considered ridiculously low.

Elder Xu looked at him for several breaths before a wide smile appeared on his fat face.

"Long Feng! Come, come. Don’t just stand there."

He waved toward the empty seat beside him.

"It has only been a few years, and you have already become a Core Disciple. Come sit down. Let’s have a proper conversation."

Long Feng’s eyes flickered.

His gaze briefly moved toward Xiao Ruo, who was standing beside Elder Xu, before returning to the old man.

He maintained the same respectful smile.

"Greetings, Elder Xu."

Although he was somewhat unwilling to see him, Elder Xu was still an Inner Elder of Azura Heaven Sect. Long Feng naturally would not show disrespect openly.

He walked forward and took a seat.

Elder Xu leaned back comfortably on the sofa, his fat body sinking deeply into it. His small eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Long Feng.

"Hehe, I really didn’t expect it."

His voice carried genuine amazement.

"When I first met you, you were still stuck in the True Spirit Realm. At that time, you were only a second-rank alchemist. Although your alchemy talent was decent, I never imagined that you would grow this quickly."

He shook his head with a laugh.

"Now look at you. First place on the Inner Disciple Ranking, a Nascent Soul cultivator, and then you became a Core Disciple immediately afterward."

Elder Xu’s smile widened.

"Even I have to admit that you have surprised me."

Long Feng smiled modestly. He could hear the sincerity in Elder Xu’s voice, but he also noticed the faint calculation hidden beneath it.

It seemed that after seeing how quickly his strength and status had risen, Elder Xu was beginning to view their previous relationship differently.

"Elder Xu is overpraising me. I was merely fortunate enough to encounter some opportunities."

But Elder Xu laughed lightly, "Opportunities are also a form of ability. If everyone encountered the same opportunities, then everyone would become a genius."

His eyes became slightly more serious.

"I also heard about what happened during the Core Disciple selection."

Long Feng’s expression remained calm.

"Your talent was judged to be Top Grade, and you even attracted the attention of Elder Zixuan."

Elder Xu clicked his tongue.

"Elder Zixuan is an eighth-rank alchemist. To receive his personal guidance is something that even many Core Disciples can only dream of."

"I was fortunate."

Long Feng merely nodded on the surface. Internally, however, he didn’t take Elder Xu’s praise too seriously.

"Yes, yes. Fortunate."

Elder Xu laughed again, but the look in his eyes became noticeably more calculating.

"With your current talent, your future is certainly going to be different."

Long Feng remained silent.

He could already tell that Elder Xu had not come here merely to exchange pleasantries.

After all, if he had only wanted to congratulate him on becoming a Core Disciple, there was no need for him to personally wait inside his new residence.

Elder Xu suddenly reached into his sleeve and took out a small jade token, before tossed it toward him.

"This is your Core Disciple token."

Long Feng hurriedly caught it with both hands and examined it carefully.

The token was dark blue and carried the emblem of Azura Heaven Sect. At first glance, it looked rather ordinary.

However, after circulating a trace of spiritual energy into it, he immediately sensed several faint formations hidden within the token.

Faint spiritual energy flowed across its surface, giving it the appearance of a special spiritual treasure.

His eyes flickered with surprise. This was clearly more than just a token used to prove his identity.

Long Feng had heard Li Qiang mention some of its functions before.

The Core Disciple token could not only be used to identify a disciple’s status within the sect, but it was also connected to various formations and facilities throughout the Core Disciple area.

It could be used to enter certain restricted places, receive sect resources, record contribution points, and access some of the facilities that ordinary disciples had no right to approach.

There was even a small communication formation embedded within the token.

Through it, important news from the sect could be transmitted directly to the Core Disciples.

Thinking about this, Long Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’So this is what it means to truly become a Core Disciple.’

Until now, he had been an Inner Disciple who had merely possessed considerable strength.

But from today onward, his identity had changed completely. He had officially entered the core circle of Azura Heaven Sect.

Long Feng’s gaze unconsciously swept across the hall and then toward the outside.

His new residence was surrounded by numerous formations.

Among them, the largest one was a defensive formation that covered the entire mountain residence.

From the faint fluctuations he could sense, it had already reached the level of a top-tier sixth-rank formation.

With such a formation protecting the residence, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would find it extremely difficult to force his way inside.

Unless someone possessed sufficient authority or received Long Feng’s permission, they would not be able to casually enter the residence.

’Not bad.’

A faint smile appeared on Long Feng’s face.

The residence itself was already excellent, but the formations surrounding it made it considerably more valuable.

At least he would not have to worry about someone casually intruding into his private space.

Long Feng examined the token for another moment before putting it away.

"I was responsible for arranging your residence and handling the related administrative matters, so naturally I had to personally deliver it to you."

"I see."

Long Feng nodded.

So that was the reason Elder Xu had come here.

As one of the elders responsible for the sect’s administrative affairs, matters such as assigning residences, arranging servants, distributing certain resources, and handling the living arrangements of disciples within the sect fell partly under Elder Xu’s jurisdiction.

Long Feng had already seen some of Elder Xu’s authority in the past when the old man had managed to purchase Xiao Ruo and bring her into the sect.

However, something about Elder Xu’s expression still made Long Feng feel that the Core Disciple token was probably not the only reason for this visit.

As if sensing his thoughts, Elder Xu suddenly glanced toward Xiao Ruo.

A strange smile appeared on his fat face.

"Oh, and speaking of servants..."

His eyes lingered on Xiao Ruo for a moment before returning to Long Feng.

"How have you been enjoying the gift I gave you previously?"

Long Feng’s smile instantly became slightly stiff.

He naturally knew what Elder Xu was talking about. Back then, Elder Xu had purchased Xiao Ruo from outside the sect and eventually given her to Long Feng.

Long Feng glanced at Xiao Ruo. The woman’s fingers tightened slightly at her sides, and she lowered her head under Elder Xu’s openly suggestive gaze.

"She has been taking good care of things."

"That’s good."

Elder Xu laughed, clearly pleased.

"I was wondering whether you had been enjoying yourself."

The way he said those words made Long Feng’s forehead twitch. He almost wanted to walk over and kick that fat face.

’This old pervert hasn’t changed at all.’

Long Feng still remembered how Elder Xu had seemed like an unfathomable existence when he had first sensed his cultivation several years ago.

At that time, Elder Xu had appeared to be an extremely terrifying existence.

But now that Long Feng had reached the Nascent Soul Realm himself, he could clearly see through him.

Peak Nascent Soul Realm.

Elder Xu was probably stuck at that bottleneck and had remained there for a very long time.

Long Feng’s eyes flickered slightly.

If he truly fought Elder Xu now and used all of his trump cards, he could not say with certainty who would survive.

However, Elder Xu was certainly no longer an existence he needed to fear.

Moreover, looking at that fat body, Long Feng couldn’t help wondering just how much actual combat ability the man possessed.

’With a body like a pig, perhaps he really should be worried about being eaten by one.’

Long Feng silently suppressed the thought and continued smiling.

Elder Xu, completely unaware of what was going through his mind, continued.

"Of course, now that you are a Core Disciple, one servant is hardly enough."

He glanced toward the two Outer Disciples standing nearby.

"These two disciples will be responsible for handling your daily needs. If you require anything within reason, you can simply tell them."

"Thank you, Elder Xu."

Long Feng nodded.

Elder Xu then looked toward Xiao Ruo again. His eyes lingered for a little too long before he smiled meaningfully.

"Although, if you feel that one more servant would be useful, you can always tell me."

His expression carried an unmistakable implication.

"I am responsible for these matters within the sect. Finding another suitable person for you would not be difficult."

Long Feng’s smile became even more polite on the surface, but inwardly, he was suppressing the urge to strangle the old man.