Guliang Yuan listened to Meng Yao's words, sneered, and stood up:
"The only reason you have the status you have today is entirely due to my support."
"I don't know where you got the nerve to speak to me like that."
As soon as Guliang Yuan said this, the elders in the grand hall all turned their heads to look at him, incredulity written all over their faces!
Is this really the Junior Uncle I know?
Has the simperer awakened?
Not sure, let's watch a bit longer.
Down below, Meng Yao was also slightly taken aback; she had never expected that Guliang Yuan, who had always been completely obedient to her, would say such things.
This feeling made her very uncomfortable, stirring up a mix of shame and anger:
"Guliang Yuan, what do you mean by this?"
"Are you threatening me with your past kindness?"
"I said it back then, I didn't want any of your resources. You were the one who threw away your pride and forced those cultivation resources on me."
"Besides, I've said before that I will return all these things to you in the future!"
Guliang Yuan walked down from the steps, clapping softly, and stepped right up to Meng Yao:
"What a righteous Meng Yao."
"If you really don't care, why did you come to apologize to me today?"
"As far as I know, the Yaochi Sacred Land has been selecting a Holy Maiden recently, hasn't it?"
"You wouldn't have been qualified in the first place, but Elder Gongsun of Yaochi put you on the candidate list purely out of respect for me."
"You were afraid you wouldn't be chosen, felt that I still had some utility value left, and that's why you came to apologize."
"Of course, the behind-the-scenes instigation of your family played a part in that too."
"I also know that the moment I ordered all interactions with your family to be cut off, your Meng family held an emergency top-level meeting overnight."
"The content of the meeting was nothing more than figuring out how to continue clinging to my coattails."
"So no matter how high and mighty you try to portray yourself, it doesn't change the fact that you are a beggar!"
"If you're going to beg, you should at least have the attitude of a beggar!"
"This is the first time I've ever seen a beggar act so self-righteous about it!"
As Guliang Yuan delivered sentence after sentence, the grand hall fell instantly silent.
The elders looked Guliang Yuan up and down, as if they were meeting this Junior Uncle for the very first time.
Heavenly Ancestor preserve us, has the Junior Uncle finally seen the light?
Meeting Guliang Yuan's burning gaze, Meng Yao's expression shifted through a flurry of changes.
She only felt that the Guliang Yuan before her was incomparably unfamiliar.
Those starry eyes of his seemed capable of piercing straight through a person's soul.
Indeed, everything Guliang Yuan said was precisely what she had been thinking.
She had originally planned to completely cut ties with Guliang Yuan and pursue her wonderful life once she became the Holy Maiden.
Could she admit to that?
Absolutely not!
Meng Yao knew that even as a Holy Maiden, her status would still fall somewhat short compared to Guliang Yuan.
Yet despite his high position, Guliang Yuan possessed mediocre aptitude and loathed cultivation.
In her view, the Taishang Sacred Land only kept Guliang Yuan around for the sake of reputation, raising him merely as a mascot.
Although she was also only at the Foundation Establishment Peak, her innate talent was formidable, and reaching the Nascent Soul Realm in the future was not entirely out of the question.
A hundred-odd years from now, Guliang Yuan's lifespan would be exhausted, and everything he owned would turn to ash. By then, she would be in her prime.
She felt she deserved to pursue something better!
Yet she had never thought—or rather, refused to think—that Guliang Yuan's aversion to cultivation was because he had poured his entire heart and soul into her.
Everything she possessed today had been bestowed upon her by Guliang Yuan.
Without Guliang Yuan, where would she be today?
Even though Guliang Yuan's words had been severe, deep down in her heart, Meng Yao still believed that Guliang Yuan was the same old simperer he had always been.
Saying those things now was just a threat meant to force her to be more affectionate toward him.
Thinking of the upcoming Holy Maiden selection, Meng Yao told herself:
"Fine. With the sacred land tournament approaching, to avoid any complications, I'll play along with him a little longer.
Once I become the Holy Maiden, I won't need his help anymore."
At this thought, Meng Yao's expression shifted instantly. Tears welled up in her eyes, giving her a fragile, tearful appearance:
"Is that really all I've ever been to you?"
"Fine, I understand. I'll leave right now."
"I'll step down from the Yaochi Sacred Land and return every bit of the support you gave my family."
"From this day forward, we have nothing more to do with each other!"
With that, a teardrop slid down the corner of Meng Yao's eye.
As if having made some resolute decision, she turned and strode away with unyielding determination.
In the spacious grand hall, her retreating figure appeared exceptionally lonely.
Naturally, she had no intention of leaving the sacred land; everything she did was merely a tactical retreat.
She remembered that once, when Guliang Yuan threw a tantrum, she had used this exact trick to easily manipulate him.
Even as she turned her back, Meng Yao was counting down in her heart:
Three
Two
One
The moment she reached one, Guliang Yuan actually spoke:
"Good. I'll be waiting for your news on Forgetful Peak."
Meng Yao turned her head back: "It's too late to apologize now—"
Huh?
Mid-sentence, Meng Yao suddenly snapped to her senses: "What did you say?"
Guliang Yuan ignored Meng Yao entirely and instead looked toward the side:
"Elder Wang, I'll have to trouble you to put some effort into this matter. If Meng Yao fails to accomplish this within ten days, deal with the Meng family the exact way the sacred land deals with traitors."
Hearing Guliang Yuan's words, Elder Wang felt a surge of elation, followed immediately by a flicker of suspicion as he looked at Guliang Yuan.
He was elated because he had long found Meng Yao an eyesore; now that Guliang Yuan had finally woken up, they could finally move against the Meng family.
He was suspicious because could Guliang Yuan, who used to be so hopelessly in love with Meng Yao, really bear to do it?
One had to know that although Taishang Sacred Land was a righteous sect, its punishment for traitors was exceptionally brutal.
Not only did the traitor forfeit their life, but every single member of the traitor's family gifted with spiritual roots would also be executed. The mortals within the family would even be sterilized.
They wouldn't even spare an ant crawling past without breaking six of its legs!
Could the Junior Uncle really be so ruthless?
Sensing Elder Wang's doubt, Guliang Yuan turned solemn:
"What? Does my word as your Junior Uncle carry no weight anymore!"
Elder Wang hurriedly protested that he wouldn't dare:
"Junior Uncle's words naturally carry full weight."
Having confirmed Guliang Yuan's intent, he abruptly whipped his head around to glare at Meng Yao, a ferocious glint flashing in the depths of his eyes!
Over the past few years, he had truly grown sick and tired of this woman!
In the past, at a single word from this woman, Guliang Yuan would order them—elders of all people—to scurry about running errands for the Meng family.
They had even suffered verbal abuse from Meng Yao and contempt from the Meng family along the way.
You had to know that they were all Nascent Soul Realm powerhouses; while their cultivation might keep a low profile within the sacred land, any one of them dragged outside would be the kind of terrifying existence capable of tearing through the land!
Such humiliation was naturally agonizing to endure.
Yet with Guliang Yuan constantly suppressing them, they hadn't dared to act.
Heaven be praised, the Junior Uncle had finally woken up!
The pent-up bitterness in his heart could finally be vented.
Seeing this, the remaining elders also rolled up their sleeves, eager for action:
"Elder Wang, auditing assets by yourself is exhausting; I'll come and help you."
"Heh heh heh, count me in too!"
"As it happens I've got nothing to do lately, so I can accompany you on this trip."
The elders enthusiastically volunteered, occasionally casting bizarre, sinister grins at Meng Yao.
Judging by their expressions, they looked as though they couldn't wait to skin Meng Yao alive right on the spot.
Looking at Guliang Yuan's deadpan seriousness and the ravenous, bloodthirsty glares of the elders, Meng Yao's face turned slightly pale.
How could things have turned out like this?Meng Yao looked at Guliang Yuan, forcing a smile onto her pale face.
"Guliang Yuan, this kind of joke isn't funny."
She had to admit she was starting to panic.
The absolute resolve Guliang Yuan was displaying right now was something she had never experienced from him before.
Things seemed to have slipped completely out of her control.
At this moment, Guliang Yuan's mind was entirely focused on the system, and he didn't spare Meng Yao another glance.
With a flick of his wide sleeves, he turned his head away, leaving only two cold words echoing through the grand hall:
"Show her out!"
As soon as Guliang Yuan's voice fell, a group of elders stepped in front of Meng Yao, blocking her from coming a single step closer to him.
Now that Guliang Yuan had finally stopped being a bootlicker, they were terrified that Meng Yao might say something more and cause him to change his mind again.
Watching Guliang Yuan's figure gradually vanish, along with the elders blocking her path, Meng Yao grew anxious and hurriedly cried out:
"Guliang Yuan, I—"
"Audacious!"
Before Meng Yao could finish, Elder Wang immediately shouted in a stern reprimand!
As he spoke, he secretly channeled his spiritual power, sending Meng Yao staggering back a few steps.
"Is the Martial Uncle's name something you are permitted to shout?!"
Looking at this elder who used to grovel before her, yet now dared to attack her, Meng Yao instantly wanted to flare up in anger.
But when she caught the faint flash of lightning dancing across the elder's hands and felt the pressure of the Nascent Soul Realm radiating from him, she forcibly swallowed her anger down.
*Servant dogs, always knowing how to read the wind and change their tune. When Guliang Yuan comes looking for me again, I'll make you all pay!*
With these thoughts in mind, Meng Yao stamped her foot in resentment and turned to leave.
Even now, she still believed that Guliang Yuan couldn't possibly give her up just like that.
It was just that winning Guliang Yuan back would depend entirely on how high a price she was willing to pay...
What thoughts were currently churning in Meng Yao's mind, Guliang Yuan neither knew nor cared. At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged inside the cultivation chamber, his mind completely immersed within the system."Master-Disciple Rebate System: As long as you impart corresponding divine abilities and cultivation techniques to your disciples, you will randomly trigger rebate rewards ranging from zero to ten thousand times."
"Disciple-recruitment requirement: An unmatched genius who is a simp."
Guliang Yuan: ???
Has it really got a thing for simps?
Recruit a simp into my Forgetful Peak? Help a simp break his simp habit?
"Ding! The host has a beginner's gift pack waiting to be claimed. Would you like to claim it now?"
"Claim it."
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring Demigod Demeanor, Void Spiritual Roots, and a Detector."
Inside the cultivation chamber, Guliang Yuan sat cross-legged. An inexplicable power arose from his Dantian, altering his spiritual roots and causing the aura around him to slowly grow stronger.
An hour later, Guliang Yuan slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and stood up.
Although his facial features remained unchanged, every movement he made now seemed wreathed in immortal charm, bestowing upon him an extraordinary disposition.
Guliang Yuan was already quite handsome to begin with, and now, enhanced by this Demigod Demeanor, even the dim cultivation chamber seemed to brighten by three shades because of him!
The corners of Guliang Yuan's mouth turned up into a smile that was harder to suppress than an assault rifle firing away.
Among the contents of the beginner's gift pack, the Demigod Demeanor was merely the most insignificant reward.
In the cultivation world, fewer spiritual roots meant higher aptitude and faster cultivation speed.
Therefore, a single spiritual root was also known as a Heavenly Spiritual Root.
Guliang Yuan's original spiritual roots were of the Fire, Wood, and Metal triads, putting his aptitude at the lower-middle level. He had previously been troubled by his mediocre spiritual roots, but he never expected the system to directly bestow upon him Void Spiritual Roots to replace his old ones, maximizing his aptitude to the absolute limit!
Conventional spiritual roots consisted of the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Rare variations included wind, rain, lightning, and other mutated roots derived from the five elements.Generally speaking, spiritual roots of a certain element could only practice spells of that same element.
However, this Void Spiritual Root was unaffected by such restrictions and could freely transform into any kind of spiritual root!
Moreover, its cultivation speed was extraordinarily fast—fully thirty percent faster than a Heavenly Spiritual Root!
This was simply a cultivation cheat code!
Then there was the detector rewarded by the system, which could inspect the basic information of anyone.
More importantly, it would thoughtfully indicate whether the other person was a simpering sycophant.
With the detector in hand, Guliang Yuan was full of confidence regarding his upcoming disciple recruitment.
"Open the system panel."
Host: Guliang Yuan
Cultivation: mid Foundation Establishment
Identity: Lord of Forgetful Peak, Taishang Holy Land
Cultivation Technique: Forgetful Scripture (Incomplete)
Divine Abilities: Lesser Gengjin Art, Fire Dragon Palm
Items: Two Xuan-tier magical instruments, one Di-tier magical instrument, various spiritual pills and treasures.
Disciples: None
System Quest: Take in the first disciple. System Reward: Nascent Soul cultivation.
Looking at the system quest, Guliang Yuan collected his thoughts, patted non-existent dust off his clothes, and stepped out of the closed-door cultivation chamber.
Leaving Forgetful Peak, Guliang Yuan ran straight into two young disciples flying on swords.
Seeing Guliang Yuan, the two hastily landed their flying swords and bowed to him, saying:
"Greetings, Grand Uncle-Master."
Though their etiquette was flawless, the casual disdain in the depths of their eyes was still sharply caught by Guliang Yuan.
He was already used to this kind of look; they came to bow only because of his seniority and the rules of the holy land.
However, the cultivation world ultimately respected strength. Given his previous reputation as a sycophant and his cultivation level, these disciples naturally wouldn't respect him from the bottom of their hearts—they merely wanted to keep up appearances on the surface.
Guliang Yuan nodded slightly to acknowledge them.
Communicating with the system in his mind, he cast the detector upon the two of them.
Name: Jiang Yingyu
Infatuation Value (Sycophant Value): 50
Cultivation: early Foundation Establishment
Spiritual Root: Wood-Fire-Water Triple Spiritual Root
Comprehension: Mediocre to poor
Luck: Average
Summary: An NPC of the cultivation world.
Name: Tan Zhengzhi
Infatuation Value: 80 (Outstanding)
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Late Stage
Spiritual Root: Wood-Fire Dual Spiritual Root
Comprehension: Above average
Luck: Above average
Summary: An NPC who managed to get a name, a veteran top-tier sycophant, but whose talent falls short.
Looking at Tan Zhengzhi's infatuation value of 80, Guliang Yuan walked away with a sigh of regret.
What a fine sapling for a sycophant, what a pity.
Watching Guliang Yuan's receding figure, Jiang Yingyu turned to Tan Zhengzhi:
"Why do I feel like Grand Uncle-Master seems even more handsome today?"
Tan Zhengzhi nodded: "I think he has a better aura, too."
"So what if he does? Good looks can't be eaten as a meal."
"He is only at the Foundation Establishment stage now. Even though he holds a high position, he will only be prominent for two hundred years at most."
Jiang Yingyu nodded in agreement:
"Cultivation is the fundamental basis for establishing oneself. Why doesn't Grand Uncle-Master understand this logic?"
"For the sake of a woman, he completely gave up cultivation. Such a waste of such good cultivation resources."
"Who is to say otherwise?"
"Still, none of this has anything to do with us. From now on, whenever we see him, as long as we don't slack on the proper etiquette, that's enough."
"Senior Brother Tan speaks the absolute truth."
Guliang Yuan was naturally unaware of their discussion. By this time, scanning along the way, he had arrived at the chores quarters of Taishang Holy Land.
With a single glance across the area, a dense multitude of attribute panels surfaced before his eyes.
He originally intended to check them one by one, but suddenly, a golden panel caught his attention!
Everyone else's panels were colorless; why on earth was there a golden one here?
Looking closely, he saw that the panel read: ……