Chapter 238

Chapter 238: Immortal Lord Chang Li’s Heart-Guard Feather

Sensing Master Ling Xiao’s gloomy mood, Ming Xi, Jiang Wen Sheng, Liang Yue, and Zhong Chuan traded looks with the same expression in their eyes: [See? He’s impatient again.]

Back when Shen Sang Ruo lived on his Thunder-Scale Peak, he ignored her, let others hurt her, and did not like the sight of her. Now that she has bowed to someone else as her master, he is unhappy.

[People only learn regret after they lose something.]

Yet even now, Master Ling Xiao keeps that inborn pride of his, acting like everyone owes him money. But Shen Sang Ruo owes him nothing.

It was the first time they had seen Master Ling Xiao suffer one setback after another. And now that Immortal Lord Chang Li had reached Late Divine Transformation, the sense of threat he posed to Master Ling Xiao was at its peak. The other sects were happily watching the show.

Seated on the dais, Immortal Lord Chang Li took in everything, his lips curving the tiniest bit. He lifted his gaze lightly toward Master Ling Xiao, the challenge clear.

Master Ling Xiao’s Spiritual Pressure thickened again.

On the other side, True Lord Gu Ci also fixed her eyes on Master Ling Xiao, but not for fun. She already knew why the Ninghua Sect had invited her here; she owed them a favor and would ensure the ceremony ran smoothly. Keeping order among the sects was the Hall of Myriad Spirits’ duty in the first place.

Feeling all the stares, including True Lord Gu Ci’s, Master Ling Xiao forced his anger down. [They think I don’t know they’re laughing at me? Shen Sang Ruo is doing this on purpose. Immortal Lord Chang Li too. All of them are.] His smile turned cold: [As if I’d let them have their way.]

To outsiders it might look like Shen Sang Ruo had great face and he was dead set on taking her back as his disciple. [As if she deserves it.]

His inner monologue churned, yet when his gaze fell on Shen Sang Ruo again, he looked perfectly calm. He watched the ceremony move forward step by step, trying to “wake” her with that faint, lingering stare so she would give up Immortal Lord Chang Li. Then he would begrudgingly forgive her and let her return to Thunder-Scale Peak.

When she showed no reaction, his knuckles tightened until they turned white.

The ceremony reached its end. Immortal Lord Chang Li solemnly placed the previously retrieved Direct Disciple Token into Shen Sang Ruo’s hands and said: “From this day on, you are the fifth personal disciple under me, Immortal Lord Chang Li.”

She received the token with both hands, cupped her fists to him, and said, “Disciple greets Master.”

At that same moment, a thunderous crack sounded outside. Countless fireworks burst into bloom, their daylight brilliance even outshining the sun. The sparks hung in the sky for a long time without fading, a dazzling display that could rival Floating Light City’s Fireworks Festival.

Inside the hall, feather-light flakes crafted from Spirit Stones drifted down, and the Spiritual Qi density surged severalfold at once. These alone cost a fortune in Spirit Stones and required time and skill to make so light and fluttering. It showed how much effort the Ninghua Sect had poured into the ceremony, and how highly they valued Shen Sang Ruo.

A delicate gift box floated over Immortal Lord Chang Li’s palm. Usually, the master presented a gift at the end of the ceremony. Last time, in the Sealing Formation, the conditions were rough, and he had not known what to give. He felt nothing on hand was worthy of her, and he wanted to prepare the best possible gift, so he omitted that step. Now he would make it up to her.

Seeing the gift box in Immortal Lord Chang Li’s hand, Master Ling Xiao turned his palm, and a gift box appeared in his own. His old apprenticeship gift to Shen Sang Ruo had been a casually obtained Nightglow Stone. He had been careless then. Now he had prepared a new gift, one good enough to make up for his years of neglect, so no one would think that Master Ling Xiao could not produce a decent present. He had already lowered himself enough.

[Let’s see whom she chooses between me and Immortal Lord Chang Li.]

He had planned it the moment he decided to attend the Ninghua Sect’s banquet. He meant to snatch her back during this ceremony and slap Immortal Lord Chang Li in the face.

Toying with his box like a victor in full control, he watched Immortal Lord Chang Li hand his gift to Shen Sang Ruo. His smile turned scornful: [What kind of gift can a man like that offer? Whatever it is, it won’t beat mine.]

He felt confident, and Immortal Lord Chang Li looked just as confident. Chang Li nodded to Shen Sang Ruo and said: “Open it.”

Even through the box, she could feel the heat within, and curiosity stirred. Gathering a thread of Spiritual Power at her fingertip, she tapped the lid; the box shattered into starlight and vanished, revealing the item inside.

A Phoenix Feather, blazing gold and red, floated in the air. In just a few breaths, the temperature inside the hall rose by several degrees. Supporting the feather with her palm, Shen Sang Ruo felt a steady stream of fire power pour into her hand. It was pure fire, hot enough to warm her skin. She could not help looking shocked. The feather’s value was obvious.

Master Ling Xiao’s confident smile froze when he saw it, replaced by raw astonishment. Immortal Lord Chang Li’s gift to Shen Sang Ruo was his Heart-Guard Feather.

For the feather-born races, there was only one Heart-Guard Feather. To the Feather Tribe it was priceless, containing immense power, close to half of one’s life.

After Master Ling Xiao, others also recognized the feather’s origin. Their faces showed the same shock, stunned by how seriously Immortal Lord Chang Li treated Shen Sang Ruo. In the entire Cultivation World, such an attitude and such a gift were unmatched.

Let alone Master Ling Xiao’s mere Blazing Gauntlets; they could not compare to even a tenth of a Heart-Guard Feather. The gauntlets themselves were fine, on par with Bai Mu Mu’s Cold Echo Pearl, and he had spent a long time choosing them. But in the face of a Heart-Guard Feather, all that effort was wasted.

Shen Sang Ruo looked down at the feather and asked, “Master, is this your Heart-Guard Feather?” The Phoenix Feather was too precious.

Immortal Lord Chang Li lifted a brow and said: “Well? My gift did not disappoint, did it?”

Before she could answer, he added, firm and unyielding: “Do not refuse. If you will not accept it, it means you do not wish to be my disciple.”

He had thought it through; only his Heart-Guard Feather was worthy of Shen Sang Ruo.