"So, the real task is actually very simple," Ki Qinyin said. "It's to find you—the new Seasoned Envoy of our Northern Dragon Guard."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ke gave a bitter smile. "And then, I assume it's my job to test their strength?"

As he spoke, he could already imagine how bloody the future would be. A group of arrogant young geniuses, who looked down on heaven and earth, would see that he had become the Seasoned Envoy without even setting foot inside the Northern Dragon Guard... They would rather die than accept him. He would have to beat them into submission before he could rightfully begin their 'training.'

"Correct," Ki Qinyin affirmed. "You will have your work cut out for you, Seasoned Envoy."

"Don't hold back too much, or they will never be convinced."

Xu Ke touched his nose. "If I injure them severely, they'll have to seek treatment from Elder Yang. The Northern Dragon Guard will have to foot an extra medical bill..."

"I trust that with your medical skills, Seasoned Envoy, you know how to inflict unbearable pain without causing any lasting damage," Ki Qinyin said with a straight face.

Xu Ke was speechless.

Ki Qinyin really had thought of everything.

He took a breath, casually opened the window, and added, "However, let's not talk about what happens after they meet me."

"I'm curious about one thing. Tianhai is a vast sea of people, so how are they going to find me?"

The transient population of Tianhai was immense. Finding him with such precision would be incredibly difficult.

"About that, I'll be giving them some clues later," Ki Qinyin said with a smile.

Xu Ke raised an eyebrow. "Well, alright then... I'll just wait for them to deliver themselves to my doorstep."

...

After finishing his call with Ki Qinyin, Xu Ke pondered how he should train the new recruits. He couldn't come up with any ideas after some time, so he set the matter aside.

Besides, it was a huge question as to when they would even find him...

Afterward, Xu Ke took out the Green Dragon Essence Bead and began to cultivate by absorbing its energy.

As the bead settled into his palm and his True Qi began to churn once more, Xu Ke felt a long-lost sense of satisfaction.

How long had it been since he'd last felt the sensation of cultivation...?

...

Xu Ke finished cultivating at around two o'clock in the afternoon.

When he opened his eyes, he found that his strength had grown significantly. He was now just a few steps away from reaching Innate Great Perfection.

Xu Ke carefully put away the green bead.

This thing was his lifeline...

Just then, his phone rang.

DING-A-LING.

It was Li Lang.

Xu Ke frowned and answered the call. "What is it?"

"Xu Ke," Li Lang's voice was cautious. "I have some news for you. It's a matter of life and death."

Xu Ke's gaze sharpened. "What news?"

"Meet me at Ronghua Restaurant, Room 402, at 6:30 PM."

Li Lang didn't elaborate. He just gave the address and hung up.

Staring at the dial tone, Xu Ke thought for a moment before calling Tang Yingchang.

"Mister Xu, what can I do for you?"

"After you bring Xu Yi back, come with me to Ronghua Restaurant."

"Yes, sir!"

...

「6:30 PM, Ronghua Restaurant.」

Xu Ke and Tang Yingchang went up the stairs.

Although the poisoned Li Lang was completely under his control and posed no threat, Xu Ke still brought Tang Yingchang along out of an abundance of caution.

Not only that, he had also brought the Gale Dart and the Green Dragon Essence Bead.

Who knew if Li Lang would set an ambush for him here?

However, when he opened the door to the private room and saw Li Lang sitting there alone, Xu Ke knew he had worried for nothing.

"Xu Ke, you're here."

Li Lang's face was pale. His nervous and panicky demeanor made him look like a thief with a guilty conscience.

Xu Ke nodded, sat down, and got straight to the point. "Alright, spit it out. Why did you call me here?"

"It's simple. I've learned something that concerns your life and death."

Li Lang took a deep breath, as if he had just made a monumental decision.

Xu Ke raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

Li Lang wouldn't help him for no reason. He had clearly come here to trade this information for something.

"You know what I want," Li Lang said, staring into Xu Ke's eyes. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

For the past few days, even though he'd been receiving the antidote from Xu Ke, the feeling of having his life in someone else's hands was becoming unbearable.

If he didn't want his life back, Li Lang never would have betrayed the Ye Family to make this trade with Xu Ke.

"That depends on the value of your information," Xu Ke said coolly.

"What if I told you that the Huang, Qin, and Ye families are joining forces to kill you, no matter the cost?" Li Lang enunciated each word. "Is that information valuable enough?"

At these words, the expressions on both Xu Ke's and Tang Yingchang's faces changed.

The three families are joining forces?

But Xu Ke quickly masked his reaction before Li Lang could notice.

Xu Ke smiled faintly. "This isn't the first time families have teamed up to kill me."

"Last time, it was the Ye Family, the Huang Family, and Sun Luo. They joined forces against me, and four of them ended up dead."

"Do you think that scares me?"

Li Lang wasn't surprised by Xu Ke's response. He stared at him and said, "I know this news might not scare you."

"After all, you've beaten them before. It's only natural that you'd look down on them."

"But you have to take this seriously. Otherwise, no one will be able to save you," Li Lang said, gesturing toward Tang Yingchang. "Not even him or Wang Wu."

Tang Yingchang's eyes widened in surprise.

This time, Xu Ke was genuinely startled. "What is this information exactly?"

"And if they're really teaming up to kill me, how could you possibly know about something so secret?"

A self-mocking look appeared on Li Lang's face. "You spared my life. During Xu Yi's kidnapping, you went to great lengths to help me earn the Ye Family's trust, making them believe I killed Chang Yi and the others just to gain merit. Wasn't it all in the hopes that I could uncover these kinds of secret messages for you?"

Xu Ke suddenly laughed. Li Lang was right.

He had spared his life and convinced Ye Chong and Ye Yunfeng of his supposed contributions, all to allow Li Lang to get closer to the Ye Family's inner circle. That way, by controlling Li Lang's life, he would naturally get his hands on these so-called 'secret messages.'

"But being a traitor can't feel very good, can it?" Xu Ke asked with a grin, watching the uneasy, sweating man. Li Lang looked so guilty, the words might as well have been written on his face.

"A traitor?" Li Lang scoffed, then took a deep breath. "I'm well aware of how the Ye Family has treated my Li Family. I don't need you to point it out."

"Just tell me. Are you going to trade my life for yours, or not?"

Hearing this, Xu Ke's expression turned playful...