The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 714: Chapter 150: A Holy Land Love Rival Soap Opera is Here?

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After the attendants withdrew, the men took their seats. Luan Lirong looked at Zhang Deming and asked, “So this is Junior Brother Zhang Deming?”

Zhang Deming paused, nodding with a hint of surprise. “Yes.”

“Before coming here, I had countless theories about what kind of person you were, Junior Brother. It wasn’t until the day before yesterday, when I saw a Liuying of you, that I realized you’re also a Spirit Nurturing Master?” Luan Lirong said.

‘Countless theories?’

‘Uhh… I don’t think I know him, do I?’

After a slight pause, Zhang Deming nodded and said, “Yes, I am indeed a Spirit Nurturing Master.”

“To have entered the ranks of Spirit Nurturing Masters with only Duality Cultivation… It seems your Talent is quite good, Junior Brother. Why didn’t you go with Junior Sister Ling’er to cultivate at the Holy Land?” Luan Lirong asked.

‘Huh? Ling’er? That’s Juan’er’s Daoist name!’

‘Wait a minute… This guy couldn’t be one of Ling’er’s suitors, could he? Did he come all the way to the Celestial Spirit Sect to play out some corny soap opera scene where he kills the rival? No way!’

‘Am I about to experience the kind of drama I managed to avoid in the Celestial Spirit Sect, but now it’s coming all the way from the Spirit Nurturing Holy Land?’

Zhang Deming faltered. As his thoughts raced, he glanced at Luan Lirong, momentarily unsure how to respond.

Not wanting the atmosphere to grow stiff, Yuee Mengsheng immediately chimed in with a smile. “Ah, that’s all my fault. The two of them started their journey together, but due to my own limited abilities, I was only able to secure one spot for direct entry to the Holy Land.”

“After long deliberation, and because Ling’er’s aptitude was slightly better—and perhaps a bit of my own favoritism, I’ll admit, as she is my prized disciple—I made the executive decision to send Ling’er to the Holy Land.”

“So, Junior Brother Zhang stayed behind and didn’t go to the Hundred Spirits Blessed Land to further his development. Besides, we three old geezers are getting on in years. This big Spirit Nurturing Peak needs a successor, doesn’t it?”

“Is that so? Then how come I also heard that Spirit Nurturing Peak has produced a Tier Three High-Quality Spirit Nurturer?”

“If I recall correctly, Peak Master Yuee, the three of you reached the level of Tier Three Spirit Nurturer based on control, correct?”

“Are you saying, Peak Master Yuee, that you’ve found a way to forcibly push your Spirit Nurturing Technique to the high-quality level at Tier Three, even after advancing from Tier Two based on control? Retroactively solidifying your foundation?” Luan Lirong said coolly.

“Is that so? I wasn’t aware our peak had produced a Tier Three High-Quality Spirit Nurturer. Where did you hear this, Junior Brother Luan? I’d like to see for myself,” Guk Liancai interjected.

Zhang Deming and the other two paused and glanced at Guk Liancai. His words weren’t exactly polite, but at least he wasn’t being openly confrontational, which was good enough.

The man hadn’t arrived at their Sect with great fanfare, so he clearly wasn’t some official representative of the Spirit Nurturing Holy Land’s Honor Guard or anything of the sort.

Since he was traveling in a private capacity, they could be polite without having to be servile. After all, no matter how rundown their Sect was, it was still a Four-Nine Upper Sect, one of the top powers in the Hongmeng Realm.

Luan Lirong paused and glanced at the four of them. “Perhaps I misheard. When I return to the Holy Land, I will report this to my clan. Once the rumormonger has been dealt with, I will offer you all a formal apology.”

A chill went through the four of them, but they remained composed. They knew that once they’d decided to take this step, this kind of confrontation was bound to happen sooner or later.

Even if it was discovered that Zhang Deming was a Tier Four High-Quality Spirit Nurturer, it wouldn’t matter. At worst, he could just reveal that he was a reincarnator. As long as he wasn’t some peerless prodigy, the Spirit Nurturing Holy Land couldn’t care less about a few ordinary Spirit Nurturing Masters.

After all, there were already plenty of Law-Level Spirit Nurturers in the outside world. At the very least, the Blessed Lands were already making attempts on the Classical Level. The Law Level was no longer something the Spirit Nurturing Holy Land could keep under a technological blockade.

Yuee Mengsheng smiled. “There’s no need for that. It’s a trivial matter no one will take to heart.”

Luan Lirong glanced at them and decided not to press the issue. He changed the subject. “My reason for coming to Spirit Nurturing Peak to find Junior Brother Zhang isn’t just because I saw that Liuying of you the other day on a whim. There’s another reason.”

Zhang Deming’s expression shifted. He looked at Luan Lirong intently. ‘Here it comes! The drama is here!’

Luan Lirong continued, “As you senior brothers can see, I am not traveling as a representative of the Holy Land. I am journeying across the Hongmeng Realm for my own cultivation for certain personal reasons.”

“Before I left the Grotto Heaven, since Junior Sister Ling’er and I are quite good friends and she knew of my travel plans, she gave me a few instructions before my departure.”

“Originally, it would have been some time before I reached your Celestial Spirit territory. But because of the Five Elements disaster, I came ahead of schedule.”

“Then, when I saw the Liuying of you the day before yesterday, I was genuinely curious, so I decided to pay a visit at this juncture. First, to meet you, Junior Brother, and satisfy my curiosity.”

“And second…”

Luan Lirong paused. With a flick of his hand, a pile of Jade Boxes appeared on the tea table beside his seat. He gestured at them and said, “This is a Four-Star Spirit Nourishing Pill, this is a Three-Star God-Nurturing Pill, this is a Four-Star Accompanying Spirit Pill, this is…”

Yuee Mengsheng looked at Luan Lirong in confusion. “Junior Brother Luan, what is all this?”

Luan Lirong gestured to the pile of Elixirs and looked at Zhang Deming. “Before I left, Junior Sister Ling’er secretly gave these to me. She insisted, time and again, that I personally deliver them into your hands, Junior Brother Zhang.”

‘Wait…’

‘She sent Elixirs?’

‘She sent resources?’

‘Where’s the drama?’

‘Where’s the assassination attempt?’

‘Or at the very least, where’s the warning?’

Zhang Deming: “…”

Gan Zili: “…”

Guk Liancai: “…”

Yuee Mengsheng’s face went stiff. “This is all for Junior Brother Zhang?”

Hearing the sour note in Yuee Mengsheng’s voice, Luan Lirong paused briefly. “Oh, Junior Sister Ling’er also asked me to send her regards to the three of you senior brothers. She said she had prepared a little something for you as well.