"Elder Guo Xiong!" Duan Ling Tian turned solemn as he looked at Guo Xiong. "I understand your good intention for wanting to recommend me to Lord Sanctum Leader. I appreciate your kindness, but I must decline your offer. I already have a master! Not only that, but the tradition from my hometown is once I have a master, I have to get permission from my master if I want to accept another master. Otherwise, it would be equivalent to treason!" Duan Ling Tian said resolutely.
"You already have a master?" Guo Xiong was slightly astonished. He asked, "Which force does your master belong to?"
"My master is only a sectless cultivator." Duan Ling Tian shook his head.
"Duan Ling Tian, you must think it through. In the Fire Worship Sect, if you can become the direct disciple of a Golden Flame Elder such as Lord Sanctum Leader, it would only benefit you!" Guo Xiong advised Duan Ling Tian solemnly, "Put everything else aside, just take the enmity between you and Li An as an example, if you become the direct disciple of the Sanctum Leader of our Black Turtle Sanctum, Li An wouldn't dare to plot against you even if he's ten times more courageous. Most importantly, Lord Sanctum Leader won't mind if you have another master or not. As long as you're willing to become his direct disciple, he definitely won't reject you based on your innate talent!" Guo Xiong was patient when he advised Duan Ling Tian.
In his opinion, with Duan Ling Tian's blue Innate Spiritual Root, coupled with his monstrous ability in comprehending Divine Abilities, he would definitely be the most sought after martial genius with a blue Innate Spiritual Root in the Fire Worship Sect!
He was undeniably sure that as long as he recommended Duan Ling Tian to the Sanctum Leader of Black Turtle Sanctum, he would definitely accept Duan Ling Tian as his disciple without a second thought
"Elder Guo Xiong, there's no need for you to advise me further. I've already made up my mind!" Duan Ling Tian shook his head. He spoke resolutely.
Naturally, he was tempted by Guo Xiong's proposal. However, he felt that it was inappropriate.
Put aside that it would be a disservice to his master, Feng Qing Yang, whom he had never met before, even if his master did not mind, he was not willing to drag another person into his mess.
That was right! He was unwilling to drag another person into his mess!
The reason he came to the Fire Worship Sect was not to become a true Fire Worship Sect's disciple and continue to rise to a high position and become a high-ranking official in the Fire Worship Sect.
His only purpose of coming to the Fire Worship Sect was to save his wife and daughter.
One could imagine that if he accepted a master in the Fire Worship Sect, his master would definitely be affected, whether or not he knew of his plan, after he saved his wife and daughter.
As the saying went, 'He who teaches me for a day is my father for life!'
Put aside the other person was his master, if possible, Duan Ling Tian did not want to implicate any innocent people at all.
"Alright. Since you're already made up your mind, I won't persuade you anymore." Guo Xiong stopped persuading him since he could sense his determination. After sighing, he added again, "One month later, I'll pick you up, and we can head to the First Mine of the Four Symbols Sanctums!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he left and did not bid farewell to Duan Ling Tian. It was obvious he was a little angry at how stubborn Duan Ling Tian was.
After Guo Xiong left, Duan Ling Tian returned to the residence of the Black Turtle Sanctum's disciples and his Secundus house.
However, in the next month, he did not enter closed-door cultivation.
Instead, he constantly comprehended the Sovereign Heart Sword and further comprehended the Divine Abilities, the Elementary Devouring Tactic and the Otherworldly Celestial, that he had mastered.
As for the Divine Ability, the Black Turtle's Barrier, he put it aside for the time being.
"Before I can observe someone casting the Black Turtle's Barrier, there's no point in me wasting my time comprehending it." This was the reason Duan Ling Tian decided to put it aside for the time being.
Besides, both Divine Abilities, the Elementary Devouring Tactic and the Otherworldly Celestial, still had room for improvement. For this reason, Duan Ling Tian spent time comprehending them.
Heaven would always reward the faithful!
Ten months later, Duan Ling Tian finally managed to touch the threshold of the third stage of the Sovereign Heart Sword and further mastered the Divine Ability, the Otherworldly Celestial. However, he seemed to have reached a bottleneck when it came to the Divine Ability, the Elementary Devouring Tactic, and was unable to make any progress for a long time.
"It's time." With just a thought, Duan Ling Tian left the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.
After he put away the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, he pushed the door open and walked into the little courtyard outside of the house before sitting down in front of the stone table in the courtyard.
Ten months inside the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda was only one month outside.
'Judging by the time, Elder Guo Xiong should be arriving soon,' Duan Ling Tian thought to himself as he sat in front of the stone table.
At this moment, a voice rang from below his Secundus house.
"Did you hear? Wei He, Elder Li An's Great Direct Disciple, has been sentenced to death by the Saint Land Enforcement Hall three days ago!"
Wei He was sentenced to death?
Duan Ling Tian was stunned when he heard this.
Another voice chimed in, "Are you serious? He's been sentenced to death? Just because news of what happened spread out?"
"Hurmph! Don't look down on that piece of news! Nobody knows who had intentionally spread the news and said that Wei He has violated the sanctity of the Saint Land Enforcement Hall and has been detained by the Saint Land Enforcement Hall."
The voice that spoke earlier said, "Perhaps, the Saint Land Enforcement Hall did not plan to kill Wei He in the first place since he was still a Bronze Flame Elder with a blue Innate Spiritual Root! However, somebody leaked out news of Wei He blaspheming and violating the sanctity of the Saint Land Enforcement Hall. This is no doubt an act of adding fuel to the flame. At this moment, if the Saint Land Enforcement Hall still doesn't sentence Wei He to death, wouldn't they be tarnishing their own sanctity? In our Fire Worship Sect, the Saint Land Enforcement Hall is a sacred place that allows no blasphemy! If a person could still live on after blaspheming such a place, what would the others think? Nobody would take the Saint Land Enforcement Hall seriously anymore if that's the case!"
One must admit that the owner of this voice had seen through everything.
"I must agree, you have a point. However, did you know how Wei He had blasphemed the Saint Land Enforcement Hall?" The owner of the other voice asked.
"I have no idea. It's said that Wei He was unsatisfied with the Black Turtle Sanctum's Enforcement Elder Guo Xiong's verdict regarding Duan Ling Tian so he went to the Saint Land Enforcement Hall to file a complaint against Elder Guo Xiong for malpractice!" The former voice answered again, "I heard that the Saint Land Enforcement Hall had to personally send a man to our Black Turtle Sanctum to investigate this matter, and the result of the investigation is Wei He was found guilty of slandering Elder Guo Xiong!"
"Not only did Wei He fail to avenge his disciple, but he even lost his own lowly life. How sad," the other person said.
"It seems like Elder Guo Xiong decided to leak the news in the end." Duan Ling Tian smiled indifferently when he found out Guo Xiong had taken his advice.
"Duan Ling Tian!" Just as Duan Ling Tian was thinking of Guo Xiong, a voice resonated from afar. The voice belonged to someone with a large build. It was none other than Guo Xiong.
Guo Xiong came according to the schedule to bring Duan Ling Tian to the Four Symbols Sanctums' First Mine to serve his time.
"Elder Guo Xiong, since you leaked the news, did the Saint Land Enforcement Hall investigate who leaked the news?" Duan Ling Tian could not help but ask as they made their way to the Four Symbols Sanctums' First Mine.
"Yes, they did." Guo Xiong nodded before taking a good look at Duan Ling Tian. "Just like you said, even after the Saint Land Enforcement Hall found out it was me who leaked the news, they did not make things difficult for me."
Everything was just as Duan Ling Tian had predicted.
For this reason, Guo Xiong felt Duan Ling Tian was really meticulous. In his heart, he even made a decision not to make an enemy out of Duan Ling Tian even if he had to fall out with Li An. In his opinion, Duan Ling Tian was even more dangerous than Li An was!
"Now that Wei He has been executed, I believe Li An must be upset, right?" Duan Ling Tian smiled nonchalantly.
In his opinion, Li An was the one who dug the grave for his own Great Direct Disciple!
If it was not for the fact that Li An had informed Wei He of the 'truth' about Duan Ling Tian merely possessing a yellow Innate Spiritual Root, Wei He would not have been so stupid as to file a complaint to the Saint Land Enforcement Hall against Guo Xiong for malpractice!
One could say that it was Wei He who looked for his own death! Moreover, it was all because of Li An.
"Wei He was executed by the Saint Land Enforcement Hall three days ago, but the news has only reached our Black Turtle Sanctum today. Even if Li An found out about the news, I'm sure he has only learned about it not too long ago," Guo Xiong chimed in.
Just as Guo Xiong predicted, Li An had just learned about Wei He being executed by the Saint Land Enforcement Hall.
Bang!
As a loud sound resonated, the stone table in front of Li An crumbled instantly into dust.
"He'er, I've failed you!" Li An's expression was grave, and his eyes were bloodshot. He emitted a terrifyingly cold aura that it seemed as though the temperature in the surroundings had dropped by a few degrees.
Wei He was his Great Direct Disciple. He was also his first direct disciple. He had especially doted on this direct disciple to the point where he regarded him as his own son. However, the direct disciple he had regarded as his own son had died!
"I was the one who had underestimated Duan Ling Tian… I can't believe he possesses a blue Innate Spiritual Root!" Li An felt pressured as well after learning that Duan Ling Tian possessed a blue Innate Spiritual Root.
Now that he found out his Great Direct Disciple was sentenced to death by the Saint Land Enforcement Hall, he really wanted to knock on Duan Ling Tian's door and kill him!
Li An blamed Wei He's death on Duan Ling Tian completely!
At this instant, his desire to kill Duan Ling Tian had reached an unprecedented high!
'Duan Ling Tian, you cost me my family so I'm going to let you have a taste of this feeling as well!' Li An thought to himself as his eyes flashed coldly and a terrifying killing intent surged out of his body.
In the next instant, he left his residence in the Black Turtle Sanctum.
His destination was the White Tiger Sanctum!