Chapter 50: The Tribulation-Transcending Master's Attitude Changes Drastically, Flattering Wang Chu Fanatically

By the vast sea of Laizhou.

The sudden change in the old man's attitude left Chuxue somewhat astonished as she wondered silently why this senior had suddenly had a change of heart.

Wang Chu, however, remained entirely composed, looking as though he had anticipated this all along.

"Hehe, Senior need not apologize."

The old man's tone was deeply sincere:

"The Young Master is magnanimous and may not mind, but this old man cannot afford not to."

Wang Chu picked up the fishing rod and cast the hook into the sea for the third time, speaking very casually:

"Very well, then I accept Senior's apology."

Wang Chu did not hold a poor impression of the old man beside him.

Although his words had been somewhat discourteous, he was not a man entirely devoid of principles.

At the very least, upon seeing the iridescent divine fish and the ancient golden scales, his first thought was to purchase them from Wang Chu rather than seize them by force.

For this reason alone, his moral standing already surpassed that of most cultivators.

The old man cupped his hands in a salute, his attitude immensely respectful:

"The Young Master is truly magnanimous!"

With that, he cast a sideways glance at the fishing rod connected by a line to the ocean, and asked with mounting anticipation:

"Young Master, this old man has a rather presumptuous request."

Wang Chu asked a question to which he already knew the answer:

"What is it?"

The old man replied:

"Might you sell the next fish to me?"

He tried his best to suppress the surging emotions within his heart, which roared like ocean waves:

"This old man is willing to trade all the wealth accumulated over a lifetime to buy the very next fish the Young Master catches."

Hearing this, Chuxue parted her lips slightly, growing even more astonished.

A lifetime's worth of accumulated wealth?

Did she hear correctly?

As for Wang Chu, a faint smile appeared on his face:

"Is Senior so certain that the next fish I catch will be worth trading your entire fortune?"

To be honest, the old man was not entirely certain.

Yet he was willing to take this gamble.

If he did not wager this, he might never have another opportunity to take that crucial next step and enter the Tribulation Transcendence realm.

"This old man has faith in the Young Master."

Wang Chu remained silent for a moment before replying:

"Hehe, interesting. Senior is truly an interesting person. How about this: if I happen to dislike the next fish, I will sell the whole thing to Senior. If I like it, I will decide what to do based on the circumstances. What does Senior think?"

Not daring to object, the old man immediately agreed:

"That would be exceptionally wonderful!"

Wang Chu set the fishing rod aside as usual and picked up his book:

"Then Senior, please continue waiting here."

Clenching his fists and staring fixedly at the sea surface, the old man swallowed hard and asked:

"Will it still be within the span of an incense stick?"

Turning a page, Wang Chu answered offhandedly:

"Yes."

The old man nodded:

"Understood. I shall wait patiently. Please read your book in peace, Young Master, and this old man will not disturb you."

Taking a sip of his beverage, Wang Chu said no more and resumed reading.

After her initial shock, Chuxue cast a deep look at Wang Chu, picked up her own book, and began to read as well.

For an old man who had lived for nearly ten thousand years, the burning time of an incense stick was no different from the blink of an eye.

Yet right now, that same span of time felt incomparably long to him.

Far longer than any waiting period he had ever experienced.

Patience, he must maintain patience!

Throughout the wait, the old man repeatedly admonished himself in secret.

***

As one of the premier major factions within Laizhou territory, Tianya Pavilion boasted a disciple roster numbering in the hundreds of thousands, with every single member possessing innate talent at the Mysterious Body level or above.

To stand out in a sect with such a massive populace, where every individual possessed cultivation talent, was truly as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Fortunately, aside from her innate cultivation aptitude, An Xinjie also had the backing of her biological father, who served as a Great Elder of the sect.

Under her father's protection and support, it took An Xinjie a mere hundred and twenty years to make a name for herself within the sect, becoming the fastest person in nearly a thousand years to be promoted to a personal disciple.

Had it been anyone else, they might have already grown complacent and conceited as a result.

Yet An Xinjie was far from satisfied with this.

Her ambition was to be mentioned in the same breath as the true prodigies and outstanding talents of the entire continent.

To achieve that, merely becoming a personal disciple of Tianya Pavilion was far from enough.

An Xinjie's next goal was to be promoted from a personal disciple to the Pavilion Maiden of Tianya Pavilion within the shortest time possible.

Only by doing so could she secure the sect's full support and vast cultivation resources, thereby accelerating her cultivation speed and enhancing her strength.

To this end, she had racked her brains and exhausted every possible method.

For instance... doing everything in her power to extract information concerning the Pavilion Elder from her own father.

There were generally two paths to becoming the Pavilion Maiden of Tianya Pavilion:

First, conquer the Heavenly Mystery Realm of Tianya Pavilion. Once successful, one would automatically become the Pavilion Maiden.

That path was fraught with extreme danger, and given An Xinjie's current strength, it would take her at least another decade.

To most cultivators, ten years might not seem particularly long.

However, An Xinjie lacked this kind of patience and had no desire to wait for such a long time.

Thus, she had no choice but to opt for the second path: win the favor of the Pavilion Elder and have him recommend her as the Pavilion Maiden.

To others, this path might prove even more difficult than the first.

After all, the Pavilion Elder was always elusive, seeing his head but never his tail. Forget about earning his favor; merely catching a glimpse of his person was as difficult as ascending to the blue sky.

Yet for An Xinjie, who possessed a well-connected father, it was not quite so arduous.

Very few people throughout the entire sect knew that, aside from entering seclusion, the Pavilion Elder had two major hobbies.

First, playing chess.

Second, fishing.

As if by sheer coincidence, An Xinjie happened to be one of the few who knew this secret.

She could fully leverage this secret to capture the attention and favor of the Pavilion Elder.

Today, An Xinjie had seized this very opportunity.

Her father had informed her that the Pavilion Elder was currently fishing in a stretch of sea near Tianya Pavilion.

To win the Pavilion Elder's favor through fishing—

Now was the absolute optimal moment!

Determined not to let this rare chance slip away, An Xinjie had abandoned her routine grueling cultivation, custom-ordered a set of fishing gear from the Universal Chamber of Commerce, and set off for the waters where the Pavilion Elder was located.

Originally, she had assumed she would undoubtedly be the first and only person fishing near the Pavilion Elder.

Reality, however, greatly exceeded An Xinjie's expectations.

When she arrived at the pre-scouted and reserved fishing spot carrying her gear,

she caught a distant glimpse of two strange umbrellas erected on the sandy beach near the shore.

Beneath those two umbrellas lay a young man and woman relaxing, and one of the men was actually fishing!

"What is going on? Could it be that besides myself, someone else in the sect also acquired this intelligence? ... Ah, I was careless, I was too careless this time..."

Because the coincidence was so striking, An Xinjie naturally mistook the man and woman beneath the umbrellas for rival competitors from her own sect.

"Fortunately, I am not too late. According to my father, the Pavilion Elder should have just begun casting... Oh!"

Realizing that she might have arrived late, An Xinjie attempted to soothe her mindset through self-consolation.

Yet, halfway through her thought, she noticed something was amiss.

Standing right beside the two large umbrellas was yet another person!

Squinting to look closer, An Xinjie's breathing grew somewhat erratic.

Was that not Hong Zhongyuan, the Pavilion Elder whom she had yearned to arrange a meeting with day and night?!

Dammit.

Someone had beaten her to the punch!

Her mood souring, An Xinjie hesitated for a brief moment before gritting her teeth and marching toward the large umbrellas with her fishing gear in tow.

Though she had been preempted, she was not ready to give up.

Perhaps there was still a chance to surpass them from behind!

An Xinjie possessed immense confidence in her own innate talent and interpersonal skills.