Within the forbidden grounds of the Pristine Way Sect, there lies a vast, secluded small world.
Inside this small world, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is exceptionally rich. This is where the Supreme Elders of the Pristine Way Sect live in seclusion.
Beneath a towering tree with a canopy spanning an entire mu, a black-robed elder was playing Go with a white-robed elder.
After two hours, the black-robed elder burst out in triumphant laughter. "Ha! I finally won this round!"
The white-robed elder curled his lip. "Out of ten games you only won one, Chong Duan, what's there to be proud of?"
The black-robed elder laughed. "Of course I'm proud. I got the last laugh! Besides, this game of Go was invented by my disciple. I really don't know how his little brain came up with such an interesting toy. No wonder I, Cole Chong Duan, have my eye on him as a disciple."
"Stop bragging. All you do is talk about your disciple. Has he even agreed to be your apprentice yet?" the white-robed elder sneered.
"If I want to take him as a disciple, would he dare refuse?" Cole Chong Duan slapped the Go board, but strangely, the pieces didn't move at all.
"Why couldn't he refuse? What if I want him as my disciple too?" the white-robed elder said playfully.
"Darren Fang Easton, you dare to compete with me for a disciple!"
Cole Chong Duan glared fiercely, his eyes wide with anger as he stared at Darren Fang Easton.
Darren Fang Easton didn’t care in the slightest. He said in a deep voice, "That kid comprehended sword intent while still at the Qi-Refining stage, and swordsmanship happens to be my specialty. It’s like the heavens arranged for him to be my disciple! You may be strong, but your cultivation is too broad and unfocused. If he becomes your disciple, he’ll never reach his full potential, but if he trains under me, I’m confident I can make him a Sword King!"
Even though Darren’s words weren’t outright insults, Cole Chong Duan still felt uncomfortable and snapped, "Darren Fang Easton, you shameless old fox! You think you can steal my disciple? No way! I have a letter from his father, giving me the legitimate right to accept him. What claim do you have?"
At last, Darren Fang Easton revealed a hint of smugness. "From what I know, the real authority in that kid’s family is his mother, Lydia Liu. And by the way, she calls me uncle. I’ve already sent her a letter, so in a couple days, I expect a reply."
He grinned, "So, do you think that kid will listen to his dad and become your disciple, or listen to his mom and become mine?"
"Shameless!" Cole Chong Duan spat.
Cole Chong Duan’s face changed instantly. Ever since he’d seen Ian Song’s performance at the entrance trial, he’d wanted to take him as a disciple—but he couldn’t do it carelessly. That’s why he sent someone to New Dawn City to investigate Ian’s background thoroughly.
When he learned Ian had only started cultivating a few months ago, his desire grew even stronger. He’d planned to wait until Ian reached ninth-layer Qi-Refining before formally accepting him.
But he hadn’t expected Ian to perform like a monster at the Inner Sect Grand Tournament, crushing ninth-layer Qi-Refining disciples while only at the sixth layer and taking first place. What excited him most was that Ian had even grasped sword intent.
Because of this, Cole was already considering whether he should accept Ian as his disciple ahead of schedule.