The battle was over. Ian Song’s figure flickered, and he left the scene right away. He looked like the victor, but his soul was badly damaged, and even the immortal yuan force in his body was down to less than ten percent.
At the Song Residence, Lila Li, Wendy Lin, Raina Quinn, and even Hannah Murong were all waiting anxiously for Ian’s return.
"Husband."
"Brother Song."
"Young Master."
"Lord Song."
The moment they saw him, all four girls’ faces lit up with excitement.
"Alright, it’s settled. You all should get some rest early. I’m a bit injured, so I’ll be going into seclusion to recover." After saying this to the four girls, Ian teleported straight to the training room and then entered the Temple of Divinity.
Time passed. Inside the Temple of Divinity, more than three months went by before Ian finally finished healing his soul, though his immortal yuan force only recovered to fifty percent.
The main issue was that his immortal yuan force was just too high-grade. Relying on top-grade spirit crystals to recover was painfully slow. It looked like he’d have to make time for a trip to the Lesser Immortal Realm, where immortal essence filled the air—there, he could be back at his peak in half a day.
While Ian was hiding in the Temple of Divinity to heal, news of his victory over Princess Claire spread through the Imperial Capital like wildfire.
Who is Princess Claire?
She’s an early Tribulation sword cultivator whose strength is even higher than most mid-Tribulation experts. And yet, this invincible powerhouse was actually defeated by Ian Song, who’s only at late Soul-Split. If it hadn’t been for a mysterious expert saving her, Princess Claire would have died right under Ian’s sword.
Shocked?
Surprised?
Jealous?
Envious?
In awe?
All kinds of emotions were stirring in the hearts of cultivators across the Imperial Capital. At the same time, every powerful family did the same thing: they called their children over and solemnly gave a single warning—offend anyone you want, but never offend Ian Song. If you can get close to him, no matter what it costs, you must do it.
As for the wastrel heirs who already had ties with Ian—Brandon Nangong, Jasper Easton, Leo Lu, and others—they were showered with praise by their elders, and their status at home rose sharply.
As for Warren Wei, Ian’s sworn younger brother, he became the hottest figure in the Imperial Capital’s wastrel circle in just one day. He received over a thousand banquet invitations, which left him both troubled and excited.
But he didn’t let it go to his head. Warren knew full well that all those invitations were really just people trying to get close to Ian Song, so he refused every single one of them.
Because of this, his father—the Capital Prefect—actually praised him for the first time.
The next day.
When Ian stepped out of the training room, he found the entire residence bustling. Servants were busy hauling piles of gifts into the storeroom.
"Master, you’ve come out of seclusion!"
The two servants waiting outside the training room immediately bowed deeply when they saw Ian, their respect on full display.
"No need for all the formalities."
Ian nodded.
News of Ian coming out of seclusion quickly spread throughout the Song Residence, and soon Lila Li arrived in a hurry with two maids in tow.
"Husband, are you alright?"
Lila Li’s eyes were full of concern.
"Don’t worry, I’m fine now." Ian took Lila’s hand and smiled gently.
Although Lila was already used to Ian’s public displays of affection, she still felt a little shy. She tried to pull her hand away, but when she couldn’t, she just let him hold it.
"Husband, Senior Brother Chase Cheng sent a letter."
Suddenly, Lila handed Ian a jade slip.
"Let me see."
Ian took the jade slip and sent his divine sense inside. The message Chase Cheng had left immediately surfaced in his mind.
Half an hour later.
Ian’s figure appeared in the Lesser Immortal Realm. Sensing the dense immortal essence in the air, he instinctively began circulating his techniques to absorb it.
A flicker of movement—Chase Cheng appeared.
"Congrats, little junior brother, on beating Princess Claire!" Chase grinned.
"Senior brother, you flatter me. I just got lucky, that's all!"
"Lucky? If Elder Snowheart hadn't suddenly stepped in, Princess Claire would've died by your sword!"
"Heh heh!"
Hearing that, Ian couldn't help but smile smugly.
"Alright, come with me. The elders want to see you." Chase suddenly grew serious.
"Why do the elders want to see me?" Ian asked nervously.
"Relax, it's a good thing!" Chase winked.
Soon, Ian followed Chase to the summit of the Male Phoenix Line's mountain. Elder Gideon Skyreach, Elder Marcus Solitude, Elder Adrian Zhou, Elder Grace Foxwell, Elder Bloodsun, and Elder Nathan Chen—all six Male Phoenix elders—were waiting there for him.
"Disciple Ian Song greets Elder Gideon, Elder Marcus, Elder Bloodsun...!"
Ian didn't dare slack off and greeted each elder respectfully.
"Alright, our Male Phoenix Line isn't that strict with rules." Elder Gideon smiled, clearly pleased with Ian's attitude. He hadn't gotten arrogant after beating Princess Claire.
"Little Song, you really made our Male Phoenix Line proud yesterday!" Elder Grace Foxwell said with a laugh.
"Just lucky, that's all," Ian said humbly.
Elder Grace Foxwell teased, "Lucky? If that woman Snowheart hadn't stepped in, Claire would already be a goner!"
Ian just smiled shyly and didn't say anything more.
"Alright, we called you here for two reasons. First, we're officially accepting you as a Male Phoenix Line disciple." Elder Adrian Zhou suddenly spoke up.
Ian was stunned, then broke into a happy grin and bowed again. "Thank you, elders, for accepting me! I promise I won't let you down!"
"Now that you're officially one of us, pick a master from among us." Elder Adrian Zhou continued.
Without a moment's hesitation, Ian knelt before Elder Gideon Skyreach. "Please accept me, Elder Gideon!"
The other five elders all showed a hint of envy in their eyes.
"Congrats on getting such a talented disciple, Gideon!"
Though the other five elders were a bit disappointed not to take Ian as their own disciple, they quickly congratulated Elder Gideon Skyreach.
"That's right, Gideon, you've picked a real winner!"
"Hold on!"
Just then, a clear voice rang out, and a beautiful middle-aged Daoist nun appeared, leading a stunning young girl in a pale-green dress.
"Elder Faye, what brings you to our side today?" Elder Gideon greeted her with a smile.
The Daoist nun smiled and greeted all six elders, then turned her gaze to Ian and said kindly, "You must be Ian Song?"
"Disciple, this is Elder Faye Moon of the Female Phoenix Line. Hurry and pay your respects," Elder Gideon said.
"Disciple Ian Song greets Elder Faye."
On hearing that, Ian quickly bowed respectfully.
"No need for so much ceremony, stand up." Elder Faye Moon stepped forward and helped Ian up herself.
Seeing this, Elder Gideon's face twitched a little, but he laughed, "Elder Faye, you came at just the right time. We're about to officially accept Ian into the Male Phoenix Line!"
Elder Faye Moon curled her lip disdainfully, "What's so great about the Male Phoenix Line? If a genius like Ian had joined the Female Phoenix Line, he'd have been officially accepted ages ago. No need to wait until now."
Then she turned to Ian, "Ian, interested in joining the Female Phoenix Line? All our disciples are as beautiful as flowers!"
Ian's face stiffened—what's that supposed to mean? Is she calling me a lecher or something?