"Mmm, this is really delicious. No wonder the Jade Maiden Sect kept you around."
Lila Li picked up a pastry and tasted it, nodding in admiration. Even the best pastry chefs in the Prime One Church can hardly make something this delicious.
Hearing Lila Li say that, Warren Tang also picked up a pastry and took a bite, nodding with satisfaction. "Kid, your cooking really is extraordinary. Wait, something doesn't add up—if you're just an ordinary Jade Maiden Sect disciple, how could you produce two top-grade spirit crystals?"
"That was a reward from Senior Azure," Ian Song said.
"And who is this Senior Azure?" Warren Tang asked again. To be able to casually hand out two top-grade spirit crystals, she must be quite wealthy.
Ian Song deliberately showed a look of worship, his tone excited: "Senior Azure is an incredibly powerful woman, and she’s a great benefactor to our Jade Maiden Sect."
"Oh? Just how powerful is she?" Warren Tang said arrogantly, clearly not taking this so-called Senior Azure seriously. After all, he was already a mid-stage Deity Transformation expert.
Ian Song continued, "I don’t know exactly how powerful Senior Azure is, but she’s helped us drive off strong enemies many times. She also set up our Guardian Mountain Formation—my elders say that even Nascent Soul experts can’t break it easily!"
"A formation master?"
Warren Tang and Lila Li exchanged glances, both visibly shocked.
In this world, formation masters, pill alchemists, and artifact forgers are all rare and highly sought-after professions.
So, cultivators in these three professions are usually treated with extra respect wherever they go.
And a formation master who can set up a Guardian Mountain Formation that blocks Nascent Soul experts is at least a Profound-rank formation master.
In this world, formation masters are divided into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.
Yellow-rank formation masters can only set up basic arrays, while Profound-rank formation masters can create much stronger ones.
Earth-rank formation masters are even more impressive—their arrays can withstand attacks from even peak Tribulation-stage experts.
As for Heaven-rank formation masters, they’re considered legendary—supposedly able to set up immortal arrays.
There are quite a few Yellow-rank formation masters in the Prime One Church, but only seven or eight Profound-rank ones, and not a single Earth-rank formation master—let alone Heaven-rank.
So when Warren Tang and Lila Li heard that a Profound-rank formation master had appeared in the backwoods, they were truly shocked.
A moment later, Warren Tang looked at Ian Song and said, "Little brother, could you introduce me to this Senior Azure you mentioned?"
He was planning to recruit this Profound-rank formation master. Anyone who can set up arrays that block Nascent Soul experts must be one of the stronger Profound-rank masters, and might even be nurtured into an Earth-rank formation master.
If the Prime One Church had an Earth-rank formation master, their overall power would definitely rise quite a bit.
"Of course I can, but Senior Azure didn’t come here with us!" Ian Song said.
"No problem. Once things are settled here, we’ll pay her a visit ourselves," Warren Tang said with a smile.
Thanks to this news about a Profound-rank formation master, Warren Tang found Ian Song more and more agreeable.
Plus, Ian Song was intentionally getting close to the two of them, calling them 'big brother' and 'big sister' at every turn, so over the next two days, Warren Tang and Lila Li’s attitude toward him grew increasingly friendly.
Of course, the main reason was that Ian Song’s cultivation seemed so weak that neither of them suspected he could pose any threat. Warren Tang even gave Ian Song a few pointers as a senior, and Lila Li, having eaten plenty of his pastries, rewarded him with a Foundation Establishment Pill in return.
That day, Ian Song, Lena Ling, Warren Tang, and Lila Li were sitting in the inn’s main hall, drinking and chatting, when suddenly a young man in blue rushed in.
The newcomer instinctively glanced at Ian Song and Lena Ling.
But Warren Tang waved his hand and casually cast a sound-isolating array. "Speak."
The young man in black said in a low voice, "Saint Son, Saintess, the Divine Son and Divine Daughter of the Fire God Nation have appeared."
Hearing this, Warren Tang narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint and murderous intent flashing in his gaze. "So they've finally arrived, huh?"
Lila Li, startled by his reaction, quickly said, "Senior brother, don’t be impulsive. Completing Master’s mission comes first."
After a moment, Warren Tang nodded. "Don’t worry. As much as I want to kill Fletcher Toba right now, I’ll hold back for Master’s mission."
Hearing Warren Tang say that, Lila Li breathed a sigh of relief.
But just as he finished speaking, a group approached the inn, led by a pair of young man and woman dressed in black.
The man looked about twenty, strikingly handsome, with a flame-shaped mark on his forehead that gave him a touch of demonic charm. The woman, also in her early twenties, was stunningly beautiful and resembled him—they were clearly siblings.
"Fletcher Toba!"
The moment the man appeared, Warren Tang’s gaze locked onto him, filled with hatred and murderous intent.
The man in black slowly swept his gaze over Warren Tang and Lila Li, completely ignoring Ian Song and Lena Ling.
The next moment, he spoke up: "The dignified Saint Son and Saintess of the Prime One Church are actually staying in such a shabby inn, mingling with a bunch of nobodies. Aren’t you lowering your status for nothing?"
Hearing the man in black, the cultivators in the hall all looked displeased—after all, they were the 'nobodies' he was talking about. One hot-tempered Core Formation cultivator almost stood up in protest, but his companion yanked him back and urgently whispered, "Are you crazy? That’s the Divine Son of the Fire God Church! Do you have a death wish?"
As soon as he heard the name 'Divine Son of the Fire God Church,' the Core Formation cultivator trembled all over, his eyes filled with terror. Gratefully glancing at his companion, he shrank back and kept quiet.
That Core Formation cultivator backed down before he could cause trouble, but Warren Tang showed no fear at all. He slammed the table, stared coldly at the man in black, and said icily, "Fletcher Toba, don’t get cocky in front of me. One day, I’ll cut you down!"
"Heh! Even a defeated loser dares to talk big!" Fletcher Toba sneered, full of disdain.
"Bastard, I’ll kill you!"
Warren Tang was furious and was about to attack, but Lila Li stopped him and urged, "Senior brother, don’t be impulsive! He’s trying to provoke you—don’t fall for it!"
Thanks to Lila Li’s reminder, Warren Tang forced himself to hold back his anger, glaring at Fletcher Toba. "I’ll settle our score another day. Today, I’ll let you off!"
"Heh!"
Fletcher Toba gave another disdainful chuckle, then stepped forward and turned his gaze to Lila Li, smiling. "Daoist Friend Lila, it’s been a while. How have you been?"
Seeing Fletcher Toba dare to flirt with his future Dao-partner, Warren Tang’s eyes nearly blazed with fire. But when Lila Li reached out and grabbed his hand, Warren Tang shivered all over, his anger instantly vanishing—especially at the soft touch in his palm, which filled him with secret joy.
"Thank you for your concern, Fletcher. I’m doing well," Lila Li replied coolly.
Fletcher Toba smiled. "Glad to hear it. You’re looking more beautiful than ever, Daoist Friend Lila. I’ve got some fine wine on my treasure ship—maybe you’d join me for a drink sometime?"
Hearing this, Warren Tang’s nameless fury surged again. He stepped forward to block Fletcher Toba’s view, saying coldly, "Fletcher Toba, don’t push your luck. You’re not welcome here. Get lost!"