Since the other party was probing him without any reservations, Li Yan naturally wouldn't be polite either, and similarly used his Divine Sense to scan the cultivation of the two.
Soon, he had a rough judgment. If he were to use his full strength now, and secretly use means that the other party didn't know about, he should be confident that he could escape from this place.
The premise was that Tianxingzi didn't want a situation where if the fish dies, the net breaks, and didn't fully activate the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation.
Li Yan looked at the mess all around and clasped his fists again.
"I originally only planned to come here to refine my Natal Magical Treasure, but I didn't expect to accidentally trigger the Heavenly Tribulation. All of this was unexpected. Although it was not intentional to cause such a situation for the sect, this is, after all, the inner valley of Falling Star Valley. Therefore, if it is within my ability, I can naturally offer compensation for these losses."
Although Li Yan knew that the other party had impure thoughts just now, in the cultivation world, kicking a man when he's down was a common occurrence.
As long as the other party didn't really attack him, he of course still wanted to adopt the idea of "less trouble is better than more" and quickly understand the matter.
After all, he had infiltrated a sect with impure motives. After quickly resolving the matter here, he would leave quickly. He still needed to stabilize his realm.
However, he was not stupid enough to let others slaughter him. His words also left room for maneuver. If the other party asked for an exorbitant price, then he would have to fight for his life and find a way to escape.
"Oh, is Fellow Daoist Zhang planning to leave?"
After hearing this, Tianxingzi suddenly smiled faintly.
"What? Are you two Fellow Daoists planning to keep me here?"
Li Yan frowned upon hearing this. The other party was unwilling to let this go.
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Zhang has misunderstood. Fellow Daoist Zhang has been in our sect for more than twenty years. Although there were misunderstandings before, I'm sure Fellow Daoist Zhang has not forgotten his promise back then. At least now, you are still a Guest Elder of my Falling Star Valley. Is Fellow Daoist Zhang going to break his promise as soon as he has successfully formed his Golden Core? Or is it that what Fellow Daoist Zhang said before was not all true, but just a delaying tactic?"
Li Yan, who had already begun to gather his strength, was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.
'Twenty years? Haven't I only been in the sect for a little over two years? This seclusion took twenty years?'
His dazed expression fell into Tianxingzi's eyes. He exchanged a glance with Xing Ming.
Xing Ming already understood his Martial Uncle's meaning. Since they didn't want to make an enemy, it would be better to win him over. It would really be an unexpected help for Falling Star Valley. This time, it was Xing Ming who spoke up to explain.
"So Fellow Daoist Zhang didn't know how long he was in seclusion. It has already been twenty years since you successfully refined your Natal Magical Treasure."
At the same time, a thought also arose in Xing Ming's mind.
'Could it be that after his Primordial Spirit left his body twenty years ago, he completely entered a state of samadhi? This Core Formation was the opportunity brought by his Primordial Spirit leaving his body!'
Xing Ming suddenly remembered the scene when he saw Zhang Ming's Primordial Spirit leaving his body. He had briefly mentioned this to Tianxingzi before.
But neither of them had thought that this Zhang Ming would completely ignore time in his samadhi. Although they would also gradually lose their sense of time every time they went into seclusion, they still had a general idea.
But the other party seemed to be completely unaware. This should be a certain indescribable state of cultivation. Sure enough, after Li Yan was stunned for a moment, he then muttered.
"It's been twenty years already. I... I thought it was at most a year and a half!"
Immediately, he suddenly thought of Zhao Min in his heart.
'Decades have passed. I wonder how Senior Sister is doing now...'
Li Yan was only in a daze for a moment before he quickly came to his senses.
"You mean you want me to become an elder of Falling Star Valley?"
"Of course. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Zhang?"
Tianxingzi had a smile on his face.
Both he and Lin Xinghe were seriously injured and had not yet recovered. Although that great battle had deterred some of the surrounding forces, with only Xing Ming's strength, once others figured out their true situation, they would sooner or later attract the covetous eyes of others.
If they could pull a Golden Core into Falling Star Valley, it would definitely reduce many of those nascent malicious thoughts, which would buy him and Lin Xinghe some precious time.
For a moment, Li Yan fell silent. He actually still wanted to leave Falling Star Valley. After stabilizing his realm, he still had many things to deal with and could not stay here for a long time.
"What? Does Fellow Daoist Zhang still have some scruples? As long as you agree to become an elder of the sect, all your cultivation resources, Spirit Stones, pills, raw materials, etc., will be provided by the sect. Of course, except for some particularly precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures, which you will have to spend your own Spirit Stones on, the rest will be provided by the sect. After all, we are only a second-rate sect, and some rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures may not be obtainable even with the full strength of the sect. However, we can find out any information about the cultivation resources you need for you."
Tianxingzi immediately offered his terms. These terms were undeniably generous. Li Yan could obtain all the cultivation resources he would commonly use in the future for free.
Li Yan listened silently. When he heard the second half of Tianxingzi's words, his heart stirred, but his face remained expressionless.
After considering for a while, he then slowly said.
"I have also said before that I have a master outside. In the future, for this matter, I may not be able to stay in the sect for a long time."
After hearing this, the smile on Tianxingzi's face grew even wider.
"If it's for this matter, then it's no problem. At that time, Fellow Daoist Zhang can do as he pleases. And we can even inquire about your respected master's news for you. If you need us to take action, as long as the other party is not a cultivator from a first-rate sect or above, it's not impossible. After all, we will be a family then."
Xing Ming at the side also echoed his agreement at the same time.
"As a sect elder, there is no need to stay in the sect all the time. It is common to be in seclusion or traveling outside. As long as there are no major matters in the sect, the elders will not be disturbed."
He also had a guess and an answer to his Martial Uncle's attitude.
'This Zhang Ming was a Foundation Establishment cultivator before. If he can find his master then, then there will be two Golden Cores to help my Falling Star Valley. At that time, regardless of whether his master agrees to become an elder of the sect as well, as long as Zhang Ming is here for a day, if something really happens, can he not take action?'
No matter how Xing Ming calculated it, this deal was reasonable. And Tianxingzi, when Zhang Ming brought up the matter of his master, had immediately seen through this point and even promised that it was possible to help him.
But he was not making a blanket promise. If the other party was too strong, they would definitely choose to stand by and watch. But the more it was like this, the more sincere they seemed. Cultivators were inherently skilled in the art of self-preservation.
For a moment, Li Yan's expression was uncertain, and he still did not immediately agree.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, could it be that after your promotion, you want to join a first-rate sect? If that's the case, then you are mistaken. Although Golden Core cultivators are formidable, in a first-rate sect, they still hold a wait-and-see attitude towards Initial-stage Golden Core cultivators. Some cultivation resources may not necessarily be more than what we can offer, and they won't be as familiar with each other as we are!"
Tianxingzi struck while the iron was hot. This time, Li Yan only hesitated for a moment before immediately speaking.
"Then so be it. If I need to be away for a long time in the future to find my master, then I can only be considered to have a nominal title."
"Hehehe, Elder Zhang, there is no need to emphasize this matter. Everything will be according to Elder Zhang's wishes. I still say the same thing. If at that time you need to use the sect's resources, you just need to say a word to Xing Ming, and he will naturally prioritize all matters!"
A brilliant smile appeared on Tianxingzi's youthful face. In his words, "Fellow Daoist Zhang" had already been replaced by "Elder Zhang." Xing Ming also put on a kind smile, and he then said.
"Martial Uncle, you can continue to be in seclusion. I will handle the rest of the matters. Elder Zhang still needs to stabilize his realm. We can now send out name cards and invite fellow Daoists from all over. I think we should hold a grand sacrificial ceremony for Elder Zhang in three months..."
But before he could finish, Li Yan had already gently waved his hand.
"Fellow Daoists, there is no need for this matter. I do not like to socialize with people. I think it would be enough to just announce it to the outside world. I will naturally attend the sect's heaven and earth sacrificial ceremony, but it would be best if everything were kept simple."
"This..."
Xing Ming and Tianxingzi immediately looked at each other. They had inquired about Zhang Ming's information before and knew that this person lived in seclusion and rarely came into contact with outsiders, but that was to avoid attracting attention.
But now that they had come to know each other to this extent, the other party was still unwilling to interact with others more.
"This person is a true ascetic cultivator."
This thought arose in both of their minds. But for such a major event, how could they be willing to hold it hastily?
They wanted to take this opportunity to publicize this matter, so that it would be more conducive to building up the momentum of Falling Star Valley.
So, under the constant persuasion of the two, Li Yan finally had to take a step back. He also understood that the matter of him joining Falling Star Valley had to be publicized with great fanfare.
But he could only agree to show his face at the heaven and earth sacrificial ceremony and then not appear in the subsequent events. The rest of the matters could be handled by Xing Ming.
After Xing Ming persuaded him a few more times and saw that Zhang Ming just smiled and said nothing, he had no choice but to give up.
At once, Tianxingzi bid farewell to Li Yan with a clasped fist and floated away. With the matter here settled, he could go into seclusion to recuperate with more peace of mind.
Xing Ming, on the other hand, personally led Li Yan towards the deeper parts of Falling Star Valley.
"Junior Brother Zhang, although there are still many courtyards in the core disciple area, and the Spirit Qi is also good, with your current status, it is naturally not suitable for you to live here. The distance between the courtyards here is only a hundred li, and it is not convenient for you to come and go on a daily basis. So you need to change to a more suitable environment..."
Xing Ming led Li Yan forward while speaking with a smile.
It was just that at this time, he wasn't even calling him "Elder Zhang," but "Junior Brother Zhang," which showed even more intimacy, as if the matter of plundering the "Tribulation Essence Qi" had never happened.
Li Yan also smiled and replied softly along the way. They flew for more than a thousand li.
Along the way, it was mostly Xing Ming who was talking, but intentionally or unintentionally, he was still trying to probe for more details about Li Yan.
With Li Yan's scheming mind, although he had not lived as long as an old monster like Xing Ming, it was extremely difficult to get any information out of him.
Seeing that Li Yan was watertight and did not reveal any more details, Xing Ming finally stopped and did not dwell on it, lest the other party become annoyed.
He began to tell Li Yan about some of the major events that had recently occurred in the cultivation world. For Li Yan, who had been in seclusion for twenty years, he was very happy to listen and would ask some questions in a low voice from time to time.
To Li Yan's inquiries, Xing Ming answered everything. For a time, the two seemed to be extremely harmonious.
When they landed with Xing Ming, Li Yan found that they were standing at the entrance of a valley.
"This is an inner valley within the inner valley, called 'Myriad Stars Cavern.' It has not been inhabited for more than a hundred years, but there are often deacon disciples who come to clean it. Everything inside is complete..."
After seeing Xing Ming off, Li Yan activated the restriction formation outside the valley and walked along a stone path lined with maple trees on both sides.
It was summer at this time. Along the way, the green maple leaves swayed gently in the wind. Walking on the small path in the forest had a unique charm.