Chapter 416

Chapter 416: I Can’t Hear You

“Hmph, this kid knows how to act wisely!”

“Exactly. What strength does he have to dare to steal the spiritual plants? If it weren’t for the chance meeting with those two disciples, we might have been dragged into trouble!”

“I thought Peak Master Ye’s disciple had some skills, but he’s just hiding behind, too scared to step forward.”

…

The group nearby whispered among themselves upon seeing Ji Yang hand over the spiritual plant.

“Brothers, what is going on?”

The newly joined disciples asked in surprise, for they had just arrived and were unaware of what had just happened. Cui had only briefly summarized the events, so the two remained confused about how the spiritual plant ended up in Ji Yang’s hands.

After the other three explained the situation, the two finally understood what had transpired, which made their gazes toward Ji Yang a bit unfriendly.

Although the Main Instigator of the problem was still Du Yuankang and his group from the Xuantian Sect, Ji Yang, a Golden Core stage cultivator, not only ignored Junior Brother Cui’s advice but also stubbornly led everyone into a dangerous situation.

It seemed that if they hadn’t found the markers and come over, the outcome would have been different.

Now that they had formed an alliance, everyone surely didn’t want such a cultivator in their midst, and the earlier incident had already caused the other five to develop negative feelings toward Ji Yang.

In fact, while expressing their dissatisfaction with Ji Yang later, they didn’t lower their voices at all, even deliberately sneaking glances at him.

“Cough, cough, cough. Brothers, you must have consumed a lot of magical power in the recent battle. I have some pills here. Please take them quickly to restore your magical power.”

Cui stood by, feeling embarrassed after overhearing their conversation, and hurriedly spoke while taking out some pills from his storage bag.

“Hiss, is that a Recovery Pill?”

The previously gossiping group showed astonished expressions upon seeing the pills in Cui’s hand.

Recovery Pills were extremely useful even for cultivators at their level; this type of pill restored magical power very quickly, making it top-tier among similar pills, and each one was quite valuable.

“Indeed, I bought these before entering the secret realm. Please share them among yourselves.”

“These pills are too precious; I really can’t accept them!”

The group politely insisted while staring at the pills in Cui’s hand.

Cui put away his smile and said seriously,

“Brothers, don’t say things like that. Without your efforts, how could I, Cui, seek opportunities in this middle level of the secret realm? For the sake of our future journey, please don’t hesitate. Take them!”

“Junior Brother Cui makes a good point. In that case, we won’t be polite anymore.”

After hearing that, they stopped arguing, took the pills, and sat down to quickly consume them and restore their magical power.

With dangers lurking everywhere in the secret realm, every bit of restored magical power increased their chances of safety.

As the others began recovering their magical power, Cui turned his gaze to Ji Yang and pulled him aside, apologetically saying,

“What the brothers said earlier was just a slip of the tongue. Junior Brother Ji, please don’t take it to heart.”

Ji Yang looked surprised and asked,

“What did the brothers say just now?”

Upon hearing this, Cui was slightly taken aback. So, Ji Yang hadn’t heard what they discussed?

But upon reflection, the earlier conversation had not been loud, and this junior brother’s cultivation level wasn’t very high, so it made sense that he didn’t hear.

Wouldn’t that mean everything he just did was in vain?

Not entirely in vain; those pills were originally prepared for this secret realm, just used a bit early, he comforted himself. Faced with Ji Yang’s confusion, Cui quickly changed the topic:

“It’s nothing. Junior Brother, your magical power must be running low; why not recover your strength quickly?”

Saying that, Cui offered a Recovery Pill, but Ji Yang quickly declined:

“No need. I still have plenty of magical power; I don’t need the pills for now.”

Hearing Ji Yang say this, Cui did not press the issue and took the pill back.

This pill was quite precious, and for Ji Yang at the Golden Core Stage, consuming it would be a waste of its power, though he couldn’t say it outright, or it would offend Ji Yang. Luckily, Ji Yang didn’t want it, saving him one.

Seeing Cui swiftly retract the pill, Ji Yang found it somewhat amusing. He understood Cui’s thoughts, but he truly didn’t need the pills.

The magical power he expended during the recent battle had already been fully replenished by the Feather Transformation Ascension Skill.

As for the conversation from the other participants, Ji Yang certainly heard it all; with his powerful primordial spirit energy, he understood every word clearly.

However, Ji Yang didn’t care. He had little involvement with these people; a few sarcastic remarks were not worth his attention.

Cui’s series of actions, however, made Ji Yang view him differently. Besides his impressive emotional intelligence, Cui also possessed considerable financial resources. It was no wonder he could navigate among many Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators and still have a significant voice despite being in the Middle Stage of Yuan Ying.

What puzzled Ji Yang was how someone like Cui, who had decent talent, ample cultivation resources, and guidance from high-level cultivators, was only in the Middle Stage of Yuan Ying now. This cultivation level seemed somewhat mismatched with his status, but Ji Yang had no intention of probing further.

“By the way, how did Junior Brother Ji enter the middle level of the secret realm?”

After putting the pill away, Cui asked.

Ji Yang concocted a vague reason, saying he just wandered into the middle level and then ran into a few others.

Cui sighed with admiration:

“Junior Brother Ji sure has good luck.”

Thinking back to his own experiences after entering the middle level, he either encountered ferocious beasts or cultivators from other sects, and he had faced several battles along the way, finding himself in life-and-death situations. If it weren’t for his various skills and the fortunate encounters with a few senior brothers, he might not have achieved his current position.

In response to Cui’s remark, Ji Yang simply smiled lightly.

He had made his way up from the lower levels of the secret realm, and anyone who took the initiative to attack, whether beast or cultivator, only provided him with opportunities, so he faced no real danger.

After chatting for a while, Cui invited again:

“Junior Brother Ji, this middle level of the secret realm is too dangerous. The more cultivators, the more strength we have. Why not travel with us? It would be good to look out for each other, and any opportunities we find will certainly have a share for you.”

If it were an ordinary cultivator, he wouldn’t have repeated the invitation. Ji Yang could choose to join or not, and Cui would have no objections.

But Ji Yang’s status was different. His previous venture also turned out to be an unspoken investment in Ji Yang.