Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

In response to Master Shan Dan’s flattery, Lin Hao merely shot him a cool glance before retorting irritably, "I don’t know you. Scram."

This was a master-level figure. Never mind the fact that the Heaven-Stepping Sect had fallen into decline; even the Sect Leaders of the five great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture had to respectfully address him as "Master" upon meeting him.

But Lin Hao? He’d just told the man to scram.

Arrogant. Far too arrogant!

A gloating expression appeared on the faces of the Peak Masters who couldn’t stand Lin Hao.

’He actually dared to slight Master Shan Dan. Now he’s really in for it.’

However, Master Shan Dan’s reaction left them disappointed.

Despite the slight, Master Shan Dan didn’t seem to mind in the least. With a broad smile, he took a token from his robes and, without another word, stuffed it into Lin Hao’s hand. "I understand the customs. Take this. Now, are we a little better acquainted?"

Lin Hao merely glanced at the token, which was about half the size of his palm, before casually tossing it over to Wu Kui.

"A worthless token. I’m not interested." With that, Lin Hao turned to leave.

The corner of Master Shan Dan’s mouth twitched violently.

Wu Kui fumbled to catch it, then shot a pleading glance at Wu Taichu, who was standing nearby.

When Wu Taichu saw the token, his eyes widened abruptly.

The jet-black token, about half the size of a palm, bore an imposing "Dan" character in its center.

This was clearly Master Shan Dan’s exclusive token.

With this token, one would be treated as a guest of honor—a VIP among VIPs—upon entering the Danling Sect.

Rumor had it that figures of the Sect Leader-rank from the five great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture had requested one, only to be refused by Master Shan Dan.

Yet now, Master Shan Dan had actually given it to the Grandmaster.

And the Grandmaster, even more audaciously, had tossed it aside without a second glance.

Wu Taichu’s admiration for Lin Hao surged like a mighty, endless river.

A Peak Master standing not far from Wu Taichu also got a clear look at the token.

Afterward, he glared at Lin Hao with a look that could kill.

Seeing Lin Hao’s completely unfazed expression, this Peak Master finally couldn’t hold back. "Lin... Lin Hao! That’s Master Shan Dan’s exclusive token! Across the entire Southern Border Prefecture, I doubt anyone else is worthy of possessing one! How could you refuse it?"

At the same time, a thought went unsaid in his heart: ’If you don’t want it, you could have accepted it first and then tossed it to me!’

The Peak Master had assumed that Lin Hao, upon learning of the token’s value, would be beside himself with regret. But Lin Hao’s reaction was completely unexpected.

Lin Hao just let out a quiet "Oh," and said nothing more.

Lin Hao’s reaction was the kind that made people want to wring his neck.

Master Shan Dan had been a little miffed himself, but seeing Lin Hao’s reaction, his anger vanished. In its place, his expression became even more deferential.

’To know what this token represents and still be so calm... there are only two possibilities.’

’One, he’s an idiot.’

’Two, he simply holds this token—and by extension, the Danling Sect—in no regard whatsoever.’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

’Lin Hao is definitely no idiot, which means it can only be the second possibility.’

’And for someone to dare to hold the Danling Sect in such low regard, there are also only two possibilities.’

’The first possibility is a fool’s ignorance, but the second is the fearlessness that comes from having absolute confidence in one’s own power.’

’First, he refined the Nine-Loathing Flower into a pill, and then a Life Reviving Pill appeared. Master Shan Dan didn’t need to think twice to know that Lin Hao’s Alchemy Mastery surpassed his own!’

This realization made Master Shan Dan’s heart pound in his chest.

’A young man whose Alchemy Mastery surpasses my own... It’s simply unimaginable!’

’No wonder Wu Taichu was willing to expend the sect’s foundational resources for him.’

At that moment, Master Shan Dan recalled his earlier remarks about taking Lin Hao as his disciple, and he couldn’t help but blush.

’I didn’t lose that bet unfairly at all. I was just asking for it.’

’In fact, when it comes to alchemy alone, Lin Hao is truly qualified to be my senior.’

Having come to this realization, Master Shan Dan became even more deferential. He put on an obsequious smile and said, "Senior, since you have no use for that worthless token, please, name your price! As long as it’s something I can provide, it’s yours!"

Hearing this, the crowd was utterly astounded.

The eight Peak Masters were not only shocked but also deeply confused.

Previously, when Wu Taichu had shown such concern for Lin Hao, they had maliciously speculated that the little brat was most likely Wu Taichu’s illegitimate son.

But now, with Master Shan Dan fawning over Lin Hao, they couldn’t figure out the reason for the life of them.

The situation didn’t give them time to ponder, however, as the scene that unfolded next left them shocked beyond measure.

Lin Hao first sized up Master Shan Dan from head to toe before asking contemptuously, "With your sorry, impoverished look, what could you possibly have to offer?"

Then, Lin Hao’s gaze swept over Master Shan Dan’s right hand, and his eyes lit up for a moment.

Master Shan Dan first looked embarrassed, then he froze.

After his expression shifted several times, he finally gritted his teeth and removed a ring from a finger on his right hand.

"This... will this Spiritual Storage Ring suffice?" Shan Dan asked, holding the ring with a pained look of reluctance mixed with a sliver of hope.

The eight Peak Masters stared at the small ring, their eyes burning with desire.

A Spiritual Storage Ring... that was a true treasure.

Not even one of them possessed one. In the entire, vast Heaven-Stepping Sect, only the Sect Leader had such an item.

One could only imagine how precious it was.

And now, to get on Lin Hao’s good side, Master Shan Dan had even brought out a Spiritual Storage Ring.

And to top it off, that brat Lin Hao still looked reluctant.

"This ring contains a space thirty meters in diameter, along with some medicinal herbs, Spirit Grass, and some low-grade pills. I left in a hurry, so I wasn’t able to fill it. My apologies," Shan Dan explained. With every item he listed, the onlookers’ envy grew.

Even Wu Taichu was stunned.

His own Spiritual Storage Ring only had a space of ten meters in diameter, and he treasured it beyond measure. To win over the Grandmaster, Shan Dan was truly sparing no expense.

And the Spirit Grass, the pills...

’Could anything Master Shan Dan carries personally truly be ’low-grade’?’

Wu Taichu grew secretly anxious, hoping Lin Hao would accept it quickly before Shan Dan had a change of heart.

However, when he saw Lin Hao’s expression, Wu Taichu was at a loss for how to describe his own feelings.

Lin Hao slowly took the ring, his expression impassive, without the slightest hint of joy.

’The Grandmaster’s composure is simply incredible. To receive such a precious gift without his expression changing or his heart skipping a beat...’

In truth, how could he have known? The Spiritual Storage Ring that was priceless in his eyes was truly nothing remarkable in Lin Hao’s.

Spiritual Storage Rings were masterpieces of Artifact Refiners. If Lin Hao wished, he could easily refine one with a space far larger than this.

However, Lin Hao didn’t have the energy for that at the moment, so he would make do with this one for now.

He took it and, without any ceremony, slipped it onto his finger.

Master Shan Dan was just about to explain how to use it when he was left dumbfounded.

Lin Hao simply shifted his grip, and the bundle of clothes containing the Nine-Loathing Flower vanished from his hand.

’So proficient with a Spiritual Storage Ring... Just what kind of monster is this kid?’

Lin Hao paid no mind to Shan Dan’s expression. Having taken a quick look at the ring’s contents, however, he was quite satisfied.

So he smiled and patted Shan Dan’s shoulder. "Old man, you get it. I’ll accept your friendship. I’ll borrow this ring for a while. In the future, I’ll return a bigger one to you."

The mouths of the eight Peak Masters twitched uncontrollably. ’Damn it all, talk is cheap! Return a bigger one? With what?!’

Even as they cursed him internally, they had to admire Lin Hao’s nerve. Could one simply pat Master Shan Dan on the shoulder?

They certainly wouldn’t dare.

Shan Dan didn’t believe Lin Hao’s promise either, laughing it off, but he was still delighted. At the very least, Lin Hao had agreed to be his friend.

If anyone in the Southern Border Prefecture knew that Master Shan Dan had paid such a steep price just to befriend a young man, they would surely think he had gone mad.

But Shan Dan felt it was all worth it.

Seeing that Lin Hao was in a good mood, Shan Dan didn’t even wait for his disciple to return before casually asking, "How about the matter of our collaboration?"

It had to be said, Shan Dan’s perception was incredibly sharp. He had noticed, at the very least, that the way Sect Leader Wu Taichu looked at Lin Hao was not normal.

It wasn’t doting affection, but reverence.

’If Lin Hao were merely the head disciple, Wu Taichu would never look at him with such an expression.’

’Although I don’t know his true identity,’ Shan Dan thought, ’I’m certain that the one truly calling the shots in the Heaven-Stepping Sect right now is this young man.’

On this point alone, Shan Dan silently reminded himself that he must never underestimate Lin Hao.

"As for the collaboration, discuss it with them. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be on my way." Lin Hao clearly couldn’t care less about Shan Dan, or the Danling Sect behind him.

The more high-handed Lin Hao’s attitude, the more uncertain Shan Dan became.

Thus, far from being angered, he respectfully stepped aside to clear the path.

The eight Peak Masters felt as though everything happening before them was completely upending their view of the world.

Meanwhile, the Sect Leader, the Grand Elder, and Wu Kui—those who knew Lin Hao’s true identity—felt immensely proud and vindicated.

’So what if it’s the Danling Sect, one of the five great sects? Before the Grandmaster, they’re nothing! So what if he’s the Alchemy Dao titan of the Southern Border Prefecture? Before the Grandmaster, he still has to act like a deferential grandson!’

This would have been unbelievable in the past, but the Grandmaster had only been here for a few days, and he had already made it a reality.

Wu Taichu had a feeling that the Grandmaster’s capabilities extended far beyond this.

For a moment, he was filled with hope for the sect’s future...

As for Lin Hao, he headed straight for the Saha World on Heaven-Stepping Peak.

In the secret realm they had just left, Wu Taichu and the three Grand Elders had failed to break through even with four Spiritual Artifacts and had been about to resort to a Tier Four Spiritual Artifact. Yet inside, Lin Hao had merely thrown a punch into the void, fueled by his invincible will, and a strange passage had appeared.

Although he was out now, Lin Hao couldn’t stop thinking about the Flowing Light Divine Flame and the Flowing Light Divine Stone. He urgently needed to increase his cultivation.

However, despite his best efforts outside the Saha World, Lin Hao was unable to enter.

’It seems I’ll have to wait another five days before I can enter.’ In the end, Lin Hao had no choice but to give up.

He headed back, disappointed.

Lin Hao was only halfway back when he saw Wu Kui rushing toward him, a look of panic on his face.

From a great distance, Wu Kui began to shout, "Senior Brother—no, Grandmaster! This is bad! Something terrible has happened!"

Lin Hao frowned.

Once Wu Kui had rushed up to him, Lin Hao asked coolly, "What has you in such a panic?"

Wu Kui, gasping for breath, held up an object in his hand.