Chapter 316: My Blueprint is Shattered

After being expelled from Dan Ta, Xu Xiaoshou naturally lost his precious qualification for the Lian Dan Shi assessment.

He squatted on the ground, drawing circles and feeling deeply troubled.

Shi Ti's reputation as a kind-hearted guild master was on full display at that moment. With Yun He's guarantee and having witnessed Xu Xiaoshou's masterful control over the furnace flames, Shi Ti believed that although this young man was reckless and caused destruction everywhere, his Shi Pin Lian Dan Shi skills were undoubtedly genuine.

As a result, Xu Xiaoshou received a Lian Dan Shi hui zhang.

“Shi Pin…”

The young man gazed resentfully at the noble purple hui zhang in his hand. It featured a silver-white dan ding, shaped like a standard cauldron, which looked far more impressive than his own small bathtub. Below it, ten white clouds seemed to float gracefully.

Yes, they truly appeared to be floating.

The Lian Dan Shi hui zhang was crafted with special techniques, making it impossible to fake, and at first glance, it was strikingly beautiful. Upon closer inspection, one could faintly see the clouds drifting lazily.

Normally, upon successfully becoming a Lian Dan Shi, one would receive the association's honor roll and other special rewards, such as the option to select a dedicated dan ding, specified Xian Tian grade dan prescriptions, and robes in white or purple to signify the esteemed status of a Lian Dan Shi.

But Xu Xiaoshou got none of these!

According to Shi Ti, if there had been real punishment, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't just lose these items—he might even have to forfeit his underwear. Xu Xiaoshou disagreed with that assessment.

He still had some assets of his own. Repairing the outer wall of Dan Ta and the damaged barriers wouldn't cost too many Ling Jing crystals.

Yet, after his outburst of anger, Shi Ti restrained himself, skipped any punishment, and simply handed over the hui zhang as if giving it away.

“Is it because of Sang Lao?”

Xu Xiaoshou guessed as much, convinced that only this reason could calm the old guild master's fury. Perhaps it was due to that letter with unknown contents…

“How curious. What could be in it? That annoying junior sister of mine wouldn't even let me sneak a peek!”

Putting those thoughts aside, Xu Xiaoshou erased the circles on the ground, stood up, and stretched lazily.

Overall, his journey for the Lian Dan Shi association assessment had been far from perfect.

According to his original plan, he should have at least secured a Jiu Pin Lian Dan Shi hui zhang. If he had upgraded his “Chu Yi Jing Tong” a couple more times, Ba Pin would have been a sure bet. He might have even challenged Qi Pin.

That way, he could have gone from nothing to holding the noble title of a Xian Tian peak-level Lian Dan Shi in just one day.

His junior sister, Mu Zixi, definitely wouldn't believe it.

But she would have no choice but to believe!

From then on, she might stop contributing “Zu Zhou” passive values and instead offer plenty of “Yang Mu” and “Jing Pei” ones…

The many elders in the grand hall, including Shi Ti, would be utterly shocked, calling him a genius and then fawning over him one by one.

With that, he could seize the opportunity to infiltrate the upper echelons of Tian Sang Cheng, establish himself fully in the city, and thrive like a fish in water.

This would lay the foundation for later breaking away from Ling Gong and escaping Sang Lao's control.

Then, using this as a springboard, with minimal effort yielding great results, he could easily promote the “Xiao Shou Brand Dan Yao” and expand beyond Tian Sang Cheng, even to Tian Sang Jun, and eventually conquer the vast Da Qian world, taking control…

“Ah.”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly sighed softly, interrupting his grand vision of the future.

What a shame!

It had all fallen apart at the last step!

No matter how perfectly he had planned, human schemes were no match for fate.

Who would have thought he'd be kicked out just like that…

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the Dan Ta gates, his eyes gloomy, like a resentful wife.

He didn't put the hui zhang away but pinned it directly to his chest.

Shi Pin was still a Lian Dan Shi rank, equally noble!

Strutting around the Dan Ta entrance with his chest out, thanks to his experience from multiple daring escapes, he didn't have a speck of dirt on him.

He looked dashing and carefree.

This casual strolling immediately drew glances from passersby.

“Who's that guy, showing off like that? A Shi Pin Lian Dan Shi?”

“He's not bad-looking, but his attitude is awful. Sigh, getting arrogant at just Shi Pin—how far do you think he'll go?”

“Exactly, every Lian Dan Shi I've met is humble, always helpful, and keeps a low profile, never flashy…”

“This kind of over-the-top behavior is a first for me!”

“Yeah, but I suppose it's inevitable. Even in a noble profession, there are always a few bad apples.”

Xu Xiaoshou paused mid-step, his face darkening.

What was going on? In all the stories he'd read, Lian Dan Shi were always so haughty. Why was he getting criticized for imitating that?

Could it be that the Lian Dan Shi in this world were all modest and didn't dare show off?

He thought about the profession—sitting for ten days or half a month at a time—and figured anyone who succeeded must be a total shut-in.

Just look at those old folks on the seventh floor of Dan Ta. Would they act haughty?

Xu Xiaoshou realized he'd been misled.

He quietly removed the hui zhang from his chest, intending to lay low again, but then he glanced at the info panel in his mind:

“Shou Dao Ji Du, Beidong Zhi, 121.”

“Shou Dao Du Ji, Beidong Zhi, 133.”

“Shou Dao Xian Mu, Beidong Zhi, 166.”

So, everyone was just full of sour grapes!

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and decided not to remove it.

For the hundreds of Beidong Zhi points he'd gained this time, even if the heavenly king himself showed up, he wouldn't take off the hui zhang!

“The little girl’s assessment is taking forever!”

After wandering around and racking up several thousand more Beidong Zhi points, Xu Xiaoshou still hadn't seen Mu Zixi come out.

He'd been kicked out and barred from the assessment, but Mu Zixi hadn't done anything wrong, so she could continue.

Dan Ta wasn't limited to just the seventh floor for refining; at that moment, his junior sister and that Jin Wei Jun Fu Vice Commander were probably still inside, working hard.

Xu Xiaoshou stopped, feeling bored.

Just then, a figure rushed out of Dan Ta in a panic.

“Fu Xing?”

Hearing his name called, Fu Xing instantly spotted Xu Xiaoshou and dashed over as if his life depended on it.

“Bro, Big Bro Xu!”

“Thank goodness you're still here—I thought you'd left!”

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened. “What do you mean, you'd thought I'd left? Watch your mouth—if you can't speak properly, keep it shut.”

“Heh heh.”

Fu Xing chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, about to say something when Xu Xiaoshou cut him off.

“Don't ask. If you're going to ask, it's that I won't, and I can't teach it!”

Xu Xiaoshou knew exactly what he was after, but the “Shi Duan Jian Zhi” was even in its fragmented form part of the Ling Cang Ge collection. Sang Lao had somehow obtained the complete version, and its value was beyond measure.

There was no way Xu Xiaoshou would teach it recklessly—he knew better than to cross that line.