Xuan snapped out of it and said:

"What do you want to talk about, exactly?"

"It’s nothing much. Rather, I’d just like to ask where your bravery stems from. Not only did you massacre a few of our allies, but you also attacked the Sun Saint. Why... Why do people like you even walk the land, knowing full well the consequences are going to be worse than death?" Luo Lian answered.

Xuan raised his brow at his reply. Not to sound corny or anything, but consequences worse than death? So if he were to wipe out the entire Thunder Sect and Sun Sect, everyone would just piss off?

That felt very logical, despite also sounding very stupid. Even then, Xuan just crossed his arms and shrugged.

"To be honest, his face pissed me off, so I punched him. If you want to blame anyone, then blame him for looking like some kind of thug. Oh, also. Your attack stung. If I was any weaker, your attack might’ve killed me."

Honestly... Xuan was fully expecting this guy to break out in a fight and summon his Domain. But he did nothing of the sort. Instead, he unsheathed his sword, revealing a crimson edge, which he pointed at Xuan.

"I’m sorry, but I do have to kill you. I don’t make any exceptions."

Xuan shrugged. "Don’t mention it."

And with that, both of them entered their offensive postures, except Xuan could immediately tell Luo Lian was far stronger. Definitely not a Spirit Lord, he could tell that much.

And when Luo Lian finally moved, Xuan could already taste blood in his mouth. By the time he realized what had happened, Luo Lian was now behind him. As for Xuan, a trickle of blood ran down his lips.

And as he glanced down, he saw a faint cut in his Poison Armor Layer, a cut that seemed to go pretty deep and even pierce his chest a little. Except, there was also one interesting caveat that came with this attack that didn’t quite kill Xuan.

Glancing back at Luo Lian, he noticed that Luo Lian’s hand was slightly stiffer than before. Granted, if this guy really was a Spirit King, then Xuan had no way to win against him to begin with. But injecting him with every single disease known to mankind was a good way to go out.

After all, what better of an ego boost was there than your enemy shitting themselves before killing you?

Heh.

"How’d that go?" Xuan let out a chuckle. "Feeling mighty energized, are you?"

With that, Xuan rubbed the cut in his armor, regenerating it and making it as good as new. Seeing that, Luo Lian was a little conflicted. Sure, he could kill Xuan in the blink of an eye, but for a mere Spirit Master to survive an attack from a Spirit King...

Even if he had some kind of artifact protecting him, this shouldn’t be possible.

Not possible in the slightest.

Though, the proof was right in front of him. Xuan, a nobody. Someone who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, joined the Serene Blossom Valley, and then had some strange ability that managed to survive two attacks from a Spirit King.

Truly strange...

"Would you be interested in joining the Thunder Sect?" he offered.

Xuan thought about it for a moment, tilting his head. "Anything nice I get if I do join?"

Luo Lian smiled. "You’d get a nice room in a palace, as well as free techniques and immunity from this stuff ever happening again."

Hmm.

Looking at it from a normal person’s perspective, why exactly was this a bad offer? He’d get free techniques, free training, and even a free room. On top of that, he might just get some more boons that he couldn’t even dream of.

But then came the obvious problem. Since this guy clearly only became interested after seeing his durability, the first thing that would happen when Xuan joined his sect would be a nice little dissection.

After that, he would either be tossed aside after they found nothing out of the ordinary, or they’d just go ahead and kill him. In the end, this was a suicide mission from the get-go.

As for Luo Lian, he already knew how Xuan would react. But the truth of the matter was simple. No matter what offer he made, he wanted Xuan to lower his guard. After all, the reason he was forced to come down there was because of the other woman, Yuelan.

She was a spectacular swordswoman, and if she were to join the Thunder Sect, then she’d become someone who could rival even the strongest in the Lower Heavens. Not to mention, as someone who had practiced swordsmanship since he was a child, Luo Lian knew an expert when he saw one.

And she was definitely an expert.

But why... Why did a brute like this have such power too? He was just supposed to be trash, rubbish to be tossed aside. And yet, he had gone far beyond Luo Lian’s expectations from the get-go. To the point where Luo Lian felt like he might actually have to take him seriously.

And his suspicions only grew when he spotted a faint trace of Elemental Qi circling around Xuan’s arm, his intent obvious. But even though it was obvious, Luo Lian was still surprised by the destructiveness of the Qi Blast that suddenly flew past him, narrowly missing his head.

He was weak. But he was durable...

"Okay. I apologize for dragging on your life this long," Luo Lian said matter-of-factly, then tapped the hilt of his sword. Just then, the crimson color faded completely, revealing a metallic sheen that seemed as sharp as a sword could get.

And if that wasn’t enough, his Qi had also undergone a drastic change, making him seem several times stronger. Even Xuan was a little startled by that. But he was even more startled when he heard soft footsteps behind him.

Turning around, he spotted Yuelan, her stride elegant, and her two swords unsheathed as she stared at Luo Lian angrily.