"Brother Lin, didn’t we agree that the disciples from our two Martial Arts Halls would form an alliance?" Tian Wei said discontentedly.

Lin Cheng smiled. "Brother Tian, you discussed this with your disciples before coming to propose an alliance. I haven’t had the chance to consult mine. If I forced them, I’d be too much of a domineering master."

He then looked at Xu Yang and the others. "Just say what you’re thinking. Hall Master Tian won’t hold it against you."

Jiang Ping hesitated for a moment before being the first to stand. "Hall Master Tian, a few of us have already allied ourselves with Gu Haoming of the Gu Family."

He pointed to Zhang Yong and Zhao Zhifei, then continued, "We aren’t against the idea of an alliance, but we must discuss it with Brother Gu first before we can give you an answer."

Hearing Jiang Ping’s words, the eyes of the Tiger Roar Boxing Hall disciples lit up.

’If we can ally with Gu Haoming, the other Weiyuan Hall disciples won’t matter.’

"Yes, a discussion is in order."

Tian Wei was all smiles, his earlier dissatisfaction vanishing without a trace. He hadn’t expected an opportunity for his own disciples to connect with Gu Haoming.

"What about you all?"

He then looked at Xu Yang, Sun Tao, and Lin Wei.

"I have already formed an alliance with several of my martial sisters from Sunv Hall. Please forgive me, but I cannot agree," Lin Wei said with a cupped-fist salute.

"My family has also found allies for me," said Sun Tao.

All eyes turned to Xu Yang. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Xu Yang cupped his hands. "I have found allies as well!"

’It wasn’t that he had any allies. He just knew that if he refused directly, Tian Wei and the disciples from Tiger Roar Boxing Hall would lose face.’

"That’s a real shame."

Tian Wei said, "But even if you can’t form an alliance, you can still support each other in the Purple Sun Sect. My friendship with Master Lin is strong, and you all should carry on that bond."

Xu Yang and the others cupped their hands in agreement, and Tian Wei quickly led his people away.

"Junior Brother Xu, who did you ally with?" Sun Tao asked, curious.

"I don’t have any allies. I was just worried that if I refused, the disciples from Tiger Roar Boxing Hall would lose face and target me once we get to the Sect," Xu Yang said with a wry smile.

Sun Tao was taken aback. "Why don’t you join us, Junior Brother Xu? The allies my family found for me are quite strong."

"Junior Brother Sun, he looks down on even Gu Haoming. Don’t tell me the allies your family found for you are Cao Rong or Yun Feng?" Jiang Ping’s sarcastic voice cut in.

Xu Yang ignored Jiang Ping and cupped his hands toward Sun Tao. "Thank you for your kind offer, Senior Brother Sun, but I have no plans to ally with anyone at the moment."

’If it were just Sun Tao, he might have considered it.’

’Sun Tao had a good personality, was righteous, and didn’t go around offending people, making him a good potential ally. Unfortunately, Sun Tao had already formed an alliance, and Xu Yang didn’t want to be tied to people he didn’t know.’

’Who knew if any of those strangers were already spies for the Blood Lotus Sect.’

’The saying "there’s strength in numbers" had a point. Especially in a place like a Sect, having a united group could help avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.’

’But at the same time, it could also invite a lot of unnecessary trouble. If an ally caused problems, you couldn’t just stand idly by.’

’Besides, he didn’t even know the specifics of the situation within the Purple Sun Sect. Rushing into an alliance would be unwise.’

’Furthermore, why would experts like Gu Haoming and Cao Rong protect a weaker person? Ultimately, they had to be after something.’

Sun Tao smiled. "To be honest, I didn’t want to either, but my family arranged it, so I had no choice."

When Noble Family Members like them formed an alliance, it wasn’t just about two juniors sticking together in the Purple Sun Sect. Their families were involved too. It was fundamentally a matter of interests, with benefits for both sides.

Xu Yang had nothing to offer. If he allied with someone, he would basically just be taking the fall for them, acting as their muscle.

If he had been willing to do that, he would have accepted the Liu Family’s offer back then.

Liu Xiao of the Liu Family had placed third in the previous competition and was leagues stronger than the disciples from Tiger Roar Boxing Hall.

Then there was the Cao Family; Cao Rong was first in this year’s batch. Either of those two was far stronger than the disciples from Tiger Roar Boxing Hall or the likes of Gu Haoming.

"Xu Yang, come see me!"

After he parted ways with Sun Tao, Lin Cheng’s voice echoed in his ear.

Although Xu Yang was puzzled, he stepped into Lin Cheng’s courtyard once more.

"Greetings, Master," Xu Yang said, cupping his hands.

"Sit." Lin Cheng pointed to the chair beside him.

This made Xu Yang even more curious about why Lin Cheng had summoned him. In the past, his master would never have offered him a seat; he always had to stand and listen to his instructions.

Lin Cheng was silent for a moment before speaking. "I want to ask a favor of you. It’s a bit much to ask, but I hope you will agree."

A thought flickered in Xu Yang’s mind. "Please speak, Master. If it is within my power, I will not refuse. But if I am unable to help, please forgive me for being unable to agree."

’If even Lin Cheng knew it was an unreasonable request, it must not be an easy task. That was why he hadn’t agreed outright.’

Lin Cheng weighed his words for a moment. "I was hoping you could look after your Senior Sister Lin Wei. Although the Purple Sun Sect is a righteous sect, its disciples are far from united. There are occasional incidents of them killing one another, not to mention all sorts of factional strife and mutual scheming."

"I know you’re a very cautious person. You even refused the incredible terms offered by the Cao Family, so you’re clearly not one to take risks. This makes my request quite unfair to you."

"But Senior Sister Lin Wei is my daughter, after all, and I want her to have some assurance of safety. Among all the disciples, I believe only you have the ability to provide it."

He wasn’t just asking Xu Yang to look after Lin Wei because he knew Xu Yang was the most talented disciple in Weiyuan Hall; what he valued most was Xu Yang’s cautious nature.

He used to dislike this trait in Xu Yang, thinking him too passive and lacking the sharp, ambitious drive of a true Martial Artist.