"This is impossible? How can this be?"
Upon seeing this scene, Gu Tongtian's pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but exclaim.
This sight completely subverted his understanding.
...
Gu Tongtian fell silent for a moment, then meekly lowered his head, and said in a flat tone, "Fellow Daoist, you are indeed a prodigy who has achieved the Nascent Soul stage as a rogue cultivator. Your divine abilities are extraordinary. I admit defeat!"
Wu Tao chuckled upon hearing this and cupped his hands.
He had won the competition.
From then on, Wu Tao had the qualification to establish a third-class family and dominate a region.
Some of the family heads who had not yet competed witnessed all this and couldn't help but gasp, marveling at the power of this rogue cultivator.
Others, however, were dismissive, believing that a mere rogue cultivator reaching this point was already impressive and posed no further threat to them.
Some even wished to recruit Wu Tao for their own benefit.
In any case, everyone stood in a different position and considered different matters.
Regardless of anything else, Wu Tao's trip to Chang'an this time had been quite fruitful. He had established a territory for himself and gained more possibilities.
...
After a series of tedious procedures, Wu Tao finally wrote his surname on a stone tablet.
This represented the establishment of a new noble family and the abolishment of an old one.
As the newly appointed noble, Wu Tao naturally had a throng of people coming to socialize and flatter him.
Seeing this, Wu Tao raised an eyebrow, forced a smile, and pretended to welcome them warmly.
Among these people were representatives from fourth-class families, each guarded by cultivators at the Core Formation stage, all offering polite congratulations.
Another group consisted of several great aristocratic families inviting him to form alliances, proposing terms of cooperation and recruitment.
There were also some who wished to marry their daughters or nieces to Wu Tao.
The most prominent among them was a prince of the current Immortal Emperor, who extended an invitation to Wu Tao.
Hearing these proposals, Wu Tao inwardly cursed.
Next, Wu Tao, with a pounding heart, politely responded to each person.
For those fourth-class families, Wu Tao was merely being courteous, harboring no other intentions.
As for the great aristocratic families seeking alliances with him, Wu Tao's attitude was ambiguous.
He neither agreed nor disagreed, leaving some room for maneuver in his words.
And for those families wishing to marry their daughters, nieces, or other blood relatives to Wu Tao.
Because of Lu Yuehua, Wu Tao had long vowed never to love anyone else again.
Wu Tao hesitated for a moment before deciding to "sell off" his eldest disciple, Ye Yun.
As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime.
Therefore, even though Wu Tao had settled Ye Yun's lifelong matters with just a few words, he felt no guilt.
After all, feelings could be cultivated slowly in Wu Tao's heart.
As for the prince of the current Immortal Emperor, Wu Tao explicitly refused him.
What a joke! With the lifespan of a Purple Mansion stage cultivator, you might not even outlive your father!
Any talk of "assisting the dragon" only happens when there's a possibility of success, and people will help you afterwards.
You probably don't have many subordinates, otherwise, you wouldn't be so eager to recruit me.
However, no matter what, the other party was a prince of the empire, and his assets were considerable.
Furthermore, leveraging his identity and status would make certain matters much more convenient.
Besides, even if these factors were disregarded, the third prince's late Nascent Soul stage cultivation alone was enough for Wu Tao to be wary.
It was beneficial to maintain a good relationship with him, so why not?
And the third prince's late Nascent Soul stage cultivation was indeed not fake.
According to Wu Tao's inquiries, the current Immortal Emperor Liu Xie had hundreds of sons and daughters over these thousands of years.
Among them, there were more than a dozen princes who had reached the Nascent Soul stage or higher, which demonstrated the immense heritage of the Liu imperial family.
...
Therefore, looking at the displeased third prince after being rejected, Wu Tao ultimately saved him some face.
Wu Tao first revealed his identity as an Alchemy Grandmaster and then hinted that he could refine pills for him.
Upon hearing Wu Tao's words, the third prince, named Liu Zhi, regained his smile.
During his subsequent stay in Chang'an, Wu Tao began to frequently visit the mansions of various family heads, humbly seeking advice on issues to consider after becoming a noble family.
Since what he inquired about were not secret matters, these family heads were quite willing to offer him some guidance during casual conversations.
After several such interactions, although Wu Tao and these people couldn't be called friends yet, their faces had become familiar.
In the absence of any conflict of interest, they addressed each other as "fellow daoist" and "brother," getting along quite well.
...
However, when the third prince Liu Zhi attended a banquet, and "accidentally" let slip Wu Tao's identity as an Alchemy Grandmaster, the situation changed.
Wu Tao had just returned to his residence in Chang'an.
But upon his return, he was startled by the scene outside his door.
Outside a mansion, a large crowd, judging by their attire, all of significant status, had already packed the entrance.
Prominent figures were lining up at the entrance, standing there one by one.
The once spacious entrance was now so crowded that it was impossible to get in.
Even Wu Tao, as the master of the mansion, found it difficult to push through the crowd.
Looking at this scene, Wu Tao froze in place.
"Where did these people come from? What do they want?"
Gazing at the dense crowd, which seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, Wu Tao was utterly bewildered and couldn't help but ask.
...
"Don't be surprised. These people are all here for you, waiting to curry favor and offer gifts."
The third prince Liu Zhi appeared at some point, patted Wu Tao's shoulder, and said with a smile.
...
"Offer gifts? Curry favor?"
Wu Tao first glanced at the third prince Liu Zhi, who had suddenly appeared, and then asked curiously.
...
"Why do these people want to curry favor with me?"
Looking at the dense crowd in front of him, Wu Tao said to the third prince Liu Zhi with a strange expression.
...
The third prince Liu Zhi chuckled upon hearing this and explained, "It's naturally because of your identity as an Alchemy Grandmaster."
...
"My identity as an Alchemy Grandmaster?"
Wu Tao frowned and muttered to himself.
...
The third prince Liu Zhi nodded and said meaningfully, "Fellow Daoist, do you know how many alchemists above the Grandmaster level there are in the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty?"
Wu Tao shook his head. As an outsider, he had no idea about these matters.
...
The third prince Liu Zhi held up his fingers and gestured, then said, "In the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, there are a total of twenty Alchemy Grandmasters and three Grand Alchemy Masters, making a total of only twenty-three."
"And in the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, there are at least thousands of Nascent Soul stage cultivators. With more monks than rice, suddenly an Alchemy Grandmaster appears, how can they not be excited?"
The third prince Liu Zhi paused and added, "Originally, there were even more people here, but I persuaded some to leave."
...
Wu Tao glared at the third prince Liu Zhi, his expression displeased.
"Do you really think I'm a naive fool? If it weren't for you, you scoundrel, deliberately leaking my identity as an Alchemy Grandmaster, I wouldn't even be able to enter my own house right now."
"And you're still here pretending to be a good person, what a show!"
...
"However, it's indeed not ideal to have so many people surrounding his mansion?"
With that thought, Wu Tao said, "Third Prince, do you have a way to help me get rid of all these people?"
"Consider it a favor I owe you."
Upon hearing Wu Tao's words, the third prince Liu Zhi's smile widened.
"These people are here to visit you. If possible, you should still meet them, and the gifts they offer will not be too cheap, so you can accept them."
"Of course, if you don't want to, I can refuse them on your behalf."
...
Wu Tao pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement with the third prince Liu Zhi's words.
Before appearing, the third prince Liu Zhi had specifically advised Wu Tao a few things.
"Gifts cannot be accepted indiscriminately. You must thoroughly investigate the origin of the gift..."
"Otherwise, if you accept them carelessly, you might encounter trouble or even become a fuse that ignites a fire that burns yourself."
"For example, if two families are mortal enemies, and you accept a gift from one, you cannot accept one from the other, or you will offend both families simultaneously..."
"Or for example, if someone commits a heinous crime and then sends you a gift, once it's investigated, regardless of your involvement, you will be held responsible for the matter..."
As a prince, Liu Zhi was well aware of the pitfalls and benefits involved.
...
"I didn't expect that I would eventually be pulled onto your ship."
Looking at the serious third prince Liu Zhi, Wu Tao sighed softly.
As expected of a prince, he was far superior to himself in understanding human relationships and social affairs.
Clearly, he had schemed against him to create this situation.
And now, he was stepping forward to offer help, yet Wu Tao had no choice but to consider it a favor.
...
After Wu Tao and the third prince Liu Zhi had discussed matters, they both appeared at the entrance together.
With the third prince Liu Zhi's assistance, the two of them, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, quickly dismissed the crowd.
Wu Tao also received a considerable number of gifts in the end.
................
Time, like the rolling waters of a great river, flows away and never returns.
The end of all things is submerged in the so-called river of time.
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