Li Tian closed his book, glanced at the sky, and prepared to go out for a meal.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
Li Tian looked sideways at the courtyard gate, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
They found him so quickly?
He just didn't know which side had come; hopefully, it wasn't Spirit Hall.
No matter how high one’s talent.
Before growing up, there wasn’t much room for choice.
Disagree?
Then, to prevent you from joining other forces, I’ll have to send you on your way.
However, Li Tian had anticipated this problem.
Qian Renxue was just the best choice; if Spirit Hall came knocking first.
He would simply join.
After all, it didn't matter where he replicated his Spirit; safety was the most important thing.
Insufficient strength and no background.
Compliance was the best choice, or arguably, the only choice.
He dared not gamble on the other party’s kindness.
As for joining and then standing against Tang San, that was still a long way off.
Future matters would be dealt with in the future.
What he needed now was a safe environment for growth, an opportunity to replicate his Spirit.
“Creak…”
Li Tian opened the courtyard gate, and a harsh rubbing sound echoed; it was the most primitive form of anti-theft.
Three men stood outside the door.
Standing in the middle was a young man exuding nobility; his identity was clearly not simple at a glance.
To his left and right were middle-aged men dressed as guards.
It seemed that in Heaven Dou City, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family’s control was indeed stronger.
“Hello, may I ask who you are looking for?”
Looking at the people outside the door, Li Tian felt slightly relieved and asked, feigning confusion.
“You are Li Tian, aren’t you?”
Qian Renxue scrutinized Li Tian from head to toe; both his complexion and attire indicated that he was indeed a commoner.
Li Tian nodded: “I am. May I ask who you are?”
“Allow me to introduce!”
The guard on the left pointed at Qian Renxue and said, “This is His Highness, the Crown Prince of our Heaven Dou Empire.”
“Your humble servant, Li Tian, greets His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
Li Tian was first stunned, then surprised, and finally bowed with an expression of profound trepidation.
His acting was spot-on.
“No need for formalities!”
Qian Renxue stepped forward, supporting Li Tian’s arm to straighten him.
Treating scholars with respect was her consistent persona.
Moreover, her purpose in coming was to recruit Li Tian, this Genius.
Thus, she had to treat him with even more courtesy.
Li Tian asked, “May I ask, Your Highness, what brings you here this time?”
“Is His Highness, the Crown Prince, here as well?”
Qian Renxue was about to speak when a voice, tinged with a hint of mockery, suddenly came.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.
They saw a middle-aged man, looking around thirty years old and dressed in a Spirit Hall uniform, slowly approaching.
His uniform bore the unique seven-sword emblem of Spirit Hall.
The number of swords on the Spirit Hall emblem represented strength; he was a Spirit Saint.
“So, it’s Bishop Kado.”
Qian Renxue’s expression remained unchanged, and she asked curiously, “Bishop Kado, why are you not staying at Spirit Hall and coming here?”
Kado smiled and said, “My purpose is naturally the same as Your Highness’s.”
After speaking, he looked at Li Tian.
“You are Li Tian, aren’t you? Let me introduce myself. My name is Kado, a Black Robed Bishop of Spirit Hall, sent by Bishop Salas to invite you as a guest to the Heaven Dou Holy Temple.”
Kado’s words carried a slight pressure.
There was no other way; Xue Qinghe was also present, and returning alone would result in punishment.
At most, he would apologize to him later.
This would allow him to cooperate with Salas, one playing the good cop, the other the bad cop.
“Uh…”
Li Tian felt utterly speechless; why did they have to come now, of all times?
If Qian Renxue hadn’t come, he would have gone and joined without hesitation.
The problem was that the best choice had already arrived.
Could Qian Renxue be secretly pulling strings? After all, her apparent identity was indeed not suitable for taking him in.
At least, that was the case for her and Spirit Hall.
Qian Renxue looked at Li Tian with a smile, “Whether to go or not is up to you. This is Heaven Dou City.”
As the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou, she still had to maintain a certain demeanor.
If a Black Robed Bishop could scare him away, then he wouldn’t need to be the Crown Prince anymore.
This was also a good opportunity to observe Li Tian’s attitude towards Spirit Hall.
“Um…”
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, Bishop Kado, you two are making this humble person a bit confused.”
“This humble person hasn’t committed any offense, right?”
Li Tian naturally understood Qian Renxue’s unspoken meaning, but how dared he directly refuse?
What if Qian Renxue misunderstood that he had an opinion of Spirit Hall?
Only someone with no opinion of Spirit Hall, by pledging allegiance to Qian Renxue, could avoid assassination by Spirit Hall.
Having an opinion would only lead to a faster death.
Qian Renxue and Kado were both startled, but they reacted instantly.
Li Tian was, after all, just a child from a commoner family.
Suddenly being approached by two important figures, panic and trepidation were normal reactions.
“Of course not.”
Qian Renxue explained with a smile, “I merely heard of your talent, so I came to see you. I believe Bishop Kado must have come for the same reason.”
“Whew…”
Li Tian let out a heavy sigh: “You scared me to death! I thought I had committed some offense.”
“In other words.”
“If I understand correctly, you two are here to recruit this humble person?”
Some matters are easier to discuss when laid bare.
“That’s right, so you don’t need to worry. You can speak freely about any requests you have.”
Seeing that he had clarified, Qian Renxue simply laid her cards on the table.
Actively allowing Li Tian to state his demands was actually creating an opportunity for Kado.
The Heaven Dou Empire could not compare to Spirit Hall.
Whether it was high-end combat power, overall combat power, or resources.
The Heaven Dou Empire was inferior to Spirit Hall in all aspects.
As long as he had no opinion of Spirit Hall, and as long as he wasn't foolish, he wouldn't choose the Heaven Dou Empire.
“Um… why don’t you two come in and sit down first?”
Li Tian asked tentatively, displaying a very conflicted expression.
Qian Renxue looked at Kado: “What do you think, Bishop Kado?”
She probably understood that Li Tian likely had no opinion of Spirit Hall.
Otherwise, what would there be to be conflicted about?
Kado frowned slightly; he still wanted to take Li Tian back and let Salas handle the negotiation.
If Salas failed to recruit him, that would be his responsibility.
If he himself failed, then the responsibility would fall on his head.
However, from the current situation, he couldn’t take Li Tian away.
This was Heaven Dou City; he couldn’t forcibly take Li Tian away in front of Xue Qinghe.
Xue Qinghe’s two guards were not to be trifled with.
Moreover, if he truly did that, it would also cause resentment in Li Tian’s heart.
Ultimately, the responsibility for recruitment failure would still fall on him.
Could it be that Salas had anticipated this step and therefore sent him?
“Then let’s sit.”
Kado, helpless, could only agree, and everyone followed Li Tian into the courtyard.
Li Tian went into the house and brought out four stools.
He apologized: “I’m truly sorry, I only moved in yesterday, and the house hasn’t been cleaned yet. Please make do with this for now.”
“No matter!”
The two waved their hands, not caring, but Qian Renxue’s two guards did not sit down; instead, they stood behind her like javelins.
