Xu Bai did not immediately refuse.
Instead, he pondered for a moment, his expression showing hesitation.
“What’s wrong? Do you have some unspoken concerns, young friend?” Nangong Shirong asked.
“To be honest with you, Senior Nangong, I am not actually a member of the Immortal Alliance. I am an ancient cultivator who was in deep slumber…” Xu Bai then recounted the story of how he had used the Heavenly Spirit Flower to obtain his identity within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
Nangong Shirong burst into hearty laughter. “You need not worry, young friend. I have already investigated these matters thoroughly. Including that Dao Integration-level Derivative Jade Token—it’s in your hands, isn’t it?”
Xu Bai’s face revealed a look of shock.
However, Nangong Shirong simply waved his hand, signaling him to relax.
“Although it does bend the rules slightly, your identity within the Immortal Alliance has already been recognized by the Tianxuan Mirror. That’s all that matters!”
“Even the cultivators of the Five Elders Association can reform and be accepted into the Immortal Alliance—so why not ancient cultivators like you?”
Nangong Shirong let out a cold snort before softening his expression as he looked at Xu Bai.
“Young friend Xu, I am in need of capable people. Why not lend me a hand?”
“Don’t worry—with me here, no one will dare to question your past!”
At this point, if Xu Bai still refused, he might not be able to leave the room at all.
So, after pretending to hesitate for a moment, he responded with heartfelt gratitude, “In that case, I thank you for your guidance, Senior!”
Hearing Xu Bai’s affirmation, Nangong Shirong laughed heartily once more.
With his approval, Xu Bai’s official induction into the system went exceptionally smoothly.
Even the White Jade Heart-Questioning Platform’s assessment was nothing more than a formality.
After asking just a few insignificant questions, the process was hastily concluded.
Xu Bai was appointed as the Tianliang Communication Liaison Envoy.
His duty was to report directly to the ruler of the state, a position neither too powerful nor too insignificant.
Everything depended on the Tianliang City Lord’s discretion.
If Li Fan’s previous role as the Secret Envoy had been to manage the state’s affairs on behalf of the City Lord…
Then the Communication Envoy was responsible for coordinating between Tianliang State, other states, and the headquarters of the Immortal Alliance.
It was common for those in power to appoint their trusted juniors to official positions.
However, to avoid suspicion, they wouldn’t place them directly within their own territories but would instead send them to serve in familiar neighboring regions.
After accumulating experience for a decade or two, they would then be transferred back, making the appointment seem more legitimate.
This method ensured the move was justified and widely accepted.
Even if the Immortal Alliance headquarters investigated, it would all appear to be within proper regulations—making it impossible to challenge.
Among the duties of a Communication Envoy, this type of arrangement constituted the majority of their work.
As soon as Li Fan took office, this became his first challenge.
After all, it was widely known that Tianliang State had a large number of vacant key positions.
Would Nangong Shirong monopolize all the benefits for himself? At the very least, he had to leave some leftovers for others, right?
Countless factions were vying for a share of the spoils, and balancing their interests while keeping everyone satisfied was no easy task.
If handled well, it would be seen as part of his responsibilities. But if a mistake were made, Nangong Shirong could simply use Xu Bai as a scapegoat to quell public outrage.
A well-played move indeed.
Faced with the flood of invitation cards and requests, Xu Bai ignored them all.
Instead, he took leave, concealed his presence, and returned directly to Longevity Valley.
When Nangong Shirong sent a message inquiring about his absence, Xu Bai simply smiled and replied:
“Let them wait for now. If there are any complaints, just say that everything is up to me.”
After pondering for a moment, Nangong Shirong simply said, “Brilliant,” and then fell silent.
Xu Bai, who had returned successfully, took out the True Temptation Fruit and entered the Medicine King Cauldron.
Jiang Yushan’s resting chamber was located right next to Liu San’s.
Xu Bai entered without any difficulty.
Without making extensive modifications to her thoughts, he only changed the appearance of Liu Yihang in her memory to resemble Li Fan instead.
Additionally, he implanted a subconscious suggestion that made her deeply trust “Liu Yihang.”
Then, he called Liu San inside and awakened Jiang Yushan in his presence.
Jiang Yushan’s eyelashes trembled slightly, while Liu San’s face was filled with excitement.
Xu Bai, however, quietly took a few steps back.
Sure enough, as soon as Jiang Yushan woke up, her eyes were momentarily filled with confusion.
But her expression soon changed, and she immediately fired a black death ray toward Liu San.
The black light, like a sword, carried an intense killing aura.
Yet, within it, Xu Bai faintly sensed an aura identical to Longevity Green Energy, which was rather peculiar.
“Yushan, it’s me!” Liu San hurriedly blocked the black death ray and called out anxiously.
Jiang Yushan was briefly stunned, then shut her eyes tightly, suppressing the murderous intent in her heart.
After a brief moment, she reopened them.
“What’s going on? Have we reached the Xiaoyao Realm?”
Her voice was not the soft and melodious tone of an ordinary female cultivator. Instead, it was hoarse and sharp, like the grating sound of metal scraping against metal.
Liu San didn’t mind at all and began explaining the entire sequence of events to her.
“We’re back in the Xuanhuang Realm?”
“Thousands of years have already passed?”
Even though this female cultivator had endured the harsh environment of Indeterminate Prison for a long time, she was still momentarily bewildered upon hearing such an absurd revelation.
“I need to go out and take a look!”
Clearly, she did not fully trust Liu San.
At Liu San’s signal, Xu Bai released her from the Medicine King Cauldron.
Liu San then led her on a tour around the current Xuanhuang Realm.
Not long after, she returned, looking somewhat dazed and lost.
“Just now, your subconscious action against me was precisely due to the great calamity of ‘the cultivation technique cannot be practiced together” Liu San proactively explained.
Jiang Yushan frowned slightly and said, “To avoid accidentally killing you, I’d better switch back to my original cultivation technique.”
Liu San quickly waved his hands. “No need, no need. Right now, the sect urgently needs Longevity Pills, and you can use Longevity Green Energy to help me refine them.”
However, Jiang Yushan refused without hesitation. “The Longevity Green Energy I cultivate is likely different from that of your Medicine King Sect. The pills I refine might cause an uncontrollable surge of killing intent when consumed.”
“You’d better find someone else!”
Liu San’s face immediately stiffened upon hearing this.
“Right now, aside from me, you’re the only one who still possesses the World-Saving Longevity Scripture.”
“The calamity of Incompatible Cultivation technique is truly terrifying. If more than three people practice together, it will be nearly impossible to control.”
Liu San stammered as he explained.
A cold glint flashed through Jiang Yushan’s eyes, and Liu San fell silent.
“Elder Jiang, please proceed with refining the pills. Even if there are some minor side effects, the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance surely won’t mind at this point.”
At the crucial moment, it was Xu Bai who stepped in to resolve the situation for Liu San.
