Chapter 842 - 59: Pudu Cloud Hall

Chapter 842: Chapter 59: Pudu Cloud Hall

"I’ve got one of those generic faces—everyone thinks I looks familiar." Li Xin waggled his eyebrows at Xiao Yan.

"Ahem, I’m a bit late. Not sure if I can share a table with you two? Today’s on me." Liu Zhongyang said.

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes and was about to say, "Who do you think you’re looking down on," when Li Xin immediately pulled a chair out. "Sit wherever."

"This is Xiao Yan from the Celestial Fire Sect."

"Brother Xiao." Liu Zhongyang cupped his hands.

"You’re too polite, Senior Brother Liu."

After all, he was one of the recognized top ten, so Xiao Yan was also very courteous.

"Brother Ren, you’re from outside, right?"

"Nope. How are all of you this sharp-eyed? How do you tell at a glance?" Li Xin was baffled.

"Brother Ren, it’s the vibe. But it’s fine—you live in the Divine Land for a while and you’ll be just like everyone else. At the root, we’re the same lineage. In fact, every so often quite a few people immigrate from Dragon Capital. They adapt fast." Liu Zhongyang said.

"Oh, that’s good. Just don’t you go discriminating against us outsiders."

Liu Zhongyang and Xiao Yan both couldn’t help laughing. Liu Zhongyang said, "Brother Ren, you really do look a bit familiar to me, like an old friend."

"People say that a lot. You and that old friend had a good relationship?" Li Xin smiled.

"Mm, both teacher and friend. He helped me a lot back then. His name was Avogadro. I wonder if Brother Ren knows him?" Liu Zhongyang stared fixedly at Li Xin, like he wanted to see right through him.

Li Xin stared blankly at Liu Zhongyang in front of him, really unable to recall. There had been too many people in the Secret Castle at the time. Sometimes he genuinely didn’t feel like he’d helped anyone with anything. It had just been a bunch of kids; he had no idea why these people were like this now.

Back then his mind hadn’t been on making friends. Besides, after so many years, who knew what anyone looked like anymore.

"I look that much like your old friend?" Li Xin asked curiously. If Liu Zhongyang was from the Secret Castle, how did he know he’d come, and how had he recognized him?

"What’s an Avogadro? Sounds like some kind of spell." Xiao Yan asked curiously.

Liu Zhongyang chuckled. "Brother Xiao, do you know the Secret Castle?"

Although the Divine Land wasn’t completely closed off, what people knew of the outside world was limited to the bigger Sects; not everyone knew everything.

"Secret Castle, that Secret Castle that’s first among the Five Great Sanctuaries?"

"Right. I went there before—not just me, quite a few others too. That’s where we met Avogadro." Liu Zhongyang said.

"You left the Divine Land—no, wait, you became a Celestial Destiny Sect disciple when you were very young, didn’t you?" Xiao Yan said in surprise.

"Yeah." Liu Zhongyang waved it off nonchalantly, which made Xiao Yan on the side burn with envy. People really did die from comparisons.

Even among Celestial Destiny Sect disciples there were differences: some fought their way in later on, some had been taken in when they were very young, and some even enjoyed better treatment than that.

"What makes you think I’m Avogadro?" Li Xin still didn’t buy it. Seven or eight years had passed, and with everything he’d gone through, his looks had long changed. On top of that he was using a disguise. His build in his previous life and now might be similar, but his face was different.

Liu Zhongyang was overjoyed inside; he’d basically guessed half right. He pulled out a trimmed newspaper from his robe. On it was a side-back view of Li Xin fighting. "Divine Charm. That glance when you turned your head just now is exactly the same as back then. It scares me even in my dreams... Ahem, scares the hell out of—no, I mean, it left a deep impression. People change, but their vibe doesn’t, their soul even less so."

Li Xin looked at the back-view silhouette on the Shen Zhou Daily, then turned his head sideways. What damn ’Divine Charm’? Not to mention he was wearing a disguise. Did this guy have something wrong with his eyes?

"You really are something, being able to recognize me off that." Meeting the other’s blazing gaze, Li Xin said helplessly.

If he denied it, the guy would only dig even harder. Besides, he hadn’t planned on completely hiding the Secret Castle stuff.

Liu Zhongyang finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. As the number-one figure of Pudu Cloud Hall, the Daily was obviously in his hands. The older generation didn’t pay much attention to it and weren’t that accepting of Hex-Tech products from Dragon Capital, but the younger generation really liked them. Things like the Hex Camera and newspapers—they’d all keep up with current events. If they weren’t worried Hex-Tech would mess up the Divine Land’s Spiritual Energy, they’d have wanted to bring in Hex trains already. Overall, the Divine Land’s attitude was to try it in small doses, but not promote it widely.

Liu Zhongyang had only been trying his luck. Even if he recognized the wrong person it wouldn’t matter much, but he’d actually run into the real one.

"Brother Ren, what brings you to the Divine Land? How do you find it here?" Liu Zhongyang calmed himself down. He already had a new plan forming in his mind.

"Pretty novel. It’s different from the Secret Castle. Just, everywhere you go they want Spirit Stones. The Secret Castle didn’t have this stuff. Both are Holy Lands, but this place is a bit too worldly." Li Xin said.

"True, I think so too. Among the Five Great Sanctuaries, the Secret Castle is the purest. Ah, listen to my useless brain. Guests from afar—The Divine Land isn’t like the outside. Lira only works for daily necessities. Spirit Stones are our main currency here. I wasn’t prepared. Brother Li, use these first, don’t look down on them." Liu Zhongyang immediately pulled out a small brocade pouch filled with Spirit Stones.

"Isn’t this a bit much?" Li Xin said, making a token gesture to decline.

"Brother Ren, what are you saying? You don’t take me as a friend then. Back at the Secret Castle, Brother Ren took good care of me. I learned quite a bit from you too. Now that you’re in the Divine Land, you have to let me show some appreciation." Liu Zhongyang said.

"Alright then." Although he had no impression at all, Li Xin reluctantly accepted. With Xiao Yan right there he couldn’t very well open it up and check. Anyway, this guy was doing so well now; he shouldn’t be that stingy.

Seeing them chatting and laughing over here, everyone else was curious. How did someone like Liu Zhongyang know a Loose Cultivator? These two shouldn’t have any overlap at all.

When Li Xin accepted, Liu Zhongyang’s eyebrows curved with his smile. He’d taken another step forward; this "friendship" was basically locked in. Haha.

"This is Xiao Yan, Brother Xiao, the first friend I made after coming to the Divine Land." Li Xin introduced. He had a lot of respect for this bold and generous young master.

"So you’re Brother Ren’s friend—my apologies for not greeting you properly." Liu Zhongyang hurriedly cupped his hands. "Is the Celestial Fire Sect a newly risen Sect? I’ve been ignorant it seems. Looks like the competition this year will definitely be fierce."

"You flatter me, Brother Liu. Just a small Sect."

Xiao Yan cupped his hands back. Was this really the same Liu Zhongyang of Pudu Cloud Hall, that guy who always had his nose in the air? Did he put on a disguise or something? He really wanted to yank it off and check.

Watching the lively scene over here, the people from Vajra Institute grew darker and darker in the face. They’d come this time with firm resolve to get Li Xin killed. How had this guy gotten tied up with Pudu Cloud Hall now?

The Three Pristine Sect side was just as confused. Jiang Jinyue and Chu Zhan both knew that Liu Zhongyang looked easygoing on the surface but was extremely proud at his core. What was with him smiling like a lapdog now?

Could he be here for himself?

A bit more vigilance rose in Jiang Jinyue’s heart. The competition among the top ten was also intense. Could he be trying to use Chu Zhan’s moves to get a better grasp on Three Pristine Sect’s Cultivation Techniques?