At that moment, most of the people present—including Miao Renlong—had grown tense.
At this point, they had all witnessed Chu Feng's strength. Who among them wouldn't want him to join their Alliance of Spirit World Masters?
But they were also afraid—afraid that Chu Feng would refuse, afraid that the Alliance would lose such an extraordinary genius.
Caught between fear and hope, tension naturally gripped them all.
"You aren't thinking of inviting young friend Chu Feng to join our Alliance, are you?" Yet just when everyone already knew the answer, someone chose to ask the obvious.
He was a black-haired man who had lived for nearly a thousand years, yet still maintained the appearance of someone in his prime.
But regardless of how youthful he looked, the cold sneer on his face was plain for all to see. Anyone who dared treat the Alliance Master this way could only be an elder of the Spirit World Holy Convocation.
In truth, he was more than just an elder of the Spirit World Holy Convocation—he was the son of Lin Kuxing, and the father of Lin Yezhou.
"Heh, to be perfectly honest, I do indeed wish to invite young friend Chu Feng to join our Alliance." The Alliance Master smiled and nodded, then turned toward Chu Feng and continued:
"Young friend Chu Feng, Spirit World Masters are a special group—people who wield tremendous power, who are both revered and reviled. But there's no denying that we are all cut from the same cloth."
"In my view, we should all be one family—united and compassionate, helping one another, never abandoning or forsaking each other."
"Young friend Chu Feng, I know why you've been reluctant to join our Alliance. It must be because you're a disciple of the Green Wood Holy Convocation, and you believe that joining us would be a betrayal."
"But that simply isn't the case. You can absolutely join our Alliance while remaining a disciple of the Green Wood Holy Convocation. It wouldn't be a betrayal—just gaining another home."
"Rest assured, even the Green Wood Holy Convocation won't hold it against you. If you're willing, I can personally write a letter to your sect master and explain the matter."
"Young friend Chu Feng, join us. I've never forced anyone to join the Alliance before—but you are truly different. This great family of ours needs you."
The Alliance Master had, this time, laid all his cards on the table—every word sincere, every syllable from the bottom of his heart.
He truly wanted Chu Feng to join the Alliance. He genuinely did not want to let go of such a remarkable Spirit World genius.
In that moment, Chu Feng was moved. Although there were plenty of people within the Alliance who harbored ill will toward him, the Alliance Master, Miao Renlong, and even the Left Heavenly Venerable had all treated him exceedingly well.
Moreover, his beloved Su Mei was here now, and she depended on this place.
Honestly, compared to the Green Wood Holy Convocation, the Alliance gave him much more of a sense of home.
*Clap, clap, clap, clap...*
Just as Chu Feng was wavering, a round of applause suddenly rang out. It was Lin Yezhou's father. A peculiar smile hung on his face as he clapped and spoke:
"Well said—truly well said. I can see you're genuinely pouring your heart out to get Chu Feng to join us."
"What a pity, though—young friend Chu Feng doesn't think much of our Alliance. Even if you sweet-talk him till the flowers bloom, he still won't join."
Sarcastic—utterly sarcastic. His words weren't aimed at Chu Feng, but at the Alliance Master.
Yet anyone with half a brain could tell that the reason Lin Yezhou's father was acting this way was because he didn't want Chu Feng to join the Alliance.
And why he wouldn't want that wasn't hard to figure out. After all, his son Lin Yezhou was still the Alliance's number-one disciple—at least, its number-one male disciple.