"That is correct, that is precisely my intention. Although you are qualified to join our Sky Roc clan, you are ultimately of the Human Race. Even if you were to pass the trial and assessment, you could never serve as our clan's Holy Master. However, Fellow Daoist Han could take on a Holy Son's identity to lend a hand to our two Holy Sons and help them pass the trial. Naturally, should you do this, I will not mistreat you. Not only will I allow you to absorb a portion of the Kunpeng's true blood, but there will be additional generous rewards as well." The young girl did not deny it, speaking at an unhurried pace.
Such a stroke of good fortune falling into one's lap — an ordinary person would likely have blurted out an immediate agreement in their excitement. But
The young girl showed no intention of pressing him. She simply sat quietly in her chair, gazing at Han Li with a calm, indifferent expression.
After a full cup of tea's worth of time, Han Li spoke once more.
"This trial must be quite dangerous for you to go so far as to allow an outsider like me to join your clan. Could you tell me about it first? Then I can make my decision."
"The trial is indeed extremely dangerous. Under normal circumstances, the casualty rate among the Holy Sons who participate from various clans is roughly sixty to seventy percent. The Holy Sons are generally at the Flying Spirit General stage, roughly equivalent to your Deity Transformation level. This time, because our clan's Holy Master fell unexpectedly, the two Holy Sons are only at the initial Flying Spirit General stage and have not had sufficient preparation. If they were to participate in the trial, there is a nine in ten chance they would fail. I may not know much about your abilities, Fellow Daoist, but the fact that you crossed the majority of the Wind Element Continent alone from the Human Race to reach this place proves that your strength is extraordinary. Although the trial's contents are dangerous, they should pose no real problem for you." The young girl's expectations had been slightly off the mark in some respects, but her final assessment was not wrong.
"Flying Spirit General stage only?" Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as he asked cautiously.
"Rest assured, this Elder would not resort to empty words to deceive you." The young girl smiled faintly.
"I need some time to think it over." After pondering for a while, Han Li finally made his decision.
"A matter of such importance naturally warrants careful consideration. Very well, I will give you three days. In three days, I will be waiting here for your answer. During this time, you are free to move about the city. No one will disturb you. Also, my name is
Han Li naturally expressed his thanks, then wasted no more time in taking his leave.
Once Han Li had walked through the doorway and vanished without a trace, Jin Yue smiled faintly, raised her hand to pick up a cup of spirit tea from the table, and took a delicate sip.
"Elder Grand, are you really going to let him leave just like that?" One of the stone walls of the stone chamber flashed with grey light, and two more Sky Roc clan members — one tall, one short — emerged from within.
"What, how would you have me deal with him?" Jin Yue glanced at the red-bearded old man who had spoken and asked directly.
"Those wings contain the Kunpeng's feathers. Why must we insist on having an outsider impersonate a Holy Son? We could simply take the wings by force and have another clan member inherit the true blood. Would that not be better?" The red-bearded old man was tall of stature, rubbing his hands together as he spoke.
"If it were that simple, would I have gone through all the trouble of exchanging so many words with an outsider? I would have killed him on the spot and seized the wings." A trace of cold mockery appeared at the corner of the young girl's lips as she retorted bluntly.
"Then what does the Elder Grand have in mind?" A petite, beautiful woman saw that the red-bearded old man was about to say something else and tugged discreetly at his sleeve, speaking deferentially before he could.
"Regarding knowledge of the Human Race, I believe there is no second person in the entire Sky Roc clan who can rival me. The Human Race is different from us Flying Spirits. Their own strength is ordinary at best — the majority of their abilities reside in the treasures they cultivate. As a result, they are able to refine certain treasures over long periods, tempering them until they become extensions of their will. It is not that such treasures cannot be seized by force, but rather that after taking them, it is extremely difficult to expel the original owner's imprint within a short time. Moreover, the treasure's power will diminish greatly upon changing masters. I have already thoroughly examined this person's wing treasure, and it is precisely this type of spirit treasure. And I have received word that the Holy Sons' trial in the Abyss is imminent — we simply do not have the time to seize the treasure and hand it to another clan member for re-refining." Jin Yue mulled it over briefly, then offered a few more words of explanation.
"I see. But if that is the case, won't our clan's true sacred blood truly flow into an outsider's hands? That is no small matter either." The red-bearded old man still shook his head repeatedly.
"Elder Xu, have you lost your senses? If no Holy Son of our clan passes the trial this time, the entire clan will be absorbed by another branch. Compared to that, the matter of the true blood is trivial. Besides, there are other remedial measures available to prevent that from happening." The young girl's luminous eyes flashed as she spoke.
"Heh heh, the Elder Grand's words are perfectly logical. Once this outsider has helped us through this crisis, he is merely a Flying Spirit General-level existence. Whether we kill him or keep him will be our decision to make." The beautiful middle-aged woman paused for a moment, then broke into a smile.
"Killing him is out of the question. Even if he is an outsider, once he has absorbed the Kunpeng's true blood, he effectively becomes half a clansman. We would all be bound by the Sky Roc Oath as well. Moreover, since he will have helped the clan survive this great crisis, he will be considered a benefactor of our clan. Unless absolutely necessary, we should not take his life. We can simply place him under house arrest and ensure he never leaves the Holy City again." Jin Yue shot the beautiful woman a cold, emotionless look.
"That would work as well. Should we also notify the guards and assign someone to follow this outsider covertly? We can't very well let him suddenly flee in the next few days." The red-bearded old man suddenly suggested.
"Elder Xu, there is no need to worry. I have already placed a small restriction on his wings. Should he attempt to flee the city, I will know immediately." Jin Yue was entirely unconcerned on this point.
"It seems the two of us were worrying over nothing. The Elder Grand has already considered everything most thoroughly." The beautiful woman's eyes shimmered with an unusual light as she spoke with a smile.
"Worrying over nothing is not quite right either. Of the clan's five Elders, only the three of us are present. Since this matter concerns the very survival of our clan, the three of us must reach unanimous agreement before we act. That is why I used a voice transmission to summon the two of you here en route. Elder Xu, do you have any other objections?" The young girl looked at the two of them and spoke slowly.
"No. The Elder Grand's plan is already entirely sound." This time, both the beautiful woman and the old man agreed at once.
The young girl nodded upon hearing this.
From beginning to end, these three Sky Roc clan Elders had not so much as mentioned the possibility that Han Li might refuse.
This was hardly surprising. In the eyes of this Sky Roc clan Elder Grand, as well as those of the old man and the beautiful woman, how could a mere Deity Transformation-level outsider possibly dare to refuse their request?