Chapter 55: The Four Great Sects

Xiao Fan: "???"

Long Anhai: "???"

Neither of them could have dreamed that the moment they opened the door, the Long Family Ancestor would say something like that…

At this moment, Xiao Fan finally understood. It turned out that the person who had arranged for him to marry Long Caiwei was definitely the Ancestor Long Zizai standing before him.

That old scoundrel has ruined me…

Long Anhai gave a dry cough; he hadn't yet had the chance to tell his father that Xiao Fan did not agree to it.

"Father, let's discuss the matter of Xiao Fan and Long Caiwei later. Let's talk about serious business first."

Ancestor Long Zizai glanced at the two of them, feeling that the situation was different from what he had imagined.

He had expected that Xiao Fan would be filled with gratitude and kneel to thank him immediately after entering… Why was he looking so miserable?

"That's true, matters of children can be discussed later."

The Long Family Ancestor looked at Xiao Fan, organized his thoughts for a moment, and then said: "Xiao Fan, you have already formed a feud with the Piaomiao Immortal Palace. Have you thought about what you should do next?"

"The feud between you and Xiao Tian is too deep to be resolved. This time, he sent a Disciple of the Immortal Palace, and you were able to kill him. But if someone with a higher cultivation level comes in the future… the consequences would be unimaginable."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fan lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then said: "I want to join a Sect to serve as my backing!"

In fact, Xiao Fan had long considered joining a Sect. Only within a Sect could he go higher and see further.

And the fact that Xiao Tian had sent people over undoubtedly accelerated the progress of this matter.

The Long Family Ancestor nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Actually, I called you here because I wanted to talk to you about this very thing…"

"It is true that my Long Family is the number one Family in Jingchuan, but powers stronger than my Long Family are everywhere in this Wuhuang Province… Joining a Sect is indeed the best choice for you right now."

Xiao Fan nodded. Beside him, Long Anhai did not speak; Ancestor Long Zizai had already discussed the matter of having Xiao Fan join a Sect with him beforehand.

"Do you have any thoughts regarding which Sect to choose?"

The Long Family Ancestor asked, his gaze fixed on Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan pondered for a while, then shook his head: "I don't have a target at the moment."

"I can offer you a few suggestions; listen to them."

The Long Family Ancestor spoke slowly: "The greatest power in Wuhuang Province, as the name implies, is the Piaomiao Immortal Palace… They are strict in selecting Disciples and send envoys out every year to search for Geniuses to join and expand their influence. This should have been the best choice… However, Xiao Tian is currently highly regarded in the Immortal Palace, so I do not recommend considering it…"

Xiao Fan nodded. His thoughts were the same as the Long Family Ancestor's; the Piaomiao Immortal Palace was the strongest, but it was not suitable for Xiao Fan.

"In Wuhuang Province, the powers slightly weaker than the Piaomiao Immortal Palace are: the Ziyun Cave Heaven, the Thunder Fire Sect, and the Jixian Sect. Only these three major Sects have the strength to protect you; even the Immortal Palace would not dare to offend them easily…"

The Ziyun Cave Heaven is the Sect where Murong Fu resides. He took an Elder of the Sect as his master, and the turtle shell Magic Treasure on his body was a gift from that Elder. The Cultivation Technique that could instantly freeze a person's Divine Soul… Xiao Fan guessed it also came from the Ziyun Cave Heaven.

The Thunder Fire Sect is also not weak in Wuhuang Province. Its Disciples have always been overbearing. Long Xiaotian was once noticed by an Elder of the Thunder Fire Sect while out, and he was told to go there in the future.

The Jixian Sect is rumored to have the longest history. In its prime, it was even more powerful than the Piaomiao Immortal Palace. It is unknown why it declined later, but it has managed to maintain its position among the top four Sects, and its foundation is profound.

The Long Family Ancestor then explained the advantages and disadvantages of these Sects to Xiao Fan. As for the Sects ranked lower, the Long Family Ancestor's advice was that it was best not to go there.

Besides lacking a deep foundation, if Xiao Tian were to gain power in the Piaomiao Immortal Palace, these small powers would likely be unable to protect Xiao Fan.

"I have told you the general situation of these Sects. Do you have any thoughts?"

The Long Family Ancestor looked at Xiao Fan, and Long Anhai did the same.

Xiao Fan pondered for a moment, then said: "I want to go to the Jixian Sect!"

First, in terms of foundation, the Jixian Sect is the longest-existing Sect and would definitely not be weaker than other powers. Even the Piaomiao Immortal Palace might not necessarily have a deeper foundation than the Jixian Sect. Furthermore, the Jixian Sect has the full strength to protect him, even if the opponent is the Piaomiao Immortal Palace.

The Long Family Ancestor slowly nodded and said: "Not bad, that is a very good choice."

The Jixian Sect was indeed a good choice. Actually, the Long Family's preference leaned more towards the Thunder Fire Sect; after all, Long Xiaotian would also be going there in a while, and the two could look out for each other.

However, since Xiao Fan had made this choice, the Long Family would not stop him.

"Have you heard about the rumors outside?"

The Long Family Ancestor asked Xiao Fan again, and the latter nodded…

The Long Family Ancestor sighed and said: "My Long Family has investigated this matter and suspects it is related to the Xiao Family. However, besides the Xiao Family, it seems the Su Family of Moyun City is also involved."

It was normal for the Xiao Family to be involved, but why would the Su Family of Moyun City come to slander him? Xiao Fan's brows furrowed immediately.

"The Xiao Family is spreading rumors to tarnish your reputation and make you a sinner in Jingchuan…"

"As for the Su Family… it should be related to you wounding both Su Ming and Su Yizhou. After all, these two are the hope of their Su Family's generation, and they both ended up nearly crippled at your hands."

Xiao Fan asked: "But what is the purpose of them doing this? Is there any point in slandering me?"

Actually, this was also what Xiao Fan found most puzzling; what was the point of slandering him?

The Long Family Ancestor sighed and said: "After all, you have already joined the Long Family. Spreading rumors may not have much impact on you personally, but it has caused great damage to the Long Family's status and reputation in Jingchuan. Also, the business of most of the Long Family's industries in Jingchuan has declined significantly compared to before."

Xiao Fan suddenly realized that the purpose of spreading the rumors was to target him while simultaneously attacking the Long Family.

After all, he was currently a member of the Long Family, and when dealing with the Immortal Palace Disciple, the Long Family's attitude had been very clear.

Moreover, doing this could also sow discord between him and the Long Family.

In that instant, Xiao Fan understood all of these things.

Although he had married into the Long Family, it hadn't been voluntary from the start, so he had never truly regarded himself as a member of the Long Family.

But after these recent events, and the kindness Long Miaoyin had shown him, Xiao Fan's perspective on his identity as a "son-in-law" had changed.

At the very least, the Long Family treated him a hundred times better than the Xiao Family!

Seeing Xiao Fan's face darken, the Long Family Ancestor smiled and said: "It's fine, you don't need to worry about these things; they are just minor matters. Because you secured the Spirit Stone mine, it doesn't matter even if the business is not going well."

"In another month, it should be time for the Jixian Sect's triennial Disciple recruitment. Go back and prepare, and find a time to set off."