Gossip

That person was a young man of medium build with an ordinary Face, but his eyes always gave people a very wretched feeling, even though he tried his best to pretend to be very upright.

"Little brother is known as the Know-It-All of the Xuantian Branch. If you have any questions, brother, you can consult me. There is nothing here that I do not know," the man said, patting his chest and speaking with absolute certainty.

Long Chen was stunned and looked at the wretched kid in front of him with some suspicion, unable to figure out what he was trying to do for a moment.

"You know everything that happens in the Xuantian Branch, regardless of how trivial?" Long Chen asked.

"Of course. I started collecting information on the Xuantian Branch ten years ago. I have studied the internal affairs of the branch extremely thoroughly and am well-versed in the assessment process. However, if my information satisfies Your Excellency, I would have to ask Your Excellency to pay a small consultation fee."

When the man mentioned the consultation fee, he looked slightly shy, but his act was very unconvincing because the light radiating from his eyes completely betrayed him.

"You started collecting information ten years ago? Are you that confident about entering the Xuantian Branch?" Long Chen asked.

"Of course. This is called taking precautions; if a person has no long-term worries, they will have immediate troubles. Look at those rookies with confused eyes who find everything novel; they don't understand the assessment process and will definitely suffer a great loss. How about it, brother, are you interested?" The man looked at Long Chen with burning eyes.

Seeing that the man had unintentionally looked at Little Snow behind him, Long Chen suddenly understood. This kid had recognized Little Snow behind him, which was why he regarded him as a wealthy mark.

One must know that Little Snow was a top-tier Third Grade Demonic Beast. Even among the vast number of applicants, while everyone possessed Demonic Beast mounts, most were only Second Grade. A Third Grade Demonic Beast was truly as rare as Phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Unexpectedly, this wretched kid had quite a good eye, being able to see through Little Snow's disguise.

Sensing this person's cultivation, he was in the Late Stage of Blood Condensation, and his Foundation was also very solid. Although his eyes revealed wretchedness, his sharp light was restrained, indicating he was an expert.

"How do you charge?" Long Chen was idle, so asking was fine. In any case, he had countless gold coins in his spatial ring, and if he could buy useful information, he wouldn't mind buying a little.

"I, Guo Ran, am an honest person and never cheat my customers. For general questions, I only charge you one Medium Grade Medicinal Pill of Second Grade or higher."

"If it is about extremely important questions regarding the assessment, the price is slightly higher and requires a High Grade Second Grade Medicinal Pill."

"Of course, I also have exclusive secret news that relates to Your Excellency's future after entering the branch. I solemnly promise that if you learn these secrets, you will definitely be like a fish in water in the Xuantian Branch and quickly stand out."

"I see that you are an honest person, brother, so I will give you a package deal: ten High Grade Third Grade Medicinal Pills, and I will pass on everything I know to you."

"This is a blood-spitting clearance sale! You won't lose out by buying with ten Medicinal Pills, you won't be fooled by buying with ten Medicinal Pills, but ten Medicinal Pills can let you soar to great heights."

"Ten Medicinal Pills are not expensive, ten Medicinal Pills are not many; you can't cross the Two World Mountain, you can't reach Tianmu Slope…" As he spoke, the kid who called himself Guo Ran became more and more fluent, talking endlessly.

"Stop, stop, hold on. Does this mean you came from a background of setting up street stalls?" Long Chen looked at Guo Ran with a strange expression.

Guo Ran laughed a bit embarrassedly: "It's just that I saw you are an honest person, brother, and I was afraid you would miss this great opportunity, which would be equivalent to missing a great future. Isn't this also for your own good, brother?"

Long Chen had truly broadened his horizons this time; it seemed the Xuantian not only had Geniuses and prodigies, but also such weird talents.

"Are you really well-versed in the Xuantian Branch?" Long Chen asked.

"Of course. One fake warrants ten, and I never cheat my customers. If it is a question about the Xuantian Branch that I cannot answer, all the information I know will be given to you for free," Guo Ran said, patting his chest with absolute certainty.

"Then let me ask you, when the Sect Leader of the Xuantian Branch goes to the bathroom, does he use his left hand or his right hand to wipe his butt?" Long Chen asked.

Guo Ran widened his eyes, looking at Long Chen with disbelief, and after a long while, he angrily said: "Brother, you look like a man of talent, so why are you acting so unethically? Who could possibly know such a thing?"

"Just because you don't know it doesn't mean others don't. It seems your business as a Know-It-All still needs further study," Long Chen shook his head and said.

"This is an insult to me! Tell me, who knows this secret?" Guo Ran said angrily.

"Me," Long Chen said, pointing at his own nose.

"You? Are you messing with me?" Guo Ran felt he couldn't save Face, feeling like he had been played.

"Don't be upset, I really do know," Long Chen laughed.

"Fine, if you can say it, all the secrets I, Guo Ran, know will be shared with you for free. But if you can't say it, I will duel you," Guo Ran was clearly provoked by Long Chen.

A duel? Long Chen smiled slightly, not answering the question directly, and said to Guo Ran: "As a Know-It-All, you must at least know who the current Sect Leader of the Xuantian Branch is, right?"

"Of course. The Sect Leader is Ling Yunzi, a peerless expert whose long sword has swept across all directions. Three hundred years ago, he was already famous throughout the world. Who doesn't know him? Give me the main point," Guo Ran said, his anger still unabated.

Guo Ran was right. The Xuantian Branch Sect Leader Ling Yunzi's cultivation was so high that it topped the era, but for the last three hundred years, no one had seen him make a move.

However, there were many legends about him, and many portraits of him had been passed down. Many people enshrined his portrait in their homes, showing Ling Yunzi in his youth, holding a long sword, looking as elegant as an immortal.

Along the way, although Long Chen hadn't deliberately inquired, he had been able to secretly record some useful fragments from the words of others.

At the very least, he knew that the current Sect Leader of the Xuantian Branch was a powerful Sword Cultivator, and knowing this was enough.

"Since you know the Sect Leader uses a sword, then you should know that a Sword Cultivator's right hand, except when fighting, is always kept empty, right?" Long Chen said indifferently.

Guo Ran was instantly speechless. One must know that Sword Cultivators were different from other practitioners; other people's weapons would be placed in spatial rings.

But a Sword Cultivator's precious sword was always carried on their back or hung at their waist. This was the habit of a Sword Cultivator, with no exceptions.

They did not view the sword as their weapon, but as a part of their own life, so the long sword was always in a place within their reach.

Furthermore, their sword-wielding hand, besides holding the sword, basically did not touch anything else, otherwise, it would be a form of blasphemy against the sword.

Long Chen had once seen an applicant secretly take out the Sect Leader's portrait to admire it. Long Chen saw that the person in the portrait was holding the sword in his right hand, so he dared to conclude that he could only use his left hand to do other things.

After hearing Long Chen's words, Guo Ran immediately wilted like a deflated ball, and at the same time, he had to admit in his heart that he had lost.

"Brother, you are one move ahead. I, Guo Ran, have lost. Since I am willing to bet, I am willing to lose. I will tell you everything I know now, but you must swear not to tell anyone else; I still have to continue doing business," Guo Ran said.

"Forget it, you continue doing your business. I am not very interested in the secrets you speak of. Some things are more interesting when you figure them out yourself," Long Chen shook his head and said.

Guo Ran was stunned. Long Chen had actually refused his goodwill. One must know that although he was a bit mercenary, he had indeed collected many useful things over these years.

Otherwise, if people spent money and couldn't buy useful information, he would have long since been beaten to a pulp, as that was something many people desperately needed.

Seeing that Long Chen was about to leave, Guo Ran blocked him and said: "No, doing business requires fairness. If you do this, wouldn't that make me lose credibility with others?"

Long Chen looked at this wretched kid with a mix of amusement and exasperation; he hadn't expected this kid to actually have this side of integrity.

"Then just tell me why that failed kid withdrew from the application," Long Chen thought for a moment and said.

"That kid? Heh heh, he is a person from the Cheng family of Qi River Valley and is an adversary of Ying Mingyang. It just so happened that Ying Mingyang used words to corner him earlier, and the two swore an oath that whoever lost would get out of the Xuantian Branch. Just watch, this is only the beginning. Many family disciples with grudges have entered the branch; there will definitely be countless exciting things to watch in the future," Guo Ran said.

So that was it. It seemed that in the Xuantian Branch, there would be no lack of fierce competition in the future. It seemed this place was much more complex than he had originally imagined.

"By the way, I haven't asked for your name, brother, or where you are from?" Guo Ran slapped his head and asked somewhat embarrassedly.

"My name is Long Chen. As for where I am from, hehe, that is not convenient to say," Long Chen laughed, feeling a bit nauseous in his heart.

He couldn't just say he came from a remote, poor mountain gully, but for these disciples who basically all came from famous and influential families, it was indeed the case.

The Fengming Empire was too remote and did not have any truly large forces. Along the way, he discovered that everyone's background was not small, and their families all had great backing and Legacies.

Compared to them, Long Chen was just a grass-roots person. Although he wasn't inferior, he always felt a bit awkward when asked about his origin.

Long Chen did not reveal his background, and Guo Ran was not surprised. How could the status of someone who could possess a Third Grade Demonic Beast, the Scarlet Flame Snow Wolf, as a mount be low?

Long Chen didn't want to say it; it was because he didn't want to use his background to suppress others. Compared to those arrogant guys who opened their mouths to say they came from such-and-such mountain or such-and-such cave, he was countless times more sophisticated. This was true substance, and Guo Ran became even more impressed with Long Chen.

Although the deal wasn't made and he had been rebuffed, he wasn't the least bit discouraged, which was very much in line with the business principle of harmony bringing wealth.

At the same time, he developed great curiosity about Long Chen. Long Chen was low-key, and his cultivation was not apparent, making it impossible for people to see his depth, but his eyes were always calm as water, giving people a feeling of being unfathomable.

The two chatted casually for a few sentences, and Long Chen learned that this Guo Ran also came from a family, but his conditions were much worse than most applicants.

Therefore, as soon as Guo Ran entered the Xuantian Branch, he started doing business to pull chips for himself and prepare for his future rise, which made Long Chen look at him with admiration.

"By the way, Brother Long, which force do you intend to join?" Guo Ran saw that there was no one around and secretly said to Long Chen.