A few days later
Despite the Lan family exhausting all means to invite Li Ye, he ultimately did not appear. Still, he had made arrangements in advance, so the apprenticeship ceremony proceeded as scheduled.
"Master, please have some tea!"
Lan Ming knelt with a solemn expression and offered a cup of tea to Tu Zhiyong.
Tu Zhiyong accepted it, took a light sip, and then handed over a prepared jade slip.
"This is a compilation of my formation insights. Take it back and study it well. If you encounter any difficulties, you may come to me for guidance…"
"Thank you, Master!"
Lan Ming's face lit up with joy. He respectfully accepted the jade slip and gave a formal bow of acknowledgment.
With that, the master-disciple relationship was officially established.
The many guests who had come to witness the ceremony all voiced their congratulations, and the atmosphere turned lively and festive.
Their attitudes toward the Lan family which had already improved in recent times became noticeably warmer after this relationship was sealed.
Li Ye was now being actively suppressed and isolated under the leadership of Pingyang Mountain, which left only Tu Zhiyong with a prominent name as a formation master in the Chidi Mountain Range. And behind him stood the powerful Tu family.
Now that the Lan family had formed such a close bond with him, their status had changed overnight...
If the alliance leadership wished to help them reclaim Changcui Mountain, there would be even more mutual benefits to be gained.
Faced with such a complete reversal of fortune compared to the past year or so, the elders of the Lan family were grinning from ear to ear.
Each wore an invigorated expression as if they'd just gained the strength to live another ten years for the sake of their family's bright future.
Even Lan Xinyi, who had recently grown somewhat distant from her younger brother, had tears welling up at the sight. She discreetly wiped them away when no one was watching.
However, Tu Zhiyong acted as if he were completely unaware of the celebratory mood. He spoke coldly and indifferently:
"Though we've now established the name of master and disciple if you fail to grasp the basics of formation within the time I've set, don't blame me for expelling you from my tutelage."
"After all... someone too useless doesn't deserve to be my disciple."
As soon as those words fell, the festive atmosphere froze instantly. Lan Ming, who had just started to rise, stiffened in place and quickly bowed again.
"Your disciple will study diligently and live up to Master's expectations!"
"Mm…"
Tu Zhiyong nodded but then looked toward the entrance, and a hint of joy flashed across his face.
"I didn't expect to arrive just a moment too late…"
Xie Yushu stepped through the threshold, folding his fan as he offered a cupped-hand salute with a smile.
"I heard that Master Tu has taken a promising disciple. I've come on behalf of the Alliance Leader to offer congratulations!"
As he waved his hand, Yao Hong who accompanied him stepped forward and presented a gift box.
"So, you must be Lan Ming?"
Xie Yushu looked over at Lan Ming and nodded in approval. "Indeed, quite outstanding!"
Then he turned to the Lan family elders and added, "I heard that on your mountain, you're forced to rely on a subpar spiritual vein for cultivation… Wouldn't that hinder Master Tu's fine disciple from advancing his skills?"
"If you feel wronged in any way, feel free to report it to the alliance. The Alliance Leader will surely uphold justice for you!"
In the past, the alliance had long turned a blind eye to the spirit contract between Li Ye and Lan Xinyi, allowing them to monopolize the Tier-1 spiritual vein on Changcui Mountain.
Even in repeated summons, it was clear the alliance had tacitly acknowledged Li Ye's authority over that land.
Yet now, four years later, during a gathering of many mountain faction representatives, this matter was suddenly being brought up under the pretense of supporting the Lan family.
But was it really about supporting the Lan family?
This was just a pretext to move against Li Ye!
Lan Xinyi's expression shifted slightly at once.
But the elders of the Lan family, on the other hand, were overjoyed!
Lan Ming hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and knelt heavily, bowing deeply to both Tu Zhiyong and Xie Yushu. With a hoarse voice, he cried out,
"Thank you, Deputy Alliance Leader, for your clarity! Changcui Mountain is the foundation of our Lan family, yet it has been occupied for years by Li Ye, who tricked my elder sister and used formations to take it for himself. Our Lan family members are not even allowed to enter… I beg you, Master and Deputy Alliance Leader, please uphold justice for us!"
"What? Such a thing happened?"
Xie Yushu's face was filled with shock and anger. "Such actions are utterly outrageous! Nephew Lan Ming, rest assured once I report this matter to the Alliance Leader, he will surely seek justice on behalf of your Lan family!"
"To think that Li Ye would act so brazenly…"
Tu Zhiyong let out a cold snort. "Do not worry, disciple. Your Master will break his formation personally and help the Lan family reclaim Changcui Mountain!"
With that round of well-coordinated remarks, the three of them had painted Li Ye as the villain who had forcibly seized Changcui Mountain.
In this way, any future action taken against him would be fully justified no one could fault Pingyang Mountain in the slightest!
"Deputy Alliance Leader is wise and just. Our Lan family is deeply grateful!"
Tears welled up in the eyes of the old men and Lan Ming as they bowed again in unison.
Lan Xinyi stood among them, stunned that she hadn't known any of this beforehand. But she had no choice but to follow along with the ceremony and dared not speak the truth.
Everyone knew that without Li Ye, she and her brother would've died long ago in the wilderness and Changcui Mountain would've never been reclaimed in the first place…
But now that Xie Yushu had chosen to redefine the narrative, whatever she said would be useless!
Her expression was dazed, and only now did she fully understand why Li Ye had reacted the way he did when she'd tried to advise him before…
So this was Pingyang Mountain's true intention… no, perhaps it was Xu Pingyang himself he had likely long since set his sights on killing Li Ye.
That meant, that no matter what Li Ye did, as long as he remained in the Chidi Mountains, he would never escape the coming calamity.
Originally, if Li Ye simply stayed inside the formation at Changcui Mountain, he might have been able to preserve himself. But now that they had fabricated a justification, even if Pingyang Mountain and Tu Zhiyong jointly attacked the formation, it would be seen as entirely righteous no violation of the moral code at all!
Everyone present felt a chill down their spine as they witnessed the scene unfold.
Who was this Li Ye that Pingyang Mountain would go to such lengths to target him?
Was it all because he had refused to participate in the Battle of Tengyun Market back then?
Or… was it simply because he had somehow earned the Alliance Leader's disfavor?
That seemed far too extreme!
Still, no matter what they thought in their hearts, the crowd played along, feigning righteous indignation:
"Yes! Deputy Alliance Leader, your justice is admirable!"
"Master Tu's deep affection for his disciple is truly moving!"
"To think that Li Ye is such a vile usurper, occupying what isn't his he must be stopped before he goes any further!"
"If there's anything we can do to help, the Lan family only needs to say the word!"
Praises, flattery, and promises poured out from the crowd, making Xie Yushu nod in satisfaction.
And yet, inwardly, he felt a twinge of regret.
If only Li Ye had been lured to attend the ceremony today, they could've declared his guilt on the spot and taken him down immediately.
But now, they would have to use the pretense of helping the Lan family reclaim their mountain in order to attack the formation…
Even Tu Zhiyong could already incorporate aspects of Tier-2 formation principles into constructing quasi-tier 2 arrays.
Given that Li Ye had previously left only a formation diagram, which allowed them to break the great formation at Tengyun Market with ease, his skill in formation arts might mean the defenses at Changcui Mountain truly had Tier-2 power…
If that were the case, Tu Zhiyong would likely be unable to breach the formation and it might take Xu Pingyang himself to act.
If the array could be broken and Li Ye eliminated, then all would be well. But if they failed to break it, their reputations would be left in ruins!
At that thought, Xie Yushu couldn't help but recall that Foundation Establishment cultivator who Xu Pingyang had once invited for support only for him to seize the Tier-2 spiritual vein of Dengjin Mountain while Xu was gravely injured.
In the end, it had been a case of inviting a wolf into the house.
So perhaps… rather than reject someone like Li Ye who, though ambitious, seemed to lack any true desire for domination it might've been better to tolerate and foster him.
But in the face of Xu Pingyang's orders, his own opinion meant nothing.
All he could do was obey.
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