Some sharp-eyed individuals immediately reported Fang Chen and Li Daoye's arrival to Qin Nie.

Qin Nie’s face revealed a subtle smile. He glanced at Fang Chen and Li Daoye before softly speaking to another young man in a dark blue robe, whose expression was cold and stern. “Have you heard about the two Daoists who have come to our residence, one of whom is from the Grand Thousand Dao Sect and is said to hold a high rank within the sect?”

The young man in the dark blue robe didn't have a chance to respond. Qi Fa, slowly chipping away at the Immortal Origin Stone in his palm to reveal the treasure inside, chuckled and said, “Grand Thousand Dao Sect? Isn’t that the minor sect that claims to have inherited the orthodox teachings of the Three Thousand Dao Sects? Do such minor sect practitioners really have the qualifications to step into your Immortal Qin Manor?”

A Qin clan member who was on good terms with Qin Nie answered Qi Fa’s question.

Upon learning that the other party claimed to know the whereabouts of the Three Solar Fruit, Qi Fa couldn’t help but laugh. “In the Azure Dao Manor, only your Immortal Qin Clan's ancestor has found a Three Solar Tree. Even my father doesn’t have access to the Three Solar Fruit. How could a mere Grand Thousand Dao Sect practitioner know its whereabouts?”

“Qin Nie, where is the Grand Thousand Dao Sect practitioner right now? I would like to meet him,” the young man in the dark blue robe said with a faint, cold smile.

Qi Fa smirked, his eyes pinned on the Stone he was working on revealing. “Hua Qianchi, why do you want to meet the Grand Thousand Dao Sect practitioner? Are you planning to beat him up? I heard from my father that your sects were actually inherited from the Three Thousand Dao Sects in the past, including Qin Nie’s family."

Hua Qianchi calmly said, “Master Qi, these are just rumors. Whether the Three Thousand Dao Sect ever truly existed is questionable, and with countless sects in the world, how could they all originate from the same lineage?

"The Great Thousand Dao Sect spreading such rumors is despicable. However, our elders are too lazy to come all the way here. Now that a disciple of the Great Thousand Dao Sect dares to show up, I’ll deal with him accordingly.”

“Don’t go too far. My lady is counting on him to help Qin Feng reduce his sentence.” Qin Nie smiled and looked toward Fang Chen. “Speak of the devil.”

Hua Qianchi and Qi Fa both turned to look at Fang Chen.

Qi Fa saw that Fang Chen was merely a Foundation Building Realm cultivator and didn’t take him seriously, focusing instead on handling the Immortal Origin Stone in his hands.

However, Hua Qianchi’s gaze was like a sharp blade, cutting through the crowd and landing squarely on Fang Chen.

“

Lord Fang, trouble has arrived

,” Li Daoye transmitted calmly.

Fang Chen smiled. “

This is a good thing."

The more the trouble, the more he would be able to uncover regarding the other party.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Now, he was in the dark, and Qin Nie was in the light. Unlike the previous scheming in Grand Qian, where he had to rely on the three Nascent Soul cultivators to buy time, Qin Nie was only at the Foundation Building Realm.

Fang Chen had complete control over the board.

Hua Qianchi slowly made his way through the crowd toward Fang Chen. Before he could reach them, another group of people had already approached Fang Chen. “Are you the Foundation Building Realm cultivator from the Great Thousand Dao Sect?”

The group was composed of both men and women.

The one in the lead was a woman, and she stared at Fang Chen with barely concealed anger.

Hua Qianchi stopped and watched quietly as the situation unfolded.

“Lord Fang, this is the second daughter of Lady Chu, Qin Xuan. She has a rather difficult temperament and can be quite troublesome. When I first served under Lady Chu, this young lady frequently mocked and ridiculed me. She truly has the airs of a bitch!” Li Daoye said with a peculiar expression, transmitting the message to Fang Chen.

Fang Chen frowned slightly. The appearance of this group was not something he had anticipated. He had originally planned to create an opportunity to make contact with Qin Nie.

Fang Chen nodded lightly. “Yes, young lady. Do you have any advice?”

Qin Xuan's eyes were cold. “Advice? I don’t dare to ask for that. You and the person named Li seem to think of our Immortal Qin Manor as a place to take advantage of. I heard that you took a hundred medium-grade spirit stones from my mother, claiming you would reveal the whereabouts of the Three Solar Fruit.

Yet, there has been no news for a long time! If you don’t give me an explanation today, you’ll have to return the spirit stones and crawl out of here."

Qin Nie and the others watching this scene couldn’t help but show faint, amused smiles.

Fang Chen shook his head lightly. “If it’s about this matter, you should ask Lady Chu. I am not in a position to explain."

Qin Xuan was unable to contain her anger. “I have already asked my mother, but she won’t say anything. She was deceived by you, and now you want to use that as an excuse to shirk from responsibility? If it weren’t for my elder brother, my mother—a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator—would never have been fooled by you! You’ve become a joke in the Immortal Qin Manor!”

If they were not in the Immortal Origin District, she would have likely taken action to deal with this supposed swindler.

Qin Xuan's entourage chimed in, “If you have any sense, you should leave the Immortal Qin Manor immediately. We don’t keep swindlers and useless people like you."

The commotion finally attracted the attention of nearby cultivators, who began pointing and whispering about Fang Chen and Li Daoye. Li Daoye, seeing the continuous insults and the presence of Spirit Blood Sect cultivators, felt his anger rising but knew better than to act out in this situation.

“Brother Li, let’s go,” Fang Chen said calmly, showing no sign of anger as he prepared to leave with Li Daoye.

Qin Xuan attempted to block their way, but before she could, someone spoke up. “Friends from the Great Thousand Dao Sect, please wait.”

Qin Xuan and her entourage were momentarily stunned, their gazes shifting to Hua Qianchi with a hint of surprise.

“Senior Brother Hua from the Nine Yang Dao Sect?”

“Since he’s here, does that mean Qin Nie is also…”

They indeed saw Qin Nie and his entourage, their expressions turning curious. Despite Qin Nie's relatively humble beginnings, his mother had been a mere maid by Lady Chu’s side. Yet, Qin Nie was now positioning himself to potentially replace Qin Feng and become a key figure in the Immortal Qin Clan.

He also had an impressive network, being acquainted with Qi Fa, the son of the Prefect of the Azure Dao Manor, and Hua Qianchi, the top young cultivator of the Nine Yang Dao Sect.

Fang Chen turned to Hua Qianchi, revealing his gray-white eyes. “Who might you be?”

The people watching were surprised. “Is this person blind?”

Hua Qianchi’s gaze fell upon Fang Chen’s gray-white eyes, and a hint of disdain flickered in his eyes. “I am Hua Qianchi from the Nine Yang Dao Sect. I am pleased to meet a friend from the Great Thousand Dao Sect.”

“Fang Chen from the Great Thousand Dao Sect. May I ask what advice you have for me, Fellow Daoist Hua?” Fang Chen asked with a smile.

“Nothing much. As long as you return the medium-grade spirit stones you cheated and comply with Young Lady Qin Xuan’s request to leave, I can let what you did slide. I hope you will maintain your integrity and not tarnish the reputation of my sect,” Hua Qianchi said placidly.

Qin Xuan and her entourage looked relieved, with Qin Xuan quickly bowing to Hua Qianchi. “Thank you, Senior Brother Hua, for speaking out on our behalf.”

“No need for thanks. Since you are all family of Qin Nie, we are practically kin,” Hua Qianchi replied with a gentle smile.