“Don’t overthink it. The people I, Tyler Bolton, admire and respect most in my life are those who value loyalty.”

Tyler Bolton patted Brian Bolton on the shoulder again.

“So what if you come from a humble background?

In my Daoist sect, there are plenty of high-born swine. People are always nobler than pigs.”

Brian Bolton didn’t know what to say, and could only force a bitter smile.

“So, Brother Xintai, what level is your martial arts cultivation?”

“Me?

Better not to say.”

Tyler Bolton laughed heartily. “I’m off.

Let’s chat again next time. If you have some free time, come find me at the Xuanxin Hall.”

Without waiting for Brian Bolton to reply, he turned and left, his steps swift. In just a few moments, he disappeared into the forest.

Brian Bolton watched him leave, feeling a bit bewildered for a moment.

“When did you get acquainted with Senior Brother Tyler Bolton?”

Nathan Stewart quietly sidled up from the side.

“Senior Brother?

Isn’t he a recent promotee?”

Brian Bolton was taken aback.

“No, Senior Brother Tyler Bolton reached the second rank in martial arts last year.

My martial arts talisman techniques were actually taught by one of his junior brothers.”

Nathan Stewart said in surprise.

Brian Bolton was instantly stunned.

So he was the only one here who knew nothing about martial arts?

Even Nathan Stewart had been taught the talisman classics?

It was just that his own constitution and vitality still needed recovery, so he was still practicing the Guanxu Technique.

After a rather dull gathering, seeing that Nathan Stewart and James Reed, Jessica Taylor and the others were chatting happily, Brian Bolton didn’t disturb her and left alone.

Not long after he left, Nathan Stewart and the others, while chatting, suddenly realized and started looking around for him.

“Are you looking for that Brian Bolton?

He’s been gone for a while now.”

James Reed spoke up.

He paid some attention to Nathan Stewart and another girl, Megan Lee, because these two were the prettiest among the new disciples.

If Jessica Taylor hadn’t been so enthusiastically sticking by his side, he would have already invited the two girls out alone.

After all, in Great Ling, polygamy is allowed.

“Mm, it was a bit rude of me. Brian Bolton was brought by me, so I should have left with him.”

Nathan Stewart nodded, forcing a slight smile in response to James Reed’s question.

“You’re pretty close with him?”

Megan Lee, standing nearby, asked.

She had a tall figure, long straight legs, and a shapely, athletic look.

“I suggest you keep your distance from him. It’ll do you more harm than good.

After all, with his background as a barbarian Confucian household, the more you associate with him in the future, the further apart you’ll grow from us.”

“Yeah, some ties are best cut when they should be.

Otherwise, they’ll only become a burden in the future.”

James Reed nodded in agreement.

“That’s true. I used to have a close childhood friend, but as our family situations grew further apart, he always came to me for help. It’s not that he was a bad person.

And it’s not that I was unwilling to associate with him, but after a long time, he felt embarrassed to keep coming to me.”

Jessica Taylor sighed, “Later, a close friend told me that my childhood friend once said to her that after asking me for help and borrowing money so many times, he always felt he couldn’t hold his head up in front of me, and it weighed on his heart.

So then—” Her words were a bit harsh, making Nathan Stewart feel a little uncomfortable, but she also understood that what the three of them said might well become reality.

“Just gradually drift apart in the future.

With time, he’ll naturally understand.”

James Reed consoled.

Nathan Stewart shook her head slightly. In fact, her relationship with Brian Bolton was still quite good.

To cut it off immediately wasn’t easy for someone with her personality.

She looked at her three new friends around her, then at the direction where Brian Bolton had quietly left.

On one side was a new circle that could help her development; on the other, an old friend who was gradually falling behind.

As for what to choose, she already had a leaning in her heart.

***Creak.

The wooden door was quickly opened and then closed again.

Brian Bolton let out a breath, walked quickly into the room, and sat down on the only stool.

Then he lowered his head to look at his own body. As long as he focused on any part of himself, an attribute panel would appear.

The grayish-white attribute panel stood out clearly in most of his field of vision.

Hiss. Brian Bolton took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled in nine segments.

His breath drew a white line in the air.

He stood up and walked to the window. Outside the open window was a wooden corridor.

On the corridor, a male and a female Daoist were leaning against a red pillar not far away, chatting and laughing quietly.

Both wore light blue Daoist robes with white outer garments.

They were both cultivation disciples.

This was no longer the servant disciples’ dormitory area, but the residence for cultivation disciples.

Brian Bolton gently closed the window and returned to sit by the chair.

He closed his eyes to rest, quietly waiting for his body to regain its calm.

A full fifteen minutes later, he suddenly opened his eyes.

‘My life attribute has improved a bit after this period of adjustment.

I don’t know the full effects of this thing. I’ve used attribute points to increase life before, but I won’t touch it this time.’

Brian Bolton turned his gaze to the skill panel.

‘This time, I’ll try skills. This only skill, Guanxu Technique—let’s see how attribute points improve it.’

Now that his status had improved, his diet and nutrition had gotten better, and he didn’t have to do so many chores, accumulating attribute points wouldn’t be as slow as before.