Along the way, there were about fifty or sixty crystal prisms on the road. It had to be said that Subao Mountain truly had a deep foundation.

Edward Foster was dazzled and enchanted, reluctant to leave. He was especially covetous of those immensely powerful ancient divine weapons. However, Brian Carter kept his head down, staring at his own toes.

Because in his mind, David Reed was using a tone like someone picking and choosing at a market, casually critiquing each of these divine weapons—regarded as “sacred objects” by the disciples of Subao Mountain—one by one.

“This one at best can only be considered ninth-rate. There are many runes, which makes it look powerful, but in reality, most of these runes have overlapping functions. If you just attack with two opposing attributes at the same time, these redundant runes won’t be able to cope and will all collapse together.”

“This one is a bit better, barely eighth-rate. The refining was done with some care, and there are already four layers of formations inside. Unfortunately, the formations themselves are too poor, and the amount of spiritual energy they can hold is limited. It’s unbeatable against low-level enemies, but when facing high-level opponents, it’ll be broken with ease. If some unlucky disciple gets chosen by this thing, they’ll just have to fend for themselves.”

“This flying sword isn’t bad—much better than scrap metal! Honestly, combining these materials together is such a bizarre idea!”

“This one… let’s call it seventh-rate. I don’t even want to say more. Why do people from these declining sects always like to overdo things? Do they really think the more things are sealed in a magic weapon, the more powerful it becomes? Why can’t they understand that a good magic weapon depends on the coordination of materials, formations, and restrictions, and also requires refined craftsmanship? There’s no such thing as the best—only the most suitable…”

By the end, David Reed was truly getting impatient. He just gave a brief comment and stopped, not bothering to explain so much to Brian Carter anymore.

“All right, we’re here.”

Samuel Grant pointed to a grand hall ahead.

“This is our Subao Sect’s Xuanwu Hall, where we handle important sect affairs.”

The hall was situated in a pine forest, extremely tall and spacious—even those thousand-year-old ancient pines couldn’t block its full view. As they reached the entrance, a Daoist happened to come out. When he saw Samuel Grant, he laughed heartily: “Oh, isn’t this Senior Brother Samuel Grant? You pulled out all the stops to get this reception task. So, did you gain anything? Did you finally turn your luck around?”

Samuel Grant and his fellow disciples’ expressions changed dramatically. William Grant couldn’t hold back and said angrily, “Benjamin Grant, stop gloating. Let me tell you, on this trip, we found a disciple with the Ten Great Roots of Wisdom!”

Daoist Benjamin Grant was stunned. His gaze swept over Brian Carter and Edward Foster behind them, skipped right past Brian Carter, and fixed intently on Edward Foster!

After a long moment, Benjamin Grant gritted his teeth, nodded, and cupped his fists to Samuel Grant: “Senior Brother Samuel Grant, I must have been blinded by lard before. I’ve offended you many times—please be generous and forgive me!”

Samuel Grant snorted coldly and didn’t reply. Benjamin Grant, helpless, said in a low voice, “Senior Brother, I’ll take my leave for now. I’ll definitely come to apologize in person another day and make sure you’re satisfied.”

Only then did Samuel Grant show a hint of a smile, patting Benjamin Grant on the shoulder: “Haha, it’s all good, it’s all good.”

Benjamin Grant left in embarrassment, while Samuel Grant and his fellow disciples felt elated and proud.

No matter the sect, the most important thing is the inheritance of the Dao. Only by finding good seedlings can the sect’s future growth and prosperity be ensured.

That’s why reception tasks are especially sought after within the sect. As long as you can find a good seedling, it’s a great merit for the sect. Previously, Samuel Grant was in a very passive position in the sect due to certain matters. With no other way out, he used every last trick to snatch this reception task—a bit of a gamble.

He never expected to actually win the bet and find an outstanding disciple like Edward Foster with the Baoliu Root of Wisdom. Now, he was about to turn his luck around and hold his head high in the sect. Daoist Benjamin Grant had no choice but to swallow his pride and try to mend relations with Samuel Grant.

As for what he said, Edward Foster and Brian Carter didn’t quite understand, but it was nothing more than some behind-the-scenes dealings.

Samuel Grant said to Edward Foster, “Junior Brother Tian, let’s go in quickly.”

The four of them straightened their attire and entered Xuanwu Hall.

In the main hall, there was an idol and spirit tablet of the Xuanwu Great Emperor. Unless it was a matter of life and death for the sect, the main hall would never actually be used for discussions.

Although Edward Foster possessed the Baoliu Root of Wisdom, it was still not enough to warrant using the main hall.

As soon as Samuel Grant entered, a disciple on duty in Xuanwu Hall informed him that the Sect Leader and several elders were waiting in the side hall to the left.

In the cultivation world, the left side is considered more honorable. The fact that the Sect Leader and several elders were all waiting in the left side hall made Samuel Grant overjoyed. He thanked the disciple on duty and hurriedly led Edward Foster over. As for Brian Carter following behind… all along the way, in the minds of Samuel Grant and his fellow disciples, Brian Carter didn’t even exist.

Although it was a side hall, all the facilities were exceptionally complete. At the entrance stood two bronze crane incense burners, with wisps of smoke curling up, filling the entire side hall with a fragrance that cleared the mind and refreshed the spirit.

Seated above was a middle-aged man in an apricot-yellow Daoist robe with a bagua pattern. He was slightly plump, but his eyes were deep and reserved, and his bearing was extraordinary.