Chapter 311 - 308: Rising with the Tide, Fire Dao Grandmaster

Chapter 311: Chapter 308: Rising with the Tide, Fire Dao Grandmaster

Fang Yang’s sharp brows arched slightly in surprise.

Because it was so difficult to gather the various ingredients for the Purifying Pill, he had indeed considered leveraging the power of the Ancient City’s great families.

However, he wasn’t thinking of aligning himself with the Yu family’s third young master. His preferred patrons were the Yu family’s sixth young lady, or perhaps the Eldest Young Master Bai.

Fang Yang shook his head. "My aptitude is low and my talent is lacking. This ’great Talisman Master’ title is just a playful nickname among friends. It would be presumptuous of me to think I could become a retainer for the Yu family’s third young master."

"What?!" Zhang Sanniang’s eyebrows shot up, her initial surprise quickly turning to fury.

She had been willing to let their previous grievances slide, but she never expected this punk to be so brazenly ungrateful.

She was absolutely livid.

"Fine. Fine! We’ll just see how talented you really are."

She snorted. "Let’s go!"

The crowd scattered. The neighbors who had gathered around watched Fang Yang, then lowered their heads to tell their children that they must never be so arrogant.

Even Qiu Jingyi was deeply concerned.

The Ant-Controlled Ancient City was ruled by three great families: the Yu, the Bai, and the Li.

The position of Ancient City Lord was always contested among these three families.

It was easy to imagine just how immense the third young master’s power was within the Ancient City.

"Don’t worry. Zhang Sanniang isn’t the same as the third young master."

Fang Yang smiled reassuringly, gradually dispelling Qiu Jingyi’s worries.

He believed the best patrons to align with were the Yu family’s sixth young lady or Eldest Young Master Bai, not the third young master.

This wasn’t a snap judgment; it was the result of careful deliberation.

The third young master of the Yu family was too brilliant right now, far too brilliant.

’Even the Yu family’s Patriarch isn’t as prominent as the third young master. How can that be allowed to continue?’

Sure enough.

「Ten days later.」

While Fang Yang was still in his small hut refining Talismans, Qiu Jingyi arrived with good news.

"The Yu family’s third young master broke family rules and has been banished to Lanshi Town by the Patriarch!"

"And that Zhang Sanniang was killed by bandits on the way to Lanshi Town with him!"

Hearing this, Fang Yang lowered his gaze.

’I’m really starting to understand the rules of this Dream World.’

’Unfortunately, due to my circumstances, I have to keep lying low and wait for the right moment.’

And that moment was the Ant-Controlled Ancient City’s Ant Festival, held once a decade!

...

...

And that moment was the Ant-Controlled Ancient City’s Ant Festival, held once a decade!

During the Ant Festival, a massive traditional competition is held, one that is highly characteristic of the Ant-Controlled Ancient City.

This traditional competition was called the Ant-Taming Game.

The Ant-Taming Game:

The game begins with a fixed appearance of worker and soldier ants, but subsequent ant types emerge at random.

These new ants test not only the participants’ enslavement abilities but also their knowledge of ants and their strategic understanding of the entire battle.

’According to rumor, this tradition is connected to the Blessed Land of a long-dead saint.’

’Whether that’s true or not doesn’t really matter to me.’

’What I have to do is seize this chance and break into the top ten of the Ant-Taming Game.’

’That way, I’ll make a name for myself and get offers from all the great families.’

’An offer from the Yu family’s sixth young lady or Eldest Young Master Bai would be ideal. I could then quickly leverage their power to build up my own resources.’

Inside the small hut, an oil lamp burned, casting a web of orange light and deep shadows.

Fang Yang’s face was half-swathed in light, half-shrouded in darkness.

His shadow flickered, resembling a Golden Crow folding its wings to stand on a single leg.

Spring passed into autumn, and the days rose and fell.

In the Ant-Controlled Ancient City, the Ant Festival officially began. The event would last for three months and was wildly popular among Cultivators from both within and outside the Ancient City.

Relying on his powerful mastery of the Slave Path and his [Profound State], Fang Yang managed to break into the top ten, despite only being at the high stage of Tier Two.

He ranked ninth in the Ant-Taming Game!

His name instantly shook the Ancient City.

As a result, he gained the favor of many great Cultivator families. The Yu, Bai, and Li families all sent envoys to his door.

From the Yu family, it was none other than the sixth young lady herself who came to visit!

The sixth young lady’s name was Yu Qianshuang. She had a gentle temperament and astonishing beauty. Her figure was slender and graceful, and the purple court dress she wore only accentuated her radiance.

Her arrival seemed to make the humble hut shine.

"Yue Sheng, you are exceptionally talented. With your help, I feel like a fish back in water, completely at ease."

Yu Qianshuang’s face lit up with joy as she quickly retrieved a treasure from her storage pouch.

Now, with the third young master out of the picture, the competition for the position of Yu family Patriarch had not cooled down; on the contrary, it had grown even more heated.

Yu Qianshuang didn’t necessarily have to vie for the Patriarch’s seat, but she needed enough power to protect herself from her siblings.

Fang Yang’s allegiance instantly filled a critical gap in her forces: the lack of a Master of the Slave Path.

This was a top-tier expert, one of the ten best in the Ant-Taming Game. Under her command, Fang Yang was undoubtedly her strongest champion.

The moon climbed high.

Fang Yang watched the Yu family’s carriages depart, a faint smile on his face.

’Yu Qianshuang, you see me as your pawn, but who’s to say I’m not using you as mine?’

After a long moment, Fang Yang turned and went back inside.

Land in the Ant-Controlled Ancient City was worth its weight in gold.

But to win him over, Yu Qianshuang had given him the deed to his own estate.

Inside the hut, the oil lamp flickered.

Qiu Jingyi was leaning forward, her elbows propped on the table and her face cupped in her hands.

She stared down blankly at the deed.

Something was wrong with her mood.

Fang Yang narrowed his eyes. "Jingyi, what’s wrong?"