Spirit Pagoda!
At this moment, members dressed in silver armor responsible for guarding the gate were quietly discussing...
"The Pagoda Master has been away for quite some time now, and we have no idea where she has gone."
"Indeed, with the Pagoda Master away, I always feel a bit uneasy, who knows if those people from the federation might take this chance to pull something!"
"Rest assured, we have all seen the strength of the Pagoda Master for ourselves—she has reached the level of Ultimate Douluo. If people from the federation want to lay a hand on her, they'd be sending themselves to their doom!!"
"Exactly, exactly. All we need to do is guard the gate of the Spirit Pagoda well, making sure no suspicious individuals get in!!"
However, the next second, they felt chills running down their spines...
When they turned their heads, they were taken aback to see Bi Ji, who had apparently been there for who knows how long...
In an instant, everyone became tense and blurted out, "Lady Bi Ji!!"
Damn it, she hadn't heard what they were saying just now, had she??
Bi Ji looked at them coldly, her expression inscrutable as she said, "Seeing you all laughing and chatting here, it seems the work is too easy, is that it?"
In the past, she would have certainly punished them severely!
But at this crucial period, it was essential to ensure unity within the Spirit Pagoda!
Therefore, she had to limit herself to a few verbal reprimands!!
One of the members, seeing this, quickly waved his hands in explanation, "No... no, not at all, Lady Bi Ji, we were only concerned about the Pagoda Master, and we definitely haven't slackened because of that!"
Another member also echoed, "That's right, that's right. We beg for your forgiveness, Lady Bi Ji. This won't happen again!"
As for the others, even though they did not speak, their gazes towards Bi Ji were filled with fear...
Upon hearing this, Bi Ji's tone softened somewhat, "Fine, this time I will spare you, but I do not want to see such a thing happen again!"
The members immediately breathed a sigh of relief, joyfully saying, "Of course, of course, we will definitely guard the gate of the Spirit Pagoda well, not letting any suspicious person pass!"
No matter what, the matter seemed to be over with!!
Bi Ji pursed her lips, not wanting to waste time, and was about to turn around and leave...
However, the voice that followed made her stop in her tracks...
"Excuse me... you are Bi Ji from the Spirit Pagoda, aren't you?"
Bi Ji cast a curious glance, and after seeing it was a man, she found no recognition of him in her mind...
"Who are you??"
This man, he was evidently not a member of the Spirit Pagoda, otherwise he wouldn't be speaking to her with that tone!
Upon being asked, the man looked intently at Bi Ji and introduced himself, "I am the newly appointed Vice President of the Blacksmith Association!!"
Bi Ji lifted her chin thoughtfully, "Blacksmith Association?"
She vaguely remembered the president of this association, Zhen Hua, seemed to be her lord's teacher!
With that in mind, she better take this seriously to avoid making her lord feel uncomfortable!
The former's eyes flickered, "Yes, I have come here with matters to discuss with the Ancient Tower Master, please relay the message!"
Just as expected, if it were not for the master-disciple relationship between the president and Gu Yuena, he definitely would not be wasting words with her!
But since he was willing to speak, it meant everything was still possible!!
Upon hearing this, Bi Ji helplessly shrugged, "Then you have really come at an unfortunate time. The Pagoda Master left the Spirit Pagoda a few days ago, and up until now, there has been no message from her."
"How about this? You go back first, and once the Pagoda Master returns, I will have someone notify the Blacksmith Association!"
"If you're here to see the master, then you should wait until she returns to handle this matter!"
The man immediately panicked and hurriedly explained, "Wait, this matter is extremely urgent, concerning the survival of the Blacksmith Association!"
Bi Ji raised her eyebrows, "Concerning the survival of the Blacksmith Association? I think the Pagoda Master probably won't care about that!"
"So, please leave!"
With the master's personality, she probably won't bother with such troublesome matters!
The man clenched his fists, anger surfacing on his cheeks as he rebuked, "The Blacksmith Association is the president's lifelong endeavor. Can Gu Yuena, as the president's disciple, really watch indifferently as it disintegrates??"
"That's too cold-blooded and heartless!!"
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt an overwhelming suffocation...
The Bi Ji before him was emitting a terrifying murderous intent...
"You dare to evaluate the Pagoda Master?? If you dare show any disrespect again, don't blame me for not showing mercy!"
Daring to speak such words in front of me, are you courting death!!
The man swallowed hard and said with a stiff neck, "Apologies... I meant no disrespect towards the Ancient Tower Master, my words were just overly hasty. Please forgive me!"
Seeing this, Bi Ji retracted her murderous aura, and responded very coldly, "Your attitude seems sincere enough. I won't hold it against you!"
"As for the matter you mentioned, I will listen to it reluctantly. Of course, this doesn't mean the Spirit Pagoda will offer help!"
"Follow me inside!!"
After all, killing him might provoke Zhen Hua's anger!
It's better to just brush it off!
The man seemed relieved and bowed with his hands clasped, "Thank you!!"
He had only mentioned a slight dissatisfaction with Gu Yuena, and she had wanted to make a move on him!
If he had actually said something disrespectful, he probably would have ended up as a cold corpse!
...
After arriving at the reception room of the Spirit Pagoda!
Bi Ji then crossed her arms, speaking emotionlessly, "Speak, what is so important that you need to see the Pagoda Master?"
The man took a sip from the teacup, then elaborated, "This is the situation, ever since the president announced he would no longer be involved in godly forging, the Blacksmith Association has begun to fall apart, with a great number of Forging Masters leaving!"
"This has led to less than a few hundred willing to stay with the Blacksmith Association, and they alone can't keep the association running!"
Bi Ji's expression remained unchanged, "In the current situation, it's inevitable for other forces to decline, given that most Soul Masters on the Soul Land Continent have joined the Spirit Pagoda and the federation!"
"I think that the president must have anticipated this!"
The man did not deny it, but agreed, "Indeed, but as the vice president, I cannot bear to watch the Blacksmith Association fall into ruin, and that's why I've come to seek help from the Spirit Pagoda!"
"Given that the Ancient Tower Master is the president's disciple, she must also be unwilling to see this happen!"
Bi Ji seemed to sense something, her suspicion apparent as she inquired, "Hmm? Could it be that you're not aware of that incident?"
"What incident are you referring to?"
Bi Ji thought to herself, just as expected, and continued to explain, "Several years ago, the Pagoda Master had already severed the master-disciple relationship with that president!"
The vice president's eyes widened in shock as he couldn't help but stand up and exclaim, "What... What???"
Why had he never heard of this before??