Qi Baishi

"That one? Why would you choose him instead of all the others?" Steward Nie was flabbergasted, mirroring the sentiments of everyone listening to Jun.

"Just because he looks like he has some potential," Jun smirked, observing the middle-aged disciple who sat silently in a corner.

"Him? He looks like he's already past 50 years old and hasn't even reached Foundation Establishment Realm," Steward Nie expressed frustration at Jun's seemingly questionable choice. 

How could someone who hadn't reached Foundation Establishment Realm by the age of 50 have potential? It would be a miracle if he could breakthrough that realm in his lifetime.

"That's true, but just because he hasn't reached the Foundation Establishment Realm yet doesn't mean he can never achieve that realm," Jun confidently remarked, starting to walk towards the middle-aged disciple.

"What is this idiot thinking? That guy is already old and isn't even a beast tamer. Why waste resources on someone like that?" Steward Nie began to badmouth Jun as soon as he left for the middle-aged disciple, and others nodded in agreement.

Not all disciples from the Beast Whisper Sect were beast tamers; many were normal cultivators with aspirations of becoming beast tamers but lacked the talent.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist. May I sit next to you?" Jun respectfully greeted the middle-aged disciple, cupping his fist with a respectful gaze.

The middle-aged disciple nodded without responding. To him, Jun was likely someone here to gather information about Beast Whisper Sect disciples for potential investment.

"Thank you," Jun said, unfazed by the lack of a verbal response, and took a seat beside him.

"I am Shop Owner Jun. Judging from your uniform, you should be a student of Beast Whisper Sect, right?" Jun inquired.

The middle-aged disciple side-glanced at Jun with narrowed eyes and frowned. "That's right, I am a disciple of Beast Whisper Sect. So what? If you want to ask about potential disciples to invest in, then you need to pay up money first."

Jun giggled at the middle-aged disciple's attitude. "You misunderstood. I am not here to ask for any information but want to invite you."

"Invite me? Where?" The middle-aged man held skepticism, uncertain of Jun's sincerity or any ulterior motives.

"I want to invite you to my shop. With the current crowd of disciples, finding a suitable place to stay might be challenging. You're welcome to stay in my shop house for a while," Jun's words carried sincerity. If the middle-aged disciple weren't experienced, he might have believed Jun without suspicion.

"Oh, and why are you willing to let me stay at your shop house?" As expected, the middle-aged disciple wasn't convinced by Jun's words.

"Because I see potential in you," Jun calmly stated, taking a sip of tea.

"Haha," Qi Baishi, the middle-aged disciple, laughed out loud. It was the first time he had heard someone say something like this. Even if Jun was lying, it sounded pleasing to the ears. "I am Qi Baishi. I am thankful for your invitation."

Qi Baishi didn't need to introduce himself; Jun had already used his ability to summon Qi Baishi's status panel.

[Name: Qi Baishi]

[Cultivation: 9th stage Qi Condensation Realm]

[Insight: Average]

[Constitution: Iron Physique]

[Technique: Gluttonous Panda Cultivation Technique (Mortal grade high-level), Iron Claw Martial Arts (Mortal grade med-level), Wind Step Flight Technique (Earth grade low-level)]

[Spiritual Root: Wood Elemental (Mortal grade low-level)]

[Talent: Telepathy (Mortal grade medium-level), Beast Connection (Mortal grade high-level)]

This person was even more unfortunate than Jun himself. While Jun still had mortal grade medium-level roots and the support of resources and the cultivation environment of the Immortal World, allowing him to barely reach the peak of the Golden Core Realm, Qi Baishi lacked such advantages.

Jun doesn't know why, but it made him happy to find someone even more miserable than him. He smiled at Qi Baishi's words and stood up immediately, realizing that Qi Baishi possessed just the right talents Jun needed.

"Then we should take our leave," Jun said hurriedly.

"So soon? Don't you want to meet other disciples too?" Qi Baishi found Jun a bit too hasty.

"Not really. I am not interested in others at all, only you," Jun stated with a confident smile.

"Interested?" Qi Baishi felt a chill run down his spine. What kind of interest is he talking about?

Nevertheless, he decided to comply with Jun's request and followed behind him to the shop house. After all, Qi Baishi wasn't a weakling; he could quickly escape even if a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator were to attack him. 

Leaving the city, they arrived at the Serene Herbal Lake.

"This place sure is quite far from the city," Qi Baishi observed, remaining vigilant and checking his surroundings, preparing the trump cards he had in case of trouble.

"We are here," Jun announced as they reached the shop house.

As soon as they arrived, Qi Baishi's eyes turned bloodshot. He grabbed the short sword hidden in his hand and slammed the door of the shop house open.

Jun was flabbergasted by this unexpected turn of events, but what happened next was even more shocking. 

A mid-stage Qi Condensation Realm cultivator was concealed behind the door, his face covered with a black cloth. 

As Qi Baishi slammed the door open, the hidden cultivator released a defining roar and lunged towards him with a poison-laced knife in hand.

Qi Baishi easily parried the knife, swiftly countering the invader and sending him flying with a single powerful strike.

"As expected, banished immortals aren't to be underestimated. You already had another person backing you," A cold voice sounded, as another invader leaped from the second floor of the shop house towards Jun. This new assailant wielded a long spear and shared the same outfit and cultivation base as the previous attacker.

"Hmph, weakling," Qi Baishi scoffed, unimpressed by the sudden appearance of these invaders. He positioned himself in front of Jun, ready to protect him.

As the clash between Qi Baishi's short sword and the approaching spear unfolded, the sounds of metal colliding rang out in the silent forest. The invader with the spear found himself at a disadvantage, making it easy for Qi Baishi to secure victory.

Just as everything seemed to be going smoothly, the previously sent-flying invader recovered from his injuries and swiftly rejoined the battlefield. Under the cooperative attack of the two invaders, Qi Baishi began to be pushed back.

Although these invaders were not Qi Baishi's match in terms of cultivation base, he specialized in scouting and escaping, not in battle. This time, he found himself at a disadvantage, especially since the invaders' weapons were laced with poison. While he could escape easily, doing so would mean leaving Jun to face the attackers alone.

Jun, still in shock, struggled to comprehend what was happening. He hadn't offended anyone, possessed limited wealth, and some even suspected he might have brought out trump cards for his safety from the upper world. So, why were these people targeting him?