“There is just a little progress, not worth mentioning,” Li Tianyan shook his head indifferently, but he had only advanced to a small level, still far behind his previous cultivation level.

“Brother Li is so humble,” Guan Haoran said with some envy. If Li Tianyan was truly at the fourth level of Qi Condensation, he was like a remarkable innate warrior at only sixteen years old. He should have the potential to become the immortal cultivator in the future like the people often talked about.

The two exchanged a few polite words before Guan Haoran mentioned an interesting event recently, “Yuncheng will hold a battle for aristocratic families next month, and there are also families in Jincheng participating.”

“A battle of aristocratic families?” Li Tianyan had received some news before, but he wasn’t interested in the warrior’s arena, and the competition involved family matters, so he didn’t pay much attention.

Seeing his reaction, Guan Haoran thought that Li Tianyan didn’t know about it, so he explained in detail. A month ago, there was a sudden earthquake at the junction of Yuncheng and Jincheng, revealing a new mineral vein.

People from the Yuncheng families rushed to the scene almost simultaneously to conduct inspections. They found that this vein was an extremely rare tool-refining stone mine with a large output. These families began to clash multiple times over the mineral vein.

Seeing that things were escalating and many families suffered casualties, Yang Gaomin, the Master of Yuncheng City, stepped forward to take charge of the situation. Only then did several major families calmed down and started discussing the ownership of this mine. The final solution was to allow the families wanting to participate in the fight for the mine. In the game, young individuals no older than twenty-five would decide the winner through a ranking list. Only the top three families would obtain the mining rights for this mineral vein.

Jincheng couldn’t sit still upon hearing the news. Because the mineral vein happened to be situated between the two cities, they also wanted to participate in the competition for it. Several families jointly approached the Master of Yuncheng, and finally, the people of Yuncheng agreed. However, they viewed Jincheng’s strength as too weak, considering them merely as green decoration.

“I heard that this battle in Yuncheng is quite grand, with nearly a hundred families participating. Your eldest brother, Li Tianzhou, will also compete on behalf of the Li family,” Guan Haoran said, casting a glance at Li Tianyan.

If Li family hadn’t separated Li Tianyan from the house, he might have had a chance to compete this time. After all, even in Yuncheng, entering the innate realm before the age of twenty-five was rare. Li Tianyan entering would have made it a dominating situation.

It wasn’t surprising to hear that Li Tianzhou joined the competition. “It seems that Yuncheng is going to be lively this time,” Li Tianyan remarked.

Guan Haoran nodded, “Indeed. Yuncheng’s Lu Qi Trading Company also saw the opportunity and prepared to hold a large-scale auction. Besides the disciples of aristocratic families, many innate warriors from various families have rushed to Yuncheng.”

Hearing this, Li Tianyan finally became a little excited. He wasn’t interested in the aristocratic family battle, but the prospect of attending the auction intrigued him. Moreover, he hoped to find some useful spiritual herbs. Guan Haoran came specifically to inform him about this, indicating there might be more to it.

.

“Young Master Guan, you wouldn’t miss it, right?”

“Yes. Today, I just wanted to ask Brother Li if he wants to go with me. Finding a place to stay in Yuncheng is quite challenging now. If Brother Li doesn’t mind, I still have a small courtyard in Yuncheng that you can use,” Guan Haoran smiled, extending the invitation to Li Tianyan.

He considered introducing Li Tianyan to the Tang family, but knowing Li Tianyan’s preference for tranquility, Guan Haoran refrained from suggesting for a stay at the Tang family.

“Then, Li Tianyan welcomes your offer.” True to expectations, Li Tianyan did not decline. If Guan Haoran had suggested him to stay at the Tang family, Li Tianyan might have preferred an inn. Now, with the option of a small courtyard, it was undoubtedly a more appealing choice than an inn.

After the two agreed on the trip, Guan Haoran suddenly hesitated and looked at Li Tianyan, unsure whether to speak, “There is one more thing, this Guan doesn’t know whether to talk about it or not.”

“What is it?” Li Tianyan was puzzled and looked at him.

“The eldest daughter of the Cheng Mansion is getting engaged to the second son of the Zhao family in Yuncheng. This time she will go to Yuncheng with Cheng Feiyue,” Guan Haoran said, secretly observing Li Tianyan with some concern.

Considering Li Tianyan might have ever been deeply in love with Young Lady Cheng and that he might meet her in Yuncheng, Guan Haoran thought it would be better to inform him in advance.

Li Tianyan was a little surprised when he heard that Cheng Si was getting together with the playboy of the Zhao family. Zhao Ruoming’s reputation as a playboy was well-known. It was said that he preferred to be mandarin ducks than a immortal, but this mandarin duck was not known for being faithful.

Li Tianyan couldn’t help but sigh, “I didn’t expect that Madam Cheng would choose such a son-in-law for herself in the end.”

Seeing that Li Tianyan really didn’t seem to care, Guan Haoran was relieved and continued chatting with him about the gossip he had heard. “It’s not easy to marry into the Zhao family. I heard that the Second Young Master Zhao has countless lovers and is not interested in marriage at all. But this time Cheng Si somehow caught Madam Zhao’s eye, and she decided on the marriage on like this.”

“A forced marriage is not sweet. I’m afraid it’s inappropriate for Madam Zhao to do this,” Li Tianyan shook his head.

“No, but this Zhao Ruoming is indeed handsome and romantic. If I were a woman, I might be attracted to him,” Guan Haoran said seriously.

Li Tianyan was unprepared for the lighthearted remark and couldn’t help but smile. He jokingly replied, “If Young Master Guan were really a woman, he would be the most beautiful woman.”

Guan Haoran took the jest in good spirit, and they continued to chat and joke for a while, filling the room with Guan Haoran’s hearty laughter.