The Sword God of the Universe
Chapter 983: Contempt

Chapter 983: Chapter 983: Contempt

Gong Luo’s stance was quite humble.

As the Chief of the Qingmu Department in the First Palace, Gong Luo’s status in the Luo Jiu Divine Palace wasn’t low. He himself was also a high-level Void God.

A high-level Void God corresponds to the levels of Seven Stars, Eight Stars, and Nine Stars.

With strength and status, his words to Jing Yan were very casual and calm, without a hint of arrogance. This demeanor left a very good impression of Gong Luo on Jing Yan.

"Brother Jing Yan, I came to find you because there’s something I wish to discuss with you. I’ll be direct, I hope you can join our Qingmu Department. I won’t hide from you that among the Ninety-nine Departments, the Qingmu Department ranks slightly lower. If you join the Qingmu Department, the resources you might receive could be less compared to some better-ranked departments." After exchanging a few pleasantries with Jing Yan, Gong Luo explained his intentions.

The attitude was very sincere.

He also frankly told Jing Yan that if Jing Yan joins the Qingmu Department, the rewards and resources he might receive could be less than those in stronger departments. This was something unavoidable. His words clearly stated his attitude; he didn’t want to deceive Jing Yan, nor would he force Jing Yan. Whether Jing Yan wanted to join the Qingmu Department or not was completely up to Jing Yan.

Jing Yan looked at Gong Luo.

In fact, after Gong Luo approached him and revealed his identity, Jing Yan had already guessed Gong Luo’s purpose.

After thinking for a moment, Jing Yan pondered and said, "Director Gong Luo, I’ve not yet passed the selection assessment, and I’m not officially a member of the Luo Jiu Divine Palace. Could you wait until my assessment is over before I give you an answer?"

In truth, Jing Yan had already leaned towards a decision in his heart. He felt this Director Gong Luo was a good person, and joining the Qingmu Department, even if the rewards were slightly less, wasn’t a big deal.

Upon hearing Jing Yan’s words, there was a faint glimmer of disappointment in Gong Luo’s eyes.

Gong Luo felt that the chance of Jing Yan joining the Qingmu Department wasn’t high anymore. By saying this, Jing Yan should be too embarrassed to refuse directly. After all, since he, the director, personally came to invite him, refusing directly would be too disrespectful to Gong Luo.

"Alright, then I’ll wait for Brother Jing Yan’s response after the assessment." Although disappointed, Gong Luo did not show any dissatisfaction towards Jing Yan and still smiled politely.

Jing Yan was a native, who, upon entering the God Realm, absorbed the Chaos Qi for nearly forty hours. This outstanding display of talent warranted his personal recruitment. Such a genius having aspirations to join a higher-ranked department was understandable. After all, the stronger departments offered more rewards upon joining.

Therefore, Gong Luo didn’t find any fault in Jing Yan not accepting the invitation to join the Qingmu Department.

...

"Director, it’s been investigated." A deacon from the Truth Department returned and quietly reported to Director Li Yue.

"That young martial artist is called Jing Yan. He’s a native, and not long ago, ascended from a low-class world, brought over by the Guiding Divine Palace," the deacon slowly explained.

This information was obtained through the registration office.

Thus, he was unaware that Jing Yan, after ascending to the God Realm, absorbed the Chaos Qi for more than three days. Though Elder Bao Tong at the registration office knew of this, he only informed Director Gong Luo of the Qingmu Department.

After hearing the report from his subordinate, the anticipation in Li Yue’s heart instantly faded.

"So, he’s a native." Li Yue looked at Jing Yan and shook his head.

He wasn’t particularly interested in natives. The Truth Department was very strong, and Li Yue was only interested in geniuses from the Tianhua List or those at that level.

As for natives?

Indeed, there were some natives with excellent talent. But how could they compare with the geniuses on the Tianhua List?

A native who ascended to the God Realm was predominantly at the Saint Realm, and even demigods were few. Even at best, they would be a One-star Void God. Even if this native had good talent, reaching a level to be promoted to the Second Palace would take a considerable amount of time.

To be considered for promotion to the Second Palace, a Three-star Void God of average strength wouldn’t suffice; only rather strong Three-star Void Gods would qualify. A One-star Void God reaching the Three-star Void God level, even with exceptional talent, could not be achieved in mere decades or even a hundred years.

Thus, knowing that Jing Yan was a native martial artist, Li Yue had little expectation.

"Gong Luo, that old fellow, is really desperate, to personally invite a native," Li Yue sneered.

"How could the Qingmu Department compare with our Truth Department! Almost all the talents from the Tianhua List choose to join the higher-ranked departments. Director Gong Luo couldn’t invite any geniuses from the Tianhua List, so he’s left picking from the leftovers. He’s also forced by circumstances." The deacon from the Truth Department chuckled.

It wasn’t only the Truth Department that noticed Gong Luo’s interaction with Jing Yan. Many departments paid attention to Jing Yan due to Gong Luo’s actions.

After their investigation, they reached similar conclusions to Li Yue. The stronger departments weren’t very interested. Criticism of Gong Luo was not limited to just Li Yue.

After chatting with Jing Yan for a few more moments, Gong Luo clasped his hands in farewell and returned to where the directors of the First Palace were gathering.

"Director Gong Luo, how did your conversation with Jing Yan go?" Li Yue asked, smiling at Gong Luo.

Upon hearing Li Yue’s question, Gong Luo felt a slight heaviness in his heart.

"Director Li Yue, your information is really insightful, to know Jing Yan’s name so quickly," Gong Luo said, squinting slightly at Li Yue.

"Director Gong Luo is joking, what kind of insight is this? It’s just that Director Gong Luo’s actions are somewhat puzzling. Is it worth it for Director Gong Luo to personally approach a native?" Li Yue feigned confusion.

He was actually mocking Gong Luo, not truly puzzled.

Sure enough, his statement was followed by a wave of laughter.

Upon hearing Li Yue’s words, Gong Luo’s eyes flickered. From Li Yue’s words, Gong Luo understood that Li Yue didn’t know about Jing Yan’s absorption of nearly forty hours of Chaos Qi. If Li Yue knew this information, he definitely wouldn’t say such things.

Of course, Gong Luo had no intention of informing Li Yue at this moment. His relationship with Li Yue wasn’t good, in fact, their relations were quite bad.

Seeing Gong Luo remain silent, Li Yue continued, "But still, congratulations to Director Gong Luo for successfully inviting a native genius to join your Qingmu Department."

Another wave of gentle laughter circulated around.

"Director Li Yue is mistaken, Brother Jing Yan has not agreed to join the Qingmu Department," Gong Luo shook his head and said, also lightly sighing in his heart.

"Oh?" This time, Li Yue was genuinely surprised.

He thought that since Gong Luo had personally intervened, the native Jing Yan would surely immediately agree to join the Qingmu Department. Unexpectedly, the native didn’t consent.

"Haha, this native is interesting, daring to not give Director Gong Luo face. Tsk tsk, this is indeed intriguing," Li Yue said, shaking his head and swaying.