I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

In reality, two days had passed, but six days had slipped by in the pendant’s space.

Long Tian had thoroughly stabilized at the second layer of crystallization and was now aiming for the third layer. He estimated that once he consumed this batch of resources, his cultivation would reach the fourth layer of crystallization.

It was hard to believe that just half a year ago, he was merely a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and now he had reached crystallization. This speed of cultivation would surely astonish everyone. Yet, Long Tian remained humble; he understood that most of his advantage stemmed from the jade pendant’s space. Without it, he could never have achieved such a feat.

“Someone’s looking for you.” The old man of the fallen immortals suddenly reminded him.

In the past, when Long Tian was cultivating, no one ever disturbed him, so he was curious if something had happened. He stepped out of the jade pendant’s space.

Upon opening the door, Long Tian found Qiu Lihgao and several others from the shared courtyard waiting for him. Qiu Lihgao smiled shyly, while the others chimed in, “Today is Qiu Lihgao’s birthday. We plan to go out for a few drinks to celebrate. You should join us!”

“I…” Long Tian was about to refuse when Qiu Lihgao interjected, “It’s just a small birthday, no need for a celebration. Long Tian is in the middle of his cultivation; don’t disturb him.”

It was clear that Qiu Lihgao was not very willing, dragged along by his companions.

The leader of the companions was named Pi Yang, originally a fourth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator. He had joined the sect a few months ago and had now broken through to the fifth layer, making him the strongest among those present. Though he wasn’t a young master, his family background was decent. In his early days at the sect, he had formed cliques within the courtyard, calling himself the boss. Since Long Tian usually stayed in his room to cultivate, they had little interaction. However, after Long Tian’s impressive performance during the new disciple assessment at the Sword Pavilion, Pi Yang dared not provoke him.

—

Seeing Qiu Lihigh in a bit of a bind, and recalling how he always helped sweep the floors, Long Tian felt it necessary to clarify things with Pi Yang and the others, to ensure they wouldn’t trouble Qiu Lihigh anymore. He nodded, “Where shall we celebrate?”

“Not far from the sect, you know Yucheng, right? I’ve already booked a restaurant there,” Pi Yang replied with a smile.

“It seems they’re coming for you,” the old man Yuxian mused, his voice heavy with thought.

Long Tian felt a similar unease, but he and Pi Yang had no real grievances… Could it be the Bai family’s doing?

Yucheng was close to Tianluo Sect; Bai Song wouldn’t dare act foolishly there. After all, with the recent incident of a disciple being killed so near, even outer disciples would be pursued relentlessly for the sake of the sect’s reputation. If Pi Yang couldn’t withstand the pressure, he would surely reveal that it was Bai Song’s orders. If Bai Song went so far as to eliminate Pi Yang and his companions, the more disciples that died, the stricter the investigation would become…

Forget it, Long Tian decided not to dwell on it. Sometimes, knowing there’s a tiger on the mountain, one still ventures toward it. If he didn’t go, Qiu Lihigh would surely suffer, and he didn’t want to drag those around him into trouble. He nodded, “That sounds good. Let me change my clothes, and I’ll join you.”

Hearing that Long Tian wanted to celebrate his birthday, Qiu Lihigh felt a surge of happiness. In Tianluo Sect, Long Tian was his only true friend. As for Pi Yang and the others, he felt he could never fit into their circle; they always seemed to make jokes at his expense. He wondered if something good had happened today, prompting them to suggest celebrating his birthday.

With Long Tian around, Qiu Lihigh wasn’t afraid of being teased by Pi Yang and the others. To be honest, this was his first time celebrating a birthday with a friend, and he felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation.

—

Upon leaving the sect and taking a carriage, they arrived at their destination in less than half an hour.

Due to its proximity to a top-tier sect, Yucheng was bustling with people, its economy thriving. However, cities like this were countless, and Tianluo Sect had set rules to prevent them from expanding recklessly, so Yucheng could only be considered a relatively developed small to medium-sized city.

The restaurant Pi Yang had booked was quite upscale. The group arrived at a private room on a certain floor, ordered exquisite food and fine wine, and soon began chatting about recent happenings.

“I heard there’s a young master of the demon clan roaming around in the Great Zhou Dynasty…”

“Recently, that transformation demon cultivator they captured seems to have died in prison.”

“He didn’t die, did he? Wasn’t it said he was on the brink of death from severe torture?”

“I heard he was rescued.”

“Are you an idiot? Rescuing a serious criminal from the secret prison of the Great Zhou Dynasty? Anyone with a brain knows that’s impossible.”

“Anyway, I heard the palace has been in a bit of a panic for a while.”

“It’s definitely related to the young master of the demon clan.”

“But the young master of the demon clan is just a rumor; there’s been no confirmation from the palace officials.”

—

“Isn’t Ye Tianjiao a guest in the Great Zhou Dynasty? He must know something.”

“And what if he does? Do you know him? Can you even speak to him?”

“Speaking of Ye Tianjiao, the Liang family visited the Ye family today, apparently to establish a connection. Did you hear this heavy news?”

As the conversation flowed, it circled back to Ye Yong.

Long Tian sat quietly nearby, listening without a word. After all, he had no connections, no sources of information; the gossip he had heard before was all from Qiu Ligao.

To be a guest of the Great Zhou Dynasty, to be treated to a state banquet—Long Tian would be lying if he said he didn’t admire and envy that. But that was all; he wasn’t one to crave vanity. He simply felt that what Ye Yong possessed now was beyond his reach. Ye Yong was like a Kongming lantern, slowly rising in the night sky. What Long Tian wanted was to catch up to him, to surpass him. He wanted others to know that even without a so-called family background, one could still become the center of attention.

Delicious food and fine wine soon graced the table, and the group chatted merrily, eating and drinking. Yet, the topic seemed to stray far from Qiu Ligao’s birthday, but Qiu Ligao was completely oblivious. He only felt that this was the liveliest birthday he had ever celebrated, and he was very happy.

Time swiftly slipped into midnight.

“Ah hahahaha, the chicken soup is here!” After feasting, a plain-looking, unremarkable waiter entered, carrying a fragrant bowl of chicken soup.

This was the famed Ni Tai Mei, a third-grade spirit chicken; the nourishing and delicious broth was self-evident.

Once the soup was served, Pi Yang and the others eagerly filled their bowls, gulping it down while occasionally praising its taste.

“Why aren’t you drinking this soup?” The waiter cast a subtle glance at Long Tian.

Though Long Tian had consumed quite a bit of alcohol, he kept his wits about him: “I’d like to treat you to a bowl.”

“Oh dear, this chicken soup is incredibly precious. You esteemed cultivators should enjoy it. How could a mere mortal like me dare to waste it?”