His words dripped with an instinctual swagger.
That single word—"kid"—was enough to reveal Li Tiannan’s incredible standing.
After all, hardly anyone in the entire Alliance dared to call Commander Qin "kid." More importantly, when Li Tiannan did so, not a single person dared to object.
Gao Neng had now witnessed Li Tiannan’s talent for posturing firsthand. Without a mont’s hesitation, he stepped forward and walked to Li Tiannan’s side.
"Hello, Teacher Li!"
"Oh? You’re calling Teacher?" Li Tiannan glanced at Gao Neng, an odd look on his face.
"The master is simply the one who has gone further down the path. Since you’re one of the Strongest, you reached that station long before I did. There’s surely nothing wrong with calling you Teacher," Gao Neng said with a faint smile.
"Haha... The one who has gone further is the master, you say? Shen Changsheng is a generation younger than . By seniority, you and Ning’Er are of the sa generation, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration for you to call great-grandfather. But since you put it that way, I suppose you’re not wrong. Fine. For today, I’ll accept you calling Teacher." Li Tiannan chuckled, not seeming to mind much.
"Your student, Gao Neng, greets you, Teacher. I wonder, for our first eting, what will you be teaching your student?" Gao Neng imdiately bowed deeply, performing the rite of discipleship.
"???" Li Tiannan.
"???" Fang Tangtang.
Shen Ning’Er smiled.
As for Chen Bai, he was speechless.
’That reaction was way too fast, wasn’t it? An ordinary person could never react like that. He lays on the flattery and then imdiately uses it to his advantage?’
’Demanding that Li Tiannan teach him a secret technique right off the bat?’
’If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Chen Bai would never have believed soone so "clever" they were utterly shaless could exist in this world.’
Gao Neng paid it no mind.
’Opportunity always favors the prepared.’
’Before the Great Cataclysm, one of the most classic novels, *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, taught this very lesson: the mont you et a master, you stick to them and beg to beco their disciple.’
’Even an idiot knows that, right?’
’This master was right in front of him—one of the Strongest, a legend of the Military Departnt... If he didn’t try to beco a disciple, was he supposed to just stand here respectfully shouting, "Old grandpa, you’re so handso! You’re so majestic..."?’
’Wouldn’t that be complete bullshit?’
"Teacher, your student has just stepped into the Mid-Tier and doesn’t even have a powerful Mid-Tier Fighting Skill... Look, Teacher... if word of this got out, wouldn’t it damage your reputation?" Seeing Li Tiannan remain silent, Gao Neng pressed on.
"Kid, cut that out! When did I ever say I’d take you as my student?" Li Tiannan was as old and shrewd as they co; he wasn’t about to fall for such an obvious trap.
"Tangtang, did you hear him?" Gao Neng imdiately turned to look at Fang Tangtang.
Fang Tangtang caught on at that mont. A smile touched the corners of her lips, and she nodded without hesitation. "I heard it! Crystal clear! Ghost Eyes Li Tiannan is taking Gao Neng as his student!"
"Ning’Er?" Gao Neng looked toward Shen Ning’Er.
"Mm... I heard it, too," Shen Ning’Er said, nodding with a faint smile.
"Lieutenant Chen Bai?"
"I... uh, I heard it," Chen Bai said, hesitating for a mont before gritting his teeth and giving in.
"See, Teacher? They all heard you," Gao Neng said after getting his three confirmations, finally turning his gaze back to Li Tiannan.
"And so what?" Li Tiannan tilted his chin up defiantly.
He wasn’t falling for this routine.
"Teacher, I have a piece of White Jade Bone Forging here. It was a marriage proposal gift from the Beast Race’s Third Prince. Would you see if it’s of any use?" Gao Neng had, of course, noticed Li Tiannan’s annoyance.
’Forcing the issue won’t work!’
’In *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, when Huang Rong wanted Hong Qigong to teach Guo Jing the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, she had to ply him with a full month of gourt food.’
’Gao Neng, of course, was putting what he’d learned into practice.’
’Review the past to understand the present.’
So, as soon as he finished speaking, he imdiately fished out the White Jade Bone Forging he’d gotten from the Beast Race’s Third Prince and presented it to Li Tiannan with both hands.
Sure enough!
The corner of Li Tiannan’s eye twitched.
He didn’t turn away imdiately, but his gaze drifted, almost incidentally, toward the White Jade Bone Forging in Gao Neng’s hand. A mont later, his eyes lit up.
"A fine bone!" A pleased look spread across Li Tiannan’s face. Finally unable to restrain himself, he reached out, took the White Jade Bone Forging from Gao Neng, and began to examine it closely under the silvery moonlight.
When Chen Bai saw this, he deflated like a popped balloon.
’It wasn’t just that he lacked Gao Neng’s wit and shalessness.’
’He also didn’t have treasures he could just casually pull out of his pocket.’
’The gap between them was just too vast.’
’No wonder that guy was always one step ahead.’
’anwhile, he was still just a Lieutenant. There had been talk of a promotion, but the official orders had never co through.’
’How bitter!’
"Teacher, are there any secrets hidden within this bone?" Gao Neng hadn’t seen Chen Bai’s expression; his attention was also focused on the White Jade Bone Forging.
In truth, he had taken the item out to examine it several tis on their journey here.
But he couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
Since Li Tiannan was present, he decided to bring it out. In any case, he figured there was no way he’d get the short end of the stick in a transaction with one of the Strongest.
"The strength of the Beast Race lies in their bones. Take that ’Sword’ of the Beast Race, for example. The biggest reason he survived several great wars is that his bones fused with his sword. The sword is his bone, and the bone is his sword. This piece, while not the bone of one of the Strongest, is the bone of a King. It’s incredibly valuable for study and comprehension!" The more Li Tiannan looked at it, the more he seed to like it.
"In that case, please accept it as a gift, Teacher." Gao Neng understood. This thing required a deep level of comprehension, and he clearly hadn’t reached that realm yet.
"A gift for ? Gao Neng, are you sure? If you can fully comprehend this bone, it will be of imnse help to you. If you manage to cultivate a King’s Bone, your power will soar!" Li Tiannan’s eyes narrowed.
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