Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown

"Who are you, exactly?" Zachary asked curiously. He had never met Jace before, let alone know that he was the head of the Qiu Clan. From his temperament and his Sage Level aura alone, however, Zachary could tell that he was a significant figure.

"You don't know me yet. We haven't had the chance to meet. I'm Jace Qiu, the head of the Qiu Clan," Jace answered in a firm, almost stern voice.

"Ah, then you're Pollard's father," Zachary said, clearly shocked. He had never expected that the famous head of the Qiu Clan would suddenly appear in front of him.

Of course, Zachary wasn't the only one feeling quite shocked at this time. For anyone sitting in the audience area, silence had overcome them the moment they heard about Jace's identity. They too, had never imagined that the famous, legendary head would appear at the King Level contest, and even less that he'd suddenly come for Zachary. This entire situation could only be described as unbelievable and even slightly bizarre!

"I simply can't believe that you have such a high talent for being a weapon refiner! Seeing a rare, talented disciple like you is so rare. It only occurs once in a thousand years!" Jace acclaimed loudly, in a cheerful and pleasant voice for all to hear.

As the spectators listened to the ongoing conversation, they became even more surprised, because Jace was actually praising Zachary in the public's full view. What an honor it was!

Even a blind man could deduce that this was obviously a sign of Jace's appreciation toward Zachary. Obtaining Jace's recognition was something many weapon refiners yearned for. For Zachary, this was more than enough to ensure his promising future!

"Master Jace, you're overpraising me! I'm afraid that I'm not good enough for you to entitle me as such a talented individual," Zachary replied calmly. Although he remained curious about Jace's approach, he still tried to keep a low profile, despite the fact that after this battle, the latter would be completely impossible.

"I have nothing more to say, in fact. All I want to know now is if you're willing to accept me as your master..." Jace stated without warning. No one had expected this, including Zachary.

What Jace had just said was like a thunderclap to the crowd. Everyone was completely shocked and stunned, wondering if they had heard him wrong. A few seconds later, the whole audience area boiled up in an uproar and all the spectators' voices rose like waves.

"The head of the Qiu Clan,

r will always be open to you," Jace said, as positively and as patiently as he could.

The audience was rather taken aback to see Jace acting so persistent and eager. They couldn't understand what was going on, and even Zachary hadn't expect him to be so persistent in his reply.

"Do you think we could talk privately, just the two of us?" Zachary asked in a low voice.

Jace nodded, and pulled out a treasure in the shape of an alms bowl. The alms bowl suddenly leaped into the air and flipped upside down. In the blink of an eye, a strange ray of light began to spread out, almost like a shield. The light took no time in completely enveloping both Jace and Zachary.

"It's okay now, we can't be heard." Jace hinted to Zachary.

"Did you really just want to take me on as your disciple just for Pollard's sake? I'm sure you must be his father!" Zachary asked directly. He believed that with Jace's identity and status, trying to accept him as his disciple in such a humiliating manner, and especially in front of so many people, just wasn't necessary. For this reason, he had reason to think that this was all mainly for Pollard.

"No. The reason why I want to accept you as my disciple is because you're a clear talent. With just a little more proper training, you'll have the brightest futures." Jace replied with absolute honesty. His purpose of coming to the Zenith City and watching the Shura College's King Level contest was to prepare for Qiu Clan to reappear in the Devil Kingdom. Once they made it, they would recruit more disciples and build up their own force. What was more, a talented disciple like Zachary was also worth cultivating.