The entire place turned silent after Lord Xie's question for Su Yang, and the Xie Family glared at him as though they wanted to eat him alive.

"If you already know the answer, why did you still bother asking?" Su Yang spoke a moment later with a calm expression on his face.

"Just in case you decide to exceed my expectations and surprise me, even if that chance might be almost nonexistent."

"I see…" Su Yang slowly nodded his head, and he responded a moment later in a clear voice, "I refuse."

A bitter smile appeared on Lord Xie's face after hearing his words. Even though he'd already expected this answer, it was still baffling to him that someone would actually refuse his offer. In fact, Su Yang is the first person to have ever refused his offer, setting a precedent.

"You probably already know the reason, but in case you don't…" Su Yang cleared his throat before continuing to speak, "By accepting your offer, the Profound Blossom Sect is essentially admitting to the world that we will lower ourselves before you— the Xie Family, becoming just another one of your 'forces' like the other Elite Sects, and I will not let the Profound Blossom Sect become lackeys for anyone."

"The Profound Blossom Sect will continue to grow, and it will eventually become one of if not the most powerful force in the entire world."

"..."

Lord Xie stared at Su Yang with a serious expression on his face, and he spoke, "What are your goals? Why do you want the Profound Blossom Sect to have so much power? What do you gain from that?"

"My goals? I don't really have one, nor do I expect to gain anything in return for my efforts. As for why I want the Profound Blossom Sect to have so much power… Isn't it the Sect Masters' responsibility to strengthen, expand, and make a name for their own Sect? Don't everyone want the best for their own Sect? I did not take the position of Sect Master just for show, and just like every Sect Master out there, I will be doing everything in my power to improve my Sect. Though, there is one difference between me and the others— I actually have the ability to make the Profound Blossom Sect stand at the top of this world, and that's exactly what I intend on doing."

After a moment of silence, Su Yang continued to speak, "There's no need for the scary faces. Even though the Profound Blossom Sect is destined to surpass the Xie Family in every way, you don't have to worry about us taking your family's position as ruler of the Eastern Continent."

"And I am supposed to just trust your words? How do I know that you won't do the complete opposite in the future?" Lord Xie asked him with a frown.

"You won't know." Su Yang shrugged. "However, it's not as though the Profound Blossom Sect does not already have what it takes to take over the entire world. If I cared about ruling the Eastern Continent, I would've done so long ago."

"..."

Lord Xie did not open his mouth again after Su Yang finished his last sentence. Although he was not there to witness Su Yang's prowess when he fought Patriarch Gold, he knew very well that Su Yang already had the capability to replace him because Xie Wang, his father, had long told him about Su Yang's real strength and that if he truly wanted to, Su Yang could easily destroy the Xie Family.

"Let's not get too heated up so quickly right after breakfast, you two." Xie Wang was the first to break the awkward silence, and he looked at Su Yang and said, "We already knew that you have the ability to rule the Eastern Continent even before I witnessed your fight with the expert from the Holy Central Continent. However, despite that, we trust you, or else we wouldn't be sitting here so peacefully."

Su Yang nodded and said, "As long as you don't cause trouble for my Profound Blossom Sect or stick your nose where it does not belong, we will also keep our hands to ourselves and only operate within our own territory. If you are still worried, I can sign a contract or even a peace treaty."

"..."

Xie Wang and Lord Xie exchanged gazes with each other. They actually liked Su Yang's idea to sign a peace treaty.

However, before they can even open their mouths, Xie Xingfang spoke first, "Instead of a peace treaty which makes it sound as though we were enemies at one point, why don't we form an Alliance with each other? Like how your Profound Blossom Sect formed an Alliance with the Burning Lotus Sect and the Heavenly Swan Sect. This way, the Profound Blossom Sect will neither be above or below us, and we will exist as equals."

"An Alliance, huh? I can also do that," Su Yang nodded.

"What do you think, Father? Grandfather? Are you willing to form an Alliance with Su Yang— the Profound Blossom Sect?" Xie Xingfang took control of the entire situation and asked them as though she was in charge.

"Y-Yes…" They both nodded simultaneously, seemingly dumbfounded by her actions.

"Then it's decided, Su Yang. Our Xie Family will gladly form an Alliance with your Profound Blossom Sect," she said to him with a smile on her face. "We will announce it to the public after you return to the Profound Blossom Sect, as it would be troublesome if we are bombarded with questions by the public when we are already busy enough with our plans for the next few days."

"That's fine," Su Yang calmly nodded.

Thus, the Profound Blossom Sect and the Xie Family formed an Alliance with each other, setting a precedent, as this is the first time in history the Xie Family has formed an alliance with another power, which will greatly shock the Eastern Continent once news begins to spread.