"You little bastard! What do you want? What are you doing!?" Patriarch Reliance clenched his hand into a fist and then slammed it into the ground. A boom filed the palace, causing the entire mountain to shake. In fact, waves rolled out across the sea surrounding the island.

"You're messing with me, aren't you, you little bastard!" fumed Patriarch Reliance. "I'm acting with good will and good intentions! I helped you pull everything off smoothly, and then you refuse!?!?" His voice rolled back and forth within the palace, but did not echo outside. He was now agitated to the extreme, and on the verge of flying into a rage.

"Are you really trying to push the Patriarch into going insane! FUDGE! The Patriarch refuses to play your little game. I'll just take the Footloose Sect and leave. The Patriarch can't afford to provoke you, so he'll just avoid you completely!" Patriarch Reliance was just about to follow through with his words, when suddenly he seemed to think of something.

"Wait. No!" A look of suspicion suddenly appeared on his face.

"That little bastard is crafty to the extreme. At the moment, he still doesn't know that I'm here. If I appear, then the cat will be out of the bag. If he finds out I've been hiding in the Milky Way Sea…." Suddenly, Patriarch Reliance's eyes flashed.

"Hmmpphh. The Patriarch is intelligent, divine and mighty. How can I possibly be fooled?" Patriarch Reliance's voice dripped with disdain. "Clearly the little bastard is feeling out the situation. Therefore, I will not reveal myself, no matter what happens. I'll just hold on…. So what if he takes a Master? That doesn't count for crap! He won't accept one Nascent Soul Master? How about a group then!? I can't believe that he'll refuse!" Once again, his Divine Sense spread out through the entirety of the Footloose Sect.

Meanwhile, outside the main gate of the Footloose Sect, Meng Hao's words echoed out, causing Zhang Wenfang to gape in surprise. Nan'er looked at Meng Hao wide-eyed for a moment, then immediately spoke in his crisp, clear voice.

"I don't accept…."

The Third Valley Lord's heart immediately quivered, and he glared at Meng Hao hatefully. He was just about to say something when, all of a sudden, eight streams of Divine Sense shot toward them.

Eight figures became visible in mid-air. Although their faces were not clear, the ripples of a Nascent Soul Cultivation base were quite clear. The entire Footloose Sect trembled, and the sky flashed with a riot of colors. The wind and clouds were thrown into upheaval, and brilliant rays of light shone out in all directions.

It instantly caused countless disciples to approach the area; as for the Footloose Sect disciples who were already at the main gate, their faces flickered and they all began to drop to their knees to kowtow.

The Outer Sea Clan members in line began to pant. They watched the scene in shock, their minds trembling.

"The nine great Valley Lords are all here!"

"What exactly is going on? Don't tell me… don't tell me all of them are friends with the Zhang Clan?"

The Zhang Clan members stood there trembling, filled with blankness and also fear because of everything that was happening.

A deathly silence then filled the air. Meng Hao looked up, eyes glittering. Although all of these people were Nascent Soul Cultivators, there were odd ripples emanating from their bodies. With Meng Hao's Cultivation base, he could sense them, but couldn't see clearly exactly what they were.

Of course, considering they were Lords within the Sect, they would certainly possess some secrets to elevate their level of dignity, which Meng Hao understood.

"This child has destiny connecting him to the Footloose Sect!" said an archaic voice from within one of the eight streams of Divine Sense up in mid-air. The voice echoed out throughout the entire Footloose Sect.

"After discussion, we nine great Valley Lords all accept this child as an apprentice! He will join the Footloose Sect as a Conclave disciple!"

The voice reverberated out into the ears of everyone present. The other Clan members from the Outer Sea watched on, panting with unprecedented anxiety. Far too many unexpected turns of events had occurred, to the point that they would be unable to forget this day for the rest of their lives.

The disciples of the Footloose Sect were completely shocked, and they all began to look over at the young child held in the arms of the Third Valley Lord.

It must be stated that within the Footloose Sect, there were only three Conclave disciples! As of this moment, there were four!

Complete silence followed, after which an explosion of sound could be heard. That sound was caused by the voices of the crowds in line as they expressed their disbelief and utter shock.

The matter that had just occurred would soon spread out through the entire Outer Sea, as well as the Fourth Ring. Throughout all the years, such an event had never occurred in the Footloose Sect. The Nine Valley Lords had all accepted a single person as an apprentice! That person would quickly become completely famous.

As for the Zhang Clan, they would experience a meteoric rise because of the events of the day. Whether it be in the Outer Sea or the Fourth Ring, because of their relationship with the Footloose Sect, no one would ever dare to provoke them. It wouldn't take very long for word of this matter to spread everywhere.

The Zhang Clan was destined to rise to fame.

Zhang Wenfang panted at this unexpected blessing. It was simply too amazing, causing her entire person to tremble, and tears to pour down her face. The Zhang Clan members around her were also excited to the extreme.

Meng Hao smiled. When he noticed Nan'er looking back at him again, he nodded.

Nan'er mustered his courage, and then clearly spoke out. "Nan'er accepts the senior grandpas as Masters!"

His voice wasn't very loud, but as soon as it rang out, everyone, be they Footloose Sect disciples or Outer Sea Clan members, knew that as of this instant, this boy was… completely different from them!

With the nine great Valley Lords as his Masters, he would be the number one person in the entire Footloose Sect. In fact, as long as his latent talent wasn't extremely poor, he would surely reach Core Formation!

From now on, the Zhang Clan would be like a blazing sun in the sky. Everyone who had ever looked down upon them would be forced to bow their heads in compliance. Anyone who had disputes with them in the past would only be able to writhe in fear and send gifts of apology in great numbers.

Anyone who had blood enmity with them would be forced to immediately flee the Outer Sea. Otherwise, they would never be able to find shelter anywhere.

The Zhang Clan was like the carp who leaped over the dragon gate and received the highest reward. That was the final assessment of everyone present.

Tears streamed down Zhang Wenfang's face. The joy in her heart caused the most brilliant smile she had ever smiled to appear on her face. "Husband, is your spirit watching all of this from the underworld…?"

The other Zhang Clan members watched on with wild joy, as if they could see the countless possibilities that had now opened up for their future. They thought back to the past, and then considered the future, and seemed to have acquired new enlightenment. Their new understanding would keep them going as they reached out to a higher realm.

Most excited of all, however, was no member of the crowd, and no member of the Zhang Clan. Instead, it was Patriarch Reliance, up in his palace. He was so excited that his body trembled as he paced back and forth. He looked over at Guyiding Tri'rain with a scornful expression.

He, of course, didn't care about what was happening with the Zhang Clan. Intense anticipation appeared in his eyes as he looked off at the Footloose Sect and Meng Hao. He hoped fervently that all of this was enough to cause Meng Hao to leave Saint's Island.

"You have no reason to stay behind, you little bastard, so why don't you go? Hahaha! Screw off at top speed! Do not under any circumstances allow me to see you again!" Patriarch Reliance thought about what it would be like if Meng Hao left with absolutely no suspicions. Then he would be able to openly live a footloose and fancy free life. When he thought about that, it filled him with excitement, almost as if he had gotten some sort of revenge. The more he thought about Meng Hao leaving, the more anticipation he felt.

Currently, the entire Footloose Sect was in an uproar. Meng Hao was laughing, and his eyes glittered. Then, his expression returned to normal as he looked over at Zhang Wenfang and the others.

From the look in his eye, it seemed that he was still worried about the Zhang Clan members, apparently concerned about their safety in the future.

Although others might not be able to read his expression, Patriarch Reliance was completely focused on Meng Hao, and immediately sensed it. Without hesitation, he sent his Divine Sense into the nine Valley Lords.

Almost as if they knew what Meng Hao was thinking, the nine Valley Lords instantly began to speak.

"The members of the Zhang Clan are close friends with the Footloose Sect. You will stay on Saint's Island in your own area, which will belong to you in perpetuity."

Instantly, waves of intense envy and jealousy filled the hearts of the various Clan members from the Outer Sea. After all, one of the reasons they hoped to join the Footloose Sect was to not just for the opportunity for a single member of the Clan, but for the entire Clan to have the chance to move to Saint's Island.

It was an honor, and a very high position. After moving to Saint's Island, the Clan would never again need to worry about its continued existence in the future. The Footloose Sect would be their biggest protector.

Now, everyone watched on as the previously down and out Zhang Clan received such incredibly good fortune. Various complex thoughts filled the hearts of everyone present. Everyone immediately made the decision that they would spare no effort or cost to become friends with the Zhang Clan.

As for the Xu Clan, their hearts began to pound with fear and intense terror. They worried that retaliation would come from the Zhang Clan, which would turn into a great catastrophe that they couldn't withstand.

This particular phase of a disciple becoming apprentice to a Master was now concluded. The crowds of Clans waited to continue with the process of trying to join the Sect, while the Zhang Clan, to everyone's envy, was led away respectfully by Footloose Sect disciples. As for Meng Hao, Patriarch Reliance watched with eager anticipation as he finally parted ways with the Zhang Clan.

Nan'er gave Meng Hao a deep look. He waved, his face filled with unwillingness to part.

Meng Hao reached out to tousle the boy's hair. Then he muttered for a moment and slapped his bag of holding to produce a bottle of medicinal pills, along with a few magical items, all of which he gave to the boy.

"Focus on practicing cultivation," said Meng Hao. "You never know, we might meet again someday in the future." With that, he patted Nan'er's shoulder and then turned to walk off into the distance.

Zhang Wenfang watched Meng Hao walking off, and then looked at the gifts he had given Nan'er. Her eyes filled with deep gratitude, she dropped to her knees and respectfully kowtowed to him.

Perhaps through all eternity, they would never know the real reason why Nan'er had been accepted as an apprentice.

Meng Hao made his way off.

Under Patriarch Reliance's anticipatory gaze, he left the Footloose Sect mountains. As soon as this happened, Patriarch Reliance smiled, and was so excited that he almost let out a huge roar.

He couldn't help but feeling happy at how superior he considered his intellect to be. Right now, it seemed like everything he looked at filled him with happiness. His eyes squinted with joy as he watched Meng Hao making his way further and further away.

However, in the midst of all his smiling, he suddenly gaped.

That was because even as Meng Hao turned into a beam of prismatic light that shot throughout the air, he suddenly stopped and looked down. There below him, not far away from the Footloose Sect, was one of the largest Cultivator cities on Saint's Island!

"Uhh? Come on, get going!" said Patriarch Reliance, staring. "What are you waiting for, huh?"

Meng Hao hovered in mid-air, rubbing his chin. Although it was impossible to tell whether or not he was doing it on purpose… he began to mutter to himself.

"Before I leave, I really need to purchase some items. It probably won't be easy to find a Cultivator city like this one out on the Milky Way Sea.

"Furthermore, these Footloose Sect Cultivators are good people. The prices here probably will be pretty low, and definitely not too high. If they were too high, then I might be forced to stay on Saint's Island for even longer." Clearing his throat, he flew toward the city.

Patriarch Reliance watched on blankly as Meng Hao descended upon the city. He wanted to cry, but had no tears, and was on the verge of going mad. He began to pant and walk in circles in the palace, gnashing his teeth.

"I've already mostly succeeded. If I have to keep on, then so be it! I'll deal with it! No Spirit Stones! Fudge! I'll give you some!

"As long as you leave, I'll do anything!"