Chapter 61: Never Once Refused

Once he grasped this point, the disciple suddenly understood, finally realizing why his master cared so much about the man before him.

So it turned out there was a hidden powerhouse playing the game of pretending to be weak! Fortunately, he had been cautious and tested the man in advance. Otherwise, he might have been completely fooled, thinking the man was just some naive rookie who had barely passed the trial zone.

Indeed, his master’s insight was sharp as ever, plans flawless!

Naturally, Wen Nan was unaware of these thoughts—the mind-reading skill couldn’t be used in this game hall, and even if it could, Wen Nan would never waste his one chance on such a young man. Still, watching the disciple lying on the floor, his face alternating between red and pale, silent for so long, Wen Nan couldn't help but feel that this disciple didn’t seem particularly bright.

Wen Nan’s hand had been extended for quite a while, but the other party hadn’t taken it. Finally, Wen Nan moved closer, intending to grab the man’s arm and pull him up directly.

The moment Wen Nan advanced, the disciple’s face went pale with fright. He instinctively rolled half a turn to the side, dodging Wen Nan’s hand, then hurriedly propped himself up and stood, hastily explaining, “No, no need, sir. I can get up myself.”

Seeing the other's panicked retreat, as if Wen Nan were some plague bearer he had to avoid at all costs, Wen Nan was puzzled. He looked down at his palm in confusion.

Glancing at the golden sigil of mastery etched there, Wen Nan turned and looked at Yu Shujun, who stood nearby, his gaze questioning: Was this your doing again?

Yu Shujun shrugged, his eyes saying: Nothing to do with me.

While the two exchanged glances, the disciple had already calmed his nearly shattered nerves, stood, and once more put on his welcoming smile, approaching Wen Nan.

“Honored sir,” he unconsciously changed his form of address, “you examined our invitation so carefully just now—do you have any suggestions for the promotional material or any other part? If you have any opinions or advice, please don’t hesitate to mention them. I will be sure to relay them to the guild’s management.”

Wen Nan was momentarily taken aback, then laughed softly to himself. He was just a fresh newcomer, not even part of the guild yet—how could he possibly qualify to critique their handbook? What a joke.

“No, not at all,” Wen Nan waved his hand, “I simply hadn’t learned much about it before, so I wanted to study it.”

The disciple smiled along, thinking that the kind of ‘study’ mentioned by a powerhouse must be quite different from his own understanding.

Following Wen Nan’s words, the disciple asked, “So have you finished looking it over? If there’s anything unclear or problematic in the introduction, just let me know and I will do my best to explain.”

He was just making polite conversation, expecting Wen Nan to wave it off so he could move on to the next step. Yet to his surprise, Wen Nan frowned thoughtfully, then seriously reopened the invitation.

“There is one thing I’m unsure about,” Wen Nan said, sliding the screen to the section about the guild’s background.

The disciple was momentarily surprised, then smiled quickly, “Please, go ahead.”

Wen Nan raised his hand, pointing to a line. “Here.”

The disciple looked where Wen Nan pointed—it was a clause regarding their office construction:

“As of the date this invitation is drafted, our guild has established 3,172 offices across 2,088 game halls. All offices are exclusive private domains recognized by the game rules, with domain ownership purchased from the Central Guild Hub. Members enjoy all rights previously mentioned within these domains and may use domain teleportation rights unlimited times.”

This clause was standard among major guilds—only the office numbers varied, but the rest matched precisely what other large guilds published.

What could possibly be wrong with this?

The disciple looked at Wen Nan in confusion.

Wen Nan pointed at the last part of the passage and asked, “This Central Guild Hub—where is it, and how do you get there? Do you know?”

The disciple grew even more perplexed. Why would this hidden powerhouse ask about that?

But he decided not to overthink the intentions of such a figure, so he replied without hesitation, smiling, “Oh, it’s simple. There happens to be one in this game hall—among the shops here, the only black building marked [Public] without any business description is it. Just head out and walk toward the southeast corner—you’ll find it easily.”

Wen Nan carefully noted this, thanked him, and the disciple asked, “Any other questions?”

Wen Nan shook his head. “None.”

The disciple breathed a sigh of relief. “May I ask your esteemed name?”

“Ye Jiu.”

“Honored Mr. Ye Jiu, if there are no further questions, please follow me upstairs to complete your membership process.”

Wen Nan didn’t move, smiling shyly. “Sorry, but I don’t accept your invitation.”

The disciple’s smile froze, thinking he’d misheard. After a few seconds, he asked, “Excuse me… what did you say?”

Wen Nan replied, enunciating clearly, “I said—I refuse.”

“What?!” All color drained from the disciple’s face.

In this world, the only situation ever known was the guild rejecting players’ applications; never, not once, had any player refused the guild’s invitation!

Seeing the disciple’s stunned expression, Wen Nan was uncertain. “If I don’t accept your invitation, there won’t be any penalty, will there?”

The disciple finally recovered, stammering, “N-no, acceptance is entirely voluntary.”

Wen Nan nodded. “Good.”

When Wen Nan tried to hand back the invitation and the disciple didn’t take it, he simply bent over, placed the thin card on the table, and stood.

“My friend, thank you for your hospitality. Farewell.”

With that, Wen Nan strode toward the exit.

“Wait, wait!” the disciple called after him, “Is there some dissatisfaction with me or our guild’s terms and benefits? If you have any complaints, please tell me—I will do everything I can to address them.”

Wen Nan turned and smiled politely. “No, your terms and benefits are excellent, and your hospitality is impeccable.”

“Then…” the disciple suddenly thought of something, hurriedly asking, “Have one of the other five major guilds recruited you already? Have you signed with them?”

“No,” Wen Nan shook his head, “I don’t intend to join any of the six major guilds.”

The disciple couldn’t understand. “Why?”

Wen Nan laughed softly, gazing earnestly into the disciple’s eyes, and said,

“Rather than choosing a mountain to rely on, I’d rather become the mountain that others depend on.

“I won’t join you—I plan to found my own guild.”