The voice sounded somewhat melancholy and lost.

Xiang Wan turned around in surprise; she didn't seem to know him very well.

"Life and death are determined by fate."

"Hmm, that phrase... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before..." Bai Siyuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "You're Ziyi's disciple?"

With just one sentence, he drew the attention of all the cultivators around him.

As Bai Siyuan unleashed his imposing aura, his scrutinizing gaze became much less intense.

Xiang Wan remained silent. She thought to herself that Bai Siyuan could guess her identity from just one sentence, and his relationship with Ziyi must be extraordinary.

"Grandmaster always said that there are basically no people in this world who can make a purple-robed immortal make an exception, and you are probably the only one. If I hadn't acted too late back then, you might be my junior sister now."

Xiang Wan's heart skipped a beat, "My master... the Purple-Robed Immortal, has never taken on any disciples?"

Bai Siyuan nodded, seemingly recalling, "Back then, many people in our White Fox Clan wanted to become his disciples, some even going so far as to beg before the Ancestor. You know, when a fox transforms into human form, its appearance and aptitude are among the best in the world. I was one of the best among them, but he dismissed me with a single, indifferent sentence. Guess what he said?"

Before Xiang Wan could answer, Bai Siyuan shook his head and said, "He said that we had no master-disciple bond. One sentence extinguished all my enthusiasm, but also ignited my fighting spirit. After returning, I vowed to make him regret not choosing me... Later, as my cultivation improved, I gradually understood that some things cannot be achieved through persistence alone. I am very grateful to him for getting to where I am today. If he hadn't brought me to my senses in time, I might still be that arrogant fox youth, using my talent as capital, always trying to outdo others, wasting my time, and ultimately fading into obscurity."

Hearing this, Xiang Wan looked at Bai Siyuan with new respect.

Cultivators, especially those with exceptional talent, are mostly proud and arrogant; few would so frankly admit their past mistakes. Moreover, Xiang Wan was the one who had always coveted the position of the purple-robed disciple, yet he was sitting here chatting with her. Xiang Wan admired this magnanimity.

“Look, our cultivation levels are about the same now, which proves that Ziyi’s judgment is not bad. I really have no fate with him. But, by chance, we are sitting together again. Doesn’t that mean that we are very destined to be together?” Bai Siyuan winked at Xiang Wan.

Xiang Wan silently retracted her previous thought; it was more appropriate to remain strangers. "It just means we're equally unlucky."

"It's alright. Who knows, if we join forces, we might be able to unlock the secrets of this divine throne."