Losing Face, Elders in Shock and Doubt

The sun was high in the sky in the afternoon, and the sunlight was scorching.

The atmosphere at the spirit-testing platform was even more intense and heated than at noon.

All eyes were on the upcoming outer gate finals.

In the final showdown of this monthly assessment, the rising dark horse Xie Yanchen will face off against Lu Heng, a top expert who has held the top spot on the outer sect rankings for a year.

Lu Heng, with a peak Qi Refining Level 5 cultivation, is half a step away from touching the threshold of Qi Refining Level 6 and is recognized as the number one expert in the outer sect.

He specialized in basic swordsmanship, honing his skills for ten years to the point of perfect mastery of the Qingyun Sect's basic swordsmanship. His swordsmanship was continuous, combining offense and defense, and he could switch between techniques with ease, leaving almost no obvious flaws. His combat power far exceeded that of ordinary outer disciples.

To everyone, this is a clash between a dark horse's comeback and a veteran top expert, and an epic battle is inevitable.

But this highly anticipated final battle lasted only half an incense stick's time before it came to an end.

It wasn't that Lu Heng was weak, but rather that Xie Yanchen's combat strength had already surpassed the comprehension of all outer sect disciples.

Every sword strike, every change of move, every shift in balance, and every instance of spiritual energy stagnation in Lu Heng's attacks was pre-modeled and analyzed by the terminal, revealing flaws, trajectories, and predictions clearly and accurately to Xie Yanchen.

The optimized Flowing Cloud Steps technique is incredibly profound, agile, and swift. Even though Lu Heng's fierce sword moves are dense and continuous, they can never touch Xie Yanchen in the slightest.

All attacks were ineffective; the attacks were all accurately predicted and easily evaded.

After endless exhaustion and maneuvering, Lu Heng's mind gradually became weary, his spiritual energy stagnated, and his mentality became increasingly agitated.

Half an incense stick's time later, eager to break the deadlock, he suddenly increased the speed of his sword strikes, revealing a slight flaw in his transition.

In that fleeting moment, Xie Yanchen flashed forward, closing in and precisely pressing his palm against the core of the opponent's sword hilt.

The force is concentrated and precise, pressing down and releasing smoothly.

Clang!

A crisp metallic clanging sound rang out.

  

The long sword in Lu Heng's hand flew out, slicing through the air before landing heavily on the bluestone slab outside the arena, causing it to tremble continuously.

The outcome is decided!

Lu Heng remained calm and composed, knowing he had been completely outmatched and powerless to fight back. He immediately withdrew his attack, solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xie Yanchen, and said with heartfelt admiration, "I lost, and I have learned a lot."

He was frank and magnanimous, and lost decisively and cleanly.

The final bell rang loudly, echoing through the mountains.

Elder Han Tiesong, the law enforcement officer, strode onto the stage, his voice resounding and echoing far and wide:

"This month's top performer in the Qingyun Sect's outer sect monthly assessment—Xie Yanchen!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the long-suppressed cheers exploded and resounded through the sky!

The outer disciples were all in a frenzy, with applause, shouts, and cheers rising and falling in waves that lasted for a long time.

No one questioned the result anymore, and no one looked down on this mixed spiritual root.

From the bottom of the pack to the top of the month, he made an incredible comeback in just a few days, shocking the entire sect!

The generous champion's reward was given on the spot: one hundred low-grade spirit stones, three bottles of high-grade Qi Gathering Pills, one month's access to borrow high-level cultivation techniques on the second floor of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion, and one month's use of the independent Spirit Gathering Cultivation Room No. 7 (Class A).

The heavy animal hide spirit stone bag, the gleaming white jade bottle of pills, the jade token with the Azure Cloud Restriction engraved on it, and the copper key to the exclusive cultivation room all fell into his hands.

These resources, which ordinary outer disciples might not be able to accumulate even after a year of arduous training, were all seized by him in a single battle.

Xie Yanchen accepted all the rewards, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the north viewing platform.

The black-robed elder Zhou Yuanshan, who had been watching him the whole time, had already quietly left.

But that ever-present, cold, and sticky sense of being watched still lingered around him, never dissipating.

He knew perfectly well that this Foundation Establishment elder, who held a grudge, would never let the matter rest, and that his schemes and suppression were already brewing in secret.

The assessment concluded, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Countless outer disciples gathered around, their attitudes warm and eager, a stark contrast to their usual coldness and aloofness.

Some humbly sought his advice on the secrets of body movement cultivation, some inquired about the secrets to a surge in spiritual power, some wanted to curry favor with him, and some even took the initiative to ask if they could become his disciples and cultivate under his tutelage.

The fickleness of human relationships and the coldness of the world are vividly displayed in the cultivation world.

When you are at your lowest point, you are trampled on by thousands and ignored by everyone; when you are at your peak, you are admired by thousands and everyone vie to attach themselves to you.

Xie Yanchen remained indifferent and perfunctory towards all those who deliberately tried to curry favor with him, neither warm nor cold, neither making enemies nor forming connections.

He knew all too well that such superficial networking and pursuit of connections were meaningless.

Only one's own strength is the sole foundation for establishing oneself in the world of cultivation.

He squeezed through the bustling crowd, walked quickly back to the secluded stone house alone, and shut the stone door tightly behind him, shutting out all the noise and disturbance from the outside world.

The dark and quiet stone house was finally quiet.

"Terminal, collect statistics on the sources, intensity, duration, and purpose of all divine sense probes today."

Xie Yanchen leaned against the cold stone wall and gave the order in a deep voice.

Instantly, massive amounts of data were compiled and clearly presented in view:

Five valid spiritual sense probes were detected today:

1. Han Tiesong (Mid-stage Foundation Building): Routine assessment and monitoring, detection is peaceful and compliant, with no malicious spying;

2. Two ordinary outer sect elders: Briefly and curiously glanced at them, without any in-depth investigation or malicious intent;

3. Zhou Yuanshan (Late Foundation Establishment Stage): Conducts continuous and in-depth investigations throughout the entire process, specifically scanning spiritual roots, meridians, soul, and the source of spiritual power. His purpose is extremely strong, and he carries a clear sense of inquiry and hostility.

4. Unknown early stage of Golden Core (core area of ​​the mountain top): Briefly probed during the battle with Zhou Chong, only observing combat strength, without continuous probing.

The key points are immediately apparent.

The Golden Core Sect Leader was only briefly curious, glancing at it briefly, without regard for good or evil.

Only Zhou Yuanshan was extremely targeted, deeply inquisitive, and intensely hostile.

The focus of the investigation was never his fighting techniques or cultivation methods, but rather the source of his spiritual root mutation, the surge in spiritual power, and the essence of his soul!

Clearly, the elder had long harbored suspicions and was secretly investigating his secret.

A powerful elder of a sect in the late Foundation Establishment stage secretly harboring hostility and deliberately spying on you is far more dangerous and deadly than ten Zhou Chongs.

"Activate the highest level of alert."

Xie Yanchen's eyes turned slightly cold as he issued a command in a deep voice: "Within a radius of fifty feet, all unauthorized divine sense probes, spiritual energy scans, and the approach of strangers must be marked in real time, accurately traced, and given early warnings. Prevent all covert spying."

The highest alert mode has been activated, and we are on standby.

After confirming the instructions, Xie Yanchen lowered his head to count all the cultivation resources he had obtained that day.

The hundred low-grade spirit stones felt heavy and substantial in my hand, equivalent to a year's salary for an ordinary outer disciple.

Three bottles of Qi Gathering Pills, totaling fifteen pills. The pills are round and full, with rich and mellow spiritual energy. They are of considerable value and can help cultivators in the Qi Refining stage to temper their spiritual energy and solidify their cultivation.

The jade tablets on the second floor of the Cultivation Techniques Pavilion can unlock most of the sect's mid-to-high-level cultivation techniques, secret arts, and body-refining methods, making them an excellent resource for breaking through limitations and improving combat power.

The No. 7 independent cultivation room is located at the junction of the inner and outer gates. It has a fixed spirit-gathering array inside, and the concentration of spiritual energy is far greater than that of ordinary outer gate areas, which greatly improves cultivation efficiency.

He stroked the bronze key to the cultivation room in his hand, his mind stirring slightly, and asked the terminal: "Can the spirit-gathering array in the Class A cultivation room be modified and optimized?"

It can be optimized and upgraded; after modification, the efficiency of gathering spiritual energy can be increased by three to five times, and the purity of spiritual energy can be greatly improved. However, the cultivation room is crowded with people and monitored by many cameras, and any signs of modification are very likely to expose the technological features, posing an extremely high risk. Therefore, it is not recommended to operate.

Xie Yanchen nodded slightly, understanding in his heart.

The public training room is too conspicuous and is by no means a safe place for cultivation.

To cultivate peacefully, advance quickly, and keep your secrets hidden, you must have a secluded and safe cultivation space that belongs to you alone and that no one can spy on you.

His gaze fell on the cold, hard stone floor beneath his feet, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

The outer stone house where he lived was located in the most remote corner of the sect, backed by a weathered rock wall. There were no people living for dozens of feet around it, making it extremely secluded.

The only drawback is that the spiritual energy here is too thin, and without the support of a spirit-gathering array, the speed of cultivation is limited.

The only way to solve the problem of spiritual energy deficiency is to borrow the power of the sect's spiritual veins.

The Qingyun Sect has been established for a thousand years, and its foundation is a large spiritual vein underground. The main vein is sealed deep underground by a mountain-protecting formation, and only the higher-ups and core inner disciples can access it.

However, the branches of the spiritual veins and shallow mineral veins may not be completely sealed off.

He had heard that there was a spirit stone mine abandoned for a hundred years in the back mountain of Qingyun Sect. Ancient records said that the mine had long been depleted and had been completely abandoned and sealed off by the sect, with no one paying attention to it.

But there is never a truly and completely depleted spiritual vein in the world.

The so-called depletion is merely the exhaustion of the surface and shallow spiritual stones. The deeper layers still retain a vast amount of spiritual energy and low-grade spiritual stone deposits, but they are thin and scattered, making them difficult for ordinary cultivators to detect or absorb.

What is useless wasteland to others is an excellent secret cultivation sanctuary for him, who possesses terminal analysis capabilities!

"Terminal, retrieve all terrain, restrictions, and residual spiritual vein data of the abandoned mine in the back mountain of Qingyun Sect."

Xie Yanchen gave a low shout.

A three-dimensional topographic map instantly unfolds in the field of vision, with dense streams of data rapidly moving around.

Data retrieval successful: The abandoned mine in the back mountain has three levels. The surface layer has not been repaired for a hundred years, and the spiritual energy has been lost and the array patterns are damaged. It only has a basic warning function and can be easily avoided. The middle layer is completely abandoned and has no monitoring or patrol. The bottom layer is connected to a side branch of the sect's main spiritual vein underground. The concentration of residual spiritual energy is more than three times that of the outer sect area, and there are trace amounts of scattered spirit stone deposits.

Risk assessment: Extremely low. Its remote location, untouched by any sect or patrol area, makes it the optimal secluded cultivation location at present.

perfect!

A glint of light flashed in Xie Yanchen's eyes.

This place is secluded, safe, and full of spiritual energy. More importantly, it is far from the sight of all the elders, so there is no need to worry about exposing one's secrets through cultivation phenomena.

This would allow him to avoid Zhou Yuanshan's secret surveillance while maximizing his cultivation speed.

Just as he finalized his plan and was preparing to take a short rest before sneaking into the mine in the back mountain.

At the summit of the sect's mountain, inside the elders' council hall.

The atmosphere was solemn and calm.

Three figures sat upright in the hall. The one in the center was none other than the sect leader of Qingyun Sect, Daoist Yunqing, who was at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

On the lower left, Elder Zhou Yuanshan, dressed in black robes, had a gloomy expression, his brows furrowed with deep suspicion and apprehension. He had left early to rush back to the council hall to report on this matter.

"Sect Leader, this matter is extremely strange; we must thoroughly investigate Xie Yanchen!"

Zhou Yuanshan's voice was deep and cold, carrying an undisguised solemnity: "During the Spirit Testing Platform assessment just now, I used my divine sense to examine this person throughout, and the changes in him were completely contrary to common sense!"

Han Tiesong, the law enforcement elder on the right, frowned slightly and said calmly, "It's just a sudden increase in cultivation and exquisite movement techniques. It's common for outer sect disciples to occasionally have fortuitous encounters and break through to new realms at an accelerated pace. Elder Zhou is making a mountain out of a molehill."

"Common occurrence?"

Zhou Yuanshan suddenly raised his eyes, his tone sharp and full of disbelief: "An ordinary mixed spiritual root, yet he soared from the first level of Qi Refining to the fourth level in just a few days! Throughout the entire battle, there wasn't a single hindrance in his spiritual power, his movement techniques and predictions were terrifyingly accurate, and he could even anticipate all the flaws in Lu Heng's sword moves!"

"The strangest thing is that even with my late-stage Foundation Establishment level divine sense probing, I couldn't detect his fundamental spiritual essence! His meridians and the source of his spiritual power seemed to be covered by an invisible barrier, blurry and indistinct, as if his foundation had been concealed by a high-level secret technique!"

The council chamber fell silent the moment these words were spoken.

Sect Leader Yun Qing slightly opened his eyes, his gaze deep and filled with a hint of surprise and doubt: "You mean, we can't detect his spiritual root and the origin of his spiritual power?"

"Absolutely true!"

Zhou Yuanshan nodded emphatically, utterly humiliated and filled with even greater apprehension.

As a late-stage Foundation Establishment elder, he was able to investigate a mere outer Qi Refining disciple, but his efforts were completely thwarted and he gained nothing. If this were to get out, he would lose all face!

"A miscellaneous spirit is a useless root, destined for mediocrity and unlikely to achieve anything great in their lifetime. They have no chance of such heaven-defying growth," Zhou Yuanshan said coldly. "This person must possess a top-tier treasure, an ancient inheritance, or a bizarre secret technique that can defy fate!"

Han Tiesong remained silent for a moment, recalling Xie Yanchen's bizarre combat power that had overwhelmed everyone on the stage just now, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.

Indeed, it's too abnormal.

It was so unusual that it didn't seem like the strength and mindset that a disciple with mixed spiritual roots at the bottom should possess.

Master Yunqing tapped the jade table lightly with his fingertips, pondered for a long time, and then slowly spoke, his voice carrying the composure and deep wisdom of a Golden Core cultivator:

"A short-term surge, without any basis or evidence, concealing its true nature, difficult to detect with divine sense... This child is no ordinary person."

"Elder Zhou is right. He must have a great secret."

His tone shifted, and his gaze sharpened: "But this is precisely the time when the outer sect is under the spotlight. If we rashly take action to thoroughly investigate and punish the newly promoted leader, it will only cause unrest among the disciples and lead to criticism of the sect."

Zhou Yuanshan said urgently, "Sect Leader! Letting this person grow unchecked could lead to disaster! His origins are unknown, and he possesses strange and mysterious techniques. If he harbors ill intentions, the consequences will be dire!"

"No rush."

Master Yunqing raised his hand slightly, his eyes deep and unfathomable: "He is eager to become stronger, so he must urgently need cultivation resources. Possessing a secret treasure, he must need spiritual energy to nourish him."

"We don't need to take the initiative."

"The selection competition for outer sect disciples to enter inner sect will be held in three days. At that time, all the top outer sect disciples will compete on the same stage."

"Whether he's a mule or a horse, we'll know once he steps onto the stage. All his trump cards and secrets will eventually be revealed in the ultimate battle."

Upon hearing this, a sinister glint flashed in Zhou Yuanshan's eyes.

He bowed slowly and replied in a deep voice, "The sect leader is wise."

He would bide his time for three days, and when the selection competition came, he had plenty of ways to force Xie Yanchen to reveal his true colors and tear off all his pretenses!

Meanwhile, inside the stone house, Xie Yanchen, through remote tracing via a terminal, had already recorded every word of the conversation between the three people in the council hall.

After listening to everything, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Suspicion, probing, scheming, waiting for him to reveal his hand.

These sect leaders have never truly treated the lower-level disciples well.

Since the other party wants to wait for him to reveal a weakness and then seize the opportunity to suppress him.

He then used these three days to delve into the hidden realm and break through the realm at an extremely rapid pace!

On the day of the selection competition, he would make all those who were surprised, scheming, and looking down on him realize their folly.

Utterly astonished!