Embedding a covert agent of the Qi Sea Realm in the sect’s outer court for twenty years was by no means a simple task.
Whether it was forging a background or concealing one’s cultivation, both were exceedingly difficult.
Bai Qiming’s infiltration into the sect’s power structure might be deeper than anyone imagined.
Fu Qian was already over six hundred years old.
Among the Kongshan Sect cultivators of his generation, those still alive now all possessed cultivation at the Spirit Connection realm or above.
Yet among those still active on the front lines of the sect and holding real authority on the peaks, only Fu Qian remained.
In truth, sects rarely let a single cultivator hold real power for too long.
That was precisely because problems could easily arise.
Like Fu Qian, after laying plans for centuries, the relationship network he had built within the sect had grown tangled and far-reaching.
In fact, Fu Qian had performed his duties as Qingchan Peak’s Martial Elder consistently well and with integrity.
It was for that very reason the sect allowed him to remain in power for so long.
Only when a challenger appeared who dared to openly contest his authority did Fu Qian finally bare his fangs.
But even a schemer as experienced as Fu Qian felt stunned by Bai Qiming’s handiwork.
What shook Fu Qian even more was that Bai Qiming had exposed this twenty-year-old covert agent because of the Song Mingde incident.
That pointed to only two possibilities.
One: Bai Qiming had planted many covert agents in the sect, not just Zhang Xishun.
Two: Whatever Song Mingde uncovered was so important to the Qingchan True Dharma lineage that it required silencing by murder.
And when he recalled the missing Black Flood Dragon Remnant Soul…
Fu Qian ultimately decided to strike against the Qingchan True Dharma lineage.
A prodigy like Chu Xiyao, someone likely to break through the Qi Sea Realm before twenty, was a once-in-a-generation talent.
Among the current disciples of the Kongshan Sect, only Li Haowen of Yuanhua Mountain could compare to her.
Thus Chu Xiyao’s position on Qingchan Peak was effectively unshakable.
That held true until recently, when a certain Qin Yue appeared in Taiyun City.
She possessed the Glazed Pure Body, meaning she could rival Chu Xiyao as a genius.
Fu Qian had no doubt about Bai Qiming’s intentions in wanting to take Qin Yue as an apprentice.
So he planned to act first, before open conflict erupted, to remove a piece that could one day play a decisive role in Bai Qiming’s camp.
But Fu Qian’s plan fell through.
It failed because of the handsome young man standing before the cold pool at Cangwu Residence, wearing the Dao robe of Kongyuan Mountain.
Fu Qian wanted nothing more than to slap this greenhorn into the cold pool.
“You said you came to report, so what have you found?” Fu Qian asked.
“At present there are only some clues, but nothing concrete yet,” Chen Yan replied.
“Then what are you here for?” Fu Qian snorted coldly.
“To borrow something from Elder Fu.”
“Borrow what?”
“The Qingchan Martial Decree.”
Suddenly a shadow flashed toward Chen Yan, and he hastily raised his hand to catch it.
Staring at the jade token in his palm, carved with the four large characters Qingchan Martial, Chen Yan froze for a moment.
He hadn’t expected to obtain Fu Qian’s token so easily; he assumed he’d need to argue with Fu Qian a while longer.
Even then, it wasn’t guaranteed he’d get the token.
“Take it,” Fu Qian said simply.
“The thing you asked for is given to you. If you fail to uncover anything, you will bear the consequences.”
“The disciple understands.” Chen Yan bowed, pocketing the token and feeling its weight.
This Qingchan Martial Decree felt different from the Outer Court Administrator token his surrogate master had given him.
He thought to himself.
...
After receiving the Qingchan Martial Decree from Fu Qian, Chen Yan left Cangwu Residence.
If Chen Yan had to judge Fu Qian in a word, it would be: decisive and ruthless, with an impenetrable heart.
The next most important matter was to head down to Taiyun City’s Immortal Gambling Den again.
Chen Yan wanted to find out exactly what Song Mingde had discovered to merit being silenced.
He was certain these matters tied into the catastrophe more than two years hence.
By regulation, a disciple at the Qi Circulation Realm must provide sufficient reasons to the sect if he wants to descend the mountain.
Taking on sect missions was the best reason.
Many Qi Circulation Realm disciples who wished to go down would take simple sect tasks from the Merit Hall as cover.
But if they failed to complete those tasks, they would face punishment.
For example, confinement or reduced allocation of cultivation resources.
In the most serious cases, they could even be blacklisted by the Merit Hall.
Disciples at Martial Spring Realm and above were free to leave the mountain without restraint.
Chen Yan’s public cultivation remained at the early Qi Circulation Realm for now.
He intended to display cultivation at the peak of Qi Circulation within half a year.
That speed of improvement was already shocking.
With the backing of martial uncle Yue Chi, Chen Yan did not worry overly much about drawing attention.
This time, however, Chen Yan did not need to take a sect mission to leave the Kongshan Sect.
He had the Qingchan Martial Decree.
With a token of this level, Chen Yan could go anywhere within Kongshan Sect without obstruction, except for a few restricted zones.
After leaving the sect and reaching the stables run by the External Affairs Hall at the mountain foot to rent a spirit horse, Chen Yan changed his clothes, replacing his Kongyuan Mountain Dao robe with the common garb typical of the secular dynasty.
His reason for disguising himself was simple.
On his last trip to Taiyun City’s Immortal Gambling Den, his identity as a Kongyuan Mountain disciple had been too conspicuous.
Dressing plainly would be more convenient.
He departed the Kongshan Sect in the afternoon, and by the time he reached Taiyun City’s gates, the sun was sinking behind the mountains.
Chen Yan rode a spirit horse toward the city gate at a leisurely pace.
Spirit horses were not much different from ordinary horses, only their coats were glossier, their bodies larger and stronger.
Wearing common clothes rather than a Dao robe, and with the Hidden Immortal Art obscuring his aura, Chen Yan looked almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
“Please stop.”
Just before Chen Yan set foot through the city gate, a spearman guarding the gate called out.
“What is it?” Chen Yan tugged on the reins and looked down.
The guard looked young, then raised his head to appraise the rider.
“Esteemed sir,” the guard said, rubbing the copper nails on his spear shaft with his callused fingers.
“According to Taiyun City law, anyone entering the city after sunset must pay an additional public security tax.”
A public security tax?
Chen Yan frowned.
“But it’s not after sunset yet.”
“Is that so?” The guard sounded surprised, then looked skyward and added with a threatening tone:
“Sorry, sir, I say it’s after sunset, so it is after sunset!”