The next day.
Somewhere inside a tavern in Hunyuan City.
"Taoist Friend Chen, it’s been a long time. Your cultivation has deepened impressively; congratulations."
An elderly man wearing a brown brocade robe was smiling warmly at Chen Ye, apparently in high spirits.
This elder was fiddling with two walnut-sized metal balls, and with each turn, a subtle mechanical click could be heard.
"Master Gu."
Chen Ye closed the door, sat across from the elder, and said with a smile,
"It’s been years apart, yet Master remains stylish as ever. If it weren’t for Master crafting the Jade Treasure Sword for me back at Moon Rhinoceros Lake District, I wouldn’t have had such stability today."
This person was none other than Master Gu.
Back then, he was an artifact refiner at Moon Rhinoceros Lake District and refined two flying swords for Chen Ye.
Master Gu originally belonged to the Spirit Treasure Sect but left the sect in anger and retired at Moon Creek Lake District until Master Zhong invited him back to Hunyuan City.
As for Master Zhong, he was the master of arrays invited by the Lingyin Sect to repair the grand array at Moon Creek Lake District. If detail is needed, Chen Ye’s Jade Treasure Sword was mainly refined by Master Zhong.
"Ah, what master, I’m just an old man who works with iron."
Master Gu waved his hand, his cloudy eyes glancing over Chen Ye, filled with emotion,
"As for you, young man, it’s been such a short time, and your cultivation... tsk tsk, I can’t see through it at all. Back at Moon Creek Lake District, I already felt you were not ordinary. Unexpectedly, now you’ve become an instructor of the Lingyin Sect, and I... am back in this Hunyuan City."
The elder grew more emotional with thought and personally poured Chen Ye a cup of spirit wine, his tone full of lament.
Unknowingly, this young man’s status and identity had already exceeded his own greatly.
This journey, he was even the leading instructor of the Lingyin Sect.
Since he could act as the leading instructor of Luoxiao Grotto Heaven, his status is likely not below Senior Brother Zhong.
"Since Master is back in Hunyuan City, why not visit the Spirit Treasure Sect?"
Chen Ye took a sip of wine, seemingly casual as he asked,
"After all, Master was once an Inner Sect disciple of the Spirit Treasure Sect and was the personal disciple of Elder Sun. Although you left the sect in anger back then, surely some sentiments remain?"
From the news Chen Ye gathered, Master Gu and Master Zhong’s teacher was now one of the elders of the Spirit Treasure Sect.
Of course.
The elders of the Spirit Treasure Sect, unlike the Lingyin Sect, were not Golden Core True Men but Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer.
After all, the cultivators of the Spirit Treasure Sect primarily focus on artifact refining and array techniques; strictly speaking of cultivation, they naturally pale compared to other sects.
And this Elder Sun has Third Tier accomplishments in both artifact refining and arrays, having refined Third Tier spiritual artifacts for others, thus in a sense, his identity and status are comparable to ordinary Golden Core True Men.
The swiftly turning metal ball in Master Gu’s hand paused.
"Crack."
The iron-crafted ball was crushed by his finger’s strength, leaving several impressions.
"Sentiments?"
Master Gu sneered and drank the wine in his cup in one go,
"If Master was still managing, I might go back to kowtow. But now... the Spirit Treasure Sect has long changed its surname to Gu!"
Chen Ye’s expression shifted slightly.
It seems the situation in the Spirit Treasure Sect is worse than the rumors outside.
"Gu Tangyin?" he said blandly.
"Who else could it be but that girl!"
Master Gu’s beard trembled with anger,
"That Lord of Hunyuan City, relying on his daughter climbing the influential branches of Huayue Mansion in the Ruins Country, has directly turned the Spirit Treasure Sect into his private playground, monopolizing the sect’s power and doing whatever he pleases. And that Gu Tangyin, having just returned for half a year, claiming to prepare for the Luoxiao Conference, has emptied half of the sect’s treasure pavilion... huh, this is not preparation but blatant robbery! Those spineless elders didn’t even dare to speak out!"
Chen Ye’s eyes moved slightly, he said in a low voice, "I remember Spirit Treasure Sect still has a True Man; does that True Man just sit and do nothing?"
Master Gu looked worried and sighed, "Taoist Friend Chen might not know, but not long ago, True Man Dongshan from Huayue Mansion invited the True Man to Huayue Mansion to co-craft a Fourth Tier spiritual treasure. The True Man has been obsessed with artifact refining his whole life, and the path of refining is crucial to his journey, how could he resist the temptation?"
Chen Ye understood in his heart.
This invitation is ostensibly to ask the Spirit Treasure True Man for refining, but in reality, it offers him the chance to observe the crafting of spiritual treasures.
Saying this, Master Gu took a deep breath to calm himself.
He looked at Chen Ye with a solemn expression, even carrying a warning:
"Taoist Friend Chen, I invited you out today not only to catch up with old times and vent grievances. I want to warn you to be wary of Gu Tangyin. This woman comes aggressively; it appears she is merely supporting the upcoming Luoxiao Conference for the Lord of Hunyuan City, but she has hidden intentions..."
This was precisely Chen Ye’s purpose for coming here; he quickly asked, "Why do you say so?"
"For example... in Luoxiao Grotto Heaven, devising a scheme to kill the young generation of Yan Kingdom. The disciples who can attend Luoxiao Grotto Heaven are all outstanding talents of our Yan Kingdom, the future Golden Core True Men will come from among them. Once this group of disciples perishes, Yan Kingdom will face a gap in succession."
Master Gu sneered,
"And in Luoxiao Grotto Heaven, the sects have always upheld the attitude that in the grotto heaven, life and death are dictated by fate, not to mention if something goes wrong, Gu Tangyin can push it to Luoxiao Grotto Heaven, claiming it was a grotto heaven anomaly..."
Hmm?
Chen Ye furrowed his brows slightly, he could hardly believe Gu Tangyin to be this bold.
If she really orchestrated the killing of all Luoxiao Grotto Heaven disciples, then even with True Man Dongshan’s protection, she would definitely not escape from Yan Kingdom.
Even True Man Dongshan himself would find it hard to escape the wrath of Yan Kingdom’s Golden Cores.
Master Gu also prudently stopped, chuckling bitterly: "Perhaps I’ve overthought... But there’s one thing you should notice, this time in Luoxiao Grotto Heaven, there will be four disciples from Huayue Mansion participating."