At this mont, Zhang Yan’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he instinctively felt that this painting seed to have connected with him in a manner similar to the Star Sword Ball. Without speaking a word, he willed the Mountain and River Map to roll backward, collecting the child within, and it automatically fell into his sleeve.
Feeling that today had brought him great gains, he couldn’t help but laugh heartily. Without making any discernible movents, a flash of blue light appeared, and he transford into a streak of flying rainbow, swiftly leaving.
Upon returning to Bamboo Island, Zhang Yan resud his daily routine of sitting in ditation while in seclusion. The days passed peacefully, and in a stretch of over ten days, he managed to gain further insights into the True Form Chapter and the talismanic techniques, discovering quite a few new subtleties.
By the end of the month, it seed the sect finally rembered him. A Golden Sword ssage was sent, summoning him back to the Mountain Gate, with the note that disciples would be re-assigned to guard Bamboo Island in his stead.
Receiving the Golden Sword communication, Zhang Yan wasted no ti. He summoned his tunneling light and headed back towards the Mountain Gate. In less than half a day, he had already entered the Dragon Abyss Marsh.
The disciples on guard duty noticed a tunneling light entering their territory and were about to step forward for questioning when Zhang Yan imdiately sent forth a token and Dharma Seal to prove his identity. Seeing the seal, the disciples stepped back without approaching further, each returning to their posts.
Initially, Zhang Yan planned to head directly to Spiritual Paper Island, but midway through his journey, he suddenly thought of sothing. Redirecting his trajectory, he instead headed towards the Elixir Cauldron Institute.
The Elixir Cauldron Institute was a place with which he was quite familiar. The disciples and powerful warriors guarding the area recognized his tunneling light, knowing he was a favored disciple of the Dean. None dared to obstruct his way, letting him pass freely. So of the warriors even respectfully stood to the side and resud their patrol duties only after Zhang Yan had moved past them.
Zhou Chongju was currently seated on the Fish Boat, feeding a fish spirit. However, his brow was tightly furrowed, and it appeared that sothing particularly troubling was weighing heavily on his mind.
Zhang Yan descended from the sky, landing on the pavilion of the Fish Boat. With a hand gesture and a smile, he greeted, "Senior Brother, today I co uninvited. I hope I’m not ruining your peace."
Upon seeing Zhang Yan, Zhou Chongju sighed, saying, "Junior Brother Zhang, you’ve returned. If you hadn’t co today, I was planning to send soone to summon you."
Zhang Yan raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Has sothing happened?"
Looking around cautiously, Zhou Chongju motioned to him while lowering his voice, "Co. Let’s speak inside."
Once they entered the pavilion’s inner chamber, the two stepped into a secure room. After Zhang Yan took his seat, Zhou Chongju closed the chamber door behind them with a wave of his hand. He then turned back, paused briefly, and sat down opposite Zhang Yan. After monts of silence, he finally spoke in a heavy tone, "Rumors are rampant in the sect today, claiming that you’ve colluded with the Three Pools Demon Clan to harm fellow sect disciples."
Zhang Yan’s expression remained calm, but he thought briefly and imdiately understood that this was likely the handiwork of Huo Zhiqi and his ilk. However, if it were rely baseless rumors, Zhou Chongju would hardly be so alard. There must be other critical elents involved.
Zhou Chongju sighed, "Under ordinary circumstances, such claims would hardly affect you and could simply be laughed off. But now, it seems there are lingering complications. To put it plainly, it’s my fault for dragging you into this, Junior Brother."
Surprised, Zhang Yan asked, "Senior Brother, what do you an by this?"
Shaking his head, Zhou Chongju replied, "You may not know this, but Madam Feng has a daughter nad Feng Yao, who is said to be quite fond of you. By itself, this might not be an issue, but the problem lies in the fact that Feng Yao is Qin Yu’s most cherished apprentice. Sohow, word of this matter leaked out, and when it reached her ears, and she learned you were my disciple, she beca enraged."
He paused montarily and sighed heavily before continuing, "I know her temperant well. She has always acted with an iron will and would not tolerate disobedience. When she heard of her apprentice being caught in the hands of the Three Pools Demon Clan so ti ago, she imdiately declared that Ge Shuo deserved to die. Even Ge Shuo’s master, Elder Mu, who holds considerable influence, did not dare to speak in her defense. Now, over this incident, Qin Yu has even petitioned the Sect Leader to strip you of your True Disciple status."
Zhou Chongju’s expression darkened, and he let out a mocking laugh as he added, "This isn’t the worst of it. True Master Yan has suggested that even if you didn’t participate in these acts, the rampant rumors and internal unrest within the sect call for calming and compromise. To appease the sect’s collective concerns, they propose temporarily stripping you of your True Disciple status. Once your innocence is proven, the sect might reconsider restoring it."
Hearing this, Zhang Yan’s heart sank. Losing his status as a True Disciple would not only deprive him of a crucial protective amulet but also bury the sect’s disgraceful matter of disciples being captured by the Three Pools Demon Clan. There would hardly be any chance for him to reclaim such a title.
Zhou Chongju sighed faintly and said, "True Masters ng and Sun have been tirelessly defending you, but this ti, it seems the noble family faction has expressed dissatisfaction with you. They’ve allied themselves with True Masters Zhu and Yan, making it impossible for ng and Sun to suppress them."
Zhang Yan felt no surprise at this developnt. As the first True Disciple from the master-apprentice lineage in the past hundred years, his identity had always been exceptional. The noble family faction couldn’t possibly side with him and was more likely to seize any opportunity to attack.
But he sensed a deeper current at play here—a familiar hand that seed to have stirred, breaking its long silence. What stood before him wasn’t simply an isolated sche but the culmination of all the tensions and rivalries that had been brewing for years.
Yet he clearly understood that the crux of the matter lay with True Master Qin. If not for her standing at the forefront and leading this effort, the other True Masters in their lofty positions would hardly stoop to make things difficult for a re Xuan Guang Realm cultivator like himself. Such actions would be far beneath their dignity.
The key to resolving this was undoubtedly True Master Qin!
Zhang Yan also knew that True Master Qin and Zhou Chongju had once been a pair of Daoist companions, but so conflict had caused them to fall out. However, the details had never been brought up by Zhou Chongju.
While Zhang Yan pondered the situation, Zhou Chongju observed his silence and bitterly smiled, saying, "Junior Brother, I won’t hide this embarrassnt from you. Qin Yu has always had a strong desire for dominance. After we beca Dao companions, she constantly sought to exert control over , demanding my compliance in everything. After I damaged my Dao Foundation, her behavior worsened, and she began to dictate my actions entirely. How could I endure such treatnt? In the end, I left her in a fit of rage. I had thought that over the past century, her temper would have llowed, but it seems she has held on to her resentnt, refusing to let go, and now it has dragged you into this ss."
...
...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to vote with recomndation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation!)
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