After sending off the group that increasingly resembled bandits plotting to take advantage of him, Pei Yan sat alone by the pond, watching the koi fish that had been killed by his fireball floating belly-up in the water. He couldn't help but lant that the koi in this yard had the misfortune of encountering him.
"You aren't seriously considering what they suggested earlier, are you?" Lin Junzhao's mocking voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Pei Yan casually picked up the koi's carcass and tossed it outside the pond, replying offhandedly, "What's wrong with what they said?"
"It seems reasonable but is actually utter nonsense. If you listen to them, you'll end up regretting it."
"Oh!" Hearing Lin Junzhao's words piqued Pei Yan's curiosity, and he asked, "Please, enlighten , sister."
Lin Junzhao snorted coldly, replying with pride, "First, about the Five Elents Technique that little fat kid ntioned—while it indeed has its wonders, it's nothing more than a pipe dream for an outsider like you to unleash its true potential. The Origin Fragnt of this Daoist Plane is miraculous; absorbing it to its peak can allow you to grow and destroy all things effortlessly, like Lin Ruxue. But reaching that level requires collecting over a hundred different fragnt rules. Lin Ruxue definitely won't give such an outsider as you even a single one of these fragnts. It's impossible to succeed, so give up on that notion. Since you can't reach that level, whether or not you collect those so-called Five Elents Dao Heart Stones is completely aningless."
"Then what about the cultivation technique Old Wang ntioned!" Pei Yan unconvincedly inquired further after Lin Junzhao's explanation.
"Alas!" Lin Junzhao sighed upon seeing Pei Yan's persistence. "Every plane's cultivation technique is designed for its own people. Even though you've mastered the Origin Seeds of all major planes, theoretically speaking, apart from the Hell Plane's Demon Race and the Spirit Monster Plane's beast techniques, which are completely different from those of humans, you can choose between the techniques of the Daoist and Magic realms, both belonging to humans. But differences do exist, and to achieve success in these areas would require a trendous amount of ti, which I believe is not worthwhile for you. Unlike the Hell Plane, where after reaching the required bloodline and realm, you can quickly master the Demon Race's innate techniques, the Daoist Plane's cultivation emphasizes state of mind and ti. From foundation to mastery, a genius might need a century or even longer. Can you do that?"
A sudden dose of cold reality thoroughly dampened Pei Yan's enthusiasm. Acknowledging the reasoning behind Lin Junzhao's words, he picked up the pebbles used as decoration next to the pond, skipped them across the water, and lanted, "So my experience with the Dao Heart Stones is of no use. As Old Jiang said, their power ans nothing to right now."
"You don't need to ask that; you already have a plan in mind, don't you?" Lin Junzhao said with a smile, "Just like with the Sword Qi you absorbed—how do you plan to use it? The techniques of the Daoist Plane aren't completely useless anyway. For one, they help in nurturing energy and maintaining health, at least extending your lifespan. Moreover, though their attack techniques lack core cultivation support, you can borrow and mimic their attack thods. Isn't adapting and improvising what you're best at?"
"Ah, yes, that's what I had in mind," Pei Yan said, lifting the dead fish by the pond and tossing it into the neighboring yard before expressing his regret, "It's just a pity I can't beco a true cultivator."
Although regrettable, once he thought it through, Pei Yan stopped dwelling on it. As he walked back inside with his hands behind his back, he found Gu Shenghui waiting with a beaming smile, to which Pei Yan sourly remarked, "Don't smile like that at —you're never bringing good news. So, what's going on?"
"While you were sound asleep, early the next morning, the old master of Celestial Sword Manor ca to us secretly at night," Gu Shenghui didn't speak directly but instead took out his phone to let Pei Yan take a look at what he had typed.
Pei Yan imdiately grasped the implication, nonchalantly replying with an "mm" while slowly walking to the table to pour himself a glass of water, whispering, "Just keep your eyes on the screen."
After saying that, Pei Yan drank his water while heading to his room. When Gu Shenghui glanced down at his phone screen, additional words appeared automatically in the ssage: "Are we being watched?"
Gu Shenghui typed back on his phone, "Yes, it's the Ten-Eyed Well Secret Technique of the Daoist Plane, akin to our Heavenly Eye surveillance caras, and such devices are widespread throughout this city. The Immortal Palace can see whatever they want at any ti."
"Hah, just with this trick alone, the Hell Plane is far inferior to the Daoist Plane. So, what did the old master of Celestial Sword Manor say when he ca?" Shortly, Pei Yan's reply glowed on the screen.
"He didn't say much but asked many questions about the past events, descriptions of people and techniques, and the tokens they carried, leaving no detail untouched. Luckily, I kept the tokens and items seized from back then with and showed them to him that night."
Already lying in bed, Pei Yan frowned at the ssage and asked, "What did he say then?"
"Nothing, he just looked extrely upset after listening to my account. After my repeated questioning, he finally admitted that the token indeed belonged to Celestial Sword Manor. He refused to reveal anything further when I pressed him. Before leaving, he asked not to tell anyone about our eting and warned us to be cautious, promising that Celestial Sword Manor would definitely give the Investigation Hall an explanation afterward. To cover things up, the old man didn't even take his disciples back, asking us to continue watching them without letting them contact the outside world."
"Huh, this is getting very interesting. I'm now three percent convinced Celestial Sword Manor is in the dark," Pei Yan pondered after typing these words and continued, "If that's true, then only two possibilities remain: Either Celestial Sword Manor has an insider working against them, deceiving the old master, or soone from the Immortal Palace is scheming against Celestial Sword Manor. But both scenarios have their flaws. The first one: If there is an insider, why hasn't the Immortal Palace inford Celestial Sword Manor? The second: If soone from the Immortal Palace is truly orchestrating things, where did the Celestial Sword Manor token co from?"
Thinking of this, Pei Yan couldn't help but chuckle and continued to type, "If both things are happening, then there's only one possibility left."
"The insider and an outside thief are colluding," Gu Shenghui replied on the phone.
"Indeed, no matter who's doing this, it's enough to give Celestial Sword Manor a headache. But what is their purpose? Is it just to suppress competitors for the Six Mansions of the Immortal Palace? Then where did the Blood Slaughter's seed and Origin Fragnt co from? What's the connection between the three?"
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