At first the Peak Head rely listened.
But gradually, his expression changed.
His brows rose slightly.
Then his eyes widened.
By the ti Han Yu reached the deeper principles of the art, the old man's calm deanor had cracked entirely. His gaze sharpened with unmistakable astonishnt.
Han Yu continued speaking until he finished recounting everything he had seen.
When he finally stopped, the chamber remained silent.
The Peak Head stared at him.
His mouth was slightly open.
Then suddenly...
He burst into laughter.
A deep, booming laugh that echoed through the chamber.
"Ha! Hahaha!"
He slapped his palm against the armrest of a nearby chair and shook his head in disbelief.
"As I live and breathe… to think I would see this technique again."
His voice carried genuine excitent.
The old man rose from his seat and paced slowly across the chamber, clearly overwheld by emotion.
"I never believed I would witness its return in my lifeti."
He turned back toward Han Yu.
"You truly obtained it."
There was no longer any doubt in his tone.
The Second Kidney Peak Head did not possess the full Freezing Abyss Glacial Art. That knowledge had been lost countless generations ago. However, fragnts of it had survived within the Kidney Peak through oral transmission and hidden records.
Fragnts that only the Peak Head himself knew.
Fragnts that were never recorded in sect libraries.
And Han Yu had just spoken them.
Word for word.
Those fragnts had appeared naturally within his narration, woven seamlessly into the rest of the technique.
It was proof beyond any doubt.
The Peak Head laughed again.
"Good!"
He raised a finger.
"Good!"
Then another.
"Good!"
Three tis he repeated the word, each ti louder than the last.
His satisfaction was obvious. And more than that, the hundreds of Yellow Joy Eight Emotions energy confird this fact as the absolute truth. The man was really, really pleased.
After alll, he had not truly expected success.
When he sent Ju Fan to the Inheritance Stelae, he knew the chances were extrely low. The stelae had rejected countless candidates across tens of thousands of years. And those that even ca close to obtaining the Freezing Abyss Glacial art were basically zero.
And yet this young disciple had succeeded.
And not after months.
Not after years.
But in less than a week.
The Peak Head exhaled slowly, regaining his composure.
"Ju Fan," he said.
His voice was calm again, but there was unmistakable pride within it.
"You have passed the trial."
Han Yu bowed respectfully.
"As of this mont," the Peak Head continued, "you are under the protection of myself and the Second Kidney Peak."
The words carried trendous weight.
Protection from a Peak Head was not a casual promise. Within the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect, such backing could alter a disciple's fate completely.
However, the old man did not allow the atmosphere to grow too comfortable.
"But," he added.
The word hung in the air.
"Do not misunderstand what that ans."
He walked closer, his gaze sharpening again.
"If I shelter you completely, you will beco nothing more than a greenhouse flower."
His tone hardened slightly.
"A cultivator who relies entirely on protection will never grow strong."
Han Yu nodded imdiately.
"That was never my intention, Peak Head."
The old man watched him carefully.
Han Yu continued calmly.
"Protection from others is inferior to the protection one creates for oneself."
The Peak Head's eyes glead faintly.
A smile appeared on his lips.
"Well said."
He folded his hands behind his back and looked out toward the snowy mountain beyond the balcony.
"I will be watching closely," he said. "If you truly survive what lies ahead…"
His gaze drifted toward the distant sect peaks.
"…then you will not rely beco another disciple."
His voice lowered.
"You will write a new chapter in the history of this sect."
Han Yu listened quietly.
Then a thought surfaced in his mind.
Sothing he had considered revealing.
He spoke carefully.
"Peak Head…"
The old man glanced at him.
Han Yu lowered his voice slightly.
"The Freezing Abyss Glacial Art… was not the only thing I obtained from the Stelae."
The room instantly fell silent.
The Peak Head froze.
His expression changed, not to surprise, but to sothing sharper.
Han Yu was about to continue speaking, intending to ntion the Moon Conquering Divine Art.
But before he could say another word...
"Do not speak."
The command cut through the air like a blade.
Han Yu stopped imdiately.
He looked up in surprise.
The Peak Head stared at him with a serious expression.
"What you obtained inside the Inheritance Stelae," the old man said slowly, "whether it was one technique… two techniques… or even more…"
He paused.
"…must not be spoken aloud."
His voice was firm.
"For now, nothing beyond the Freezing Abyss Glacial Art should be revealed."
Han Yu listened attentively.
"In the future," the Peak Head continued, "the sect will only know that you inherited the Freezing Abyss Glacial Art."
He stepped closer.
"That alone will already shake the sect."
Han Yu nodded slowly.
He understood.
Revealing additional inheritances would only create unnecessary complications. It would attract attention from factions that even the Peak Head might find troubleso.
The old man studied Han Yu's face for a mont.
Then he chuckled faintly.
"You revealed that much to intentionally, didn't you?"
Han Yu did not deny it.
It had indeed been a test.
And a precaution.
By hinting that there might be more, he had increased his value in the Peak Head's eyes. At the sa ti, he had gauged the old man's reaction.
The Peak Head had seen through it instantly.
But instead of being displeased, he seed amused.
"Clever," the old man said.
His gaze held a hint of approval.
"You are learning how to truly survive in this sect." He felt like fate itself was working in his favor.
He did not wish for a disciple that was rely loyal and listened to him. He did not wish for a strong and aggressive disciple. He wished for a disciple that was ambitious and knew how to think for himself.
He wished for soone who had the brains as well as the brawns.
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