Chapter 178

First, let me explain why I was feeling so adrift. We were nothing more than disciples of a Taoist temple, and now we were merely participating in the temple’s year-end assessment. As I understood it, the majority of the content would still revolve around duels and magical combat. Yet, who could have imagined that the dark-skinned, thin little girl before us could manage to gather intelligence to such an extent? She had even mapped out exactly who belonged to which small clique with such clarity that it truly baffled me. In a daze, I felt as if I had been transported back to the Republican era, caught in the midst of espionage activities, where one moment of carelessness would result in having one's entire life turned upside down. Because Xue Shisi was the first to propose a strategy—demanding that we take on Fang Erquan—coupled with the intelligence provided by Zhao Zijiao, the group ultimately concluded that openly taking on Fang Erquan was indeed the most reliable approach. Fang Erquan, as the personal disciple of the sect leader, possessed strength that could not be underestimated; in terms of overt ability, everyone except Zhu Lei was slightly inferior to him. Furthermore, with a fifty-percent pass rate, he would undoubtedly prioritize forming an alliance. If he successfully aligned with the other two factions, our group would be in grave danger.