Inside the Peak Master's quarters.
"Did you kill Young Master Zhang?" Peak Master Chen asked.
"No..." Zhu Wu flatly denied.
"The talisman I gave you has my vital essence on it. Once activated, I can sense it," Peak Master Chen said.
"Rest assured, I won't spill the secret. Although what we saw was the white-browed tiger killing Young Master Zhang and the others, if someone determined investigates, they will still track it back to you. The white-browed tiger does not attack people outside its territory."
"What level is your Illusion Technique at?" Peak Master Chen paused and asked.
"Fifth Level."
"It seems that even without the talisman I gave you, you were confident you could kill them..." Peak Master Chen felt a bit deflated.
"Mm."
"Strive to enter the Inner Sect. If you can drag this out for two or three years and win the Inner Sect Grand Tournament, you can go to the Main Sect. By then, you won't need to fear the likes of Young Master Zhang."
"This time you obtained the secret realm heritage, so in principle, you meet the conditions to enter the Inner Sect. However, you still need an Inner Sect elder willing to take you in."
"Would the elder who tested my spiritual root last time be willing?" Zhu Wu asked.
"He is only an elder responsible for managing a portion of sect affairs, at best taking in a handyman to do chores. Forget about him," Peak Master Chen said.
"You are very clever, killing without a trace. If I weren't unable to protect you, I'd want to be your older sister," Peak Master Chen joked.
"Thank you for the favor, Peak Master. If I hadn't already gotten myself into trouble, I'd be more than happy to play the role of your younger brother," Zhu Wu replied with a smile.
"Sigh. Off you go. Cultivate diligently; the Inner Sect is even more dangerous. With your current cultivation, you'll just end up being bullied," Peak Master Chen waved her hand.
"Thank you, Sister Chen!"
In the Inner Sect council hall, six or seven elders sat around a table.
"What are your thoughts on the situation in the secret realm this time?" an elder asked.
"That fellow named Zhu Wu is fishy. I heard he had a grievance with Young Master Zhang?" an elder said.
"I believe that fellow named Zhu Wu manipulated the white-browed tiger to kill my disciple. Anyone with eyes can see that..." an elder said helplessly.
"See what? Isn't it crystal clear on the image-recording stone?" a harsh-sounding elder retorted.
"Could he have a secret method for controlling monster beasts?"
"According to the sect rules, that Zhu Wu can enter the Inner Sect early. Which of you is willing to take him in?" an elder asked.
"Judging from his profile, he has a wind spiritual root. He doesn't fit with any of us, does he?" an elder said.
"I imagine Young Master Zhang's family won't let this go. Otherwise, I might actually consider taking him," an elder said.
"Regardless, someone has to take him," an elder said.
"What a pity. He looked like a very promising sapling."
"A Fifth-Grade wind spiritual root, Fifth-Level Illusion Technique. Not bad, but not particularly strong either. Nothing to pity."
"There is another way," an elder offered a suggestion: "Aren't there vacancies for elders? That Peak Master Chen has wondrous illusion techniques; although her realm is still lacking, even so, it's hard for the rest of us to fend her off—you could say she's on par with us. Why not simply have her become an elder?"
The Inner Sect elders were all harboring their own little schemes, assessing the potential risks and rewards.
"It's a good idea, but it requires approval from the Main Sect. If no one takes him in, we'll leave it at this for today. I'll contact the Main Sect and see," an elder said, then stood up and walked away.
The others dispersed as well.
"Talk about one person ascending to heaven and all their chickens and dogs rising with them! Have you heard? The entire Yueying Peak has moved into the Inner Sect!"
"I heard that the Peak Master's illusion techniques are formidable. She might not even lose if she went up against the major elders."
"Ah? Could it be that Yueying Peak used illusions on the Sect Master?"
"Word is she secured a post through the Main Sect. The Sect Master is in seclusion and doesn't even know himself."
"Just relying on illusion techniques to sit on equal footing with us Inner Sect veterans—on what grounds?"
"I hear they're all beauties. When the time comes, won't they just be under us? How could they possibly be on equal footing?"
"Doesn't Yueying Peak's illusion technique rely on a woman's looks? As long as you aren't swayed by beauty, illusion techniques naturally become ineffective."
"Things with no real strength don't deserve to be in the Inner Sect. We'll have to teach them a lesson when the time comes."
"Exactly. One person would be one thing, but an entire peak moves in. The resources allocated to us from now on are going to decrease."
"I'm so envious. How is it that entering the Inner Sect is so easy for them?"
"If I'd known, I would have joined Yueying Peak too."
"Yueying Peak doesn't take male disciples unless they possess extraordinary natural talent."
"Isn't that Zhu Wu a guy? He only has a Fifth-Grade spiritual root, doesn't he?"
"A Fifth-Grade spiritual root holder can kill a Sixth-Stage white-browed tiger. Could you do that?"
"Didn't they say illusion techniques are hardly effective on monster beasts? Could there be something special about illusion techniques?"
"Didn't you see they used poison? That fellow sprinkled a whole bunch of stuff there."
"I heard it was spirit-numbing powder. That stuff works fine on second- and third-stage monster beasts, but if it were that easy against sixth-stage ones, sixth-stage monster beasts would have been wiped out long ago."
"True. Spirit-numbing powder alone couldn't possibly be that powerful."
"Sigh, comparing people to people just makes you want to die of anger. My sixth-grade fire spiritual root can't even take down a fifth-stage monster beast by myself."
"You have to use your brain. Look: first use poison, then use illusion techniques, and then attack. Doing it that way makes taking on a monster beast of the same tier very simple."
"I need to ask around about what kind of poison that was. If I used it to..." Heh heh.
"..."
Disciples from both the Inner and Outer Sects were buzzing with discussion.
At the new location of Yueying Peak.
After hosting several other elders from the sect, Elder Chen found herself facing another headache with the crowd of disciples outside.
The Inner Sect was brimming with Spirit Qi, and the disciples were chattering away as they looked at the scenery everywhere, completely neglecting any thought of cultivation.
The problem now was that their cultivation methods needed adjustment. Previously, with scarce Spirit Qi, they could only take things step-by-step, but now she could properly train these disciples.
The crucial reason was that the Inner Sect Grand Tournament was less than a year away. In their current state, these disciples would only end up as fish on a chopping board.
Elder Chen's headache didn't stop there.
She couldn't protect her disciples, which was why she didn't want to draw attention.
Because they had entered the Inner Sect through unconventional means, they would undoubtedly be targeted and tripped up come tournament time. It would be fine if everyone just appreciated beauty and showed mercy, but men who showed mercy simply didn't exist in the cultivation world.
"So be it. Let them play to their hearts' content today," Elder Chen turned and walked into the main hall.
"Spirit-numbing powder? On a sixth-stage monster beast, it should only produce a momentary effect, and a Fifth-Level Illusion Technique is the same. Combining them wouldn't be enough to secure a kill for an ordinary person. Even if the white-browed tiger was already heavily injured beforehand... Zhu Wu, oh Zhu Wu, do you have some kind of secret?" Elder Chen muttered to herself.
"Have Zhu Wu come to the study to see me shortly," Elder Chen instructed a steward.
"Elder Chen, you called for me?" Zhu Wu asked respectfully.
"Yo, not calling me sister anymore? Have I grown old?" Elder Chen teased.
"No, no, Sister Chen..."
"Alright, alright, I'm just teasing you. Did you really think I wanted you as a younger brother? Have a seat first," Elder Chen waved her hand.
"Now that you've entered the Inner Sect, are you happy?" Elder Chen asked.
"Mm, I am happy."
"Do you know anything about the Inner Sect Grand Tournament?" Elder Chen asked again.
"A little."
"Without using spirit-numbing powder, what are your chances against a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator?" Elder Chen continued to ask.
"If it's just a spar where victory is decided by a single touch, about seventy percent," Zhu Wu thought for a moment and replied.
"That is to say, you're confident even if you go up against a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator? The gap between the Early Stage and Late Stage isn't like the minor realms in Qi Condensation," Elder Chen asked.
"Mm, I've already reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. I think even against a late-stage cultivator, I should have some confidence," Zhu Wu gathered qi at his fingertips, a small ball of light swirling around.
"Ah? You've broken through again so quickly? You broke through inside the secret realm?" Elder Chen asked in surprise.
"Yes."
"You really know how to give me surprises!" Elder Chen stared at Zhu Wu. "Is there some sort of secret technique? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else."
"This..." Zhu Wu didn't know whether he should speak, even though Elder Chen had been quite good to him.
"If it's inconvenient to say, never mind. It's just that given the current situation, I called you here to ask if you have any experience you can teach your senior sister disciples. After all, they lack the ability to protect themselves," Elder Chen said.
"Sister Chen, how does one test one's constitution? Could it be that my constitution is a bit different from others, making me the type who breaks through easily?" Zhu Wu countered.
"If it were a special constitution, signs of it would show before the age of ten. Did you have anything unusual about you before?"
"Not really. Just that I took a bad fall when I was eight, and after that I couldn't break through my realm. But later on, every now and then, I'd manage to break through consecutively in a short period of time," Zhu Wu thought about it and said.
"If it's just that, there's no way to judge. The sect has a spirit stele for testing constitutions, but aside from the Sect Master, elders, and a few stewards, others generally don't qualify to go to the Main Sect."
"Besides, realms breaking through fast and slow doesn't seem related to constitution. Is there any pattern to your breakthroughs?"
"You spent the whole night inside a secret realm cave—could it be that you can only break through in cave-like places?" Elder Chen instantly caught onto the key point.
"Yes. But ordinary caves don't seem to work either; I don't know the specifics myself—I only find out when I encounter them." Zhu Wu did not mention needing an environment balanced in Yin and Yang, because the scope of Yin and Yang was too broad, and he hadn't fully grasped it yet.
"Then it seems your senior sisters won't be able to learn it. Tell me, if you hadn't used my talisman, how did you plan to kill Young Master Zhang?" Elder Chen glanced around warily, leaned in close, and asked in a low voice.
"I thought your methods might be something you could teach your senior sisters. I can only teach them certain skills, yet I have no way of letting them protect themselves," Elder Chen said.
"Mm... This isn't all that difficult..."
"I would sprinkle the spirit-numbing powder on other monster beasts, and use illusion techniques to make them scatter the powder around the white-browed tiger. With Young Master Zhang and the others already battered and exhausted, continuously casting illusion techniques on both sides would force them to fight until one killed the other," Zhu Wu explained simply.
"Whether it's spirit-numbing powder or illusion techniques, they basically lose all effect on anything above the fourth stage. How did you pull that off?" Elder Chen asked.
"I just added a bit of true qi into the spirit-numbing powder. Once inhaled, it disrupts the circulation of true qi," Zhu Wu laid his cards on the table. "That way, aside from numbness, their actual combat strength drops drastically. A sixth-stage beast won't be much different from a fourth-stage one, and the technique will take effect."
"I see. Ordinary people using spirit-numbing powder would certainly never think to do that. Then, what if you don't use spirit-numbing powder? The Sect Grand Tournament prohibits the use of such drugs, you know." Elder Chen asked again.
"Then we can only rely on illusion techniques. If my senior sisters face Inner Sect disciples, large-scale illusion techniques will definitely be useless, since their true qi isn't as abundant. If it's a breakthrough at a single point, the probability of winning is still quite high," Zhu Wu analyzed.
"In other words, as long as you interfere with the opponent's vision." Elder Chen felt this method wasn't particularly special either.
"No, the eyes are the primary target when casting illusion techniques, so everyone protects their eyes. Aside from their eyes, almost no one guards anywhere else," Zhu Wu said.
"Is that so? To target other parts of the body requires perfect control over true qi. I know how to teach your senior sisters now. Thank you, little brother," Elder Chen said happily.
Elder Chen possessed an ultra-strong talent for illusion techniques, and upon arriving here she had applied them on a comprehensive scale, causing her to overlook this kind of refined fighting style.
"Mm, Sister Chen, I plan to go into seclusion for half a year first. Who knows, I might even break through to the Late Stage," seeing that the conversation had wrapped up, Zhu Wu spoke.
"Alright, alright, keep it up."
Half a year later.
Zhu Wu was brimming with energy and overflowing with true qi. Not only had he brought the "Drifting Dragon Steps" and "Heaven-Shattering Thunder" to Perfection, but even "The Thousand-Wound Art" had reached the Lesser Success stage.
Yet his realm remained unchanged.
"Next, I can take on a few more sect missions and exchange for some more cultivation methods. I should let Elder Chen know first," Zhu Wu thought to himself, and dashed toward the main hall.
"Out of seclusion? Congratulations," Elder Chen smiled faintly, looking somewhat fatigued.
"Mm, thank you, Sister Chen. I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough and plan to go out for some practical training," Zhu Wu replied.
"Practical training..." Elder Chen frowned as if pondering something. After a moment, she said, "Luo Jingjing is dead."
"Senior Sister Luo? How did she die?" Zhu Wu was somewhat stirred.
"Practical training." Elder Chen's brief two words seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds, pressing down on them both.
"Was it people from that peak?" Zhu Wu clenched his fists.
Accidents were impossible during normal sect training; she had clearly been targeted.
"Were you very close with Luo Jingjing?" Instead of answering, Elder Chen asked a question in return.
"Not close."
"Then why are you asking?"
"She and the others were targeted—that has something to do with me, doesn't it?"
"Not entirely."
"I don't like owing favors to the dead," Zhu Wu gritted his teeth.
Senior Sister Luo had fed him a medicinal pill inside the secret realm. In the world of cultivation, that probably shouldn't count as anything at all.
Yet Zhu Wu simply felt stuffy and aggrieved inside.
"Don't overthink it. Some things aren't for you to handle. If you go out for training, just be careful and protect your life," Elder Chen said.
"Go. Only the living have hope," Elder Chen issued her command to Zhu Wu, who was standing motionless.
It was Zhu Wu's first time at the Inner Sect Mission Hall, where he wandered around for three days.
Over those three days, the sneers of quite a few Inner Sect disciples still lingered persistently in his ears.
"Yo, isn't that pretty boy? Hiding in Yueying Peak and never coming out. What's wrong with him today?"
"I heard the last name Luo Jingjing called out with her dying breath was still his."
"I heard Elder Chen gave up her monthly allowance—apparently it was all because of him."
"..."
Suppressing his anger, Zhu Wu accepted four or five missions in the Hengduan Mountains and set off at a leisurely pace.
The sect offered no compensation for injuries or even death during practical training; Luo Jingjing wouldn't even get a hundred low-grade spirit stones.
Although Elder Chen hadn't said who had harmed Senior Sister Luo, dozens of senior sisters had suffered various harms one after another.
Clearly, this was also tied to the power struggle for resources among the elders.
In the forest, dark figures flickered.
Monster beasts. People.
"It seems that even if I don't want to make a move, you won't let me off," Zhu Wu felt a wave of helplessness in his heart. "Isn't it good to be alive?"
In the northeast of the Hengduan Mountain Range, there were fifth-stage blue-flowered snakes, sixth-stage white-browed tigers, and seventh-stage mountain-moving apes.
To the southwest, there were sixth-stage lemurs, seventh-stage coiled-dragon pythons, and rumors of an eighth-stage something-or-other that wasn't marked on the map.
To the southeast, there were sixth-stage lightning crocodiles and seventh-stage white ghouls.
To the northwest, there was a seventh-stage black vulture.
Zhu Wu traced his finger across the map and put it away.
In less than a month, Zhu Wu returned to the Mission Hall to submit his missions, gaining two thousand contribution points.
After staying for a day, he accepted another five missions and set out.
Another month later, Zhu Wu returned to the Mission Hall, traded for less than three thousand contribution points, and then went to the Cultivation Method Pavilion to exchange four thousand five hundred contribution points for an Earth-Grade Medium-Tier manual called "Yueying".
This was a special movement technique. Not only was its speed faster than the Drifting Dragon Steps, but it could also split off phantom figures to confuse enemies.
Another month later, the Sect Master came out of seclusion.
Another month later, the day of the Inner Sect Grand Tournament arrived.
The area around the martial arena was packed with people, and even Outer Sect disciples were allowed to come and observe.
The elders of various peaks sat distributed around the front of the platform, with their respective disciples following behind them.
"This grand tournament is intended for sparring. The top ten will have the opportunity to cultivate within the Main Sect..."
"..."
"Next, please step forward to the arena in the order of your drawn numbers..."
After the steward finished rattling off a long speech, things finally got underway.
"Number one... Winner..."
"Number two... Winner..."
"Number forty-one."
Hearing his number called, Zhu Wu stood up and stepped onto the platform.
"You're finally here, you little handyman!" His opponent, wearing a set of dark red silk robes and holding a long sword, had leaped onto the martial arena in advance, pointing resentfully at Zhu Wu.
"Today, I'm going to skin you alive! Don't worry, I won't let you die."
Although Zhu Wu had anticipated this turn of events and was just about to ask who his opponent was—
"Bath in Fire!" Instantly, flames encircled the platform, and Zhu Wu's clothes began to catch fire.
Zhu Wu hastily circulated his true qi to blow out the flames on his clothes, but a flash of sword light had already arrived.
"Drifting Dragon Steps..." Zhu Wu executed his movement technique, dodging the sword light.
"Flowers Bloom!"
"Leaves Fall!"
"Heavenly Fire Meteor!"
Successive flashes of sword light and spells came at him alternately, leaving Zhu Wu somewhat overwhelmed.
"Beat him to death! Beat him to death!..." Cheers rang out from the stands, and Zhu Wu knew this was to pump up his opponent.
Zhu Wu kept executing the Drifting Dragon Steps, narrowly dodging each time. After this persisted for half an incense stick's time, his opponent grew impatient.
"I didn't expect a little handyman like you to last this long under my hands. You've really ticked me off, big man!"
"Thousand Feathers Kill!"
In an instant, a powerful wave of true qi spread outward, and the scattered flames around them turned into a sea of fire. In the center seemed to be thousands of scorching sword qi rushing toward Zhu Wu from all directions.
"Yueying!"
Zhu Wu executed his new skill for the first time, dodging to the side.
"Crescent Moon! Yueying!"
While activating his Sixth-Level Illusion Technique, he simultaneously executed his movement technique again, kicking out with all his might toward his opponent who was just about the charge over.
"Bang!" With a muffled thud, to everyone's surprise—including Zhu Wu's—the opponent was kicked right off the platform.
"Ah??" Almost everyone refused to believe this outcome, including Zhu Wu himself.
"Number forty-one, the winner is Zhu Wu of Yueying Peak! Next is number forty-two," seeing the opponent sent flying off, the steward announced the result.
"Impossible, impossible, how could I lose! Illusion techniques... right, I must have fallen for an illusion technique."
"Thousand Feathers Kill!"
The opponent glared at Zhu Wu on the stage, channeling his true qi as he prepared to rush back up.
"Slap!" An elder chopped down with the edge of his hand onto the back of the opponent's neck, hoisted him up, and flew away. "Apologies, my little disciple has caused trouble."
"What just happened?"
"He's not a body-cultivator, does a single kick really have that much power?"
"He's not a body-cultivator, but his opponent's true qi happened to be dispersed, so getting kicked off is completely normal."
"He seems to be in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. Could he be one as well?"
"Even in the same realm, getting kicked off by a single kick doesn't make sense. Is this a thrown match?"
"How could that be? They were previously in the Hengduan Mountains..."
"Shh, stop talking."
"..."
Zhu Wu placed ninth, barely scraping a win in his final match through an exchange of injuries.
The top eight were either true successor disciples or genuine paragons of natural talent. If it came down to a life-or-death struggle, Zhu Wu wouldn't even have made ninth place.
Yueying Peak had barely managed to preserve its reputation, but their treatment wouldn't improve because of it.