I Am the Undercover

There are differences even among those at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Ye Chuan, with his Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment, peerless physique, and spiritual roots, made ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators seem rather weak in comparison.

This was the advantage of laying a solid foundation.

After spending so much on resources, how could he be on the same level as ordinary cultivators?

Wouldn’t that mean all that investment went to waste?

After issuing a warning to those Foundation Establishment cultivators, the line at the mountain’s entrance thinned considerably. Once the opportunists left, Ye Chuan noticed the queue slowly advancing into the sect’s gates.

Following the crowd inside, he arrived at a massive plaza spanning over a thousand zhang, with a stone monument placed at its center.

Elders and peak masters of the Qingyun Sect observed from a nearby pavilion, overlooking the scene below.

"Hey, handsome, what’s that?" Ye Chuan tapped the man in front of him again, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Don’t touch me!" The man glared, clearly irritated by Ye Chuan’s behavior. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this guy might have ulterior motives.

Men and women shouldn’t be too familiar, and men with men? Even more so!

"Then explain it to me?" Ye Chuan asked.

"That’s a testing stone. It measures spiritual root aptitude. If your talent is exceptional, you might even directly qualify as an inner disciple and receive focused training."

After his explanation, the man gave Ye Chuan a strange look. "There are no eggs here. You should just go home."

"Pfft, do I look like someone who’s obsessed with eggs?"

"Weren’t you here for the eggs in the first place?!"

...

At the center of the plaza, an elder in immortal robes spoke softly once all the candidates had entered. His voice, though not loud, reached every ear.

"Those who have reached the Qi Refinement stage may step forward first."

Hearing this, a few individuals moved ahead.

"Reaching Qi Refinement before the age of twenty or thirty requires resources only noble families can provide. For us commoners, even with cultivation aptitude, we’d have to start as labor disciples if we’re lucky enough to join the sect," the man in front lamented. But then he noticed Ye Chuan walking out.

He immediately called out, "What are you doing?!"

"Didn’t he say Qi Refinement cultivators can go up? I qualify." Ye Chuan grinned and strode forward, leaving the man utterly bewildered.

Wait, so you were just messing with me earlier?

Ignoring the man’s resentful glare, Ye Chuan rubbed his chin as he studied the stone monument.

His reason for participating in the Qingyun Sect’s disciple selection was purely to stir up trouble.

After all, if he died this time, who knew where on the Tianxuan Continent he’d respawn? Might as well make the most of this opportunity.

Cause chaos—that was Ye Chuan’s favorite pastime.

Especially since these people had bullied his Little Qianshuang.

That clueless foodie had even been hunted down while posing as the Demon Sect’s Holy Maiden. Ye Chuan felt compelled to do something about it.

Unbeknownst to him, while he was eyeing the monument, numerous gazes had also fallen upon him and the others.

"Elder Ziyun, this year’s batch seems quite promising," remarked a strikingly beautiful woman beside the elder who had spoken earlier.

"Over a dozen have reached Qi Refinement, more than in previous years," Elder Ziyun mused before instructing the candidates to begin their aptitude tests.

"Lin Feng, twenty-nine years old, early-stage Qi Refinement. Fire, Water, and Wood spiritual roots. Decent aptitude."

"Xiao Ding, twenty-seven years old, early-stage Qi Refinement. Wood and Fire spiritual roots. Decent aptitude."

"Zi Su, nineteen years old, mid-stage Qi Refinement. Ice and Poison spiritual roots. Exceptional aptitude."

"..."

One by one, the candidates stepped up for testing. Soon, it was Ye Chuan’s turn.

"Next. State your name," the testing disciple instructed.

"Huang Haotian," Ye Chuan replied with a smile.

"Huang Haotian, approach the testing stone."

As Ye Chuan stood before the monument, he hadn’t even touched it yet when several elders in the distance showed signs of surprise.

They realized they couldn’t discern his cultivation level at all.

Their probing spiritual senses vanished upon entering his body, as if swallowed whole, returning no feedback whatsoever.

This was because Ye Chuan’s Chaotic Immortal Body had grown stronger alongside his power. Unless he deactivated it, not even the heavens could determine his true strength.

"This young man is unusual," Elder Ziyun stroked his beard, his interest piqued.

What ordinary cultivator would possess artifacts capable of concealing their cultivation?

"Here?"

Following the disciple’s guidance, Ye Chuan placed his hand on the stone.

A cool sensation spread from his palm, but instead of glowing, the monument darkened as if stained. Simultaneously, his age and cultivation level materialized.

The testing disciple exclaimed in shock,

"Huang Haotian, eighteen years old… Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment?! Spiritual root attributes… undetectable?"

The words "Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment" instantly drew everyone’s attention.

An eighteen-year-old at the peak of Foundation Establishment?

This was the caliber of a top-tier genius in any major sect!

"Eighteen and already at Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment? This one belongs to my Flying Sword Peak!" Elder Ziyun’s eyes gleamed as he appeared before Ye Chuan in a flash.

"Now, now, Elder Ziyun, this handsome young man is also of interest to our Falling Blossoms Peak," the beautiful woman from earlier materialized beside him, laughing coquettishly, her gaze unabashedly covetous.

From the pavilion, more elders and peak masters could no longer restrain themselves. Witnessing such talent, they rushed forward.

"The Artifact Forging Hall claims him!"

"Nonsense! A prodigy like this, wasted on blacksmithing? Divine Cloud Peak will take him!"

"Hand him over! Hundred Blossoms Peak hasn’t had a new disciple in years!"

"..."

The elders bickered relentlessly. At his age, Ye Chuan was a rare find indeed.

Even the Qingyun Sect’s homegrown geniuses, showered with resources, rarely reached Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment before eighteen.

"You’re Huang Haotian?" Elder Ziyun fixed his gaze on Ye Chuan. "Did you achieve this cultivation on your own? Do you belong to a clan?"

"Beats me. I just woke up like this one day," Ye Chuan replied cheerfully. "So my talent’s that good, huh?"

Woke up like this?

Could it be… enlightenment?

Legends spoke of cultivators who never trained yet ascended through comprehending the Dao itself—far surpassing ordinary practitioners.

Becoming a sage through a single epiphany wasn’t just a myth.

Ye Chuan could feel the elders’ and peak masters’ gazes growing increasingly fervent.

Perfect.

I’m a mole.