From Top to Bottom, There Isn't a Single Honest Person

Before the voice even faded, Xuanyangzi was seen walking over briskly, the hem of his Daoist robe catching the wind, his face beaming with a bright smile.

Behind him, Shi Wanshan was walking with even larger strides, while Li Xuanfeng, Shen Jinghong, and several other disciples followed closely.

Xuanyangzi hurried forward, his gaze sweeping anxiously over Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu, his tone carrying genuine concern.

"Ruobai, Hanyu, are you two alright? I heard you clashed with the people from the Demon Heaven Sect in the secret realm? Are you hurt?"

Shi Wanshan also caught up with large strides, his copper-bell-like eyes staring wide, his voice booming.

"And what about the Great Yan Dynasty! The royal family was uprooted overnight, their entire clan wiped out! I heard the ones who did it were two young cultivators, ruthless and decisive in their killing! Was it you two brats?!"

His gaze was burning with undisguised approval and a certainty of "it must be you." He even gave Xiao Ruobai's shoulder a forceful pat, shaking the young man's body slightly.

Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu exchanged a glance. They didn't admit it directly, but the calmness in their eyes and the lingering trace of sharpness explained everything.

Seeing this, Xuanyangzi let out a long sigh of relief, his face revealing an expression of both gratification and emotion.

He looked at Xiao Ruobai, his tone much gentler. "Ruobai, although you have only been in the sect for half a year, us old folks all know about your background. The blood feud of the General's Manor... has always been a massive boulder weighing on your heart."

He paused, his voice carrying a hint of relieved lightness. "Now that your great vengeance has been exacted, the spirits of the General's Manor can rest in heaven, and you have finally laid down a heavy burden. Good! This is great! Congratulations, child!"

Shi Wanshan also nodded heavily. His large hand patted Xiao Ruobai's back again, this time with a lighter force, his tone carrying a gruff sincerity.

"That's right! Congratulations are in order! If General Xiao Zhan's spirit is watching from heaven and sees how accomplished you've become, personally settling the grudges, he would surely be deeply comforted!"

Li Xuanfeng, Shen Jinghong, and the other disciples also cast gazes of admiration and congratulation.

They all knew what Xiao Ruobai had been shouldering, and seeing his vengeance fulfilled at this moment, they were all happy for him.

Xiao Ruobai took a deep breath and bowed solemnly to Xuanyangzi and Shi Wanshan.

"Thank you for your concern, Sect Master Martial Uncle and Martial Uncle Shi. With this matter resolved, your disciple no longer has any burdens in his heart. From now on, I will devote myself to cultivation and will not disappoint the high expectations of the sect."

His voice was steady, carrying the firmness of someone who had just unloaded a heavy burden.

Right at this moment, Xuanyangzi's gaze inadvertently swept over the unfamiliar figure who had been standing quietly beside Gu Changge—Ling Xi.

The smile on his face paused slightly, and the gratification in his eyes turned into fresh curiosity.

He pointed at Ling Xi and looked at Gu Changge, his tone inquiring. "Junior Brother Changge, who is this young lady...? I was too caught up in the joy just now to ask."

Shi Wanshan also followed his gaze.

Gu Changge introduced her, "Oh, this is Ling Xi. My newly accepted disciple. She just joined the sect yesterday."

A flash of astonishment couldn't help but cross Xuanyangzi and Shi Wanshan's faces; Junior Brother Gu had actually taken in another disciple.

"So it is Martial Niece Ling Xi. I am the Sect Master of the Qingxuan Sect, Xuanyangzi, and this is the Peak Master of Qingyue Peak, Martial Uncle Shi Wanshan. Welcome to the Qingxuan Sect."

His gaze lingered on Ling Xi for a moment longer, trying to discern some clues, but he found that the young girl's aura was tranquil. Her eyes were clear yet carried a composure unfitting for her age; he surprisingly couldn't see through her.

To be favored by Junior Brother Changge, she was indeed extraordinary.

Shi Wanshan also laughed heartily, his voice as booming as ever. "Right, right! Welcome, welcome! We're all family from now on! If you run into any trouble in the sect, just come find your Martial Uncle!"

Ling Xi stepped forward and, following proper etiquette, bowed deeply to the two of them again. Her voice was clear and steady. "Disciple Ling Xi greets the Sect Master and Martial Uncle Shi."

Xuanyangzi stroked his beard and nodded, feeling more and more that this girl possessed an extraordinary bearing.

He pondered for a moment, and with a flash of light in his hand, a warm, smooth jade pendant carved with profound cloud patterns appeared. Spiritual light was contained within the jade, and the faint sound of flowing breezes could be heard from it.

"For our first meeting, your Martial Uncle doesn't have anything too incredible," Xuanyangzi said as he handed the jade pendant to Ling Xi.

"Although this Soul-Calming Clear-Heart Pendant isn't some supreme treasure, wearing it year-round has the effect of focusing the mind, calming the spirit, and nourishing the soul. It should be of some help to your daily cultivation and enlightenment. Consider it a greeting gift."

Seeing this, Shi Wanshan beside him also flipped his large hand. A small cauldron, merely the size of a palm yet unusually heavy and gleaming with a dark golden luster, appeared in his grasp. The body of the cauldron was carved with patterns of a wild bull trampling a mountain, exuding a thick and steady aura.

"I, Old Shi, am a rough man, I don't have that many formalities!"

Shi Wanshan's voice boomed as he handed the small cauldron over as well.

"Take this Mountain Suppressing Cauldron! Injecting spiritual energy into it can enlarge it to about ten feet. Its defensive power is decent, and at a critical moment, smashing people... uh, protecting yourself with it is also pretty good! It's a Heaven-grade low-tier gadget, just make do with it!"

Looking at the two treasures handed to her, Ling Xi felt the undisguised, powerful spiritual energy fluctuations and the charm of their laws, and her heart trembled once again.

Heaven-grade treasures!

Even though in her past life, magical artifacts and pills of this grade were nothing to her, this was the Profound State!

Even in a first-rate sect, Heaven-grade treasures were enough to serve as sect-defining treasures or core inheritances.

Yet now, having just joined the sect, these two Martial Uncles were casually gifting her such precious items?

She subconsciously looked at her master, Gu Changge, her eyes carrying a hint of inquiry and the hesitation of "this is too precious."

Feeling Ling Xi's gaze, Gu Changge merely waved his hand casually and said flatly, "Since they are greeting gifts from your Martial Uncles, just accept them."

She bowed deeply to Xuanyangzi and Shi Wanshan once more. "Disciple... thanks Sect Master Martial Uncle and Martial Uncle Shi for these generous gifts! These items are truly too precious. I will definitely cultivate diligently to not let down my Martial Uncles' high expectations."

Her heart was filled with emotion. This Purple Bamboo Peak, along with this Qingxuan Sect, was refreshing her understanding time and time again.

The atmosphere, resources, and the care the elders showed for the younger generation here were completely different from the cruel path of cultivation she had experienced in her past life.

Seeing her accept them, Xuanyangzi's smile grew a bit warmer. "No need to be so polite. Just focus on your cultivation."

Shi Wanshan also nodded in satisfaction. "Right! Cultivate hard, and if you lack anything, just speak up!"

As Ling Xi received the two treasures brimming with spiritual energy, her heart suddenly stirred when her fingertips touched the warm jade pendant and the heavy small cauldron.

She sent out a wisp of divine sense, silently sweeping it over Xuanyangzi and Shi Wanshan in front of her.

Early stage of the Cave Heaven Realm? Middle stage of the Cave Heaven Realm?

The results she sensed made her slightly taken aback.

This cultivation level...

Placed in the Profound State, it would certainly be considered that of a regional powerhouse, but for a Sect Master and a Peak Master, it seemed... a bit ordinary?

Especially when compared to their lavishness in casually giving away Heaven-grade treasures just now, it revealed a subtle incongruity.

However, just as her mind stirred and she attempted to probe a layer deeper, she acutely detected that the two of them were faintly shrouded by an extremely brilliant, barely discernible breath-concealing barrier.

Again?

The corner of Ling Xi's eye couldn't help but twitch slightly, forcibly suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.

A tremendously absurd urge to complain roared up from the bottom of her heart: Just what is going on with this Qingxuan Sect?

From the master to the disciple, and then to the sect master and the elders, why were they all like nesting dolls? They looked perfectly ordinary on the outside, but just how many layers were hidden inside?

Was hiding one's cultivation base a traditional art form passed down from top to bottom in this sect?

Did they learn this breath-concealing technique wholesale? How come everyone had it?!

She quietly shifted her gaze, sweeping over the core disciples standing respectfully behind Xuanyangzi and Shi Wanshan, such as Li Xuanfeng, Shen Jinghong, and the others.

Mid-stage Core Formation Realm, mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm...

As expected! It was exactly the same!

Her Emperor Soul sensed that every single person carried that familiar, deliberately concealed and suppressed aura fluctuation!

Although they were not as unfathomable as Xuanyangzi and the elders, they were absolutely not as simple as they appeared on the surface!

Ling Xi quickly withdrew her probing divine sense, her mind reeling as if ten thousand horses were stampeding through it.

She completely abandoned the idea of looking any deeper into it.

In this place, anyone who actually believed the cultivation bases displayed on the surface would be a total fool.

Just what kind of sect was this...

She secretly drew in a breath of cold air. From top to bottom, there was not a single honest person! They were all faking it!

A bizarre sense of security, like thinking she might have boarded a pirate ship but finding the ship to be absurdly sturdy, mixed with an overwhelming feeling of speechlessness and quietly spread through her heart.