The Mole

Xuanyangzi stroked his beard, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward the direction of the Law Enforcement Hall—that old fox, Wang Daolong.

Over the past few years, Wang had been secretly and openly associating with the people from the Burning Heaven Palace. Although no hard evidence had been caught, his dodging eyes and the topics he deliberately avoided had long exposed flaws.

"I'll use you to test the effect of this jade pendant."

Xuanyangzi muttered to himself in a low voice. The jade pendant in his sleeve seemed to sense his thought, emitting a very faint halo.

Inside the Law Enforcement Hall, sandalwood incense curled upward.

Several elders sat around a small table discussing matters. Wang Daolong was frowning, analyzing the movements of the Burning Heaven Palace with impassioned tones, as if he were absolutely loyal to the sect.

"In my opinion, the Burning Heaven Palace has been making frequent moves recently. They must be trying to pull some tricks before the Seven Great Sects Tournament. We must set up defenses in advance and absolutely not let them exploit any loopholes!"

As Xuanyangzi lifted the curtain and entered, he happened to hear these words and sneered inwardly—What a good act. If I hadn't been suspicious long ago, I probably would have been deceived by your appearance.

"Elders, you've worked hard."

Xuanyangzi cupped his hands and smiled, his gaze sweeping across everyone seemingly casually.

"Today, I happened to get some newly picked spirit tea, so I came to share it with you all."

As he spoke, he paced closer, and when he reached Wang Daolong's side,

The jade pendant suddenly trembled violently. A dense grayish-black aura of hostility surged from the jade's surface, wrapping around Wang Daolong like a living poisonous vine, forming a faint black mist around him.

A cold light flashed in Xuanyangzi's eyes—There really is a problem!

A trace of imperceptible panic flashed across Wang Daolong's face, but he quickly forced himself to remain calm and said,

"Why did the Sect Master suddenly come to deliver tea in person? It makes us subordinates feel overwhelmed by the favor."

"We are all brothers, no need to be polite."

Xuanyangzi's smile remained unchanged, but his fingertips tightened around the jade pendant in his sleeve. The gray aura grew thicker and thicker.

He didn't stay any longer and exchanged a few more pleasantries with the other elders. When he deliberately approached Elder Li, the jade pendant instantly emitted a warm golden light, as soft as the early spring sunshine.

"Elder Li's cultivation has grown recently. It seems you are one step closer to the Cave Heaven Realm."

Xuanyangzi patted him on the shoulder, his heart completely at ease.

This jade pendant was real.

Subsequently, Xuanyangzi tested everyone in the Law Enforcement Hall one by one.

The result was fine; only Wang Daolong was a spy.

As he left the Law Enforcement Hall, Xuanyangzi's footsteps were steady, but a thin layer of sweat had already seeped from his palms.

He looked up at the sky. The clouds were churning like waves, just like the undercurrents hidden within the Azure Mystic Sect at this moment.

"Wang Daolong..."

He muttered the name in a low voice, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes turning into determination.

"And those monsters hiding in the dark, this time, not a single one will escape."

The Heart-Testing Jade Pendant lay quietly in his sleeve, looking like an ordinary piece of jade, but Xuanyangzi knew that this small jade pendant held the key to cleaning up the sect's tumors.

He turned and walked toward the forbidden area, his pace three points faster than when he came—It was time to let those things that couldn't see the light of day see the sun.

Three days later in the early morning, the main hall of the Azure Cloud Peak was filled with a faint fragrance of tea.

Xuanyangzi sat on the grand chair, twirling the Heart-Testing Jade Pendant between his fingertips, the mirror surface reflecting the calmness in his eyes.

Spread out on the desk was a map of the Azure Mystic Sect's power structure. Three names were circled in red cinnabar—Elder Wang Daolong of the Law Enforcement Hall, Deacon Liu Xian of the Pill Cauldron Peak, and Outer Sect Instructor Zhang Meng.

These were the spies screened out by the Heart-Testing Jade Pendant over the past three days under the guise of delivering spirit tea, discussing cultivation methods, and checking internal affairs.

"Fewer than expected."

"It seems that under my management, the foundation of the Azure Mystic Sect is still quite solid."

Xuanyangzi looked at the names in front of him and grinned, a hint of narcissism flashing in his eyes.

The Azure Mystic Sect had always emphasized character when recruiting disciples. The Heart-Clearing Trial upon entry could screen out ninety percent of those with weak willpower.

And those lucky ones who managed to slip through the net and infiltrate the sect couldn't escape the Azure Mystic Sect's keen observation during their long years of lurking.

Once discovered, they would be dealt with swiftly and decisively, as cleanly as the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

You might ask how Xuanyangzi was able to discover them?

Of course, it was informed by the Azure Mystic Sect's spies lurking in other sects.

In the end, they were assigned by the Azure Mystic Sect to go down the mountain for experiential learning, hunting demonic beasts, and other tasks, and reasonably "died heroically."

Not to mention that there were only three spies among the core members, looking at all the Seven Great Sects of the Mystic State, which one hadn't been quietly planted with hidden lines by the Azure Mystic Sect?

The Deacon Room of the Burning Heaven Palace, the Scripture Pavilion of the Ten Thousand Arts Pavilion, the Elder Group of the Array Breaking Sect...

In the core of every sect, at least three spies from the Azure Mystic Sect were planted, lurking year-round, only passing messages at critical moments.

This was the confidence he had in "hiding his clumsiness" for many years—On the surface, the Azure Mystic Sect stood aloof from worldly affairs, but in reality, they had long woven a net within the textures of the major powers.

You are in me, and I am in you; this is the survival way of the Seven Great Sects of the Mystic State.

The Azure Mystic Sect's ability to establish itself in the Mystic State for a thousand years relied on more than just superficial cultivation.

Xuanyangzi folded the map, his fingertips caressing the patterns of the Heart-Testing Jade Pendant.

Although these three spies were inconspicuous, they each held real power.

Wang Daolong was in charge of law enforcement, Liu Xian managed medicinal materials, and Zhang Meng guided new disciples.

No rush, let the hidden lines follow their tracks and see if they can dig out more useful information.

Once the matter of the spies spread, people would inevitably panic.

Rather than conducting a massive investigation, it was better to boil the frog in warm water, quietly clearing out the impurities in everyday life.

The sunlight outside the hall grew brighter, and Xuanyangzi picked up his teacup, chuckling softly at the curling tea mist

...

Under the bamboo shade of the Purple Bamboo Peak, Gu Changge listened to Xuanyangzi's slightly smug boasting.

He couldn't help but laugh: "Three? That's cleaner than I thought."

"It's all thanks to Junior Brother."

Xuanyangzi's tone carried gratitude.

"If it weren't for this Heart-Testing Jade Pendant, I'm afraid I would still be kept in the dark. Especially Liu Xian, he hid too deeply."

He recalled the scene during the test three days ago—Liu Xian had spoken eloquently about the sect's alchemy affairs and how to expand the Pill Cauldron Peak.

But the gray aura surging from the jade pendant was so thick it couldn't be dissolved.

That hypocritical appearance, thinking about it now, was truly ironic.

"Don't get too smug too early; you haven't investigated the ordinary disciples yet."

Gu Changge's gaze swept over the Azure Mystic Sect in the clouds and reminded him.

The smugness on Xuanyangzi's face immediately receded a bit, and he coughed dryly twice.

"That's natural. Once the core members are checked, the disciples must also follow. However..."

His tone changed, and a sly light returned to his eyes.

"Our Azure Mystic Sect's 'Heart-Clearing Trial' when taking in disciples isn't just for show. Those who can enter the inner sect mostly have acceptable temperaments. Even if there are a few slipping through the net among the ordinary disciples, they won't be able to stir up any big waves."

He paused and added: "I plan to move the Sect Tournament ahead to a month from now. At that time, taking advantage of the Sect Tournament, I will test all the disciples."

"The reason? Suddenly changing the schedule always requires an explanation."

Gu Changge raised an eyebrow.

Xuanyangzi had come prepared, stroking his beard and smiling: "I'll just say that the Seven Great Sects Tournament is imminent, and we need to select participating disciples in advance. This reason is perfectly justifiable; no one can say otherwise."

Gu Changge nodded thoughtfully: "Using the name of the tournament to carry out investigations... You have thought it through."

"That's natural."

Xuanyangzi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his tone carried a bit of anticipation.

"Once the ordinary disciples are screened as well, the Qingxuan Sect will be completely cleansed."