I Represent the Tianyan Sect

Lizhi looked puzzled, though naturally she didn’t dare suspect whether Chu Xingchen was simply spacing out. After all, a Nascent Soul realm expert like him should, at the very least, be the sect leader of a major faction or an elder of a smaller sect. Someone of his stature was rarely seen by the likes of her, and Lizhi always held the utmost respect for senior cultivators.

“What are you doing here?”

Lizhi heard the voice before she noticed the sudden appearance of an exquisitely dressed, handsome young man standing before her. He glanced at Chu Xingchen with a questioning look, paying no mind to the fact that he was now standing right beside him.

Chu Xingchen wore a somewhat perfunctory smile and replied casually, “Same reason as you, I suppose.”

Xu Jin fell silent for a long moment before finally speaking. “So, your side has caught wind of it too?”

“Since you arrived first, you must know more than I do.” Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow. “Share what you can.”

“For you, of course, I can speak freely.”

Xu Jin’s gaze shifted for the first time to Lizhi, who stood beside Chu Xingchen.

Lizhi was quick to take the hint. Without waiting for Chu Xingchen to dismiss her, she silently turned to leave.

Chu Xingchen reached out, using his spiritual energy to tug lightly at the sleeve of her robe, transmitting his voice directly to her:

“We’ll be using voice transmission. If we don’t want you to hear something, you won’t. This place isn’t safe—don’t wander off.”

Lizhi flashed an awkward smile and obediently stepped back, lowering her eyes to the ground.

After a brief hesitation, Xu Jin transmitted his voice to Chu Xingchen: “The Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect has concrete leads pointing to the Buddhist sects of the Western Oxen Continent. Whether the Central Continent’s Buddhist sects are aware or involved remains uncertain.”

“But we must always prepare for the worst. Right now, our sect is putting up a front by searching outwardly to mislead observers. I rarely appear in public, and my cultivation is… passable.”

“So, the sect sent me here to investigate—primarily to determine whether the Central Continent’s Buddhist sects are also involved, so we can prepare accordingly.”

“This was originally classified sect intelligence, but Senior Bai from your Tianyan Sect exchanged some highly critical information. The Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect is willing to cooperate with the Tianyan Sect on this matter with the utmost sincerity.”

Chu Xingchen gave a slight nod. “Then I, too, shall represent the Tianyan Sect and extend our fullest sincerity in collaborating with the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect.”

Assuming he could actually represent the Tianyan Sect, that is.

Xu Jin, of course, had no idea that Chu Xingchen wasn’t truly a member of the Tianyan Sect.

After all, during the last grand assembly, the Tianyan Sect had practically paraded Chu Xingchen around like a prized treasure they’d kept hidden for centuries, eager to prove that this prodigy belonged to them.

Compared to such a public display, any outside investigations into his background seemed far less credible.

At least in Xu Jin’s eyes, Chu Xingchen was fully capable of representing the Tianyan Sect.

Now that they had established mutual trust, many things could be discussed openly.

Xu Jin subtly gestured for Chu Xingchen to look at a nearby Buddha statue before continuing:

“The great war back then nearly wiped the Western Oxen Continent clean. Not only were countless spiritual veins shattered, but in the direst moments, no one cared about the future. Every means—whether permissible or not—was employed on this land.”

“That’s why the Western Oxen Continent no longer resembles the vibrant paradise described in ancient texts.”

“Beyond that… the spiritual veins here are deliberately suppressed by the Central Continent.”

“After all, demons also rely on spiritual energy. With most of it now concentrated in the Central Continent, any demons seeking resurgence must find another path—even if it’s a dead end. Because having no path at all is worse.”

Chu Xingchen immediately understood. “You’re talking about faith energy?”

Xu Jin nodded. “Right now, when it comes to collecting and cultivating faith energy, the Buddhist sects are unparalleled. Most other immortal sects only have a superficial understanding and lack the sheer volume the Buddhists possess.”

“Moreover, if demons were to resurface, it would naturally begin in the Western Oxen Continent.”

“The monks of the Central Continent may seem detached, but their desire for control runs deep. If the Buddhist sects here are involved with demons, I refuse to believe the Central Continent’s Buddhists are unaware.”

“Buddhist sects have never been well-received by other immortal factions. Their treatment is poor, and most sects refuse to allow them to spread their teachings within their territories. Who knows if they might gamble everything out of desperation?”

“Or perhaps they arrogantly believe they can suppress those already-defeated demons. There’s no shortage of fools who overestimate themselves.”

“I’m here preparing for the Ten Thousand Buddhas Assembly in three days. Such gatherings are typically used to harvest faith energy from devotees. Once the energy reaches its peak, it must be collected.”

“All we need to do is track where that faith energy flows, and we’ll naturally uncover the trail.”

Chu Xingchen glanced around before asking, “Are you the only one here?”

“Fewer people mean fewer mistakes and less exposure.”

Xu Jin answered, then turned his attention back to Lizhi. “This Foundation Establishment cultivator—is she your disciple, or…?”

Chu Xingchen transmitted bluntly, “A member of the Tianyan Sect’s Sky Patrol Division in the Western Oxen Continent. I’m not familiar with the situation here, so having someone to navigate the underbelly is useful. The Tianyan Sect vetted her background before assigning her.”

“Then what were you doing wandering around outside earlier?”

Xu Jin retrieved a faintly red, crystal-like stone from his spatial ring.

“This is faith energy modified by our sect. Even if it gets lost, we can trace it back. I’ve been infusing the Buddha statues with it, hoping to track multiple routes later.”

Chu Xingchen couldn’t help but give an approving thumbs-up.

“Truly worthy of a top disciple from the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect. Keep up the good work. Once you’re done, meet me at Fortune’s Call Tavern. We’ll discuss the specifics of our next steps then.”

With that, he tapped Lizhi—who had been quietly counting grains of sand—on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Lizhi reacted swiftly, offering Xu Jin a polite smile before following closely behind Chu Xingchen.

Xu Jin watched as Chu Xingchen left without hesitation after merely naming a meeting spot. He couldn’t help but transmit another question:

“Where are you going?”

He had shared nearly all the intelligence and plans, and yet Chu Xingchen’s response was just “to the tavern”?

What kind of cooperation was this? No exchange of information? Was this the Tianyan Sect’s so-called “utmost sincerity”?

Chu Xingchen glanced back, then transmitted with a smile:

“Naturally, I’ll be waiting for good news. I don’t have any modified faith energy on me, and you, after all, are the illustrious Xu Jin of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect.”

“I have full confidence in your abilities. No need to trouble yourself further. We’ll join forces when the time comes in three days.”

Xu Jin was momentarily at a loss for words.

Noticing his slightly exasperated expression, Chu Xingchen added:

“Don’t worry, I’ll make my own preparations these next few days. You won’t be working in vain.”

Hearing this, Xu Jin’s expression eased somewhat. If Chu Xingchen could befriend Yuyang and maintain close ties with Bai Xuanling, his word should be trustworthy.

Besides, running into Chu Xingchen was a stroke of luck. At the very least, he was someone Xu Jin could rely on—and with his combat prowess, handling this matter would be smoother and less prone to mishaps.

Xu Jin pondered this for a moment, noting down the name of the tavern before continuing with his tasks.

Concealing these strands of wish power within the Buddha statue was no simple matter—otherwise, he would have finished long ago.

Lizhi walked beside Chu Xingchen, wanting to glance back at Xu Jin once more, only to find that in the blink of an eye, the man who had just been there seemed to vanish into thin air.

Her expression flickered with surprise…

What kind of cultivation level was this? She hadn’t sensed him at all, nor could she even see him…

"He’s the same as me—Nascent Soul stage."

Lizhi heard Chu Xingchen’s reply from beside her and turned to him with wide-eyed shock.

How did this senior hear her thoughts?

Could Nascent Soul cultivators also read minds?

"Without inserting divine sense into your head, no one can hear your thoughts—not even Nascent Soul cultivators."

Chu Xingchen watched Lizhi’s growing astonishment and sighed softly before explaining,

"Your face and eyes betrayed you."

At this, Lizhi narrowed her eyes and subtly swayed her head side to side, as if daring him to guess what she was thinking now.

Chu Xingchen: "…"

For a moment, he wasn’t entirely sure if her mind was still functioning normally.