They Seem to Be Discussing How to Save the World

Chu Xingchen stepped into the room with ease, noticing Xie Lingyu’s absence—likely off on some errand. He casually picked up a spirit fruit from the side, one that was clearly of great value.

This fruit was unique to the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect, renowned for its exquisite taste. Back during the competition years ago, Chu Xingchen had taken quite a few home with him.

He figured these must have been brought by Xu Jin.

With a playful smirk, Chu Xingchen teased, "As a core disciple of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect, you naturally have the freedom to go wherever you please. But I’m curious—how did you even know we were here?"

Xu Jin smiled faintly. "I asked Yanyun, of course."

"Try this. It’s not easy to come by," Chu Xingchen said, tossing the spirit fruit to Zhang Miaoyu, who looked increasingly uneasy. Then he turned back to Xu Jin. "You came looking for me specifically—I doubt it’s for anything good."

Xu Jin didn’t even lift his gaze, replying calmly, "As if you ever seek me out for anything good either. Last time, you promised to treat me to wine and then vanished without a word."

Chu Xingchen chuckled. "Well, better late than never. This time, with Daoist Yuyang as our witness, I’ll make good on that promise."

"Not now," Daoist Yuyang interjected, picking up an urgent jade slip from beside him and sliding it toward Chu Xingchen with a flick of spiritual energy. "First, take a look at your disciple’s exploits."

Chu Xingchen caught the slip and probed it with his divine sense.

Within moments, he grasped the full extent of his fifth disciple’s initiative.

Raising an eyebrow, he said, "If he’s confident, then we’ll support him. Isn’t a master’s duty to clean up after his disciple? If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility."

Daoist Yuyang didn’t press further—clearly, the disciple was a reflection of the master.

Cui Hao was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and diving this deep into danger was undeniably reckless.

"Keep a closer eye on your own disciple. I’d rather not have the Taidao Sect cleaning up your mess again," Daoist Yuyang remarked lazily, his gaze shifting to Zhang Miaoyu, who stood nervously behind Chu Xingchen.

One glance was all it took for Daoist Yuyang to confirm that Zhang Miaoyu was no disciple of Chu Xingchen’s.

Her Golden Core cultivation was far too unstable—a telltale sign of a rogue cultivator or someone from a minor sect.

Say what you would about Chu Xingchen, but he took disciple training seriously. Every one of his students had a foundation so solid it surpassed even the standards of the Eighteen Great Sects. Even Cui Hao, still in Foundation Establishment, exuded the aura of someone who had honed their skills meticulously.

Zhang Miaoyu, sensing Daoist Yuyang’s scrutinizing gaze, grew even more tense—or perhaps guilty.

Daoist Yuyang had been a legendary figure across the Eastern Victory Divine Continent during his Nascent Soul days, further elevated by his status as a core disciple of the Taidao Sect, one of the Eighteen Immortal Sects.

Back when Zhang Miaoyu had been spouting nonsense, nearly half of her wild boasts had revolved around Daoist Yuyang.

After all, established legends had real, undeniable feats—making up stories about them would only invite ridicule. But the younger generation, those Nascent Soul cultivators without decisive achievements yet claiming invincibility in their realm? That was just arrogance.

"Flawless Daoist? What a joke. Feed a pig enough resources, and even it could become a flawless hog," she’d once sneered.

"If I had those resources, I could crush Daoist Yuyang under my finger."

Back then, she’d been utterly shameless in her exaggerations.

Zhang Miaoyu knew exactly where she stood in the grand scheme of things. Catching a glimpse of Daoist Yuyang in her lifetime was already a stroke of luck—might as well brag, since there’d be no consequences.

In her tales, Daoist Yuyang had been "slaughtered" by her at least three hundred times, turned into a pig two hundred times, and begged for mercy on his knees another hundred.

The number of cultivators who’d heard these boasts directly from her likely numbered in the thousands.

And who knew how many more had spread the stories further?

Right now, Zhang Miaoyu’s greatest fear was that Daoist Yuyang would suddenly say, "So you’re Zhang Miaoyu, the one who made me kneel and beg for mercy?"

If that happened, she’d probably drop to her knees in mortification on the spot.

Chu Xingchen noticed Zhang Miaoyu’s inexplicable tension and her refusal to meet Daoist Yuyang’s eyes. He stepped forward slightly, shielding her from the scrutiny, and introduced her with deliberate emphasis.

"This is Zhang Miaoyu, the sole outer elder of our sect and one of its pillars. Show some respect—starting with you, Yuyang. Come greet Elder Zhang properly."

Daoist Yuyang’s gaze snapped back from Zhang Miaoyu to Chu Xingchen, only to find the latter raising an expectant eyebrow.

Chu Xingchen had always been fiercely protective—a trait Daoist Yuyang actually admired. And Zhang Miaoyu did seem genuinely rattled.

With a quiet sigh, Daoist Yuyang gave Zhang Miaoyu a slight nod.

"Then I wish Elder Zhang a prosperous path to immortality."

"Y-You’re too kind," Zhang Miaoyu stammered, hastily returning the gesture.

Chu Xingchen patted her shoulder reassuringly and sent a private message:

"Relax. These are allies. You’re no rogue cultivator anymore—you’re a sect elder with backing. As long as your conscience is clear, the sect stands behind you."

Zhang Miaoyu met his calm gaze and nodded slowly, her tension easing considerably.

Her sect leader was a top-tier cultivator who could rub shoulders with legends as equals.

Chu Xingchen turned away, walking naturally toward the empty seat of honor. His eyes settled on Xu Jin as he said flatly,

"Out with the bad news. The longer you wait, the less likely I’ll have time to deal with it."

Xu Jin’s expression turned serious. "It’s not necessarily bad news for you. We’ve been tracking the same leads and have gathered just as much intel."

"Last time in the Western Oxhorn Continent, you said that Nascent Soul woman wasn’t human but a demon—though I couldn’t see it myself."

"We’ve done research since then, expending considerable effort. What we’ve determined is that this is likely the work of a Dao."

"We originally planned to consult the Tianyan Sect, but at Yanyun’s place, we saw a replicated prototype."

"That thing might be what’s blurring the line between humans and demons for us."

"The Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect has already dispatched experts to collaborate with the Tianyan Sect on further study."

"The demons’ understanding of this far surpasses ours. But the fact that they’re still experimenting means they’ve hit an insurmountable bottleneck."

"It’s probably a usage restriction—or perhaps it requires specific conditions. We’re certain this transformation comes at a steep cost, with an extremely high mortality rate."

"And there must be weaknesses, ones that are obvious upon closer inspection. Maybe internal, maybe related to the divine platform. There’s definitely something abnormal compared to ordinary humans—and the abnormalities vary. That’s why they haven’t dared infiltrate the Eighteen Immortal Sects."

"At the very least, we need to figure out how they’re using this thing."

"That way, we can at least distinguish humans from demons quickly. For us, that’s critical."

Chu Xingchen slightly raised his eyes. "This aligns with my calculations. However, we should first observe Cui Hao's situation before making further decisions. Acting too boldly would only startle the snake in the grass."

"You're leading this operation, so I have no objections," Xu Jin replied with a firm nod, then turned his gaze to Daoist Yuyang. "But I have a suggestion—if things spiral out of control, I propose allowing the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect's cultivators to intervene."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Daoist Yuyang spoke. "I will discuss this with the sect leader and give you an answer in a few days."

Zhang Miaoyu, holding a fruit in her hand, listened in bewilderment as these legendary figures debated their plans.

It sounded like… they were discussing how to save the world…

A topic like this—standing here, she suddenly felt a little… out of place.