“Back so soon? What is it now?”

Elder Lü had barely led Han Yu to the entrance of the Great Hall when Sect Leader Qi’s voice drifted out, laced with undisguised impatience.

Hadn’t they shown off enough for one day?

Elder Lü’s response was grave. “Sect Leader, I believe my disciple, Han Yu, may possess ‘Universal Comprehension.’ I request that you and the Council of Elders verify this immediately.”

Sect Leader Qi paused. He heard the solemnity in Lü’s voice; there was no excitement, no boasting—only a heavy, earnest confusion. Intrigued, the Sect Leader stepped out of the hall.

“Universal Comprehension is a legendary talent. Why do you look as if you’re attending a funeral, Elder Lü?”

Lü sighed heavily. “Because my disciple has been terribly victimized by that traitor, Zhu San.”

He gestured to Han Yu. “In the past two years, Han Yu rashly cultivated two jade slips sold to him by Zhu San. Although he mastered them silently and successfully, we have no way of knowing the ultimate price he might pay.”

“First, I suspect his talent really is Universal Comprehension. Second, I fear his foundation may have been damaged by these secret arts of unknown origin.”

Sect Leader Qi’s expression darkened instantly. “That black sheep again!”

“The Sect gave Zhu San a chance to reform, yet he colluded with outsiders. If I had known his character was so rotten, I would have executed him years ago!” He turned his gaze to Han Yu. “What secret arts did he sell you?”

Elder Lü placed a steadying hand on Han Yu’s shoulder, signaling him to remain calm.

“Sect Leader, the boy is young and might leave out details. Let me explain.”

Lü began to list the anomalies, ticking them off on his fingers.

“As I knew before, Han Yu mastered the Wind Blade, Sharp Gold, and various protection spells with zero latency. Later, his performance with the Phantom Body and Vision Confusing techniques was outstanding—surpassing the original manuals.”

“Then came the Green Wood Protection Technique. He succeeded immediately, without any spiritual wood aura to guide him.”

Lü’s voice grew more insistent. “He grasped the Spirit Beast Sect’s Beast Heart Psychic Pact in days, and can now command a murder of crows. The sword technique gifted by Supreme Elder Yin Hong of the Spirit Sword Sect? Mastered. His power is no less than that of a dedicated sword cultivator.”

“And today,” Lü finished, “I learned he cultivated three other techniques. One is the Breath Concealment Technique. Even at the Foundation Establishment realm, I had to forcibly break his Spirit Breath cloak to see his true level.”

Sect Leader Qi smiled slightly, his interest piqued. His eyes narrowed, sharpening like electrified blades as he cast a remote probe over Han Yu.

“Indeed. This Breath Concealment is extraordinary. Without forcibly piercing the veil, it is nearly impossible to detect—”

The smile on Qi’s face slowly vanished.

His gaze locked onto Han Yu. An invisible, terrifying fluctuation slammed into the air, freezing the disciple in place.

If Han Yu dared to twitch, he would be obliterated on the spot.

Prior to this, Han Yu had never given the Sect Leader reason to be suspicious. He was a meritorious Outer Disciple, the student of a trusted Elder. For a Golden Core cultivator to forcibly invade a junior’s body with a spiritual probe was unthinkable—an insult to their own status.

But today, Sect Leader Qi had looked.

And in Han Yu’s Danzhong acupoint, he saw the crimson glare of a Blood Talisman.

“Sect Leader, I haven’t finished—”

Elder Lü sighed and took a step forward, placing his own body between Han Yu and the crushing weight of the Sect Leader’s aura.

Qi’s eyes were cold. “What? Are you blind, Lü Qing?”

“This is the Blood Refining Demonic Art! This is no trivial matter!”

Instead of retracting his aura, Qi expanded it, enveloping Elder Lü in the suppression as well.

“I know,” Elder Lü gritted out, his Foundation Establishment cultivation groaning under the pressure of a Golden Core master. “Please… let me finish.”

“Speak.”

Sect Leader Qi did not withdraw his power. The air in the courtyard felt heavy as lead, the Golden Core realm’s dominance fully displayed.

Elder Lü struggled to stand upright. Behind him, Han Yu fared worse. Though he only bore the residual pressure, it felt as if a prehistoric beast was breathing down his neck. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but the lethal threat locking onto him from all directions kept him frozen, his muscles pulled taut as bowstrings.

“Besides the concealment,” Lü gasped, “my disciple cultivated two unknown jade slips from Zhu San.”

“The first is the Spirit Root Refining Art. He successfully refined one Spirit Root… changing his aptitude from Four Spirit Roots to Three Spirit Roots.”

Sect Leader Qi’s eyes widened, but there was no joy in them. He stared piercingly at Han Yu.

“Four Spirit Roots to Three? Qi Refining level four to level five? Are you truly Han Yu, or a body snatcher?”

“Disciple is Han Yu,” Han Yu replied through clenched teeth, his voice strained but steady under the crushing weight.

Qi did not respond. He waited for Lü.

“The other manual,” Lü continued, “was the Spirit Blood Technique. Zhu San claimed that by circulating Blood Essence daily, one could condense power to attack enemies.”

Qi frowned. “What Spirit Blood Technique? I’m asking when he learned the Blood Refining Art!”

“Sect Leader, listen!” Lü explained hurriedly. “He mastered Green Wood Protection without wood aura. He mastered Spirit Root Refining and actually improved his talent.”

“This Spirit Blood Technique… he merely followed the instructions. By circulating his essence daily, he naturally formed the Blood Talisman. He reached the fifth layer of Blood Refining—a stage that requires Demonic Cultivators to devour piles of ‘Blood Food’ to achieve!”

Lü shouted the conclusion. “Sect Leader, my disciple possesses Universal Comprehension! He is not a spy!”

Sect Leader Qi’s aura did not waver. His cold eyes swept over master and disciple.

“Your word is not enough.”

“Sect Leader!” Lü cried out. “What spy possesses such peerless talent?”

“If his heart were not with the Sect, he could have fled! With his ability, he would be a king among Rogue Cultivators. Why stay? Why confess to us?”

The logic struck home. Sect Leader Qi’s expression softened slightly.

“Even so… it is suspicious.”

“I cannot decide this on your one-sided account. Nor should I decide it alone.”

Finally, the crushing weight of the Golden Core aura vanished.

Qi’s lips moved silently, sending a voice transmission. He summoned Golden Core Elders Yan Ming, Bai, and Mou to the Great Hall immediately.

As the pressure lifted, fine beads of sweat broke out on the foreheads of both Elder Lü and Han Yu. It was the visceral relief of travelers who had stumbled upon a tiger in the mountains and miraculously survived.

Moments later, the three Elders arrived. Seeing the grim atmosphere, they immediately asked for the situation.

Sect Leader Qi stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He recounted the events: Han Yu’s slaying of the Spirit Beast Sect disciples and the Demonic Cultivator, followed by the revelation of the Spirit Root Refining Art and the Spirit Blood Technique.

Elder Yan and the others were dumbfounded. One by one, they stepped forward to personally sense Han Yu’s cultivation and Spirit Roots.

“Qi Refining Level 5… Blood Refining Level 5… a refined Spirit Root…” Elder Bai murmured, his eyes wide.

“If this is true, the distinction between Orthodox and Demonic arts is irrelevant.”

“The urgent matter is to verify his identity,” Elder Bai continued. “Is this person truly Han Yu?”

Elder Yan nodded sharply. “And we must analyze the impurities in his Blood Essence. We must know if he has consumed Blood Food. If he has eaten the flesh of beasts or humans to gain power, the residue will not lie.”

“If he passes these two tests,” Yan concluded, “then Han Yu is a true disciple of Wanchun Valley. A genius.”

Elder Yan and Elder Bai looked to the Sect Leader. Elder Lü immediately nodded in agreement.

Elder Mou stroked his beard, his gaze calculating. “If he truly is a genius with Universal Comprehension, we must clear his name quickly so the Sect can make use of him. We cannot afford endless suspicion.”

“I propose a third test,” Mou said, looking at Han Yu. “Give him a special secret art. Limit the time. If he can master it on the spot, it will prove his Universal Comprehension beyond a doubt.”