Lu Yao shook her head. “Although Junior Sister Yu has a formidable reputation, she is colder than ice and keeps to herself. I have only seen her from a distance a few times; we have never exchanged a word.”

She paused, a sudden thought striking her. “However… I am quite close with a Senior Sister from Guizang Palace. We treat each other like sisters in private. Her name is Zi Xiao. She is one of Palace Master Yang’s concubines. I heard she also hails from the Southern Region.”

“Zi Xiao?”

Zhang Xian’s brow furrowed slightly. The name rang a bell, echoing somewhere in the back of his mind, but the specific memory remained elusive. He pushed the thought aside for the moment.

“Hu Yanqing brought Yang Poxiao to the Guiyuan Sect personally, correct?” Zhang Xian asked. “How is their relationship now?”

Lu Yao thought carefully before answering. “In the beginning, they were indeed very close—Master and he even addressed each other as sworn brothers. But ever since Palace Master Yang took control of Guizang Palace and his status skyrocketed to become one of the Upper Six Palace Masters, they have drifted apart.”

She lowered her voice slightly. “Master doesn’t voice his complaints aloud, but the reality is harsh. Jinchan Palace is merely one of the Lower Eighteen Palaces. Master has spent nearly a thousand years building his foundation here. Yang Poxiao is a newcomer, a mere first-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, yet he is heavily favored by the Supreme Elder. Master… must be resentful in his heart.”

Zhang Xian nodded lightly. The answer was exactly what he had expected.

Lu Yao hesitated, glancing at him nervously. She decided to test the waters. “May I be so bold as to ask… is Senior an old acquaintance of Palace Master Yang? or do you have a vendetta against him?”

Zhang Xian shot her a sideways glance. The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly. His gaze pierced her like an ice spike.

“Do not ask questions that you should not ask.”

Lu Yao’s heart seized in her chest. She hurriedly bowed her head deeply. “Yes! Yao’er knows her mistake!”

Zhang Xian withdrew his killing intent and continued his instructions. “In the coming days, focus on interacting more frequently with Guizang Palace. As for other matters, you need not inquire.”

“Additionally, gather the disciples once every half month. Use the pretext of a ‘Senior Sister giving guidance to Junior Brothers.’ If I have new orders, I will arrange them for you then.”

As he finished speaking, he flipped his palm.

A Storage Ring materialized in his hand. He tossed it casually through the air, and it landed with a soft clink in front of Lu Yao.

“Inside, you will find one Low Grade Defensive Spirit Treasure, one Immortal Ascension Pill, and five hundred thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones. Consider it a down payment for completing your tasks.”

Lu Yao froze. Her mind went blank.

A defensive Spirit Treasure? That was a life-saving artifact that even Nascent Soul ancestors dreamed of possessing!

And the Immortal Ascension Pill—a top-tier Earth Grade pill capable of purifying one’s Spirit Root quality? Its value was simply incalculable.

Compared to those two divine items, the mountain of five hundred thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones—a fortune in its own right—seemed almost insignificant.

She stared at the ring, doubting her own ears. Any single item here was enough to make a Nascent Soul cultivator’s eyes turn red with greed. Yet, this Senior had tossed them to her as if they were trash. Coupled with what he had advanced her previously, her personal wealth now surpassed that of an ordinary Nascent Soul expert.

“However,” Zhang Xian’s voice cut through her daze, pulling her back to reality. “Do not reveal these items yet. It would only arouse suspicion. I will find a suitable opportunity to take you out for training. When you return, you can claim these treasures were a ‘Fated Chance’ you obtained during the journey.”

The sheer weight of the surprise and the shock of such wealth made Lu Yao tremble violently.

Thump!

She dropped to her knees, her voice cracking with overwhelming emotion. “Thank you, Senior!! Yao’er will devote her heart and soul to you! I will go through fire and water to repay Senior’s great kindness!”

Zhang Xian waved his hand dismissively. He said no more, turning to walk toward the hall’s exit.

The moment he pushed open the heavy temple doors, the unfathomable, oppressive aura around him vanished instantly.

His shoulders slumped, his belly protruded, and that harmless, simple, and honest grin returned to his face. He waddled away, swaying slightly as he walked, looking for all the world like a clumsy, unremarkable disciple.

Inside the hall, Lu Yao watched Zhang Xian’s disappearing figure, then looked down at the heavy Storage Ring in her hand. She took a deep breath and probed it with her trembling Divine Sense.

It was all real.

Lu Yao clenched the Storage Ring tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

The look in her eyes shifted from shock and wild ecstasy to a steely hardness. She whispered to herself, her voice carrying an unprecedented resolve.

“An opportunity… this really is an opportunity! It is the chance for me, Lu Yao, to soar to the heavens!”

Time flowed like water, calm on the surface but hiding deep currents underneath.

“Yu Yun”—the simple, honest, and slightly clumsy fatty—lived an inconspicuous life among the registered disciples of Jinchan Palace.

Every day, he followed the routine, cultivating the Guiyuan Sect’s basic techniques step by step. He would occasionally ask his Senior Sister Lu Yao some foolish questions, behaving no differently from the other mediocrities in the sect.

However, in the shadows, his Divine Sense spread like invisible tendrils, quietly infiltrating every corner of Jinchan Palace.

He participated in disciple gatherings, listening to the gossip and rumors. He “unintentionally” lingered near places where Elders gave lectures, catching snippets of conversation. He utilized the access provided by Lu Yao to review public sect records and mission briefings.

Through these seemingly ordinary actions, Zhang Xian gained a deeper understanding of the internal situation within the Guiyuan Sect.

Factions stood like a forest, engaged in both open contention and hidden struggles. The status disparity between the Upper Six Palaces and the Lower Eighteen Palaces was vast, leading to uneven resource distribution and brewing resentment. Even within the individual palaces, undercurrents surged.

However, one thing troubled Zhang Xian.

His primary target, Yang Poxiao, was a turtle in a shell. He remained deep within Guizang Palace in Secluded Cultivation, refusing to emerge.

Guizang Palace was located in the core region of the sect, right next to Grandmaster Taichu’s “Taichu Palace.” The Spiritual Qi there was so dense it was almost liquid, and the area was layered with heavy restrictions. Worse, it was faintly enveloped by Grandmaster Taichu’s unfathomable Divine Sense.

No matter how arrogant Zhang Xian was, he wasn’t suicidal. Making a move under the eyelids of a Half-Step Soul Formation powerhouse was madness.

He needed a plan. He needed to lure Yang Poxiao out of his hole.

Unconsciously, Zhang Xian had been lurking within the Guiyuan Sect for nearly three months.

Fortunately, the Guiyuan Sect was similar to the Yunmiao Sect; the restraints on disciples were not particularly strict. Every half month, he would leave the sect and dispatch specially disguised puppets, scattering them like a casting net across the borders of the Guiyuan Sect’s territory to gather intelligence.

On this day, a piece of intel from a remote market town caught his eye.

Jinye Forest, Southeast Edge. Suspected residual aura of [Hatred] detected, accompanied by small-scale disappearances of cultivators.

Jinye Forest?

Information about this danger zone immediately surfaced in Zhang Xian’s mind. It was a vast, boundless primeval forest, infamous for the strange heavenly thunder and fire that perpetually descended within its depths. The environment was harsh and exceptionally perilous.

Half a month later. The Guiyuan Sect Mountain Gate Plaza.

Dozens of disciples stood ready to depart. This was not an ordinary training expedition, but an official joint mission initiated by Jinchan Palace and Guizang Palace.

The objective: Explore Jinye Forest, search for the missing son of the Lingyuan Tower Master, and investigate the traces of [Hatred].

Lingyuan Tower was a powerful subsidiary sect under the Guiyuan Sect’s jurisdiction. The Tower Master’s son had vanished in Jinye Forest, and the bounty for his safe return was as high as several million Middle Grade Spirit Stones.

Because of the high payout, this mission was a “fat job”—a highly lucrative assignment. Naturally, it had “somehow” fallen into Lu Yao’s hands.

And Lu Yao, acting the part of the generous ally, had warmly invited Guizang Palace to participate. Faced with such a profitable opportunity, the other party had gladly agreed.