Morning sunlight spilled across the Spirit Field Department of Wanchun Valley, causing the endless rows of green seedlings to sway gently in the breeze.

Han Yu, as usual, made his rounds to inspect his spirit field. The Spirit Corroding Powder from yesterday had only appeared briefly; it hadn’t had enough time to cause lasting damage to the Green Grain Spirit Rice.

Not far away, the sharp whistle of a blade cut through the air.

Li Tonghai had finished his morning sword practice. He gave Han Yu a slight, distant nod of acknowledgment before retreating into his stone house.

Han Yu returned the nod simply.

Was Li Tonghai truly an upright man unafraid of a crooked shadow? Or did he simply not care to hide his strength? Was he a spy from the Spirit Sword Sect, or just a former martial artist from the secular world?

Han Yu briefly considered testing him. If he mentioned the “Three Friends of Quanlin”—famous figures in the martial world—he might be able to gauge Li Tonghai’s reaction.

But he quickly dismissed the thought. It wasn’t necessary.

Wanchun Valley was currently riddled with spies, and the hearts of the disciples were wavering. Han Yu’s primary goal was self-preservation. Helping the sect root out spies was not his responsibility, nor did he possess the strength to play hero.

“Brother Qing, time to eat!”

Hui Ling’s soft voice drifted over from nearby.

Han Yu sensed eyes on him. He turned to look. Tian Qing was standing in his own spirit field, head bowed, ostensibly checking his crops.

Was he watching me just now?

As the thought crossed Han Yu’s mind, Tian Qing looked up. Feigning surprise, he smiled warmly. “Senior Brother Han, checking your field too?”

“Mn.”

“I noticed you didn’t sign up with Steward Hong for the Laborer Disciple competition yesterday. Are you heading over to register today?” Tian Qing asked, his tone casual.

Han Yu kept his expression guarded. “I’m not very confident. I’m still considering whether I should participate at all.”

“Haha, Senior Brother Han, you’re too modest!” Tian Qing laughed. “Yesterday, the Inner Disciples and the two Outer Disciples all praised your talent for techniques. A golden opportunity to become an Outer Disciple is right in front of you. How could you not participate?”

He continued to pile on the flattery. “If Senior Brother Han joins, you’re sure to become an Outer Disciple. Think of all the profound sect spells you could learn!”

Han Yu noted the logic. Tian Qing was right about one thing: staying out of the competition would seem suspicious given the praise he had received. To avoid drawing attention, he had to participate.

However, he had to be careful.

His Breath Concealment Technique was sufficient to fool Qi Refining cultivators. But if a Foundation Establishment cultivator got close and probed his internal Spirit Breath, they would easily detect the blood talisman at his Danzhong acupoint—the mark of the Blood Refining Technique.

He was now at the third layer of Blood Refining, and the talisman bore three distinct blood patterns. It wasn’t something he could simply disperse or hide on a whim.

“Brother Qing, the food is ready… Oh, are you chatting with Senior Brother Han?” Hui Ling walked over, her voice timid.

Tian Qing’s smile vanished instantly. He shot her a cold glare. “What is it to you? Go back inside and wait!”

“Oh.” Hui Ling looked wronged, hesitating as if she wanted to say more. “I just wanted to ask… Senior Brother Han has been here for over a year, so he should have ten Minor Merits by now, right? Could he go to the Technique Pavilion to exchange for a technique?”

Tian Qing’s eyes lit up for a split second before his face darkened again. “Nonsense! How can we pry into Senior Brother Han’s private affairs?”

He turned back to Han Yu, offering an apologetic smile. “My apologies, Senior Brother.”

He hurriedly grabbed Hui Ling and dragged her back toward their stone house.

“What’s the use of saying all that to that Han guy?”

The moment they were inside, Tian Qing raised his hand and slapped Hui Ling hard across the face.

Hui Ling whimpered, clutching her cheek. “Brother Qing, didn’t you say the Thousand Illusions Sect’s ancient secret technique—the one for changing one’s face and aura—is hidden among the five sects of the Southern Region and the Demon Blood Sect? You said you needed to infiltrate Wanchun Valley because it was the most peaceful, and find that technique in the Technique Pavilion…”

“I… I was just trying to help you gather information—”

Smack!

Another slap cut her off.

Tian Qing gnashed his teeth. “Idiot! Is that how you gather information?”

“If I don’t personally select the jade slips in the Technique Pavilion, how will I know which one contains the secret technique? It requires our Thousand Illusions Sect’s unique methods to even identify it! And you asked a Qi Refining second layer Laborer Disciple? What the hell would he know!”

Hui Ling’s cheeks were swollen and red, tears welling in her eyes. She whispered, “Brother Qing, please don’t be angry… This is what I was thinking…”

“It’s precisely because he is a Qi Refining second layer Laborer Disciple that we can use him.”

She hurried to explain. “Look, he’s young. His cultivation is the same as ours. He’s about to enter the Outer Sect. Laborer Disciples in Wanchun Valley are always ignorant of the deeper truths. Even if we ask him to do something strange, he won’t understand the significance.”

“And if he does sense something is wrong?” Her voice dropped lower. “We just kill him. A missing laborer is no trouble for us to cover up.”

“Don’t you think so, Brother Qing?”

Tian Qing raised his hand again. Hui Ling flinched, shrinking back in fear.

But this time, the blow didn’t fall. Tian Qing gently touched her swollen cheek and smiled. “What you say… does have some merit.”

Hui Ling offered a fawning, relieved smile.

Tian Qing pinched her bruised cheek hard. She didn’t dare cry out, terrified of annoying the man she loved.

“Think carefully about how to trick that kid,” Tian Qing mused. “We need him to go to the Technique Pavilion and help us look at the jade slips… We need a proper plan.”

Another restless pair.

Han Yu stood in his field, his expression impassive. He had sensed the subtle oddities in Tian Qing and Hui Ling’s demeanor—the forced smiles, the tension. It was becoming impossible to cultivate in peace at the Spirit Field Department.

All three of his new rogue cultivator neighbors were problems.

Wei Xiaoluo was a Spirit Beast Sect spy. Li Tonghai was likely from the Spirit Sword Sect. And the couple, Tian Qing and Hui Ling, clearly had ulterior motives.

If the screening process for the competition wasn’t too invasive, becoming an Outer Disciple might actually be the safer choice. Moving to the main peak would distance him from these erratic rogue cultivators.

Of course, the trade-off was a higher chance of encountering Elders and Deacons.

It was a gamble.

Weighing his options, Han Yu walked toward the Steward’s office. Hong Liang and Ji Yida were absent; only Hua Qi, the most easygoing of the three, was on duty.

Seeing Han Yu, Hua Qi grinned. “I was wondering why you didn’t sign up yesterday after Senior Brother Jin specifically praised you. You were just waiting to avoid the crowds, right?”

“Come here. I’ll register you. The list has to be submitted to the sect tomorrow, and the competition officially starts the day after!”

Han Yu had already decided to join to avoid suspicion. “I’ll have to trouble Senior Brother Hua, then.”

“No trouble at all. Looking at your age and talent, even if you don’t enter the Outer Sect this time, you’ll definitely make it later.”

Hua Qi pulled out the ledger and logged the details: Han Yu, thirteen years old, Four Spirit Roots, Qi Refining second layer, entry time one year and two months.

Once the registration was complete, Han Yu casually asked about the details of the competition.

Hua Qi was in a good mood, and since no one else was around, he leaned in to explain the reality of the situation.

“This Exceptional Promotion Order… to put it bluntly, the sect is desperate. The situation is severe, and we have no choice but to increase the number of reliable disciples immediately.”

Hua Qi sighed. “Over the past month, our sect has tried everything with the other four sects—diplomacy, begging, even marriage alliances and offering resources just to buy breathing room. But there’s been almost no progress.”

“The sect must prepare for the worst. Yet, we cannot simply open the gates and let mud and sand flow down together, where the good and the bad are intermingled.”

“We can only select the most outstanding and useful individuals from the reliable Laborer Disciples,” Hua Qi concluded. “It’s the only way to bolster the strength of the main peak before the storm hits.”

Han Yu nodded slowly. The reasoning behind the sudden Exceptional Promotion Order finally made sense.