Chapter 54
"Then...did you encounter anyone in the burial ground? Especially anyone acting suspiciously?"
Elder Lü continued to press for answers, refusing to give up.
Strange celestial phenomena are either related to people or objects.
They have been searching the burial site for several days now, but have not found anything suspicious. Perhaps this matter is related to a person, or perhaps someone took the item away.
Therefore, anyone who appeared at the burial site during that period was a suspect.
The ten disciples from his sect who went out for training had all been subtly examined by him upon their return, and none of them showed any abnormalities. Therefore, the clues must lie with other people.
"How are the disciples of the Huashan Sect? Have you run into them since you left? Have they shown any unusual behavior?"
Seeing that the two remained silent, Elder Lü took the initiative to mention the Huashan Sect disciples who had gone to the burial ground for training.
He also knew about the matter of borrowing the ark.
“Reporting to the elder, there were nine disciples from the Huashan Sect on this training trip, all of whom were of exceptional talent. After arriving at our destination, we parted ways and did not meet again,” Cai Sirui stated truthfully.
"Nine people?" Elder Lü asked in confusion. "The Huashan Sect's internal competitions have always only allowed the top eight to receive this training opportunity. How come there's one more person?"
"Well... I don't know either. At the time, we were only told that a fellow Daoist from the Huashan Sect had encountered an accident on his ark and that we should pick him up along the way. We were not told the exact number of people."
The sudden appearance of another person left Cai Sirui bewildered: "However, they are quite familiar with each other. This group of disciples are the more talented new disciples of the Huashan Sect. They are all unfamiliar faces, so we only met them briefly and didn't have much contact with them afterward. Therefore, we don't know the specific situation. It is the disciple's fault, and I ask the elder to punish us."
Wei Ye was quite disdainful after hearing this: "Junior Brother Cai is mistaken."
He respectfully said to the two elders in the hall, "We are indeed not familiar with each other, but the captain of the Huashan Sect's team this time is named Liu Qingqing. She is at the early stage of the Nascent Soul stage and is about twenty-four or twenty-five years old."
Upon hearing that he was in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, the two elders remained unmoved. However, upon learning that the other party was only twenty-four or twenty-five years old yet possessed such cultivation, the Supreme Elder on the head seat couldn't help but glance at Wei Ye disdainfully, wondering if he was lying.
The first and youngest Nascent Soul stage cultivator was twenty years old, and the second was one hundred and twenty years old, who was the Supreme Elder standing before them.
Now a young girl of twenty-four or twenty-five has appeared, who has also reached the early stage of the Out-of-Body stage. Interesting, very interesting. Could it be that this strange phenomenon is related to her?
The Huashan Sect really kept this news a secret.
“Besides that, there is another person, in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, named Lin Zhu, whose age should be similar to Junior Brother Cai.” Wei Ye continued, “Speaking of which, Junior Brother Cai feels that this person looks somewhat familiar. So, Junior Brother Cai, do you remember who this person is? You can report to the elders.”
Seeing that the two elders had turned their attention to him again, he hurriedly explained, "This disciple is dull-witted. I just felt that this person looked familiar, but I think I must have mistaken him for someone else. I don't know this person at all."
"If I truly knew a fellow Daoist with such exceptional talent, I would surely not forget him."
Having confirmed that he wasn't lying, the two elders exchanged a glance. It seemed that this was the only way they could ask him today. However, regardless of whether Liu Qingqing and Lin Zhu were related to this strange phenomenon or not, they were bound to be outstanding figures in the cultivation world in the future. It seemed that they still needed to keep an eye on them in advance.
The upcoming sect competition will be a great opportunity.
Seeing this, the Supreme Elder on the head seat had no intention of staying any longer and suddenly disappeared from everyone's sight.
All three of them relaxed considerably. Although Wei Ye was eager to show off, it didn't mean he wasn't afraid. The pressure from the Mahayana stage cultivator wasn't deliberately restrained; he could crush this Nascent Soul stage ant with a flick of his finger.
Elder Lü then exchanged pleasantries with the two men: "Wei Ye is quite good. He has gained a lot from this trip and will surely achieve great things in the future."
Hearing this, Wei Ye was secretly pleased, but outwardly remained humble and polite: "Thank you for your praise, Elder Lü. This disciple will certainly live up to your expectations."
Elder Lü nodded and said to Cai Sirui, "Sirui, you are only forty years old now, and you are already in the late stage of Nascent Soul. Work hard, and perhaps one day you can break through to the Out-of-Body stage before you are a hundred years old and become famous throughout the world."
"Thank you, Elder. This disciple will do my utmost," Cai Sirui replied firmly.
The transition from Nascent Soul to Out-of-Body is a huge hurdle, and most people need a hundred years to cross it, while some people have not been able to break through even after several hundred years.
Although it's difficult, I must do my best.
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Liu Qingqing and the others returned to the sect safely, and Wen Wan immediately went back to Lanxue Peak to find her good senior brother, Yan Xingchen.
What a joke! She didn't believe there could be such a coincidence in the world. Her experience in the small world was inextricably linked to her good second senior brother.
The promised introductory gift turned into such a thrilling experience, and she was even tricked out of her Soul-Summoning Bell. Now she's a "wanted" existence in the cultivation world.
Her second senior brother is so wicked.
"Master, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, I'm back!!"
Upon returning to Lanxuefeng, Wenwan greeted everyone at the top of her lungs as if she were home.
What's there to be afraid of? There are only a few people on Lanxue Peak, unlike the other peaks which have so many disciples. They have nothing to fear about losing face.
"Junior Sister, you're back."
She was greeted by her refined and gentle third senior brother, Wu Sinian.
"Third Senior Brother, where did Master and the others go?"
Although she has moved to Lanxuefeng, she hasn't been here long and isn't very clear about the situation of her fellow students.
"Hmm... Master has gone out, Eldest Brother is going to take up a post at the Hidden Treasure Pavilion, Second Brother has also gone out and hasn't returned yet, the others are still training outside and their return date is uncertain, only I am at home." Wu Sinian answered seriously.
What? They're all gone?? That's outrageous!
"Third Senior Brother, are you busy?" Wen Wan asked earnestly.
Although Wu Sinian had some doubts, he still honestly shook his head: "I'm not busy."
He was just a useless puppeteer, and he could stop whenever he wanted because it didn't matter and nobody cared.
If Junior Sister Wen asked this question, it's probably because she needs my help with something important. In that case, the puppet-making thing can be put on hold for now.
Unexpectedly, Wen Wan, upon hearing that he wasn't in a hurry, grabbed him and began to launch into a long-winded explanation: "Third Senior Brother, let me tell you, Second Senior Brother has really gone too far...!"
Wen Wan described it vividly, and Wu Sinian listened attentively, responding from time to time. After an hour, he finally finished speaking: "Third Senior Brother, tell me, isn't Second Senior Brother going too far? Now I'm worried that someone will put a sack over my head when I go out."
After listening, Wu Sinian nodded with a sense of shared indignation: "That's right, Second Senior Brother went too far. When Master returns, we'll tell him and have him punish him properly!"
The two seemed to be seeking the support of an elder after being bullied.
"Luckily, I had the 'Flying Fast' that you sent me, Senior Brother, which allowed Aunt Yue and the others to repair the Ark in time and pick us up. Otherwise, I might have already been put in a sack."
Wen Wan sensed that her third senior brother seemed a little insecure, so in addition to expressing her sincere gratitude, she deliberately said these words to encourage him.
Wu Sinian, feeling a little uncomfortable after being praised, said, "I didn't expect it to be so powerful. It's really great that it can help you."
"By the way, junior sister, does that mean you've had a great opportunity? You must be very powerful now!" Wu Sinian said enviously.
Wu Sinian comes from a family of puppeteers. Puppet masters have never been able to surpass the Nascent Soul stage in their cultivation, and even those who have reached the Core Formation stage are few and far between. As the cultivation world has developed, puppetry has become increasingly obsolete. As far as he knows, he is the only one left who still practices puppetry, and his cultivation level stopped at the Golden Core stage two hundred years ago.
It might be hard to believe, but despite his youthful and adorable baby face, he is actually over three hundred years old.
This adorable baby face is also the most orthodox bloodline mark of their puppeteers. If a Golden Core cultivator can live to be 500 years old, he will have this adorable baby face for the first 400 years, and will only slowly grow old and die in the last hundred years.
He failed to develop his puppetry skills, nor did he improve his cultivation level.
This was the ending he knew from the moment he set off up the mountain, and it was also the reason why he joined Lanxue Peak's sect. Other sects and peaks looked down on him, and after switching between several sects, he almost lost the right to remain in the cultivation world.
He liked Lan Xuefeng very much. Although there weren't many people there and his master didn't understand puppetry, his master treated them all equally and would do his best to help him. Whether it was materials or information, his master never shortchanged him within his capabilities.
He could immerse himself in puppetry research here undisturbed for years without having to interact with the outside world, and he liked this kind of life very much.
Wen Wan nodded: "I guess so."
Rather than believing it was a significant increase in cultivation level, she was more inclined to believe it was a "removal of the seal."
The power that had been immersing within her was finally no longer imprisoned.
"That's wonderful." Wu Sinian was extremely envious.
However, he could no longer discern Junior Sister Wen's cultivation level. Either her cultivation was too high for him to detect, or she was wearing a magical artifact that blocked his view. But neither of these possibilities mattered to him.
Because Junior Sister Wen is Junior Sister Wen, regardless of whether she is strong or weak, she is still their junior sister.
"Third Senior Brother, I'm going to refine some pills first. Call me if you need anything." Remembering the hot dragon core in her space, Wen Wan knew she couldn't be lazy anymore.
However, she still couldn't figure out why she was able to absorb the filthy energy in the small world, including the demonic energy mixed in with it, and why she seemed to be completely unaffected, instead breaking through the shackles and greatly increasing her cultivation level?
If you think about it that way, wouldn't it be possible for her to absorb all the demonic energy from Brother Chu's body using the same method, even without purification?
Then whoever accidentally falls into demonic possession and comes looking for her, right?
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