Rumor had it that Ice River Valley was guarded by a Dou Sheng expert. Burning Flame Valley, which stood on equal footing with Ice River Valley, naturally would not be any weaker, and there were also rumors that a Dou Sheng expert was cultivating in seclusion within the valley.
However, matters concerning Dou Sheng experts were extremely secretive within every sect. For one thing, Dou Sheng experts could not easily appear on the Dou Qi Continent and usually kept themselves hidden, so they were rarely seen to begin with.
Secondly, Dou Sheng experts were simply too rare. There was no guarantee that every era would produce a Dou Sheng expert, which was why the various sects kept such matters tightly concealed.
If a sect's Dou Sheng expert were to suddenly die one day, the outside world would not learn of it immediately. They could continue intimidating other factions and buy time for their sect. Perhaps a new Dou Sheng would emerge to take over and continue protecting the sect.
When I suddenly brought up Burning Flame Valley's secret—a top-secret matter that even many elders within the sect did not know—Tang Zhen's expression turned solemn. He stared at me impassively for a long while without speaking.
The hall abruptly fell silent. Wind Venerable, Xiao Yan, Mu Qingluan, and the others exchanged looks. Tang Huo'er did not know the truth either; she had only vaguely heard related rumors within Burning Flame Valley and could not tell whether they were true. She could not help wanting to speak up for me, but Tang Zhen shot her a glance, frightening her into immediately closing her mouth.
"Hehehehe..."
A burst of dry laughter suddenly rang through the hall, drawing everyone's attention. I remained calm, without the slightest hint of nervousness or unease, and smiled at