Old Acquaintance
Mo Hua sized up the refined, elegant middle-aged cultivator before him again and asked in surprise, "You're actually from the Shen Family?"
The middle-aged cultivator cupped his hands. "I am Shen Xiuyan."
"Shen Xiuyan..."
Mo Hua silently committed the name to memory, then asked, "Are you an Elder of the Shen Family? Are you in charge of matters in Lone Mountain City?"
The middle-aged cultivator named Shen Xiuyan shook his head. "Matters in Lone Mountain City are not under my jurisdiction. I am an Elder of Xiaoling Sect."
"Xiaoling Sect?" Mo Hua had never heard of this sect.
Shen Xiuyan said, "It is a small sect, ranked among the Hundred Sects of Ganxue. It is not particularly prominent, so it is only natural that Young Master Mo has not heard of it."
"Oh." Mo Hua nodded, somewhat surprised. "Isn't the Shen Family a hereditary clan of Qiandao Sect? You didn't go to Qiandao Sect to become an Elder?"
Shen Xiuyan gave a helpless, bitter smile. "Qiandao Sect is one of the Four Great Sects, the foremost sect in Ganxue Prefecture. Its threshold is far too high. How could it be so easy to enter?"
"Besides, the Shen Family is a great clan with countless cultivators. Competition within the family is fierce. Everyone wants to enter Qiandao Sect. Forget an Elder's position—even a post as an Instructor requires one to rack one's brains and fight until their head is bloodied."
"I had neither the backing nor the ability. I originally wished to travel abroad, seek opportunities, and defy fate to change my destiny... but I found nothing."
"In the end, I could only resign myself to fate. Among the Hundred Sects of Ganxue, I chose an ordinary sect, became an Instructor, and muddled through my days."
"Of course, now