Mud on His Pants! What Luck

Bang!

Yun Leng raised his hand and slammed it heavily against the table, his icy gaze fixed on Mo Yu. "Speak. What exactly happened?"

Though he had his own selfish motives, favored certain people within the sect, and secretly maintained dealings with the Mo Family, what he valued and cared about most was still his position as the Misty Cloud Sect's Great Elder.

If the Mo Family had done anything detrimental to the sect's interests, he would be the first to refuse. He absolutely would not cover for them.

"Master, I-I don't know!"

Faced with the pressure of a Dou Emperor and the fury of a Dou Wang, Mo Yu trembled all over, completely lacking his usual calm composure.

"There really was a Jade Spirit Fruit Tree there, and I truly did covet the Jade Spirit Fruits, but I never intended to claim the Jade Spirit Fruit Tree for myself. I also had no idea Primal Crystal Marrow existed there."

"If I had dared to keep the benefits there for myself, how would I have dared report the Spirit Gathering Land to the sect!?"

That was not a lie. The methods of a Dou Emperor and a Dou Wang were beyond what the Mo Family could imagine.

In theory, the Mo Family did not have the nerve to claim a Heavenly Material Earthly Treasure for themselves, then voluntarily report the Spirit Gathering Land in hopes of receiving further rewards.

But greed could sometimes make people lose their minds and take desperate risks.

Yun Yun did not merely suspect the Mo Family. She even suspected Yun Leng.

After all, with the help of Primal Crystal Marrow, Yun Leng would have a chance to glimpse the Dou Emperor realm.

However, she did not reveal any of these suspicions. Instead, she withdrew her aura and said, "Great Elder, I will leave this matter to you for a thorough investigation."

"That Spirit Gathering Land is located in the First Mountain Range, the one closest to Misty Cloud Mountain. It is still within the core sphere of influence of our Misty Cloud Sect, and our grand formation covers it."

"To discover that place and silently take away both the Jade Spirit Fruit Tree and the Primal Crystal Marrow, even a Dou Emperor could not accomplish that."

"You should understand what this means."

Of course Yun Leng understood. There was a traitor within the sect.

"Rest assured, Sect Leader. Even if I have to dig three feet into the ground, this elder will unearth that thief!" Yun Leng's voice carried a trace of killing intent.

That was Primal Crystal Marrow. If the sect obtained it, he would eventually have a chance to use it and gain a little more hope of breaking through to the Dou Emperor realm.

Damn thief. This was the enmity of blocking his path!

Yun Yun watched his reaction, unable for the moment to determine whether his acting was simply too convincing or whether he truly knew nothing.

After Yun Leng withdrew with Mo Yu, she immediately sent a message to the Punishment Elder, Yun Shang, summoning her to the Sect Main Hall and instructing her to secretly investigate the matter with her people.

Beyond that, she also activated the backup her teacher had left her—the Misty Cloud Sect's Gate of Death Guard responsible for protecting the Gate of Death, a Dou Wang Peak expert.

Every traitor within the sect had to be caught.

"Hm?"

Within the hot spring, Gu Han rubbed his nose. It felt a little itchy, as though he were about to sneeze.

"I wonder who's thinking about me."

Gu Han composed himself and focused on the Black Tortoise Shell, claiming today's Opportunity.

[In Imperial Capital North City Third Market, a scar-faced middle-aged man has a complete Second-Order Purple Winged Cloud Crane corpse. Inside the Purple Winged Cloud Crane's belly is a fully formed Purple Winged Cloud Crane Egg. The egg's father is a Fifth-Tier Heavenly Demon Phoenix and possesses a dense Heavenly Demon Phoenix Bloodline. If properly nurtured, it has a certain chance of evolving into a Heavenly Demon Phoenix.]

[On the route from the Imperial Capital to Wutan City, one will pass a branch range of the Monster Beast Mountain Range called Thunder Cloud Mountain. At the summit of Thunder Cloud Mountain is a hot spring. If an egg of a wind- and lightning-attributed Magical Beast is placed within it, its Bloodline will be enhanced when it hatches.]

Upon receiving these two pieces of information, a sharp glint flashed through Gu Han's eyes.

These two Opportunities could be considered linked information. Obtaining the first Opportunity would allow him to make use of the second.

Of course, after obtaining the first Opportunity, he could choose not to use the second. Likewise, the latter Opportunity was not useful only for the previous one.

There were more wind- and lightning-attributed Magical Beast eggs than merely Purple Winged Cloud Crane Eggs containing the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Bloodline.

Steadying his breathing, Gu Han rose from the hot spring and went to the place where he could absorb Purple Qi to cultivate.

Time quietly slipped away through his fingers.

When the sun rose in the east, daylight broke.

After finishing his final breath of Purple Qi, Gu Han set off back to the sect.

This time, he did not use his Flying Fighting Skill. Instead, he traveled using Nine Snake Steps, and his speed was still extremely fast.

"Steward, this disciple is here to collect a Rank Badge."

At the Outer Affairs Hall, Gu Han presented his Token and began having his strength verified with the Testing Demonic Stone Tablet.

"Dou Zhe Five... Five-star!?"

The disciple in charge of the test widened his eyes, disbelief filling them.

For a moment, he suspected that either the Testing Demonic Stone Tablet or his own eyes had malfunctioned.

He knew Gu Han. Gu Han had become an Outer Disciple less than a month ago and was not yet fifteen, yet he had actually reached Five-star Dou Practitioner!?

Whoosh!

The Steward instantly appeared before the Testing Demonic Stone Tablet and personally inspected it.

After confirming that there was no error, he asked in a slightly trembling voice, "Gu Han, you broke through to Five-star Dou Practitioner?"

"Some time ago, I received the Sect Leader's reward and encountered a few Opportunities. I was lucky enough to break through," Gu Han replied without changing expression.

Hiss!

A chorus of sharp breaths rang out around them.

"I know this junior brother. He took first place in the Preliminary Disciple Tournament and only became an Outer Disciple a little over twenty days ago. I never expected him to have already broken through to Five-star Dou Practitioner."

"Five-star Dou Practitioner already puts him near the top among nearly a thousand Outer Disciples. He is not even fifteen. In a few years, he will probably become an Inner Sect Disciple."

"Do you think he'll participate in the Outer Disciple Competition?"

"Terrifying. Do you think we can ask Junior Brother Gu Han to be our Dao Companion?"

"Do you usually cultivate so much that you never look in the mirror?"

"..."

The Misty Cloud Sect had nearly a thousand Probationary Disciples and Outer Disciples. Each year, some Probationary Disciples were eliminated; they only received food, lodging, and one cultivation lesson each month. Meanwhile, some Outer Disciples were sent away each year, keeping their numbers constant.

But there were only a little over a hundred Inner Sect Disciples at the Dou Master level, barely exceeding three digits.

There were even fewer Core Disciples at the Da Dou Shi level, only a few dozen.

With Gu Han's age and strength on display, he could be called the most talented disciple in the Misty Cloud Sect at present. Naturally, everyone was astonished.

But in truth, he was already a Six-star Dou Practitioner. He had also mastered several Xuan Grade Dou Techniques and secret arts, and even possessed a Flying Fighting Skill.

"Good, good, good."

The Steward wore an exceptionally warm and kindly smile as he swiftly handled the necessary procedures for Gu Han. Finally, he solemnly handed over a badge representing the status of a Five-star Dou Practitioner.

Gu Han pinned the badge prominently to his chest, then held the Sect Leader Token as he headed toward the Sect Main Hall. Along the way, many people looked at him as though he were a monster.

Within the Inner Hall, Yun Yun sat at the seat of honor, intently studying the map spread out on the table before her.

Nalan Yanran sat quietly beside her, dutifully serving tea.

When she saw Gu Han enter, Nalan Yanran lifted her chin. "Gu Han, you're rather late. Teacher and I have been waiting for you for quite some time."

As she spoke, Nalan Yanran puffed out her budding chest, displaying a badge that showed she had already become a Four-Star Dou Practitioner.

But in the next moment, her somewhat smug expression froze. Staring at Gu Han's chest, she parted her lips in disbelief. "Y-You've already broken through to Five-star!?"

Five-star Dou Practitioner?

Yun Yun raised her head as well, surprise appearing on her face. "Weren't you still at the peak of Four-Star Dou Practitioner last night?"

"I tried to break through to Five-star while cultivating this morning and got lucky," Gu Han answered casually.

Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran: "..."

What luck. We wanted that too.

Suspicion flashed through Nalan Yanran's eyes. Had Teacher met Gu Han privately last night?

At that moment, Gu Han walked up to Yun Yun and took out a hairpin, offering it to her. "Sect Leader, this disciple found something last night..."

Yun Yun's beautiful eyes brightened. This little fellow had finally referred to himself as "this disciple" in front of her.

But the next instant, she laughed.

"This is something you left behind while bathing last night, isn't it?"

Yun Yun: !!!

Nalan Yanran: ???