Shortcomings

The words of the man made of smoke left Luo Qiuzhen feeling completely unsettled.

Luo Qiuzhen pondered incessantly, suddenly realizing something, and asked urgently, "Brother, when dispersing one's cultivation, the overflow of mana has a massive impact on the body. It can even be used as an opportunity to distort one's form and reshape the sinews and bones. If one were to control it intentionally, could one change their height and physique? Furthermore, could the searing of the heart by fire also alter one's voice?"

The man in the black smoke paused, only speaking after a long while, "I have never dispersed my own cultivation, so how would I know? These are just rumors, unverified, but in theory, it is indeed feasible. However, the pain of reshaping one's body must be immense, to say nothing of enduring the agony of being burned."

"Then, among the three people you know, is there anyone with a firm resolve and a strong will?"

The black smoke thought for a moment before replying, "Qing Lin is free-spirited, fond of wine, chess, and beautiful women. I do not believe he possesses the ruthlessness to disfigure himself for the sake of revenge. As for Xin Xiaoye, she is the daughter of Xin Ranzi and has been pampered since childhood. While she is a decent girl, when it comes to willpower and determination, she is far lacking; she might not even conceive of such a notion."

"And what about Bai Yu?"

The man in the black smoke thought for a moment and said, "I do not know him well."

"You don't know him?"

"I had little contact with Bai Yu. I only know that he had been in the sect for three years, yet he spent his days idling about, learning a bit here and a bit there, neglecting his duties and wasting resources. He often made his master... made Xin Ranzi stomp with rage, yet for some reason, he was highly regarded and treated with extreme favoritism..."

When mentioning the word favoritism, the tone of the man in the black smoke already revealed deep-seated jealousy.

Luo Qiuzhen understood what he meant, "So this Bai Yu also does not seem like the type of person who could do such a thing?"

"Disfigurement, dispersing cultivation, melting sinews and changing bones in a furnace of fire—this is not something one can do without immense willpower... I truly do not believe any of those three could achieve this. In any case, I could not. Luo Qiuzhen, I fear you have targeted the wrong person this time."

As the man in the black smoke spoke, he quietly departed, leaving Luo Qiuzhen standing there in a daze.

At that moment, his mind was a complete blank.

Perhaps Fu Dongliu was right; reasoning based on speculation is entirely flawed if even a single point is wrong.

Yet, having finally obtained a lead, Luo Qiuzhen was unwilling to give up just like that.

After pondering for a long time, Luo Qiuzhen finally said, "Xi Jiang."

The Inspection Hall disciple appeared at Luo Qiuzhen's side, "Deacon."

Luo Qiuzhen said, "I have always felt there is something off about this Ning Ye, but I have no evidence. So, I am giving you a task now."

"You want me to tail him?"

"Correct. With your cultivation, if you watch him, he will certainly not notice. I want you to record all his habits and not miss a single thing he does each day."

Xi Jiang hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded in agreement.

However, watching Luo Qiuzhen's back, Xi Jiang snorted, "Watch him twelve hours a day? Is he crazy? Do I not need to cultivate?"

Saying this, he called over a subordinate, "Arrange a few people to take turns watching this man named Ning Ye."

With that, he went on his way.

Inside the Thousand Mechanism Hall, watching this scene, Ning Ye smiled.

Suddenly, he realized that Luo Qiuzhen had a major flaw.

He was intelligent, but he was not skilled at managing people.

Everyone has selfish motives, and management is a profound discipline. Luo Qiuzhen was focused solely on advancement and handling cases; he was clearly not proficient in the art of management. In reality, this was not just his problem, but the problem of all immortal sects—a rule established by force naturally leads to an obsession with force and a disdain for everything else.

Whether it was intelligence or management, the immortal sects did not value them. Those who did were often considered distracted by side issues, which was detrimental to the Great Dao.

This might be correct, but it was Ning Ye's opportunity, and it was where Ning Ye truly surpassed all of them.

Discovering Luo Qiuzhen's weakness made Ning Ye breathe a sigh of relief.

Yet, another doubt surfaced in his mind.

The Heavenly Mechanism Sect had been destroyed; why did the traitor remain a mystery to this day?

This made no sense!

He had ignited the Soul-Lodging Token, only to discover that this person was protected by a great power; he couldn't even calculate the identity with the Soul-Lodging Token, wasting it for nothing.

Ning Ye was at a loss; this time, he could not figure it out no matter how hard he racked his brain.

"Ah! Junior brother, I can't take it anymore!"

"Let me die!"

"Hold on, don't give up."

"No! No!"

Xin Xiaoye screamed in agony, trying to rush out of the fire, but was met with Ning Ye's ruthless hand, which forced her back into the flames. She struggled and wailed in the fire, begging desperately, yet Ning Ye looked like the most heartless person in the world, just watching her beautiful face melt away in the flames, turning into that neither-human-nor-ghost appearance...

"Ah!"

Ning Ye sat up with a shout, looking around, only to realize he was in his small cabin.

It was just a dream.

Waking in the middle of the night, recalling the scenes in the small forest, even Ning Ye himself could not help but shudder.

For a long time, Ning Ye had felt he was not a cruel person. If someone had told him before the destruction of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect that he would set himself on fire, burning his skin and breaking his bones, he would never have believed it.

But when the moment of choice arrived, Ning Ye finally understood that the power of hatred could be so great—great enough to push a person beyond their limits and achieve things previously thought impossible.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead and feeling the chill of the deep night, Ning Ye draped a long robe over his shoulders and stepped outside.

The sky was filled with stars, casting their light upon him, reflecting the starlight and illuminating Ning Ye's face in alternating shades of black and white, flickering in the dark.