The Sect Master's Death

As expected, a few days later, the Cloud Saint Sect convened a high-level meeting for all elders and above. The meeting lasted two whole days. When it ended, Jing Yifei returned to Fire Cloud Hall with a dark expression, and Sanbao promptly asked after him.

"Master, what's got you so upset?"

"Come inside with me." Jing Yifei said no more, only shook his head and led Sanbao into a secret chamber.

"The Grand Sect Master was killed. Cloud Mountain will probably be in turmoil from now on." Jing Yifei got straight to the point, confirming Sanbao's suspicions. Sure enough, it was the sect master of the Cloud Saint Sect—and the strongest one, at that.

"Master, do you know who killed him?" Sanbao asked softly, feigning surprise.

"According to the Third Sect Master, it was probably a seventh-rank Spirit Beast.

"A powerful Spirit Beast appeared on Cloud Mountain some time ago. Zhao Youdao's disciple, Zhao Hong, was killed by it. When the Third Sect Master heard the news, he went alone to capture or kill the beast. Instead, he was badly wounded and had to return. He reported what happened to the sect, and the Grand Sect Master went out in person. That was when they discovered the beast was a seventh-rank Spirit Beast.

"The Spirit Beast was so powerful that no one in our Cloud Saint Sect could match it. The Grand Sect Master decided to leave it alone, as long as it didn't attack anyone. But after observing it for a few days, he realized it wasn't an ordinary seventh-rank Spirit Beast. It was on the verge of breaking through.

"Just like humans breaking through the Profound realm to become Saints, it's incredibly difficult for a seventh-rank beast to advance to the eighth rank. Without outside help, the chance of success is less than one in a hundred. And most importantly, when a beast breaks through, it burns through an enormous amount of spiritual power, leaving it with less than one percent of its strength.

"That gave us a golden opportunity. You have to understand, every part of a seventh-rank Spirit Beast is a treasure. If we could kill it, its worth would probably rival a true-grade Spirit Weapon or Spirit Pill. Its value is beyond imagination.

"The Grand Sect Master was killed with a single strike, cut clean in two. We judged that the Spirit Beast must have succeeded in its breakthrough; otherwise, it couldn't have made it look so easy. The Grand Sect Master had planned for everything, but he never imagined this. That was how he met his end..."

After slowly relating the Cloud Saint Sect's deductions, Jing Yifei's expression grew even graver. Then he remembered something and quickly added, "Oh, right, Sanbao. You mustn't tell anyone about this. To preserve the sect's dignity, we're telling outsiders that the Grand Sect Master was assassinated while cultivating."

Sanbao nodded in agreement. He had never been one to gossip.

Thinking back to what had happened that night atop Lone Mountain, Sanbao thought that the Cloud Saint Sect had no shortage of capable people. They had managed to guess almost everything. Still, they would never imagine that it had all begun with Wang Liang and Sanbao, two utterly insignificant new disciples.

Cloud Mountain was a treasure trove of spiritual veins. Without a powerful Spirit Emperor like the Grand Sect Master to protect it, the Cloud Saint Sect would likely face challenges and attacks from all sorts of forces, big and small. It was a situation none of its disciples wanted to see.

"There's one more thing, and it concerns you a little. The Third Sect Master has ordered every disciple under twenty who hasn't yet become an inner disciple to gather at Cloud Saint Hall in three days. No one is allowed to be absent. But you've reached the Spirit General realm, so you only need to go to Cloud Saint Hall and have your cultivation verified. Once you're promoted to core disciple, you won't have to attend. It's up to you. Cloud Mountain is on the brink of a storm now. Make the most of your opportunities..."

Jing Yifei was in extremely low spirits.

Only then did Sanbao notice that his master seemed to have aged considerably overnight. Fine wrinkles lined the corners of his eyes, and he looked utterly worn out.

"Master, are you exhausted? Why don't you go back and get some rest?"

"Mm, I am exhausted. I'll go into seclusion in a few days, and I don't know when I'll come out. You've reached the Spirit General realm and can barely control the Bronze Cauldron now. I'm leaving the entire Earth Fire Hall in your hands. The things inside are very important, so don't neglect your duties." After giving Sanbao his instructions, Jing Yifei left with a weary sigh.

Why had they suddenly summoned all the new disciples? Could it have something to do with the Grand Sect Master's death? Right—Third Sect Master's daughter, Xie Mei'er, was trying to find him. She had very likely seen him faint beside the colorful deer. If she claimed he had colluded with a Spirit Beast, he'd never be able to clear his name.

Fortunately, he'd advanced to the Spirit General realm. He could hurry to register with the sect and avoid the gathering. Let that girl search among the new disciples all she wanted. At the thought, Sanbao smiled to himself, rather pleased.

Cloud Saint Hall was as noisy as ever.

Sanbao listened in. Most people were discussing the Grand Sect Master's death. The higher-ups of the Cloud Saint Sect were something else. How could they fail to keep such disastrous news under wraps? In just a few days, it had spread like wildfire.

A side hall of the main building housed the Cloud Saint Sect's Execution Hall. People of all sorts came and went, making it unusually lively. When Sanbao explained what he wanted to a steward, the man was very welcoming.

"Then let me congratulate you, junior brother. Come into the inner hall. Once the elder in charge verifies your cultivation, you can be promoted. From now on, you'll be one of us, living permanently atop Cloud Mountain."

"Thank you, senior brother."

Sanbao followed the senior brother handling the matter into the inner hall of the Execution Hall. Seated high on the dais was a dark-faced, middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and large eyes. The elder presiding today was none other than Zhao Youdao, the head of the Execution Hall.

"Elder Zhao, this junior brother is here to be promoted to core disciple. Please verify his cultivation."

"Very well." Zhao Youdao looked up, and his eyes met Sanbao's. Both of them stiffened for a moment.

So this is Zhao Hong's uncle, Zhao Youdao. They really do look alike, Sanbao thought.

Sanbao had seen Zhao Youdao before but had never paid him much attention. Zhao Hong's death had something to do with him, after all, and Zhao Youdao was Zhao Hong's uncle. Sanbao couldn't help feeling a little worried.

Such a young man, yet what a sharp gaze. I wonder who taught him. Zhao Youdao was equally astonished by the strength of Sanbao's soul.

The eyes were the windows to the soul—and the color of one's spirit. Sanbao's eyes were dark and bright, and Zhao Youdao could tell there was something unusual about him.

"Whose disciple are you? When did you join the sect?" Zhao Youdao slowly approached Sanbao, his powerful aura pressing down on him.

"This disciple is Luo Sanbao, a student of Elder Jing from Fire Cloud Peak. I joined last year," Sanbao answered with his head lowered, feigning nervousness.

"Elder Jing? Is she well?" Hearing that Sanbao was Jing Yifei's disciple, Zhao Youdao's voice immediately softened. He seemed to hold Jing Yifei in special regard, with even a hint of sorrow in his tone.

"My master is well. She may go into seclusion for a while. Thank you for asking, Elder Zhao." Sanbao hadn't expected his master to have such a reputation. Even the foremost elder on Cloud Mountain respected him so deeply. Treasure Refiners really did have connections everywhere.

"Oh, all right. You have excellent talent. Follow Elder Jing and cultivate well. I've approved your promotion. Go collect your token." Zhao Youdao seemed troubled. He waved Sanbao away and returned to his seat.

Sanbao quickly thanked him and left. The whole thing had been surprisingly simple.

Just then, a young woman appeared through a side door of the inner hall and caught sight of Sanbao's departing figure.

"Elder Zhao, my father has summoned you. By the way, who was that man just now?" The speaker was none other than Xie Mei'er, daughter of the Third Sect Master.

"Oh, just a core disciple with no power or influence," Zhao Youdao said with faint sarcasm.

He was also annoyed with her. She had been on very good terms with his nephew, but his nephew had barely been dead a few days, and she was already trying to flirt with another man. What a fickle woman.

Still, Xie Mei'er was no ordinary person. Not only was she the Third Sect Master's daughter, she was also the Yunli Kingdom's imperial crown princess. Zhao Youdao didn't dare offend her.

"A core disciple? Then it wasn't him," Xie Mei'er muttered to herself, failing to notice the look of disapproval that came over Zhao Youdao's face.

Sanbao, who was collecting his core disciple token, had no idea he'd narrowly escaped disaster.

After handing Sanbao the token that marked him as a core disciple, a senior brother from the Execution Hall kindly explained, "Junior Brother Luo, now that you're a core disciple, the sect rules allow you to accept all sorts of missions from the Execution Hall. The rewards are very generous. Take a look at these; they're the missions the sect just posted. Find a fifth-rank Spirit Beast or higher within Cloud Mountain's territory, and you'll receive three thousand gold coins and three hundred sect merit points. Find a sixth-rank Spirit Beast or higher, and you'll receive thirty thousand gold coins and three thousand merit points. Go to Qingyun Town at the foot of Cloud Mountain and gather information, and you'll earn thirty gold coins and twenty merit points per month..."

"Senior Brother, apart from gold coins, what can I use these merit points for?" Sanbao asked with interest.

"Sect merit points are valuable. You can exchange them at the Execution Hall for money, cultivation manuals, Spirit Skills, and even Spirit Weapons and Spirit Pills." The senior brother took out a small booklet that clearly listed all the items available in exchange for merit points.

The best item listed was a mid-grade Spirit Weapon, which cost six hundred thousand merit points.

High-grade cultivation manuals and Spirit Skills cost around a hundred thousand merit points.

A day in the Library Pavilion cost three hundred merit points.

And so on...

"Thank you for explaining, senior brother. I have something to take care of, so I'll head back to my master's place. I'll come accept a mission when I have time." After bluffing his way through, Sanbao left at his leisure.

With his master in seclusion, no one would be looking after Earth Fire Hall. Sanbao couldn't leave Fire Cloud Hall, and besides, he had only just advanced to the Spirit General realm. He still hadn't mastered several of his Spirit Skills, so this wasn't the time to go out.