External Sect Trial

The next day, inside a tavern in the outer sect with the character for "wine" hanging over its entrance.

Though it was only early morning, the place was already packed to the brim.

This tavern had been opened by an outer sect disciple, who usually brewed wine and sold it to other outer sect disciples.

At first, it had merely been a crude little shack. Later, as more and more people came, it became a tavern.

Shangguan Yuzhou enjoyed drinking, and he usually bought his wine here as well.

If one wanted to gather information, this was undoubtedly the best place in the outer sect.

Kong Jiao and Shangguan Yuzhou appeared here early in the morning. They each ordered a pot of clear wine and sat together without speaking, merely pricking up their ears to listen to the conversations of the drinkers around them.

Most of the discussions here inevitably revolved around the eight Wheel-Ascension experts who had torn through the air last night.

It had been a long time since the Cangwu Sect had seen such a grand spectacle—so many Wheel-Ascension experts moving out at once.

One young disciple wore a face full of worry and seemed deeply concerned.

"Within Wudong, any enemy that can make our sect treat them so seriously is definitely no ordinary Rogue Cultivator. Don't tell me it's a bloody clash between two sects. We outer sect disciples are cannon fodder in a battle between sects. The ones who suffer are always outer sect disciples like us."

There were also older, more experienced disciples who took huge gulps of wine and did not care in the slightest.

"This little show is nothing. Our Cangwu Sect can be counted among the top three major sects in Wudong. Back when we wiped out the Fire Virtue Sect, the master of our Enforcement Hall used his sword alone against three Wheel-Ascension experts of the Fire Virtue Sect, earning himself a fearsome reputation. He beat so many people in Wudong into submission that, even now, they still take a detour whenever they see disciples of our Cangwu Sect."

There were also rational disciples like Kong Jiao and Shangguan Yuzhou. They said nothing, merely listening in silence as the disciples who had come to drink spoke.

Each quietly weighed the gains and losses involved.

After listening for quite some time, Kong Jiao gradually noticed a few clues. Only then did he tap the table and quietly ask Shangguan Yuzhou, who sat opposite him, "Senior Brother Shangguan, have you seen any of the experts from the outer sect's first tier today?"

"I haven't." Shangguan Yuzhou shook his head.

At the same time, he understood what Kong Jiao meant.

The disciples in this tavern, themselves included, were all peripheral outer sect disciples. Only those experts in the first tier had any real right to know what was going on.

If they wanted the information they sought, they would likely have to start with those people.

Shangguan Yuzhou had still been outside competing with someone last night. When the Wheel-Ascension experts tore through the sky, he had fled before the match was even over.

He enjoyed fighting, but he was not a fool. He knew the seriousness of the matter.

The moment he returned to his cave dwelling, he had sought Kong Jiao out to discuss it.

That was why the two of them had come to this tavern so early to gather information.

Yet after listening for so long, all they had heard was irrelevant intelligence. It was no different from not having come at all.

It left Kong Jiao with a worried expression. He knew a storm was coming, yet he felt powerless.

"Huangfu Wuqin really was something else. She said half of it, then ran off." Kong Jiao was still troubled by the fact that he had failed to get any information out of Huangfu Wuqin last night.

Now, he only felt utterly passive.

After a long silence, Kong Jiao's eyes shifted, and he simply proposed,

"Senior Brother Shangguan, we can only waste time here."

"You have more standing. Go ask those first-tier experts and see whether they can reveal anything. I'll go find Feng An. He has the best sources of information."

Shangguan Yuzhou was somewhat well-known in the outer sect. Those first-tier people would have to give him some face no matter what, making him the safest choice for this task.

As for Kong Jiao, he would go find Feng An.

If one had to name the sharpest nose in the outer sect, it would undoubtedly be Feng An, an old hand who had spent more than twenty years mingling in the outer sect.

"Alright!" Shangguan Yuzhou answered. Without wasting any time, he drained the clear wine in his cup and turned to leave.

Kong Jiao silently set down a Spirit Crystal as well, then followed Shangguan Yuzhou out of the tavern.

The outer sect was especially lively today.

Early in the morning, many disciples had already gathered in clusters along the roadside. Their discussions all revolved around last night's incident of eight Wheel-Ascension experts breaking through the air.

Kong Jiao knew he would not hear anything important from them. He hurried onward without stopping.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, he arrived at Feng An's residence.

"Is Senior Brother Feng An here? Kong Jiao has come to visit!" Kong Jiao lightly knocked on the door a few times, then cautiously called into the room.

He was not certain whether Feng An was home.

Fortunately, after a short while, Feng An's familiar voice sounded from within.

"I'm here. Come in, Junior Brother Kong."

It was still Feng An's voice, but his words were deeper and steadier, and his tone had lost much of its usual raspiness.

Yet that subtle detail did not escape Kong Jiao's ears.

His expression shifted slightly. Then, as if he understood something, a smile appeared on his lips.

"It seems the Spirit-Nourishing Rejuvenation Pill Senior Brother Feng received worked quite well."

Creak! Pushing open the door, Kong Jiao's gaze immediately fell upon the center of the vegetation-wrapped courtyard.

A black-haired man lay in a rocking chair, his eyes half-closed as he listened to the tinkling sound of spring water diverted down from the mountain falling into a small pool. He looked thoroughly at ease.

From the man's features, Kong Jiao could vaguely still see traces of Feng An's former appearance.

His eyes were rather narrow, and his high nose curved downward. There were still a few white strands amid his black hair. Though he was not perfect, he was almost fully recovered.

As Kong Jiao looked at him, Feng An opened his half-closed, contented eyes. They were no longer clouded, but bright and full of life.

Their gazes met.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Feng. Your body has recovered." Smiling, Kong Jiao openly cupped his hands toward Feng An.

He was not the least bit surprised by Feng An's changed appearance.

Feng An, on the other hand, could no longer keep up the act. He said rather gloomily, "Junior Brother Kong isn't surprised at all?"

"What is there to be surprised about? Senior Brother Feng said it yourself—you're only thirty-nine." Half joking and half serious, Kong Jiao repeated what Feng An had once told him.

As he spoke, he had already walked up to Feng An and looked him over from head to toe.

He clicked his tongue in amazement. "The Spirit-Nourishing Rejuvenation Pill truly has such miraculous effects? Even your cultivation has improved."

Upon coming closer and sensing carefully, he could clearly tell that Feng An's cultivation had reached the sixth stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm.

"Ah, it is shameful to say, but I was originally at the sixth stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm. After suffering severe injuries, my foundation was damaged, so my cultivation naturally fell as well." When Feng An spoke of the past, his face was naturally filled with melancholy.

Kong Jiao naturally had to say something auspicious. Smiling, he comforted him, "Now you're better. Although Senior Brother Feng is no longer young, you are still in your prime. You can hardly be called advanced in years. Work hard, and you may yet have a chance to reach the Wheel-Ascension Realm in this lifetime."

At the mention of the Wheel-Ascension Realm, Feng An's eyes brightened somewhat.

He gave Kong Jiao a grateful look. "I still have to thank Junior Brother Kong. Without that Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi, I could never have recovered."

Their experience at Frostmoon Altar was also why Feng An trusted and appreciated Kong Jiao so deeply.

If it had been someone else, they would have killed him long ago and taken the Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi for themselves. Such things were far from uncommon in this world.

After exchanging a few pleasantries.

Kong Jiao brought up last night's strange phenomenon.

Feng An was not surprised by why Kong Jiao had come. Slowly sitting up from his rocking chair, the joy on his face turned to concern. Then, in a voice only he and Kong Jiao could hear, he softly said,

"I saw that scene last night as well."

"So before dawn today, I went to a friend's cave dwelling to inquire about it. He was a good friend from my younger days, and he is now at the seventh stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm, someone who can be considered among the outer sect's first tier."

"I heard some bad news from him."

At this point, Feng An paused. His brows, half white and half black, had knitted tightly together.

"In the next few days, an order may come down for our outer sect."

Kong Jiao was not surprised that Feng An had specifically sought out a seventh-stage Wheel-Nourishing expert for answers. If he could think of it, Feng An certainly could as well.

Compared to that, Kong Jiao clearly wanted to hear the exact intelligence more.

He immediately asked in an equally low voice, "What order?"

"An outer sect trial." To keep Kong Jiao from misunderstanding, Feng An specifically explained, "Not an ordinary trial. My friend meant that it may be connected to the Wheel-Ascension experts breaking through the air last night."

"Past outer sect trials were nothing more than killing a few demonic beasts, letting outer sect disciples like us see some blood."

"This time, we may have to fight cultivators from outside in a battle of life and death."

Combining Feng An's words with Huangfu Wuqin's scattered remarks from last night, Kong Jiao immediately pieced together the general situation. He pressed his lips together and probingly asked, "Was this the sect master's intention?"

"Most likely. Our sect master's methods are strange and unpredictable." Feng An made his judgment based on the intelligence he had gathered.

"Ever since he took office, he has often struck suddenly from the most unexpected places."

"Last night, he was probably planning to use someone as a sacrifice to sharpen his blade, while also honing the swords of disciples like us."

"The outer sect really has been lax for too long. It is time for us to witness the bloodiness outside."