Su Shi'er answered Master Jiekong's praise with only a smile.
His gaze swept over the two visitors, and he invited them into his cave dwelling.
He was not surprised that Ren Yunzong had come looking for him.
But Master Jiekong had come as well. Su Shi'er immediately realized that whatever they wanted to discuss was unlikely to be simple.
Ren Yunzong alone carried far too many secrets.
As for Master Jiekong, he was a powerful Buddhist Sect cultivator from ancient times and a pivotal figure in the last Dao-Demon War.
The two of them would never have come together merely to offer him a few words of praise.
Seeing how quickly Su Shi'er grasped the situation, they exchanged a glance. Neither was surprised.
Without exceptional judgment and insight, Su Shi'er could hardly have come this far.
Before long, the three were seated in the temporary cave dwelling where Su Shi'er was staying.
Smiling, he brought out spirit fruit and spirit tea, then poured tea for them both.
Before either could speak, Su Shi'er took out the two sixth-grade Spirit Veins he had kept, along with the Spirit Crystal resources the various factions had gathered earlier.
He spoke first. "Sect Master, Senior, these two Spirit Veins belong to the Yun Ge Sect and Golden Cicada Temple."
"When the Devil Race set its trap, I secretly extracted the Spirit Vein beneath the Yun Ge Sect to keep the Demon Lord from destroying it."
"As for the one from Golden Cicada Temple, Hou Sihai—a fellow cultivator of the temple, also known as Master Jiechen—gave it to me before his death. He asked me to return it to Golden Cicada Temple when it was safe."
His eyes fell on the wooden boxes containing the Spirit Veins as he gave his explanation.
Both Spirit Veins