Outside Hidden Sword Peak, the silver-haired elder dispersed the disciples still lingering nearby, then summoned the peak's overseer-the white-haired elder-and asked:
"Martial Nephew Yang, do you know who lives in that courtyard?" The silver-haired elder pointed toward the little courtyard in front of Xiao Yu's cave abode.
"Reporting to Martial Uncle Cheng, I have just asked the people under me. A Qi Refining Stage disciple named Xiao Yu lives here! He joined fifteen years ago. When the heavenly phenomenon occurred, that disciple was not here... Huh? He has appeared again!"
The white-haired elder reported Xiao Yu's circumstances to the sect's patriarch. Halfway through, however, he swept his divine sense over the courtyard and exclaimed in surprise, for he discovered that Xiao Yu seemed to have appeared there out of thin air.
"Hmph, Qi Refining Stage! This man is clearly a Core Formation cultivator. Have you failed to notice that all these years?" The middle-aged man snorted and demanded an explanation.
"Core Formation Stage? Please calm your anger, Martial Uncle Lü. This man has always presented himself as a Qi Refining Stage disciple. I am incompetent and have failed to see through his disguise all these years. Please forgive me, Martial Uncle." At first, the white-haired elder was puzzled, but when he swept his divine sense over the courtyard again, he suddenly discovered that the person inside actually possessed early Core Formation cultivation. He then spoke in fear and trepidation.
"Enough, Junior Brother Lü. This man's Qi-Concealing Secret Art is exceptionally sophisticated. Had he not deliberately leaked a little of his aura, even we would have failed to notice without careful scrutiny. Do not blame Martial Nephew Yang!" The silver-haired elder stepped in to rescue the white-haired elder from his predicament.
"Yes, Senior Martial Brother!" The middle-aged man had not truly