Night deepened, but the lights in the Council Hall still burned brightly.
Chen Ming sat in the seat of honor, holding the portrait in his hand. His gaze lingered on it for a long time.
The woman in the portrait had exquisitely painted features and a gentle, refined air. Anyone who saw her would have taken her for a well-bred young lady from a distinguished family.
Had he not once glimpsed Tianxing City's third young lady from afar, he would likely have struggled to connect the woman in this portrait with Tianxing City.
Tianxing City's third young lady was named Situ Wei. The Situ Family had controlled Tianxing City for generations, with a legacy stretching back nearly a thousand years. It was one of the foremost cultivation families in the Chaotic Star Sea.
As the youngest daughter of Tianxing City's current lord, Situ Wei had displayed astonishing cultivation talent from childhood. Rumor had it that she had broken through to the Golden Core Stage at thirty, earning acclaim as a genius seen only once in a century in Tianxing City.
Afterward, she had rarely appeared in public. Some said she had entered seclusion to attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage; others claimed the Star Palace had selected her and taken her to its headquarters to cultivate. Accounts varied, and no one could agree.
But whatever the truth, she should not have appeared on Divine Wind Island.
Much less slipped unnoticed into his Nascent Soul ceremony under a false identity.
Chen Ming laid the portrait on the table and tapped his fingers lightly against the surface, producing a rhythmic knocking. His mind raced, linking every clue together as he tried to piece them into a complete picture.
Situ Wei had disguised herself as an unaffiliated cultivator to infiltrate the