Appraisal Results

With his Divine Ability allowing one appraisal a day, Jiang Hao had appraised many things.

He had tried everything, from houses and mountains to flowers, grasses, and trees.

The only thing he had never appraised was a person.

He had always assumed that people could not be appraised.

But the situation before him left him bewildered, so trying an appraisal could not hurt.

As he activated his Divine Ability, invisible symbols flashed through his eyes, then enveloped the senior sister before him.

In an instant, the Divine Ability returned a piece of information, projecting it into his mind.

It worked. Delight stirred in Jiang Hao's heart, and he immediately checked the information his Divine Ability had returned.

But the moment he read it, his heart clenched. He sensed immense danger.

[Yun Ruo: Foundation Establishment Early Stage. An inner disciple of the Sunset Glow Sect, infiltrating the Heavenly Sound Sect to discover the whereabouts of the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower. With her identity about to be exposed, she urgently needs a scapegoat. Having noticed that you do not behave like a demonic sect disciple, she has targeted you as a suitable candidate. She is currently using her Charm Technique on you relentlessly, attempting to influence your mind and make you willingly become her scapegoat. If she fails, she will kill you to silence you.]

How vicious. I have to die precisely because I don't act like a demonic sect disciple. Jiang Hao kept his expression unchanged.

The jade pendant was right before him. Taking it meant dying in her place; refusing it meant falling victim to her vicious hand.

The former meant certain death. In the latter case, she had spent years at Foundation Establishment and surely had plenty of tricks up her sleeve. Winning a direct confrontation would be difficult.

"Then..." Jiang Hao's thoughts raced as he pretended to reach for the jade pendant. Just before touching it, he suddenly looked behind Senior Sister Yun Ruo and exclaimed in shock:

"M-Master?"

At those words,

Fairy Yun Ruo was alarmed. She immediately turned to look behind her, a spirit sword appearing in her hand.

At the same time, an aura locked onto Jiang Hao. She intended to use him as a shield to escape this calamity.

The jade pendant was already out. Whoever died first would become its owner.

"Martial Uncle, Jiang Hao is the traitor! He..."

Just as Fairy Yun Ruo was about to accuse him first and then strike to kill, she suddenly froze.

There was no one behind her.

This is bad! By the time she realized it, it was already too late.

A dagger came stabbing from her right, as swift as thunder before one could cover one's ears.

Shhk!

In an instant, Jiang Hao drove the dagger in his hand into Fairy Yun Ruo's neck.

He intended to kill her on the spot with a single strike.

If he had no chance of winning head-on, he would make up the difference with a surprise attack.

He had no desire to harm anyone, nor had he deliberately targeted anyone.

He only wanted to stay alive.

Since she wanted to kill him, he would show her no mercy whatsoever.

Bang!

The instant the dagger pierced her neck, Fairy Yun Ruo cast a spell and blasted Jiang Hao backward.

"You..."

Jiang Hao's decisiveness shocked her.

During their time together, she had seen his kindhearted nature. She had thought him a naive, ignorant newcomer who would sooner or later die in the Heavenly Sound Sect. She had never expected such ruthlessness beneath that gentle exterior.

Faced with Senior Sister Yun Ruo's shock, Jiang Hao said nothing. Instead, he drew his spirit sword to finish her off.

He had struck a vital point, greatly weakening her, but she was still far from dead.

Swords rose and fell, blades flashed and danced, and sparks flew in every direction.

Bang!

Unable to hold her own with her severe injury, Yun Ruo was knocked into the courtyard. She lay on the ground, clutching her neck and watching Jiang Hao approach in terror. Hastily, she said:

"Junior Brother, you can't kill me! The pavilion master of the Heavenly Joy Pavilion values me greatly. He's had his eyes on my body all this time, and he hasn't had me yet. If you kill me, he'll hold a grudge against you!"

Jiang Hao ignored her words. He walked up to Senior Sister Yun Ruo and brought his sword down.

"I'm also a disciple of the Sunset Glow Sect! There are senior brothers infatuated with me. If I die at your hands, they won't let you go! They'll skin you and strip the flesh from your bones!"

Slash!

The sword swept down.

Everything fell silent.

Shhk.

Shhk.

To be safe, he stabbed her a few more times.

Looking at his thoroughly dead senior sister, Jiang Hao felt uneasy.

He was not accustomed to this sort of thing.

But living in a demonic sect, he had to grow accustomed to it, however uncomfortable it made him.

The cultivation world would not give him time to adjust just because he felt uneasy.

He stood there for a long time. Only after confirming that she would not suddenly rise again and had left no hidden tricks did he head out.

He needed to find the cliff master of Heartbreak Cliff.

The man he had taken as his master upon joining the sect.

Since he was not a True Disciple, he could only listen to his master's teachings alongside the other disciples at fixed times.

Much of his cultivation still depended on his own efforts.

At first, he had not wanted to report this incident, but the more he concealed it, the more suspicious he would seem.

Especially since she was already under suspicion. If he were deemed her accomplice, the consequences would be unthinkable.

A short while later,

Jiang Hao brought someone to the courtyard.

"You killed her?" a middle-aged man asked quietly, looking down at Fairy Yun Ruo's motionless body.

His expression was gloomy, his eyes cold, and his features bore traces of life's hardships.

He was Ku Wuchang, the cliff master of Heartbreak Cliff.

"Yes, Master," Jiang Hao said with his head lowered.

"Tell me what happened," Ku Wuchang said in a low voice, looking at Jiang Hao.

"It happened like this." Jiang Hao gave a rough account of the events, then continued:

"I initially wanted to restrain Senior Sister, but I didn't expect her to fight for her life. So I started fighting for mine too, and then..."

As gloomy as ever, Ku Wuchang asked:

"When did you reach Foundation Establishment?"

"Last month," Jiang Hao answered nervously.

"So you chose a surprise attack?"

"Yes."

"You don't need to concern yourself with this matter anymore. If there are any further questions, the Law Enforcement Hall will likely come looking for you. Make sure you cooperate." With that, Ku Wuchang took Senior Sister Yun Ruo away.

Watching them leave, Jiang Hao breathed a sigh of relief.

"I wonder how the Heavenly Joy Pavilion will react. As for the Sunset Glow Sect, I'll be fine as long as I don't go out."

"In ten years, or a hundred, they should have forgotten Senior Sister Yun Ruo."

"Even if they haven't, I'll have grown stronger."