Ming Fang laid out his argument point by point, and it even sounded fairly convincing. Someone else might have believed him.
But to Lin Qiao, that explanation only earned an eye roll.
After muttering to herself, That monk isn't honest, she returned to the original subject and sent Ming Fang a Thought Transmission: "It's the middle-aged man with a mole between his brows, the one following the Taishi Family's young master. You looked through the list of people entering the Secret Realm and their information earlier. Do you know where he comes from?"
Once they got back to the point, Ming Fang thought it over carefully before replying, "He's from Great Wind Plain Settlement in the southeast. He's a fairly well-known talent there. For a time, he had a chance of making the Heavenly Talent Ranking, but he always fell just short. Eventually, he grew too old and lost his chance to appear on it."
Ming Fang quickly confirmed the cultivator's background and the basic details of his Dao Path cultivation.
Judging by that information, the man fit the Ascendant Wills' selection criteria remarkably well.
He had some talent, but not quite enough. He counted as a local genius, yet had never managed to make the Heavenly Talent Ranking.
People like that were especially prone to obsession and resentment. On top of that, Great Wind Plain Settlement was a loosely run faction that prized profit above all else. Expecting it to guide its disciples well or help them work through their frustrations was out of the question.
Given those circumstances, it was hardly surprising that the man had been lured by Upper Realm Cultivator Descent, then gradually lost control of his body over the following years until he ended up in the same state as Wang Sanjin at the Pill