I'm a Gentleman, After All

"Is the Clear Flame Garden really Liu Qingyan's residence?"

Gu Chen frowned deeply.

After checking carefully, he had finally found out where his sign-in location was.

It was more than a little frustrating.

Wasn't this pushing him into a fire pit?

Liu Qingyan was the most outstanding member of the Flower Spirit Sect's younger generation.

Her status was extraordinary. If he wanted to go to her residence...

"Looks like I'll have to find a chance to sneak in."

Most residences had formations and other measures in place to keep outsiders out.

Fortunately, the Spirit Concealment Art he had obtained earlier was just what he needed.

"The method isn't particularly good, but it's still much better than having to deal with Liu Qingyan."

Gu Chen made up his mind.

Just then, Mu Fan spoke up beside him:

"Senior Brother Gu, you're taking the act too far. You're already in the Life and Death Realm, yet you're still pretending to be at the seventh level of the Dao Platform Realm."

Mu Fan looked at Gu Chen and shook his head repeatedly.

Gu Chen glanced at Mu Fan.

"You've been hiding your abilities ever since you came to Hidden Origin Peak."

"I haven't." Mu Fan spread his hands. "My speed is pure talent. It has nothing to do with my strength or cultivation realm."

Gu Chen shook his head and ignored Mu Fan, turning instead to look at the other peaks.

After a while, Gu Chen couldn't help remarking:

"Not a single person from the other peaks with both good talent and strength came."

Lu Changzhi smiled at that and said:

"It's a sect tradition, a sect tradition."

The Flower Spirit Sect was located in a vast valley.

Birds sang and flowers filled the air with their fragrance, making for beautiful scenery.

Its members were predominantly women, and of the six top powers, it had the most female cultivators.

After the flying boat arrived, a Flower Spirit Sect elder led them to the banquet venue.

The place chosen for the banquet was extremely spacious.

The scenery was splendid, and the place had been carefully decorated.

Once everyone had arrived, the elders rose and left to discuss matters concerning the Heavenly Azure Grand Gathering.

The younger disciples were left entirely in charge here.

"This spot will do."

Having found a place to sit, Lu Changzhi had a good view and could clearly see most of the young men and women who had come.

He then began to observe them.

[Name]: Zhang Qiliang

[Cultivation realm]: Ninth level of the Spirit Sea Realm

[Aptitude]: Upper-grade earth-rank

[Physique]: Mortal body

[Name]: Sun Fang

[Cultivation realm]: Fifth level of the Dao Platform Realm

[Aptitude]: Upper-grade heaven-rank

[Name]: Gu Fei

[Cultivation realm]: First level of the Dao Platform Realm

[Aptitude]: Lower-grade heaven-rank

He swept his gaze over them.

Most had heaven-rank aptitude.

Most of them had Heaven Grade aptitude. Their cultivation realms were also mostly between the Spirit Sea Realm and the Dao Platform Realm.

But none of this was particularly valuable.

According to the system's earlier requirements, they needed at least Upper-Grade Spirit-Rank Aptitude.

Even at an occasion like this, people with such aptitude weren't running around everywhere as Lu Changzhi had imagined.

Spirit-rank aptitude was already extremely rare.

For the most part, it was something one could encounter only by chance, not seek out.

Otherwise, Gu Chen's admission to the Five Symbols Sect wouldn't have attracted so much attention.

After looking for a while, Lu Changzhi gave up checking them one by one.

"System, scan the current range."

After giving the order, Lu Changzhi began eating the pastries and snacks brought by the maids.

The gathering was quite lively.

Many people moved about and chatted, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

"What is it, Senior Brother Gu? Are you looking for someone?"

Leaning back in the chair he had brought especially for the occasion, Mu Fan put the question to Gu Chen.

Gu Chen's movements paused briefly at the question.

"I'm not looking for anyone."

"I'm just looking at the people from the other sects."

"Is that so?" Mu Fan smiled meaningfully.

"From the direction you were looking just now, wasn't that where the Flower Spirit Sect disciples live?"

"Senior Brother Gu, take a word of advice from your junior brother."

"Give up. At this hour, there aren't any female disciples changing clothes anymore. You won't see anything."

Gu Chen's face turned green.

"Junior Brother Mu, don't talk nonsense. I'm a gentleman, after all."

"I..."

Before he could finish, Mu Fan nodded.

"I know, I know. No need to explain, Senior Brother Gu."

Gu Chen: "..."

Forget it. He'd better get back to looking for Liu Qingyan's residence.

"Is that Lu Changzhi, the new peak master from the Five Symbols Sect? He looks about the same age as us."

"I heard Hidden Origin Peak was specially established, and only those with enough talent can enter. He also took Gu Chen as his disciple before, so he can't be ordinary himself. But why can't I see through his true cultivation realm?"

"Neither can I. My probing technique has no effect on him. Could it be because he's too strong?"

"Probably not. I asked my master, and he couldn't see through him either. The Five Symbols Sect probably used some treasure to conceal it."

"How about we go sound him out?"

Similar conversations were taking place in several places.

Many people's attention had been on the three of them from the very beginning.

Meanwhile, the system was scanning them as well.

"Scan complete. Would you like to view the filtered results?"

"View them."

Lu Changzhi gave the command inwardly.

A long list of information soon appeared before his eyes.

"There are this many?"

Lu Changzhi was somewhat surprised.

But he soon discovered that not all of these people met the aptitude requirement.

For example:

[Name]: Sun Qian

[Cultivation realm]: Fifth level of the Dao Platform Realm

[Aptitude]: Middle-grade heaven-rank

[Talent]: Peach Blossoms Gracing the Body

And another:

[Name]: Zhou Jia

[Cultivation realm]: Sixth level of the Dao Platform Realm

[Aptitude]: Lower-grade heaven-rank

[Physique]: Jade Water Physique (unawakened)

"Another unawakened physique."

Lu Changzhi paused, locating Zhou Jia.

"A disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect?"

Lu Changzhi shook his head gently and looked away.

"Come to think of it, there might be disciples with hidden physiques in the sect as well. I'll have to find a chance to check later."

An unawakened physique was almost the same as having none.

And the gap between having a physique and not having one was still enormous.

As for those from other sects, he would leave them be.

Just as Lu Changzhi was about to continue looking, a voice suddenly reached him:

"Let's get acquainted. Sun Mo, of the Vast Heaven Sect."

He looked toward the voice.

A fair-skinned, scholarly-looking young man stood before him with a smile, holding out a hand.

"Sun Mo wants to shake your hand and take the opportunity to probe you. Choose:"

"One: Let him probe you! [Reward: Lower-grade spirit-rank longsword-Heaven Opening ×1.]"

"Two: Scare him away for some peace and quiet. [Reward: Experience points ×200.]"

"Three: Ignore him and act as though you haven't seen him. [Reward: Experience points ×50.]"

Lu Changzhi's interest stirred.

That had actually triggered a choice.

Neither the experience points nor the rewards on offer were particularly generous.

Still, no matter how small a mosquito's leg was, it was still meat.

"Would you care to get acquainted?"

Seeing no response from Lu Changzhi, Sun Mo spoke again.

He knew the identity of the man before him.

What he intended to do was probe Lu Changzhi's strength.

His physique was special: the rare Illusion-Breaking Physique.

Almost nothing he touched with his palm could conceal anything from him.

Now, all he needed was for Lu Changzhi to shake his hand.

Then the truth would be revealed.

At that moment, Lu Changzhi stood up and asked in puzzlement:

"You're so fair-skinned. Are you a man?"

"Of course." Sun Mo frowned.

He was just about to feel displeased when he suddenly saw a wicked smile appear on Lu Changzhi's face.

At the same time, Lu Changzhi's voice transmission suddenly sounded in his ear.