Chapter 627: Du Dong and the Audience

A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality - Volume 5: Renowned Far and Wide

Han Li stroked his chin. A sweep of his spiritual sense brought a flood of whispers and conversations into his ears.

“Who is this person?”“Such an unfamiliar face, is he a new disciple?”“Why is Senior Martial Aunt Mu with him?”“Is he related to Senior Martial Aunt Mu? She never travels with male cultivators, so why is she with him now?”

Han Li heard a barrage of questions and envious remarks clearly.

Han Li’s expression remained as usual, but he sighed inwardly. He then took a few steps away from the main entrance, blending into the crowd.

Even so, Han Li could still feel many gazes lingering on him.

“Junior Martial Brother Han, I didn’t expect us to meet again after our last parting.” Just then, a seemingly hearty voice came from behind him.

Han Li paused, then turned to look.

A few paces behind him stood a burly man, none other than the one named Du Dong.

He was currently smiling broadly as he greeted Han Li.

A strange look flashed in Han Li’s eyes, then a smile appeared on his face as he bowed courteously and clasped his hands.

“So it’s Senior Martial Brother Du. I hope Senior Martial Brother is doing well with Senior Martial Uncle Jiang!” The Senior Martial Uncle Jiang Han Li referred to was the elderly Bai who had taken Du Dong away that day.

“Good, very good.” The burly man chuckled, appearing utterly simple and honest. Han Li sneered inwardly but outwardly chatted with him about their respective experiences since their separation.

According to Du Dong, it seemed the elderly Bai believed he had great talent in talisman crafting and intended to cultivate him significantly. As he spoke of this, Du Dong’s face beamed with excitement.

Upon hearing this, Han Li felt a pang of sympathy for the elderly Bai. Of all people, why did he choose to cultivate this individual with ill intentions? He would likely face considerable trouble because of him in the future.

Thinking this, Han Li naturally had no intention of warning Senior Martial Uncle Jiang. He continued to converse casually with the burly man.

But just then, the burly man’s face took on a mysterious expression as he spoke to Han Li.

“Junior Martial Brother Han, do you know? Senior Martial Aunt Mu, who is specifically in charge of guiding you, is the most beautiful woman on our Heavenly Spring Peak! She can even rank among the top three in the entire Falling Cloud Sect. Now that you’ve arrived with Senior Martial Aunt Mu, you’ve probably caused quite a stir.”

“It’s not ‘probably,’ it already has!” Han Li said with a wry smile after glancing around.

“However, Junior Martial Brother came with Senior Martial Aunt Mu on a spirit tool. Did Senior Martial Aunt mention anything about this gathering?” Du Dong shifted his tone, asking seemingly offhandedly.

“Oh! That. No, she didn’t! Has Senior Martial Brother Du heard any news? Why don’t you share it with your Junior Martial Brother!” Han Li’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes took on a knowing, half-smiling look as he gave the other man a meaningful glance.

The burly man’s originally honest smile faltered under Han Li’s gaze, and he suddenly felt as if his intentions had been seen through.

A chill of alarm ran through him.

But then Han Li turned his head, looking in another direction, and this feeling vanished without a trace, as if it had been an illusion. This left the burly man secretly wondering.

Because of this, however, the burly man subtly dared not stay with Han Li any longer. After forcing a few more words with Han Li, he excused himself and walked towards another familiar Heavenly Spring Peak cultivator.

Han Li watched him leave, a flicker of mockery on his face. Just then, Yin Yue’s voice echoed in his mind.

“Brother Han, did you deliberately scare him away? Aren’t you afraid he’ll become suspicious of you later and cause you trouble?”

“His identity is unknown, but his infiltration of the Falling Cloud Sect is certainly for no good reason. I don’t want to have too much contact with him; it’s better if he actively distances himself from me. If something major truly happens, it saves me from being implicated. As for a little suspicion, what does it matter? He himself has ulterior motives, what can he do to me? At most, he’ll just be a bit more careful around me. Even if he wanted to ambush me in secret, do you think he could succeed? I also have no intention of stopping him. I just don’t want any further dealings with him,” Han Li replied slowly via spiritual sense.

After hearing Han Li’s words, Yin Yue fell silent. She clearly acknowledged that Han Li’s words made sense.

After all, if Du Dong truly had some illicit scheme within the Falling Cloud Sect, and it came to light later, any fellow disciples who were too close to him would certainly come under scrutiny and suspicion from the sect’s high-ranking members.

This was not something Han Li wanted to see.

Thus, for the duration of the waiting period, Han Li alone observed the many low-level disciples present.

Among them were old and young, male and female. The older ones were not necessarily higher in cultivation, and some younger ones had already reached the twelfth or thirteenth layers of the Qi Condensation stage.

There were also quite a few attractive young women who were quite noticeable in the crowd. However, almost every age-appropriate female cultivator was accompanied by several male cultivators of similar age. It seemed that in the Falling Cloud Sect, like other sects, young and beautiful female cultivators were highly sought after.

Just as Han Li was pondering, the main hall doors finally opened.

Then, a majestic voice resonated from within, inspiring reverence.

“Heavenly Spring Peak disciples, all enter the hall!” This faint male voice belonged to the Peak Master of Heavenly Spring Peak, a Core Formation mid-stage cultivator surnamed Xin whom Han Li had met once before.

Upon hearing this voice, the disciples outside the door immediately bowed in unison and said respectfully:

“As Master Ancestor commands!” Then, everyone entered the Hall of Cleansing Heart in pairs, filing in one after another.

Since Han Li was the last to join the sect, he and Du Dong naturally consciously queued at the very end before entering the Hall of Cleansing Heart.

The interior of this grand hall was exceptionally vast, spanning three to four hundred feet. Aside from dozens of tall, imposing cylindrical pillars, only the central area at the very front held two chairs, one facing forward and one to the side.

The rest of the space was empty. The pillars were embedded with polished, prismatic moonlight stones, emitting a soft, faint white glow.

Two cultivators were already seated on the chairs: one was a refined-looking man in white robes, and the other was an elderly man in grey robes with messy hair and a somewhat fierce expression.

Standing in parallel rows slightly in front of the two chairs were more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, neatly arranged into two lines.

The exceptionally cold and beautiful woman surnamed Mu and the young man surnamed Yu, who had led Han Li into the sect, both stood in the same row. Meanwhile, the young man surnamed Miao, who had tested them with the Heart-Enquiring Talisman that day, stood in the opposite row, his face still pale and sickly, as if he were frail.

As soon as the disciples entered the hall, they immediately bowed in unison again to the two figures seated on the chairs.

“Greetings, Master Ancestor Xin, Master Ancestor Yu, both Master Ancestors!”

“Enough, rise!” The middle-aged man seated in the center said with a smile, then waved his hand, allowing the disciples to stand.

The low-level disciples below respectfully divided into two rows and stood on either side of the hall. Han Li and Du Dong happened to be standing near the entrance of the hall.

Han Li briefly scanned the grim-faced old man with his spiritual sense, discovering he was only a Core Formation early-stage cultivator. This was the long-rumored but never-before-seen Deputy Peak Master, “Senior Martial Uncle Yu.”

Han Li merely glanced at him twice before withdrawing his spiritual sense, no longer paying him any mind.

At this moment, Peak Master Xin slowly began to speak.

“This time, I have gathered everyone here. I presume some disciples have already guessed the reason. That’s right, yesterday our sect officially received a communication from the Ancient Sword Sect. This Sword-Testing Assembly is set to begin in six months. Since the last one was held at our sect, this year’s assembly will take place at the Hundred Ingenuity Courtyard, a sect with whom we share a common spirit. Our disciples, along with those from the Ancient Sword Sect, will travel to the western range of Cloud Dream Mountain to participate in the assembly. However, according to previous custom, this Sword-Testing Assembly allows only thirty participants from each of the three sects to compete, with the top ten receiving substantial rewards. Therefore, our Falling Cloud Sect must first conduct an internal selection to determine the participants.” The middle-aged man spoke calmly, pausing slightly before continuing:

“Of course, six of these spots are designated by our six Peak Masters, each selecting one individual who can directly participate without needing to compete. The remaining twenty-four spots will be filled by eligible disciples from each peak who will undergo a concentrated competition. The victorious disciples will then be personally mentored by the sect’s elders during the remaining time. Yesterday, a few of us Peak Masters discussed this with the Sect Master. The internal sect competition will be held in one month. However, before that, I want to remind those disciples who are not very familiar with the Sword-Testing Assembly: any disciple over thirty years old or whose cultivation has not reached the tenth layer of the Qi Condensation stage is prohibited from participating. There are no other restrictions. You now have the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn to consider. Any disciple who believes they meet the qualifications and is willing to participate in the competition may step forward. I have some additional instructions to give. Oh, and as for the disciples who will participate directly without competing this time, Master Ancestor Yu and I have jointly designated your Senior Martial Aunt Mu. Alright, Jun’er! Begin lighting the incense.”

“Understood, Master.” The young man surnamed Yu immediately stepped forward and swiftly pulled out a bronze tripod from his storage bag, placing it in the center of the hall.

He then inserted a stick of sandalwood incense into it, and with a flash of light in his hand, he lit it.

A wisp of green smoke gracefully ascended.