Chapter 156: Hidden Truths

"What do you think?""He's alright. Quite similar to Senior Brother Zhou. He'd make an interesting junior brother among the next batch of True Disciples."Yuan Chizhi asked the young woman beside him and received an answer that surprised him.

"Senior Brother Zhou? He's destined to be the next Sect Master of my Divine Wood Sect. Are you really that optimistic about this Chen Guixian?""Next Sect Master? That's only after Senior Brother Zhou achieves Foundation Establishment.""Haha..."Yuan Chizhi didn't dare to continue the conversation, only offering a perfunctory laugh.

The next day.The venue for the Talisman Assessment had been set up. All rogue cultivators who passed the first spirit-testing round filed in, orderly taking their seats under the guidance of those from the four great families who were helping maintain order.

Chen Mobai had already been inducted. They only needed to wait for the spirit-crossing mission across the entire Yun Kingdom to be completed, after which Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed in Yun Kingdom would arrive to take them all to the Divine Wood Sect.He had no leisure to observe the crestfallen expressions of these people.Coincidentally, Zhuo Ming also didn't need to participate in the Talisman Assessment.So, the two of them found a place and began discussing Lu Shu.

"He also gave me this 'Divine Wood Sect Talisman-Making Insights,' but I had already obtained the crafting manuals for the Resuscitation Talisman, Renewal Talisman, and Rebirth Talisman before. When I compared them, I immediately noticed the trickery."As soon as Zhuo Ming spoke, she confirmed that the Talisman-Making Insights Lu Shu had given Chen Mobai was indeed tampered with.

"Did you confront him about it, Junior Sister Zhuo?""How could I dare? At that time, I was only at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, while he was already at the late stage. I could only pretend not to know, and even had to thank him for the book every time we met."

"Then, could it be that he was also deceived and genuinely didn't know there was an issue with this Talisman-Making Insight?""Hmph, I originally thought so too. But then one day, I saw him take out an identical copy and give it to another rogue cultivator selling wares at a stall. If he were truly deceived, would he buy two copies of such a flawed book? I had thought he was a helpful rogue cultivator, but who knew he was so insidious."

Hearing Zhuo Ming's words, Chen Mobai nodded.If that were truly the case, then Lu Shu was using this method to sabotage the Divine Wood Sect's ecosystem for recruiting rogue cultivators.He knew how precious knowledge was in the Heavenly River Realm.By freely distributing erroneous talisman-making insights, it could undoubtedly undermine the Divine Wood Sect's future in the shortest possible time.

"Then, according to Junior Sister Zhuo, do you know why Lu Shu would do this?""I think he might be a member of the Five Elements Sect."Although Zhuo Ming's tone was hesitant, her expression was resolute. Chen Mobai thought about it and found it very plausible.Indeed, the Five Elements Sect was the most likely, most suspicious, and least afraid of retaliation if discovered by the Divine Wood Sect.

"Junior Sister, do you think we need to report this matter to the two True Disciples?"Chen Mobai asked again. Zhuo Ming hesitated, then immediately shook her head."It's better to pretend we don't know. To survive long in the cultivation world, it's best to occasionally be blissfully ignorant."

This was precisely why she hadn't told Chen Mobai about this matter from the start.Who knew Lu Shu's background? She didn't want her ill will towards him to create karma that might lead to retaliation if he ever found out."If you do report it to the two True Disciples, say that you discovered it yourself, and don't involve me."Zhuo Ming's words made Chen Mobai laugh wryly. The prevailing attitude in the Heavenly River Realm was indeed quite conservative.However, he couldn't fault Zhuo Ming, as he himself acted similarly here.Yet, since he was now at the center of attention, hailed as the leader of the Divine Wood disciples from Nanxi in Yun Kingdom for this generation, he could no longer keep a low profile.Perhaps in the future, he would need to be appropriately high-profile.Coincidentally, he also wanted to become a True Disciple and strive for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Since that's your wish, Junior Sister, I naturally won't expose you."After the Talisman Assessment concluded that day, Chen Mobai handed the Divine Wood Sect Talisman Insights he held to Yuan Chizhi. The latter, after looking at it with a puzzled expression, frowned deeply.As a True Disciple entrusted with the important mission of crossing spirits in Yun Kingdom, his discernment and knowledge were naturally top-notch.Without Chen Mobai needing to point it out, he understood the insidious scheme hidden behind this erroneous book.

"No wonder the talisman-making foundation of this batch of rogue cultivators is a whole level worse than the previous one. If the Sect Master hadn't relaxed the requirements, I would probably have eliminated eighty percent of them."As Yuan Chizhi shook his head, his gaze hardened, and he solemnly asked Chen Mobai, "Besides you, who else knows about this matter?""I'm not sure about that, because this book was given directly to me by Lu Shu. Perhaps there are others in the market who also received it from him. For specifics, you'd have to ask other rogue cultivators."

Chen Mobai's words were flawless, and Yuan Chizhi didn't notice any ambiguity. After nodding, he put the "Divine Wood Sect Talisman-Making Insights" into his possession."The spirit-crossing here at Nanxi Market has just concluded. I was about to make a trip to Senior Uncle Shan's station, and I'll report this matter there as well. Until orders come from above, just pretend this never happened. Even if you encounter the person who gave you the book, act as if you don't know, and greet them with a smile.""Yes, Senior Brother Yuan."

The two True Disciples, who had originally planned to rest for the night, didn't delay further. They left Nanxi Market directly that night, heading north."I happen to have some time; I should go back to the Water Mansion and check it out."Chen Mobai had long successfully cultivated the method for dispelling the Ren Water Thunder Art restrictions, as recorded in Liu Yingpei's notes. If not for the crucial matter of joining the Divine Wood Sect, he would have returned much earlier.Now, he still needed to wait about half a month for Yuan Chizhi and his companion to complete the spirit-crossing in the other three directions of Yun Kingdom before they could go to Giant Wood Ridge.He could use this time to finally accomplish the matter that had been on his mind.This was a problem that had plagued him since his very first arrival in the Heavenly River Realm.What exactly was inside those two side halls?

After cultivating the Pure Yang Dharma Body all night, Chen Mobai, with revitalized spirit and vigor, calmly walked out of Nanxi Market."Finally, the day has come!"A rogue cultivator, who had been staking out the market entrance, narrowed his eyes as he saw Chen Mobai's retreating figure, then activated a sound transmission talisman.Shortly after, another rogue cultivator arrived."Senior Brother, he's gone.""Junior Brother, do we really want to act? He's now a Divine Wood Sect disciple. If we kill him, even if we join Golden Light Cliff, once exposed, we might be killed in retaliation.""Senior Brother, at worst, we'll just snatch the Sword Forging Ring and not kill him. He's also from a rogue cultivator background; he'll surely be sensible."Ultimately, the allure of the Sword Forging Ring was too great, or perhaps they had become accustomed to the rapid wealth accumulation through plunder and couldn't resist. With hardened hearts and gritted teeth, they directly pursued Chen Mobai in the direction he left.

Soon after they departed, He Qun and his two sworn brothers appeared.They smiled sinisterly.The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!It was all theirs.