Chapter 173: Hidden People's Gathering

Qinyuan Garden, located in Nancheng, is only a couple of li from Xianlin. Separated by three streets and a river, it barely manages to benefit from the rich spiritual energy emanating from the Dao Domain.

Li Weiyi came here after meeting Qin Li's maid.

The door was opened by none other than Yin Twenty-Four, who wore a long gauze hat.

After entering the garden.

Li Weiyi glanced back to see the main gate once again covered by a shimmering formation veil, almost invisible to the naked eye.

The veil enveloped the entire Qinyuan Garden; only by channeling spiritual power into one's eyes could one discern the formation runes suspended in the air.

His gaze then shifted to Yin Twenty-Four, who had removed her hat. He exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my, I haven't seen you in months, and you've grown so beautiful! Transforming into a Pure Immortal Body truly makes a difference. You look like you've stepped right out of a painting; I almost didn't recognize you!"

Yin Twenty-Four was clad in a mystical night suit, tall and slender. After transforming into a Pure Immortal Body, the flawlessness of her skin, the brightness of her eyes, and the luster of her hair were enough to make anyone look completely transformed.

Moreover, she was a year older than Yao Yin, and her figure was in a stage of rapid development.

Although still cold and aloof, she no longer had the scrawny look of a young girl. Her chest and hips were now shapely, and her figure was far more graceful and elegant. She was truly a statuesque beauty.

She let out a soft snort, still rolling her eyes. She led the way directly, her lips curving into a barely suppressed smile as she asked, "You've taken so many 'Dyed Cloud Elixirs'; why haven't you transformed into a Pure Immortal Body?"

"I am a Divine Shadow," Li Weiyi said, following behind her. "Transforming into a Pure Immortal Body is too high-profile; it draws too much attention. Unlike some people, I haven't completely forgotten that those of us in the shadows need to remain as inconspicuous as possible and conceal our abilities, all for the sake of beauty."

Yin Twenty-Four's delicate brows furrowed. She stopped and said, "I didn't do it for beauty; I did it for power. At the same cultivation level, a Pure Immortal Body's combat prowess is far beyond what a mortal can achieve. We might even be able to defeat opponents from higher realms."

"Is that so?"

Li Weiyi smiled. "I'm also at the second stage of the Five Seas Realm now," he said. "We're at the same realm. How about I, a mere mortal, spar with you, a Pure Immortal Body?"

"You're at the second stage of the Five Seas Realm?"

Yin Twenty-Four knew Li Weiyi cultivated incredibly fast and understood how astonishing his talent was, but she still found it hard to believe.

Swish!

In the garden, a strong gust of wind suddenly arose.

The long gauze hat in Yin Twenty-Four's hand flew out.

Her hands formed a palm seal, unleashing the "Heavenly Wind Palm Technique." Instantly, winds surged from all directions, her feet seeming to glide as she struck a palm towards Li Weiyi's chest. Her small, jade-white hand was as swift as white lightning.

Li Weiyi reached out and caught the flying long gauze hat. Facing Yin Twenty-Four's sudden, wind-and-thunder-infused palm strike, his body calmly shifted sideways.

His speed was so great it was as if another figure had split from his body.

Before Yin Twenty-Four could even clearly see what had happened, her wrist was already seized by Li Weiyi.

The spiritual energy flowing towards her palm was cut off.

An ache spread from her wrist, causing her entire arm to lose strength.

After subduing her, Li Weiyi grabbed her wrist and twisted it. Yin Twenty-Four's shoulder throbbed with pain. Like a spinning top, she spun half a circle uncontrollably, her head and shoulders landing against his chest.

"Your Pure Immortal Body's combat power isn't that impressive," he teased. "At the same realm, it seems you can't even beat a mortal. Did you transform incorrectly? Did you become weaker after transforming?"

Li Weiyi joked, twisting and fastening her wrist at the small of her back.

"Don't get cocky!" she retorted. "At the same realm, even those with fully silver meridians can't defeat you, so it's normal for me to lose. If you're so capable, go fight Yang Qingxi, Chen Wenwu, and other top young experts of this generation... Ah!"

"Is this how you talk to a Divine Shadow?" he pressed. "Do you yield?"

Li Weiyi twisted her wrist and pulled it down.

Yin Twenty-Four stood on her tiptoes, her chest pushed high. Her head was thrown back in pain, and her entire body trembled slightly, but she wouldn't beg for mercy or give in.

Yin Twenty-Three, Yin Twenty-Five, and Yao Yin arrived just in time to witness this scene.

The three had different expressions.

Some were puzzled, some surprised, and some understanding.

"Why are you bullying my sister?"

Unlike the other two, who were merely watching, Yao Yin quickly rushed over.

Li Weiyi placed the long gauze hat on Yin Twenty-Four's head, released her wrist, and looked at the approaching Yao Yin. "We were just sparring," he said. "She lost a move and was caught by me."

Yao Yin walked to Yin Twenty-Four's side, and after confirming she was truly unharmed, she glared at Li Weiyi with a shared sense of indignation, as if he were an overbearing bully.

Li Weiyi walked directly to Yin Twenty-Five, asking if he had silver to repay his debt. After taking a money pouch from him, he patted his shoulder, a wide smile on his face.

"Thank heavens, you've finally appeared!"

Yin Thirteen arrived, his face a bit pale and clearly injured. He continued, "I heard you were chased by Yuwen Chao and Huo Qiankun at the docks outside Juzhe City and escaped into Bingzu Lake. After that, there was no news, and everyone thought... you had met with misfortune..."

"Ah!"

Yao Yin exclaimed in surprise.

She was unaware of this.

More precisely, none of the young Shadows present were aware.

Yin Thirteen continued, "Yin Ten is furious. She said you're two-faced, that you agreed to leave immediately but insisted on getting involved in the battle between top-tier experts. She said you don't understand priorities and that she should have knocked you out in Tiange and tied you up to take you directly to Zhou City."

Li Weiyi said, "Don't mind her. I am the Divine Shadow. Haven't I returned perfectly unharmed?"

Yin Thirteen sighed, "She's also looking out for your well-being. Your current cultivation is too low, and your strength is too weak. You need to grow under protection. The higher-ups' intention is for you young Shadows, under twenty years old, to simply focus on secluded cultivation once you arrive in Qiuzhou, without participating in any operations."

Li Weiyi immediately thought of what Jiang Ning had said when she left. Everyone was doing it for his own good, but the underlying message was always that he was too weak!

Indeed, his cultivation was still very low. Li Weiyi was self-aware, knowing the huge gap between himself and the young powerhouses.

But he just wasn't convinced.

"Are your injuries not fully healed yet?" Li Weiyi asked.

Yin Thirteen gave a wry smile. "It's already good enough to have escaped with my life," he said. "Luckily, I encountered Yin Nine and Yin Ten and barely saved my life. What about you? You've been missing for over half a month; you weren't secretly hiding somewhere recuperating, were you?"

"You actually guessed it right!" Li Weiyi replied.

Yin Thirteen was moved. "That's no simple feat, escaping from Huo Qiankun and Yuwen Chao," he said. "What about Zhuang Yue? Wasn't he taken by you?"

"She's not a child," Li Weiyi said indifferently. "She's a Pure Immortal Body expert at the fourth stage of the Five Seas Realm. After her skin grew back, she left! You've already entered the imperial court on behalf of the Hidden Gate, so there's no need for me to get too deeply involved with court officials. If she wanted to leave, I let her!"

The Shadows of the Jiuli Hidden Gate did not all stay in one place, as that would make it easy for them to be wiped out in one go.

Yin Thirteen told Li Weiyi that Qinyuan Garden was property left by an ancient Shadow. Its defensive formations were strong, and no connection to the Jiuli tribe could be traced. For the next few months, the young Shadows only needed to hide here and cultivate.

"My injuries have stabilized," Yin Thirteen said. "I should be leaving in the next two days. Qinyuan Garden will be handed over to you."

Li Weiyi asked, "Are you still returning to the imperial court?"

Yin Thirteen nodded. "I've spent many years in the Attendant Hall and have already cultivated my own team; I can't just abandon them," he said. "Besides, the Jiuli Hidden Gate must have eyes within the imperial court, no matter what. Don't worry, I risked my life for Jiang Ning, so there will definitely be a place for me in the imperial court."

"Oh, right," Yin Thirteen added. "Tonight, all Five Seas Realm Shadows will gather at Qinyuan Garden. Yin Nine said there's something important to discuss."

In this 'Jiazi' cycle, the Jiuli Hidden Gate only selected twenty-five Shadows in total. With Li Weiyi and Yao Yin joining this year, the total is twenty-seven.

However, only twenty-one remain alive, including Li Weiyi and Yao Yin.

Among them, six have reached the Dao Seed Realm. Three are not currently in Qiuzhou.

That night.

Twelve young Shadows gathered at Qinyuan Garden.

But after Yin Nine and Yin Ten arrived, they jointly announced that Shadows below the fifth stage of the Five Seas Realm were not allowed to enter and had no right to participate in the discussion. Only Li Weiyi was an exception and was permitted to observe.

"They're just excluding us anyway," Yin Twenty-Four complained in a low voice. "They might as well have held their secret meeting elsewhere."

In the backyard of Qinyuan Garden, a mystical artifact bone lamp was hung.

The light it cast concealed all sounds and sights.

Yin Nine and Yin Ten sat, one on each side, on two chairs inside the room facing the main door. Yin Eleven's snake tail was wrapped around a pillar, her body almost completely hidden from view.

Yin Thirteen sat near the door.

Yin Fifteen and Yin Sixteen stood outside the courtyard. One held a spear, and the other carried a sword on their back. Both stood in the shadows, one observing outside, the other watching inside the courtyard, both extremely vigilant.

Li Weiyi stood outside by the window, observing Yin Fifteen and Yin Sixteen, whom he had never met before. Their aura was perfectly concealed, like two ordinary people without any cultivation.

But precisely because of this, Li Weiyi judged that their cultivation was far superior to Yin Thirteen's.

To be able to perfectly conceal their aura under his perception was a clear manifestation of their cultivation realm.

"The higher-ups have assigned a task for our Jiuli Hidden Gate to investigate the Ash Spirits hidden among the young martial cultivators," Yin Nine began. "This is to help the Zuoqiu Clan eliminate as many uncertainties as possible from the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. This matter can only be handled in secret, not openly, as the Zuoqiu Clan fears attracting controversy."

"Those Ash Spirits acted in the Netherworld of the Departed."

"Two months ago, when chaos erupted in Lizhou, young martial cultivators from all over the world who were seeking opportunities in the Immortal Realm space of Burial Immortal Town could only evacuate by crossing the Mangshan Mountains and passing through the Netherworld of the Departed. During this evacuation, many people were ambushed, allowing Ash Spirits to take on human forms or directly possess bodies, and then hide within various major factions."

"At that time, all young martial cultivators in Burial Immortal Town were registered and screened once. There are still nearly a thousand suspicious individuals left, whom we need to secretly investigate and clear out."

Yin Nine took out a list. She continued, "Everyone here possesses some power. Mobilize all of it. We must ferret out all hidden Ash Spirits before the New Year."

Li Weiyi asked, "Why before the New Year? There's still half a month between the New Year and the Lantern Festival."

Yin Ten said, "Because once the New Year arrives, this dragon-and-tiger struggle among the younger generation will officially begin. On the night of the Lantern Festival, everyone will simply gather to receive the final results."

All the Shadows present were very confused.

Yin Eleven said, "What does that mean? The Hidden Dragon will be decided before the Lantern Festival? How will they determine who the Hidden Dragon is, and who gets treasures like the Longevity Elixir, Dragon Seed, and Dragon Bones?"

"There must be a standard, right?"

"For example, set up a combat stage and fight with real blades and spears. Who is a true dragon and who is a false dragon will be clear at a glance."