Chapter 43: The Sect Leader’s Secret

In Heifeng Forest, a group of over a dozen people from Lingxiao Pavilion was walking.

Yangx Kai truly hadn’t expected that the good place Su Mu mentioned taking him to yesterday would be Heifeng Forest. Walking through the woods, Yangx Kai noticed a very distinct path. In a dense forest like this, a trail could never have been trodden out unless people traveled through it frequently.

Did many people come in and out of Heifeng Forest? Yangx Kai looked around and found this was indeed the case. Not far ahead, there were several silhouettes heading in the same direction as their group.

"Senior Brother, do you know why we ran into Chengg Shaofeng and his gang on the edge of Heifeng Forest that day?" Su Mu asked out of the blue as he walked side-by-side with Yangx Kai.

Yangx Kai’s expression shifted slightly, a faint guess already forming in his mind. He wondered, "Could it be that Chengg Shaofeng’s group is also coming to Heifeng Forest?"

"Exactly. Our Lingxiao Pavilion isn’t too far from Fengyu Tower and the Blood War Gang, and the distance from Heifeng Forest to all three sects is roughly the same. Basically, if the disciples of our three sects want to enter this place, they all have to pass through that four-way intersection."

"What’s so attractive about this place? Otherwise, why would you all flock here?"

"Hehe." Su Mu smiled smugly. "Senior Brother, there’s something you don’t know. There’s a trade market here in Heifeng Forest. It’s a trading hub for the disciples of our three sects and even all the martial artists in Wumei Town. Disciples can trade useless Cultivation Materials they have on hand for useful items, or sell them for gold and silver. This Heifeng Trade City is quite bustling. You definitely have to check it out."

Li Yuntian chimed in, "That’s right, Senior Brother. You can often find some good things here. Last time, Young Master Su bought a Celestial Essence Fruit for just ten taels of silver."

"A Celestial Essence Fruit?" Yangx Kai’s expression subtly changed.

"Yeah, an Earth-Level Lower Grade Spirit Fruit. That seller didn’t quite know what he had, so I took advantage of the situation," Su Mu said, looking a bit proud when mentioning this.

An Earth-Level Lower Grade Spirit Fruit would fetch a base price of at least one thousand taels if exchanged for silver. Yet, Su Mu had acquired it for a mere ten taels. If that wasn’t a huge bargain, what was?

Yangx Kai truly hadn’t heard of this Heifeng Trade City before. Having joined Lingxiao Pavilion over three years ago, he hadn’t befriended anyone, so naturally, no one had told him about such things.

It seemed Su Mu’s group frequented this place often. Everyone was quite familiar with it. From their chatter, Yangx Kai heard quite a few interesting anecdotes, and he faintly began to look forward to this place.

Since he cultivated the True Yang Technique, he could certainly look for some Yang Attribute Spiritual Pills and Medicines to use. However, his current finances were truly somewhat tight. Only when he remembered the bottle of Small Rejuvenation Pills that Su Mu had given him yesterday did Yangx Kai feel a bit more confident.

Heifeng Trade City was a bit far, so the group chatted as they walked.

Yangx Kai suddenly asked, "Junior Brother Su, does our Lingxiao Pavilion have an Eleventh Elder?"

He remembered the old man he had met by Trapped Dragon Ravine that day. The old man exuded an air of mystery in every aspect, making him truly hard to forget.

"Eleventh Elder?" Su Mu was stunned. "Where would Lingxiao Pavilion get an Eleventh Elder?"

"Oh, I was just asking." Yangx Kai understood in his heart. Back then, when the old man claimed to be some Eleventh Elder, he had been somewhat suspicious. Now it seemed the identity was indeed fake. However, the old man had an amiable disposition and harbored no ill intentions toward him. Naturally, Yangx Kai didn’t want to get to the bottom of it and annoy others for no reason.

Li Yuntian laughed and said, "Senior Brother Yangx cultivates all day, so you’re probably not too familiar with the situation in our Lingxiao Pavilion. The Pavilion only has five Elders in total; there is definitely no Eleventh Elder."

Knowing Yangx Kai’s tragic past of being constantly bullied, the group kindly explained a lot about Lingxiao Pavilion’s situation to him, saving him from asking embarrassing questions in the future.

With an Elder as his backer, Su Mu knew more about Lingxiao Pavilion than anyone else. As he spoke, the topic somehow drifted to the Sect Leader of Lingxiao Pavilion.

Su Mu lowered his voice and said, "I heard Old Ghost say that our Sect Leader is an incredible figure. His current strength has reached the Peak of Divine Travel Realm. He is just a hair’s breadth away from breaking through, making him the number one expert within a radius of several thousand miles."

Yangx Kai felt a jolt of shock at the mention of the Peak of Divine Travel Realm.

A martial artist’s Cultivation levels started from Body Tempering. Going up, it progressed to the Origin Opening Realm, Qi Movement Realm, Separation and Reunion Realm, True Essence Realm, and Divine Travel Realm. Each Realm had nine layers. The higher one’s strength, the more difficult it became to break through. Experts in the Divine Travel Realm were rare everywhere. To think that the Sect Leader of Lingxiao Pavilion had actually reached the peak of this Realm! If he took one more step, he would become a truly supreme figure.

"Hu Man, the Gang Leader of the Blood War Gang, and Xiaoo Ruohan, the Tower Lord of Fengyu Tower, are only at the Sixth or Seventh Layer of the Divine Travel Realm. They can’t compare to our Sect Leader." Su Mu looked proud as he spoke of this. After all, having a formidable Sect Leader brought honor to the disciples.

"How long will it take for the Sect Leader to break through?" Li Yuntian asked enthusiastically. If the Sect Leader suddenly broke through, Lingxiao Pavilion would reign supreme within a radius of several thousand miles. Who would dare mess with them when they went out?

Su Mu’s expression dimmed, and he slowly shook his head with a sigh.

"What’s wrong?" Li Yuntian couldn’t help but grow nervous seeing him like this.

"Old Ghost said that the Sect Leader actually reached the Peak of Divine Travel Realm over a decade ago."

"Then why hasn’t he broken through until now?" the crowd asked in confusion.

It had been more than ten years. No matter how difficult Cultivation was, he should have broken through by now.

Su Mu just kept shaking his head. "I don’t dare say."

"Young Master Su, how can you do this? You can’t just stir up your brothers’ curiosity and then leave us hanging! Isn’t that like taking off a beautiful woman’s clothes and then doing nothing? That’s too inhumane!" Zhao Hu hollered. The rest of the group also passionately demanded that Su Mu continue the story.

"Alright, but you all have to remember—this matter must absolutely not spread. Otherwise, there will be massive trouble." Su Mu put on enough airs and looked around before lowering his voice. "Over a decade ago, a major incident occurred in our Lingxiao Pavilion. It’s precisely because of this incident that the Sect Leader’s Realm has stagnated."

"What incident?" The group gulped.

"Our Sect Leader has never had a wife or children in his entire life, and he only took in two disciples. The root of the matter lies with these two disciples. Between them, the Eldest Senior Brother was hardworking, and the Second Junior Brother was remarkably clever. Both were exceptionally gifted individuals, and the Sect Leader taught them meticulously without holding anything back. The two also proved their worth, advancing neck and neck in strength with neither inferior to the other. However, because their temperaments differed, the Sect Leader’s teaching methods also varied. He often praised the Eldest Senior Brother but was harsh and strict with the Second Junior Brother. This approach led the Second Junior Brother to misunderstand the Sect Leader’s intentions, thinking he favored the Eldest Senior Brother. Jealousy turned into hatred. The Second Junior Brother drifted further and further apart from the Eldest Senior Brother, and his mind grew increasingly warped. It got to the point where he found an Evil Technique from who-knows-where to cultivate."

"Ah..." The crowd cried out in shock.

Su Mu continued speaking, and everyone listened with rapt attention.

It turned out that Su Mu had quite the silver tongue. His storytelling skills were absolutely top-notch. With sharp and concise words, he laid out the grievances between the two martial brothers before everyone’s eyes in just a few sentences.

Yangx Kai simply listened in silence without interrupting. He felt the core of the story was likely true, though Su Mu had undoubtedly embellished some details.