The sect leader was intercepted halfway.
Nangong Xiyun stood in front of him.
"Sect Leader, if I’m not mistaken, you’re here because of Qin San’s matter, right?"
"Correct, but I won’t discuss it with you now. I need to investigate the situation first."
The sect leader was deeply concerned about this matter.
"Let me explain. I witnessed the entire incident."
"You? When did you leave the sect?"
"I do venture out occasionally."
What a stereotype. Was she really that much of a homebody?
Nevertheless, Nangong Xiyun first recounted the events in detail.
......
"Sigh, who would have thought Qin San was a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect?"
Having risen to his position, the sect leader had clashed with the Heavenly Demon Sect no fewer than a hundred times. He harbored no goodwill toward them.
Yet, Qin San had been a disciple nurtured by the Seven Stars Sword Sect for many years. How could the sect leader not feel sorrow?
"So, should we go after them?" Nangong Xiyun suggested, referring, of course, to the Heavenly Demon Sect.
"Let’s plan carefully. Those scoundrels from the Heavenly Demon Sect are always so adept at hiding."
Indeed, if it were just minor figures from the Heavenly Demon Sect, they’d be easy to find.
But those at the Nascent Soul level or above? Each one was better at hiding than the last, only to emerge unexpectedly, cause trouble, and then vanish again.
It was a headache.
"True. If they had a fixed location, I’d storm their base."
"Nangong Xiyun, since when have you become so bold?"
The sect leader was puzzled. Nangong Xiyun might act this way, but she usually wouldn’t say such things. Normally, she’d just charge in without a word, too lazy to make threats.
Wait, something felt off.
"You... you’ve broken through?!"
"Just lucky."
"Lucky my foot! Tell me, what happened?"
If luck alone could lead to a breakthrough, the sect leader wouldn’t have been stuck at the peak of the Void Refinement stage for so long.
Nangong Xiyun didn’t hide it: "Do you know Su Luo? I was inspired by him."
"Because of Su Luo? Wasn’t he just struggling with his inner demon?"
"That’s what he said?"
"Yes."
Nangong Xiyun smiled. "In fact, he didn’t even fight his inner demon. It just surrendered."
"Why?"
Back then, the sect leader had tried several methods to overcome his own inner demon, and the process had been extremely arduous. At one point, the inner demon had driven him to the brink of madness.
The sect leader didn’t even want to recall those memories.
"I’m not sure, but he faced his inner demon with remarkable ease, and that inspired me."
"So, you broke through just like that?"
"Yes."
The method couldn’t be replicated, though, as the sect leader’s inner demon was long gone.
For a moment, the sect leader was filled with mixed emotions—sorrow over Qin San’s death and joy over Nangong Xiyun’s breakthrough.
The Seven Stars Sword Sect was one of the three great sects of the South Continent, but only the Grand Elder had reached the Mahayana stage.
Now, with another Mahayana cultivator, their confidence soared.
Having understood the situation, it was time to decide how to handle it.
The sect leader immediately convened a sect-wide meeting to discuss how to deal with Qin San’s matter with the peak masters and elders.
After lengthy discussions, they concluded that they should reveal Qin San’s affiliation with the Heavenly Demon Sect.
They could have kept it hidden, but the sect leader chose to disclose the truth to the entire sect.
As expected, the news sparked widespread discussion within the sect.
Meanwhile, the sect leader and others secretly began investigating whether there were any other Heavenly Demon Sect spies.
True to form, the Heavenly Demon Sect was professional—only a couple of minor figures were caught.
The sect leader had no choice. Hunting spies wasn’t their forte.
It wasn’t feasible to subject everyone to harsh interrogations or constantly monitor the disciples.
This matter would have to be set aside for now and dealt with gradually.
......
Su Luo had been back for a few days and had spent them lying around, completely unmotivated.
The antagonist’s role in the plot was minimal. Occasionally making an appearance was considered good enough.
Su Luo opened his diary.
[The recent plot has been uneventful, and it doesn’t involve me much. There’s not much for me to do.]
[The next part of the plot involves Lin Xuan boosting his reputation within the sect.]
[As we all know, Lin Xuan already gained significant prestige among the new disciples during the newcomer competition.]
[The next step is to earn the respect of the senior disciples.]
[The first step is climbing the tower.]
[The Seven Stars Sword Sect has a tower called the Pure Martial Tower, with a hundred floors.]
[Upon entering, one’s cultivation is temporarily sealed, meaning only martial skills can be used inside.]
[Each floor has a combat puppet, with the difficulty increasing as one ascends. The higher the floor, the more skilled and challenging the puppet becomes.]
[Victory allows one to proceed to the next floor.]
[In other words, the tower doesn’t test cultivation but rather one’s mastery and application of martial techniques.]
[This is where Lin Xuan shines. Setting aside cultivation, his combat talent far surpasses that of ordinary people.]
[The tower is only open to disciples. The person who reaches the top can leave a sentence displayed outside the tower, serving as inspiration for others.]
[Being the top ranker does have its perks—having your words displayed is quite prestigious.]
[The current record is 87 floors, with the inscription: “The second place is just one floor behind. Why not go for it?” — Xie Feiran.]
[It’s safe to say this has motivated people. The second-place disciple has been obsessed with the Pure Martial Tower for months.]
[The current top ranker is quite arrogant, but it doesn’t matter. Lin Xuan will crush him, reaching the hundredth floor within a month.]
[It’s that impressive.]
[This achievement will shock the entire sect.]
[In terms of martial skill comprehension, Lin Xuan, guided by Elder Yan and blessed with innate talent, is far ahead.]
[After conquering the Pure Martial Tower, the senior disciples will recognize the presence of such a prodigy among the newcomers.]
[But this alone won’t earn their respect, as it only tests martial skills, not cultivation.]
[The senior disciples’ advantage lies in their cultivation.]
[So, the second step in boosting his reputation is challenging the senior disciples.]
[By this point, Lin Xuan’s cultivation has reached the Foundation Establishment stage, enabling him to challenge the senior disciples.]
[The highest cultivation among the Seven Stars Sword Sect’s disciples is the early Golden Core stage, represented by the Four Talents. The rest are at the Foundation Establishment stage.]
[Lin Xuan is invincible among his peers and can even challenge those above his level.]
[Thus, he can hold his own against most senior disciples.]
[Of course, he doesn’t win every time, but his success rate is impressive.]
[As he continues to challenge others, he advances to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, allowing him to defeat most senior disciples.]
[A new star is rising.]
[As for me, I continue to accumulate resentment toward Lin Xuan. The more he shines, the more envious I become.]
[This time, I didn’t take action, as my previous attempts to use senior disciples against him failed. I decided to rely on myself.]
[So, I’ve been diligently secluding myself to cultivate.]
[For the first time, this spoiled antagonist is working hard to surpass Lin Xuan. It’s almost touching.]
[Of course, it’s ultimately futile. Once my mindset collapses, anything could happen.]