12: Acknowledgment and concealment

Morning light spilled down.

Jiang Yan walked out of the Zayou Place tremulously, fearing he might be noticed.

The commotion last night was indeed quite large; even their Zayou Place had been visited several times.

If not for their low status, they likely would have been seized for interrogation long ago.

'Damn it, this crappy panel doesn't even show the power of the skills. It kept me from daring to rest all night.'

Actually, it wasn't just him who didn't rest well; even the patrolling Elders and Disciples hadn't slept. After all, such a major event had occurred in the Sect. If it wasn't explained clearly, the matter would only escalate, potentially even alarming the Peak Revered Masters of each peak.

Fortunately, no one was injured, and the spirit fields and spirit plants weren't damaged. If there had been a loss of life, this matter would never have ended!

Just as Jiang Yan was wondering if the investigation would reach him, Ma Zi suddenly patted him.

"Ah?"

Jiang Yan was so startled he shuddered all over, instantly taking a fighting stance.

Ma Zi was startled by him: "Brother Jiang, what's wrong with you?"

Jiang Yan patted his chest and said speechlessly, "Gosh, don't you make any sound when you walk? You scared me to death."

"I do make sound when I walk; you were just too focused." After saying that, Ma Zi even took a few steps on purpose.

Jiang Yan was speechless; he knew it was indeed his own problem, but since the words were already out, he couldn't take them back.

"Alright, it's fine." Jiang Yan feigned indifference. "Wait, aren't you going to the Spirit Plant Garden? Why are you leaving at this hour?"

Ma Zi smiled and scratched his head: "Fairy Murong is coming to the Spirit Plant Garden today, so everyone is heading there early."

"Fairy Murong?" Jiang Yan stared at Ma Zi in confusion.

"Oh, right, you don't know Fairy Murong yet." Ma Zi slapped his head and said quickly, "Fairy Murong is an Inner Sect Disciple and the chief Disciple under the Peak Revered Master of Spirit Sword Peak. According to rumors, she might reach the Core Formation Realm even before Deacon Li of Spirit Beast Peak."

Hearing this, the corner of Jiang Yan's mouth twitched violently.

'Good heavens, the Revered Master I bowed to yesterday is actually this impressive?'

'No wonder he dared to say those things... I've really latched onto a powerful backer.'

But in the next moment, Jiang Yan's expression turned strange.

"Holy crap, something big is going to happen!"

Seeing Jiang Yan rush off in a hurry, Ma Zi quickly asked, "Hey, Brother Jiang, what's wrong?"

"I'll tell you later." Jiang Yan sprinted away without looking back, giving a casual reply.

Ma Zi was completely bewildered; he felt that Brother Jiang was becoming increasingly mysterious.

Animal Rearing Chamber.

"You've mastered it? You were the one who struck the ground in the north yesterday?" Li Yi asked once more to confirm.

At this moment, he was somewhat shocked by Jiang Yan.

You should know, his own talent and Aptitude were top-tier; there weren't more than a handful of people in the Sect who surpassed him.

He had even broken the record for the shortest time to reach the Qi Refining Realm in the Qingyun Sect, successfully entering the Qi Refining First Layer in just over a month.

Yet even with such talent, he had Cultivated Spring Breeze Turns to Rain for three years before finally grasping its mysteries.

Who would have thought that the cheap Disciple before him would grasp it in a single night.

"It was indeed this Disciple's doing." Jiang Yan was also a bit embarrassed, but he hid the secret of the Sword Rain Art and continued, "This Disciple originally wanted to test the power of the Thunderstorm Art, not expecting to cause so much trouble."

"Haha..." Li Yi laughed heartily, walked up to Jiang Yan, and patted his shoulder. "This isn't trouble; on the contrary, it's a surprise!"

In Li Yi's view, as long as he reported that he was the one responsible, many unnecessary troubles could be covered up. After all, no one was injured, so it would be easy to handle.

As for Jiang Yan, he decided to keep him hidden. After all, he had a deep understanding of the principle that geniuses are easily broken.

If he hadn't been so flamboyant back then, how could he have been framed, leading to the damage of his Aptitude and Origin?

"Thank you, Revered Master." Jiang Yan hurriedly bowed.

"No need for formalities with me." Li Yi's tone shifted as he said seriously, "This matter stays between us. Do not let a third person know, do you understand?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yan's expression was first one of shock, but then he read Li Yi's expression.

"Although I do not know the limit of your talent, you must understand that only those who survive are called Geniuses by others," Li Yi said earnestly.

"Yes, this Disciple understands." Jiang Yan cupped his hands.

"Good." Li Yi was very satisfied, then took out a book and handed it to Jiang Yan. "Learn this Breath Concealment Technique; it will at least allow you to stay hidden for a long time."

Hearing it was the Breath Concealment Technique, Jiang Yan quickly took it.

'Good heavens, all the good stuff is in the hands of you Elders. The defective items in the Scripture Pavilion are just there to trick us new beginners.'

"By the way, during the Outer Sect Disciple trial, do not reveal too much of your strength. Only show the Qi Refining First Layer. As for spells, go to the Scripture Pavilion and learn a random Fireball Technique. For Martial Skills... just learn that common Swallow Flow Sword Technique."

"Yes, Revered Master." Jiang Yan accepted the command and bowed.

Li Yi nodded with satisfaction and watched Jiang Yan leave.

"Interesting. I didn't expect that after eighty years of bitter living, I, Li Yi, would finally pick up a Genius Disciple." Li Yi smiled bitterly with tears in his eyes, but in an instant, his gaze turned fierce. "You rats of the Fire Cloud Sect, Dao Yun Sect, and Chilian Mountain, you'd better watch your Disciples well during the Secret Realm three years from now!"

In the middle district of Spirit Beast Peak, Jiang Yan, as usual, finished feeding the middle district Spirit Beasts and went to the fodder room to try his luck.

Now he was very eager to hunt the lower district Spirit Beasts, but unfortunately, Ma Yu and Zhao Qing were nowhere to be found these past two days.

"Yo, isn't this Brother Jiang? Have you finished feeding the Spirit Beasts?" Zhao Qing stopped his fodder cart and greeted him.

Seeing them, Jiang Yan waved a greeting: "Are you two just going to feed them?"

"Sigh, don't mention it. The Crimson Spirit Rats in the west district have been a plague these past two days." Ma Yu walked in carrying a bag, his expression full of complaints. "Those Outer Sect Senior Brothers are unwilling to take the mission no matter what, leaving the two of us to just hang on. Finally, two Senior Brothers took the mission today, and as a result, they killed this many in just one morning."

Hearing Ma Yu's words, Jiang Yan felt an itch in his heart. He would rather not have the mission points and do this work himself.

"How about this, you two take a few days off, and I'll do it for you." Jiang Yan deliberately showed goodwill.

"How could we let you do that?" Zhao Qing waved his hands repeatedly. "We're all Menial Servants; there's no need for this."

Hearing this, he quickly waved his hand. "Look at you, being so formal with me. In my view, those two Scripture Pavilion Tokens of yours are worth at least seven or eight days of rest. If anything, I'm the one getting a bargain."

"Do you really think so?" Ma Yu asked uncertainly.

"Of course." Jiang Yan patted his chest. "Those are Scripture Pavilion Tokens. We have to work hard for a month just to get one. It's clear that their value is definitely worth more than a single day's exchange."

"Brother Jiang, you really know your stuff!" Ma Yu quickly gave a thumbs up. "Since you've said so, how about filling in for us for three days?"

In Ma Yu's view, three days was already the limit. After all, they had been Menial Servants for ten years, and anyone who knew the secrets of that wretched Scripture Pavilion wouldn't go there to learn Cultivation Techniques.

As for the Disciples who did go, they were just browsing books that were useful to them.

Jiang Yan promised, "No problem. Starting tomorrow, I'll feed the Spirit Beasts in the lower district for you."

"Then we'll trouble Brother Jiang." Zhao Qing hurriedly cupped his fists.

Then Ma Yu cupped his fists in thanks: "If Brother Jiang ever needs anything in the future, we'll both help out."

"Alright, then I'll take my leave." Jiang Yan returned the gesture and left.

Looking at Jiang Yan's departing back, Ma Yu and Zhao Qing looked at each other and smiled.

They never expected to find such a sucker like Jiang Yan.

"Say, if Jiang Yan finds out later, what should we do?" Zhao Qing asked.

"Then we'll just pay him back. Anyway, there are two of us," Ma Yu replied indifferently.

Meanwhile, at the Peak Revered Master Hall of Tongtian Peak.

After learning that the panic last night was caused by Li Yi, several Peak Revered Masters all rolled their eyes at him.

"Instead of using a proper training room, you just had to cause trouble within the Sect, making the Disciples below terrified. You really should be sent to Hua Ling Peak to reflect for three months," said the Peak Revered Master of Little Bamboo Peak, Duan Tianhai.

Hua Ling Peak. Although the name sounds nice, the peak is densely packed with Formations. Anyone not skilled in Formations who steps inside can forget about ever coming out. It is also where the Formation Hall is located.

"Old Hai, you're already at such an age, yet you still act like a child." The Peak Revered Master of Pill Peak, Gu Chen, shook his head. "We've watched the boy Li Yi grow up. He probably suddenly realized something and didn't care about his surroundings. Besides, he didn't injure any Disciples or cause any loss to the Sect, so let's just forget it."

Duan Tianhai said angrily, "Old Gu, no one spoils Disciples like you do. If you all hadn't been so indulgent with Disciples, the events of fifty years ago wouldn't have happened."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present fell silent.

Because this was the one thing they least wanted to mention.

After a long while, the Peak Revered Master of Tongtian Peak, Sect Master, spoke up: "Enough. What's done is done. Let the matter drop."

Hearing Sect Master speak, the other Peak Revered Masters couldn't pursue the matter further. After all, it really wasn't a major incident.

"Everyone, go back and tally the Qi Refining Realm Disciples in both the Inner and Outer Sects. The Xuanling Secret Realm will open in three years. This time, I don't want any mishaps."

"Yes." The Peak Revered Masters accepted the command.