43: traitor

Xuan Yangzi stroked his beard, his gaze instinctively drifting toward the Hall of Discipline—that old fellow Wang Daolong.

Over the past few years, he had been in close contact with people from Burning Heaven Palace, both openly and secretly. Although no solid evidence had been found, his flickering eyes and deliberately avoided topics had long since revealed his flaws.

"I'll use you to test the effects of this jade pendant."

Xuan Yangzi muttered to himself, and the jade pendant in his sleeve seemed to sense his thoughts, emitting a very faint halo.

Inside the Hall of Discipline, sandalwood incense curled in the air.

Several Elders were gathered around a desk discussing matters. Wang Daolong was analyzing Burning Heaven Palace's movements with a furrowed brow, his tone impassioned as if he were utterly loyal to the Sect.

"In my opinion, Burning Heaven Palace has been making frequent moves lately. They must be planning some small tricks before the Seven Great Sects competition. We need to set up defenses in advance and must not let them find an opening!"

When Xuan Yangzi lifted the curtain and entered, he happened to hear these words and sneered inwardly—his acting was quite convincing. Had he not been suspicious already, he might have truly been deceived by this display.

"You have worked hard, Elders."

Xuan Yangzi cupped his hands and smiled, his gaze seemingly sweeping over everyone casually.

"I happened to obtain some newly harvested Spirit Tea today, so I've come to share it with everyone."

As he spoke, he paced closer, stopping beside Wang Daolong.

The jade pendant suddenly vibrated violently, and a thick, grayish-black malevolent Qi surged from its surface, coiling around Wang Daolong like living poisonous vines and condensing into a faint black mist around him.

A cold light flashed in Xuan Yangzi's eyes—there was indeed a problem!

A flicker of panic flashed across Wang Daolong's face, but he quickly forced himself to remain calm and said.

"Why has the Sect Master suddenly come to deliver tea personally? Your subordinates are truly overwhelmed by the favor."

"We are all brothers here, no need for such formalities."

Xuan Yangzi's smile remained unchanged, but his fingertips tightened around the jade pendant in his sleeve; the gray Qi was growing thicker and thicker.

He didn't linger and exchanged a few more pleasantries with the other Elders. When he intentionally approached Elder Li, the jade pendant instantly emitted a warm golden light, as soft as early spring sunshine.

"Elder Li, your cultivation has improved recently. It seems you are another step closer to the Cave Heaven Realm."

Xuan Yangzi patted his shoulder, his heart completely at ease.

This jade pendant was the real deal.

Subsequently, Xuan Yangzi finished testing everyone in the Hall of Discipline one by one.

The result was acceptable; only Wang Daolong was a traitor.

When leaving the Hall of Discipline, Xuan Yangzi's steps were steady, but his palms were already damp with a light sweat.

He looked up at the sky, where the clouds billowed like waves, much like the hidden undercurrents within the Azure Profound Sect at this moment.

"Wang Daolong..."

He whispered the name, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes turning into resolve.

"And those monsters hiding in the shadows... this time, not a single one will escape."

The Heart-Testing Jade Pendant lay quietly in his sleeve, looking like an ordinary piece of jade. But Xuan Yangzi knew that within this small pendant lay the key to purging the Sect's tumors.

He turned and walked toward the Forbidden Ground, his pace three times faster than when he arrived—it was time to let those things that couldn't bear the light see the sun.

Three days later, in the early morning, a faint tea fragrance wafted through the main hall of Qingyun Peak.

Xuan Yangzi sat in a grand armchair, twirling the Heart-Testing Jade Pendant between his fingers, its surface reflecting the calmness in his eyes.

On the desk lay a map of the Azure Profound Sect's power structure, with three names circled in cinnabar—Hall of Discipline Elder Wang Daolong, Dan Ding Peak Deacon Liu Xian, and Outer Sect Instructor Zhang Meng.

These were the traitors screened out by the Heart-Testing Jade Pendant over the past three days under the pretexts of delivering Spirit Tea, discussing Cultivation Techniques, and inspecting internal affairs.

"Fewer than expected."

"It seems that under my management, the Azure Profound Sect's Foundation is still quite solid."

Xuan Yangzi looked at the names before him and grinned, a hint of narcissism flashing in his eyes.

The Azure Profound Sect had always prioritized Heart-Nature when recruiting Disciples; the Heart-Cleansing Trial upon entry could filter out ninety percent of those with weak wills.

And those who managed to slip through the cracks and infiltrate the Sect could hardly escape the Azure Profound Sect's keen insight during their long years of lurking.

Once discovered, they would be handled quickly and decisively, as clean and efficient as autumn leaves being swept away by the wind.

You might ask how Xuan Yangzi could discover them?

Naturally, it was through information provided by Azure Profound Sect spies embedded in other Sects.

In the end, they were assigned tasks like descending the mountain for experience or hunting Yao Beasts by the Azure Profound Sect, resulting in a plausible "heroic sacrifice."

Not to mention that there were only three traitors among the backbone; looking across the entire Seven Great Sects of Xuan Province, which one hadn't been quietly infiltrated by the Azure Profound Sect?

The Deacon's Office of Burning Heaven Palace, the Scripture Library of Myriad Law Pavilion, the Elder Council of the Formation Breaking Sect... in the core of every Sect, at least three Azure Profound Sect spies were planted, lurking for years and only transmitting messages at critical moments.

This was the source of his confidence in "hiding his brilliance" for so many years—on the surface, the Azure Profound Sect was indifferent to worldly struggles, but in reality, it had already woven a web within the fabric of all major powers.

"I am in you, and you are in me"—this was the way of survival for the Seven Great Sects of Xuan Province.

The Azure Profound Sect's ability to stand firm in Xuan Province for a thousand years relied on more than just their surface-level cultivation.

Xuan Yangzi folded the map, his fingertips tracing the patterns on the Heart-Testing Jade Pendant.

These three traitors might seem insignificant, but each held actual power.

Wang Daolong handled discipline, Liu Xian managed medicinal ingredients, and Zhang Meng received new Disciples.

No rush. Let the secret lines follow their movements first to see if more useful information can be unearthed.

Once the matter of traitors spreads, it will inevitably cause panic.

Rather than conducting a high-profile investigation, it's better to use the "boiling a frog in warm water" approach, quietly clearing out the Impurities during daily life.

The sunlight outside the hall grew brighter. Xuan Yangzi picked up his teacup and chuckled while watching the curling tea mist.

...Under the bamboo shade of Zizhu Peak, Gu Changge listened to Xuan Yangzi's slightly smug boasting.

He couldn't help but laugh. "Three? That's cleaner than I expected."

"It's all thanks to you, Junior Brother."

Xuan Yangzi's tone carried a hint of gratitude.

"If not for this Heart-Testing Jade Pendant, I'm afraid I would still be kept in the dark. Especially Liu Xian; he was hidden far too deep."

He recalled the scene of the test three days ago—Liu Xian had talked eloquently about the Sect's Alchemy and how to strengthen Dan Ding Peak.

But the gray Qi surging from the jade pendant was too thick to disperse.

Thinking back on that duplicitous appearance now, it still felt ironic.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. You haven't investigated the ordinary Disciples yet,"

Gu Changge reminded him, his gaze sweeping over the Azure Profound Sect shrouded in clouds.

The smugness on Xuan Yangzi's face instantly subsided a bit, and he gave a couple of dry coughs.

"Of course. Now that the backbone has been screened, we must follow up with the Disciples. However..."

He changed the subject, a cunning light reappearing in his eyes.

"Our Azure Profound Sect's 'Heart-Cleansing Trial' during recruitment isn't just for show. Most of those who can enter the Inner Sect have passed the Heart-Nature test. Even if there are some who slipped through among the ordinary Disciples, they won't be able to cause much of a stir."

He paused and added, "I plan to move the Sect Competition forward to a month from now. I'll take the opportunity of the competition to test all the Disciples."

"The reason? There must be an explanation for suddenly changing the schedule."

Gu Changge raised an eyebrow.

Xuan Yangzi was well-prepared. Stroking his beard, he smiled and said, "Just say that the Seven Great Sects competition is imminent and we need to select participating Disciples in advance. This reason is perfectly logical; no one will be able to find fault with it."

Gu Changge nodded thoughtfully. "Using the name of the competition to conduct a screening... you've thought this through thoroughly."

"Naturally."

Xuan Yangzi took a sip from his teacup, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation.

"Once the ordinary Disciples are screened as well, the Azure Profound Sect will be completely clean."