234: Some things can be turned from black to white with just two hands

That night’s barbecue was unusually quiet.

The bonfire crackled, and grease dripped into the flames, sending sparks flying.

The four sat around, but no one spoke.

Jiang Yan still ate large mouthfuls of meat, but the eyes that always flickered with Battle Intent now held a clarity they hadn’t possessed before.

Gu Tianye silently tore at the chunks of meat, occasionally looking up at the sword mark stretching across the land in the distant darkness.

He was still the proud possessor of the Sacred Body, but the phrase “Sacred Body is invincible” that he often had on his lips was never mentioned again after that night.

The Sacred Body was not invincible.

It wasn't until they parted ways that Gu Tianye asked Qin Wangchuan a question.

“After the Sacred Body reaches Major Achievement, what are my chances of winning against you?”

Everyone said that a Major Achievement Sacred Body could be called invincible, and Gu Tianye had always firmly believed this.

It was just that in front of this person, he lacked such confidence.

And Qin Wangchuan’s answer was: “I don’t know.”

Gu Tianye was stunned.

He had anticipated many answers—perhaps he would be no match, or he would humbly say he could exchange a few moves, or even a casual “0 percent.”

But this “I don’t know” was like an invisible heavy hammer, instantly shattering a deep-seated belief in his heart.

“How can…you not know?” he blurted out, his voice trembling in a way he didn’t even notice. “Have you never even considered the Sacred Body?”

Qin Wangchuan’s gaze remained calm, as if he was merely stating a simple fact:

“The enemies defeated by my hand have no distinction of Sacred Body; they only share one common name—defeated opponents.”

Gu Tianye stood frozen, his lips slightly parted, but unable to utter a sound.

It turned out that this person didn’t not know; he simply never even considered the Sacred Body.

In his eyes, the Sacred Body was no different from a mortal body; both were merely…defeated opponents.

What kind of…Gu Tianye’s long-held understanding collapsed at that moment.

He stood there thinking for a very long time, finally rising silently in the latter half of the night: “I’ll take my leave.”

Just as he turned, Qin Wangchuan’s voice sounded again:

“Go to Chuanliu Pavilion to cultivate the Qin Family’s secret technique.”

“My Cultivation Technique is in there; it can make you stronger.”

Gu Tianye paused, without turning back: “Is this charity?”

“No,” Qin Wangchuan said calmly. “You, like Jiang Yan, can both become stronger. To remain confined in the shadow of the Sacred Body is too much of a pity.”

The five words “shadow of the Sacred Body” pierced through Gu Tianye’s last pretense like a sharp sword.

Exposed, revealed, utterly defeated…this young man, who had been invincible all his life, finally could no longer suppress the surging emotions, and turned back with a hint of sarcasm:

“Aren’t you afraid that after I learn the Qin Family’s secret technique, I’ll defeat you in the future?”

Qin Wangchuan nodded slightly, the moonlight illuminating his unperturbed profile:

“Many people say that.”

“Unfortunately, no one has succeeded yet.”

“To enemies defeated by my hand, I grant Cultivation Technique to help them become stronger; its only purpose is to motivate me to continue forward—”

He looked up at Gu Tianye, his gaze as deep as the night:

“After all, no one gets tripped by a pebble behind them, do they?”

Gu Tianye left without a word.

No one knew what he was thinking at that moment.

The next day, as the morning light shone upon Tongtian City, the enormous gully that split the city wall and stretched as far as the eye could see naturally drew countless astonished gazes and speculations.

Everyone discussed it animatedly, but no one knew the truth, ultimately only able to attribute it to some powerful being from the Upper Realm who did not wish to reveal their identity.

Amidst this clamor and speculation, a group of people quietly arrived.

It was Xiao Yun and others, who had come to pick up Jiang Yan.

After Qin Wangchuan handed Jiang Yan over to him, he took Feng Qingjue and her group to the Upper Thousand Provinces.

Jiang Yan watched Qin Wangchuan’s departing back, his eyes filled with reluctance.

He truly regarded Qin Wangchuan as his elder brother.

His gaze shifted to the people who had come to receive him.

Upon seeing them, he was stunned: “Hey! Aren’t you the one from the arena earlier? So you’re from Dao Seeking Palace?”

Xiao Yun laughed heartily, revealing two rows of white teeth: “Naturally.”

He stepped forward and clapped Jiang Yan’s shoulder forcefully, with such strength that Jiang Yan stumbled half a step: “Very good, full of energy, I like it!”

“My surname is Xiao, and my given name is Yun. You can just call me Senior Brother Xiao.” Xiao Yun stepped aside slightly, revealing two fellow Disciples behind him, and introduced them:

“This one, surnamed Chen, is your Senior Sister. The shy kid behind is our Little Junior Brother.”

Chen Wan subtly raised her chin upon hearing this, naturally exuding a hint of nobility befitting her distinguished background.

Meanwhile, the Little Junior Brother hiding at the very back appeared somewhat delicate.

After the introductions, Xiao Yun took out a token from his embrace and handed it over: “Everyone who joins our Dao Seeking Palace has something special about them, more or less. You must have something too, right?”

“My mother…”

“Oh! This old trope, saving your mother, right? I get it!”

“Welcome to Dao Seeking Palace.”

Jiang Yan took the token, thinking, how could they hand out tokens without even an initiation ceremony?

He looked down and saw “The 108th Demonic Disciple under Blissful Ancestor of the Blood Fiend Sect” engraved on it.

He looked up, confused: “This Blissful Ancestor is…”

Before he could finish, Xiao Yun and the others behind him changed their expressions drastically, snatching back the token: “Wrong one, wrong one!”

Then they quickly handed him a new one.

Jiang Yan looked closely, his brows furrowing even more: “Blood Fiend Sect’s Blissful Ancestor’s…Demonic General?”

This was even more outrageous than the “Demonic Disciple” from before!

Although Xiao Yun quickly retrieved the token and handed him a new jade tablet engraved with the three characters “Dao Seeking Palace,”

the two consecutive blunders filled Jiang Yan with suspicion: “Are you really from Dao Seeking Palace? You don’t seem much like a righteous sect.”

Xiao Yun cleared his throat and lowered his voice: “Actually, I won’t hide it from you. Dao Seeking Palace is naturally a righteous sect, but you know, there are always some dirty and tiring jobs that someone has to do. So, you see…” He winked mysteriously, “Our other identity is the Blood Fiend Sect, understand?”

“Oh~” Jiang Yan nodded thoughtfully: “I don’t understand.”

“Let me put it this way…” Xiao Yun put an arm around his shoulder. “For example, if you need to snatch something, isn’t it quite unpleasant to just say ‘robbery’?”

Jiang Yan nodded.

“But if you phrase it as ‘robbing the rich to help the poor,’ doesn’t it sound much better?”

Jiang Yan’s eyes lit up: “So we’re the ones who rob the rich to help the poor?”

Xiao Yun showed a knowing smile: “Actually, both the robbed and the robbers are us.”

Jiang Yan listened, slowly making a: “?”

“Oh, come on! It’s just that some things are originally dark, and after shuffling them between two hands, they become white, understand?”

Jiang Yan continued to shake his head: “I don’t understand.”

Seeing Jiang Yan’s completely bewildered expression, the smile on Xiao Yun’s face grew wider: “It’s good that you don’t understand! No worries, I’ll explain it to you slowly on the way.”

“Remember, in the cultivation world, righteous sects and Demonic Path powerhouses…sometimes are just a thin line apart.”

Jiang Yan walked a few steps with Xiao Yun, then suddenly remembered something and tugged on Xiao Yun’s sleeve: “Senior Brother Xiao, how does my Big Brother rank in Dao Seeking Palace?”

“Your Big Brother?”

“Yes, my Big Brother Qing Wangchuan.”

“Qing Wangchuan…” Xiao Yun stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, then suddenly realized, “Oh! You mean that Adult—” He mysteriously lowered his voice, “That Adult can rank wherever he wishes.”

Jiang Yan: “?”

“Because, you see, Dao Seeking Palace was founded by him alone.”

Jiang Yan’s eyes widened suddenly; even with his somewhat slow mind, he finally realized at this moment—his good Big Brother was not only not a Talisman Cultivator, but his name might even be fake!

Just then, Chen Wan, who had been quietly following behind, leaned over: “I just received a family letter. I heard that Adult is going to cause a big stir in the Upper Thousand Provinces. Should we go take a look?”

“Go to…the Upper Thousand Provinces?” Jiang Yan looked at this seemingly ordinary female Disciple in shock.

To casually say “go to the Upper Thousand Provinces to take a look,” what kind of background did this Junior Senior Sister have?

Chen Wan proudly raised her chin, and Xiao Yun timely introduced: “Can’t tell, can you? This one is the beloved daughter of the Chen Family from the Upper Thousand Provinces!”

“So, shall we go?”

“Let’s go!”