402: Chapter 402 I really don't want to show off in front of others

Inside the inner hall of the Xingluo Sect.

The tea had been changed for the second time.

Chu Sheng had already picked and chosen to share more than half of the information he knew.

Aoman's dwelling place was deep within the Demon Tomb, and he roughly described its location without getting down to every single Restriction.

But it was enough to let the other party confirm that he truly knew of that place's existence.

He also mentioned Aoman's two Divine Abilities.

"Condescending to All Things" and Nascent Soul Transformation, as well as the Staff of Arrogance that he always carried with him.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged scholar nodded solemnly.

His fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, as if categorizing these pieces of information in his mind one by one.

After a moment, he finally spoke.

"This humble one is Meng Jinglun."

"The information you provided is indeed of high value. As an exchange, I can tell you a piece of news..."

"Which aspect of intelligence are you looking to start with?"

Chu Sheng thought for a moment. "I would like to know, within this tiny Luochuan Kingdom, what are the tiers of a Cultivator's strength like?"

Meng Jinglun said, "Generally speaking, the Spirit Sea is the conventional combat power, and the Dao Palace is the top-tier combat power."

However, he lowered his voice. "However, during these extraordinary times..."

"Around the city you are in, there are roughly five Cultivators at the Divine Ability Realm holding down the fort."

"Among them, the one with the highest cultivation is around the Dharma-Control Realm. However, their specific identity and movements are inconvenient to discuss further."

He paused for a moment, as if weighing whether to speak the next words, and then he took out a light gray Jade Slip from his sleeve and placed it on the tabletop.

"This Jade Slip records some basic clues related to the Heavenly Demon Ancestor. It's not much, but it should be enough for you to have a preliminary judgment on which direction to take next."

Chu Sheng nodded and put away the Jade Slip.

"As our first exchange, I can throw in a few pieces of intelligence as a gesture of making friends..."

"You can check three pieces of intelligence at the Dao Palace level, unlimited by category, as long as they are within the searchable range of the Xingluo Sect."

"When you need to use it, bring this Jade Slip to any Xingluo Sect stronghold to access it."

Chu Sheng took the Jade Slip and did not check it on the spot, first storing it in his sleeve. "Many thanks."

He did not ask any more questions, stood up, and walked outward.

As he walked out of the Xingluo Sect's main gate, the sunlight on the street happened to be blocked by the clouds, casting a brief shadow.

Chu Sheng stood on the steps outside the door, and suddenly an idea popped into his mind.

Counting it all up, he was only just over twenty this year, not much older than those young Disciples cultivating in the Wanxiang Sect branch.

A Divine Ability at age twenty?

Who would believe it?

If he restrained his Qi...

Disguising himself as a young man with normal cultivation, he could completely sneak in directly under the identity of a Disciple.

The Wanxiang Sect branch had recently been recruiting new Disciples, and in a few days would be the official selection assessment.

As long as he passed the preliminary test, he could enter the interior of the branch under the identity of an official Disciple.

As he walked, Chu Sheng went over his idea in his mind once more.

He decided to suppress his Qi to the level of the True Condensation Realm.

He stopped by the street and suppressed most of the spiritual power within his body deep into his Dantian.

Leaving only a thin layer of spiritual power to circulate in his Meridians, he looked like a young Cultivator who had just stepped into the True Condensation Realm.

He readjusted the rhythm of his steps to make them appear slightly lighter.

Like a fledgling young man with a slightly raw gait when first entering the city, he then walked along the main street toward the direction of the branch's registration.

He walked through a small alley, at the mouth of which sat an old beggar in ragged clothes.

The beggar had an aged face and grey hair.

He leaned against the base of the wall, holding a chipped coarse porcelain bowl in his hands, the bottom of the bowl completely empty.

When he saw Chu Sheng passing by, he called out in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist, please show some kindness and give some silver."

Chu Sheng casually took a few pieces of Spirit Stones from his sleeve and placed them into the bowl. The stones dropped to the bottom of the bowl, making a crisp sound.

The old beggar lowered his head, looked at those Spirit Stones of not-too-bad quality in the bowl, and paused slightly.

Then he raised his head to look at Chu Sheng's retreating figure that had already walked far away, moving silently.

Chu Sheng did not look back at him.

His gaze crossed over the houses in the city and landed on the faintly visible group of buildings in the middle of the waterfall.

That was the location of the Wanxiang Sect's branch in the Luochuan Kingdom, built in the middle of the waterfall and surrounded by currents, resembling a complex of buildings growing out of the mist.

At the registration office, a few spirit boats were set up on the riverbank.

Below the spirit boats, long tables and a few wooden chairs were placed.

Several young Cultivators wearing the standard robes of the Wanxiang Sect were busy in front of the tables.

Some were responsible for registering names, others for guiding newly arrived people to test their bone age and talent, with a clear division of labor.

Chu Sheng walked over and queued at the end of the line. The line wasn't long, with only five or six people in front of him.

The official Disciple-recruitment ceremony would probably still be a few months away.

But if one's talent was very high, making the talent stone emit white light, perhaps they could be accepted as an exceptional case.

Chu Sheng didn't want to wait and decided to display a little bit of talent appropriately.

When it was his turn, the Cultivator responsible for registration behind the table didn't even raise his head, merely lifting his chin toward the stone tablet beside them.

"Test bone age first, then go over there to test talent."

Chu Sheng walked up to the stone tablet, beside which stood a Wanxiang Sect Disciple responsible for recording, signaling him to place his hand on the surface of the tablet.

Chu Sheng placed his right hand on it, and spiritual power slowly poured from his palm.

The surface of the stone tablet quickly lit up with a ripple-like wave, and then the numbers climbed all the way, finally stabilizing at twenty rings.

Bone age: twenty.

Chu Sheng's expression remained unchanged as he turned slightly sideways, as if waiting for a confirmed response.

That Disciple lowered his head to record it, then puckered his mouth toward another stone tablet for testing talent, signaling that he could go over.

Chu Sheng walked toward the Talent Stone. That stone was slightly larger than the previous one, with a smooth surface reflecting a deep cyan luster.

The Talent Stone.

The moment he reached out and pressed upon it, the inside of the stone suddenly lit up as if it had been ignited.

The light changed from cyan to white, and then rapidly expanded from white into a blinding halo of light.

The entire stone trembled for a split second, as if something had been intensely sensed by it.

Chu Sheng's mouth twitched; he had already suppressed his Qi to the lowest possible level.

Just enough to pass, yet without being too high-profile.

He wasn't like Ye Wuhen, who liked to show off wealth and status in front of others.

...

Wanting to keep a low profile, his strength truly wouldn't allow it.

The surrounding several Wanxiang Sect Disciples all stopped their movements, their gazes converging toward that mass of light.