May left the Yun Clan estate for the first time since her arrival at the Inner Court, which, despite the situation, made her feel excited. Although the estate was exceptionally luxurious and comfortable, she wanted a change of her surroundings.

  Together with two men, she left the hill on which the estate was located for the first time, this time riding in a horse-drawn carriage. May could finally see the city of Junlin up close.

  She looked out of the carriage window at the main street they were driving along and the extremely dense buildings. It was clearly a wealthy district, as could be seen from the rich clothes of the people on the streets and the appearance of the buildings. Everything screamed luxury.

  In this world, clothing and appearance were a testament to social status. At the top were those dressed in orange, the unofficial color of the sect, as it signified their status as cultivators.

  Wealthy merchants and other entrepreneurs were satisfied with other colors, but no less glamorous. Their clothes, although more decorative, still screamed slight kitsch to May, looking too colorful and too garish to her.

  However, the journey was not that long. They had moved quite far from the city center - Mount Junlin - but they had made their way to a smaller mountain (at least compared to Mount Junlin) located about thirty kilometers from the estate. It only seemed small because of its neighbors, as it was actually nearly two kilometers high.

  So this is the Hao Clan's estate. It's still impressive, but it's nothing compared to the Yun Clan.

  For comparison, one could say that it was the difference between millionaires and billionaires. Being a millionaire is still amazing, of course, but in the context of billionaires? Nothing special. The same was true of these two clans - both were rich and influential, but the difference between their levels seemed obvious.They entered the building. It was much more ornate than the Yun Clan's estate. The Hao Clan clearly wanted to show off their wealth and took pride in it. The splendor was evident and slightly excessive.

  “Before the meeting, I would like to inform you that the great High Elder of Island Mountain Sect, Wo Shi Hao, has requested to meet with Junior May Shang,” said Xing Hao. “She is waiting for you in her hall... for a private conversation.”

  Another Elder wants to see me? Is this normal?

  “Elder Wo Shi? What does she want?” La Xia was also surprised.

  “Dear Senior La Xia, please do not question Her Excellency’s decision. I thought you understood that.”

  Then he bowed before the two of them.

  “Now, excuse me, I must inform Elder of your arrival. Please wait here for me, I'll be back shortly.” As he said, so he did, and immediately disappeared behind the door of a long corridor.

  May was surprised, not expecting to have to meet another Elder of the sect. She thought she had come here only to test her talent, not to meet another bigwig of the sect.

  “Be careful with her,” La Xia told her as soon as he saw an opportunity to warn her. “Only say what you are asked. But don't let them push you around. You are an official guest of the Yun Clan.”

  “Be careful with her?” May was surprised. She had felt that something was wrong from the beginning. “Is she dangerous?”

  She had been wondering what was going on for a long time. However, she didn't have the appropriate information. In the Eastern Court, there wasn't much information about the higher echelons of the sect or the Inner Court itself. They lived in ignorance, and May didn't really know the woman she was supposed to meet.

  “She shouldn't be here... Ze Yun himself probably didn't expect her to show up,” he replied reluctantly. “It's not that she's dangerous, but she's definitely not someone you want to mess with. Some people call her the ‘Queen’ of the sect. But that's just bullshit.”

  May was surprised to hear his choice of words. The older man always behaved with grace and never used vulgarities. However, he clearly didn't like her. It must have been pure dislike.

  Queen? A strange nickname, especially in a sect full of cultivators. However, I should take his advice seriously.

  “So she must be strong,” she said quietly to herself. La Xia, however, heard her.

  “Not particularly strong, probably one of the weakest Elders. But she is influential, very influential. I don't know if she has ever told the truth in her life, she always says what you want to hear and what will benefit her. Don't be fooled by her words, and be careful what you say yourself.”

  So she was more dangerous than the others. At the very beginning of their meeting, Ze Yun sensed that something was wrong with May. In that case, she was even more risky. She took a breath, slightly terrified.

  “But why does she want to see me?” she asked, as it had been the only aspect she did not comprehend.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Few within the sect understand her actions. However, she certainly does not do this without reason,” he said, gazing into the distance. “But in this case, I am not surprised by her. You are a certain kind of anomaly.”

  “An anomaly?” May was surprised.

  “Yes, an anomaly. That's a good term,” he confirmed with a sigh. “Your talent is to be determined at Ze Yun's personal request outside of the designated testing time. In addition, you are a guest at the Yun estate. This is not normal. I suspect that Elder Hao herself wants to know the reason why you are being treated this way.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “It's hard to say,” he replied. “Right now, she just wants to understand who you are. Just show her your good side. That's all I can advise you.”

  Everywhere she went, she attracted attention. Was it really so strange that she lived in the Yun Clan's residence? She didn't think it was a big deal, but apparently, rumors spread quickly.

  Although May was not very familiar with the high society of cultivators, she knew that the average cultivator, even from the Inner Court, would never have the opportunity to talk to even one Elder of the Sect, at most they could admire them from afar. But now she was about to make direct contact with the second Elder of the Sect? It really seemed excessive.

  “Elder Wo Shi Hao is ready for the audience. Please follow me.” The man finally returned and ordered May to follow him in his monotonous voice.

  With no way to refuse, she did as she was told. She was a little stressed by all this talk. She entered the room, but Xing Hao stayed outside and assumed the posture of a guard protecting the door. May entered alone, and the door closed behind her. She looked ahead.

  This was not what she had expected. The woman had a tanned, darker complexion, black hair tied up in a large bun, freckles on her cheeks, and quite heavy makeup. She looked surprisingly young, perhaps around thirty, but May knew that this was only an illusion and that in reality she was much older. She certainly did not fit the beauty standards here, but she most certainly would on Earth.

  She sat on a slight elevation and looked down on her, sprawled in her leather armchair. She certainly gave the impression of a queen; the nickname did not come from nowhere. May thought that the layout of the room was intended to intimidate visitors. A cheap tactic.

  She was on top, May was on the bottom. The position was clear. The woman didn't seem strong, but she was a cultivator at the Golden Core stage. She was at the very peak of the sect, and if she wanted to, she could kill May in a second.

  She didn't give off such a cold and deadly aura as Ze Yun. In fact, there wasn't a hint of power coming from her. That was what made her so terrifying. The dissociation between what she knew and what she saw. She was hiding her power, and now she was looking down on her like a predator on its prey.

  May bowed as she had been taught. As it turned out, the old woman's teachings had not been in vain and had really come in handy.

  The woman did not answer, however, and continued to watch her closely. There was something intimidating about her.

  “May Shang, I have been hearing a lot about you.” Suddenly, without taking her eyes off her, the woman spoke up. “What is your impression of the Inner Court?”

  It starts easily.

  “Elder, this is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I never dreamed I would ever be here.” May replied without hesitation, still slightly intimidated.

  The woman's lips parted slightly and a soft snickering sound escaped them.

  “In the face of Elder beginning with a lie, it is certainly a choice.” She replied, playing with a strand of her hair that was sticking out. “Nevertheless, I respect your ‘courage,’ if I may call it that.”

  May swallowed hard, sensing that the woman was obviously messing with her. May never felt like she was lying, she just slightly embellished the situation. It wasn't the prettiest place she'd ever seen, but she said that out of politeness. In addition, she also expected that sooner or later she would get into the Inner Court, but she also said that just to be modest. Personally, May didn't consider these to be outright lies.

  Elder, however, seemed to have a completely different view on the matter. She immediately regarded May's words as lies. It was frankly perplexing.

  May began to gather her thoughts to respond, but before she could do anything, the woman spoke again, giving her no chance to explain herself.

  “I do not hold it against you, though. However, from now on, you must always speak the truth, no matter what,” she said.

  Was this some kind of strategy?

  She certainly saw May as a child. By saying this, she meant: I know when you're lying, so tell the truth, or... May, however, had the mind of an adult. Wo Shi Hao's terrifying gaze and her domineering manner of conversation would have frightened any child. May, however, was not so easily intimidated.

  “Please forgive my behavior, Elder,” she replied, wanting to keep up her childish facade.

  She kept watching her facial expressions, but she didn't seem to react in any way.

  “Well, moving on to more interesting matters, does Ze Yun suit you well as your master?”

  May stared at the woman in slight shock. How could she know that? La Xia might know because he was a servant of their clan, but how could she have gotten that information? No one should know about that.

  Could it be that the information that he was planning to take her as his disciple was already public knowledge?

  Suddenly, May noticed a slight smile on the woman's face. Then she understood.

  Damn it.

  She didn't know at all. She wanted to see her reaction. And after seeing her shocked expression, she surely knew the answer. Although May still hadn't said anything to her, she had gotten everything she wanted.

  It's a trap as old as the world, and I fell for it? I really am like a child.

  May put on an indifferent expression this time. From now on, she couldn't reveal anything else, even if it was already too late.

  Elder Hao knew that May knew what she had done. She was well aware that May had seen through her little trick. She smiled at her knowingly. She wanted to at least try to smooth things over a little, but wouldn't that only make the situation worse? In any case, she had to say something.

  “Elder Yun is not my master yet, I am just a guest at their estate for the time being.”

  “I understand. Good for you.” she said, her voice slightly amused. Suddenly, however, the atmosphere became a little more serious. “However, allow me to also share with you a proposal for you this time... The kind that you can't say no to.”