May had a bad feeling about this.

  She inquired: "Elder, you are not also interested in becoming my master, are you?" uncertain if this was something she desired.

  The woman flinched and raised her head slightly, her eyes narrowing. After a moment, however, she burst out laughing.

  She covered her mouth with her hands to stifle her laughter, which continued unabated. May felt foolish. For the next few moments, she watched the woman, who was so amused by the situation that she could barely contain her laughter.

  “My dear child, I am a little more selective than Ze Yun. I do not accept disciples, and certainly not…” However, she did not finish what she wanted to say. She replied with amusement. “I advise you to come down to earth a little. I admit you have talent, but there have been many before you with greater potential. It is arrogant to assume that all Elders will revolve around you.”

  May realized her mistake; the world did not revolve around her. She was at Peak 5, which was quite an achievement for her age, but she was still insignificant even within the sect itself. This gave her some food for thought. Perhaps she really was too arrogant? Lately, everything seemed to be going her way, so maybe she had overestimated her value?

  “My proposal is different... But it's also beneficial for you. I would like you not to become Ze Yun's disciple.”

  “Elder, so you're suggesting that I shouldn't become his disciple?”

  “Yes, you said yourself that he's not your master yet. So I conclude that he gave you time to think about it.” She replied indifferently.

  The question was, however, what did she gain from it? Why didn't she want him to be her master, because she certainly wasn't doing it out of the kindness of her heart. Yet she went so far as to want to give her something in return for not becoming his disciple, so there had to be something greater at stake.

  Seeing her expression, the woman smiled.

  “You don't have to worry about my motives, because I promise on my name and honor that it is nothing that could harm you.” she said, guessing her thoughts.

  Honor was the most important thing for cultivators of the righteous path, perhaps even more important than their own lives. When a cultivator invoked his own name, it usually meant that he could be trusted. May, however, was of a different opinion, and her words alone did not mean much to her.

  The woman reached for something, but May couldn't see what she had taken out from the depths of her bag. Suddenly, she raised her hand slightly and threw something at her!

  May barely managed to catch it. It was a silver necklace, devoid of any decorative elements.

  May felt a slight irritation.

  “Elder, please forgive my words, but I haven't agreed to anything yet,” she said, wanting to make her thoughts clear.

  The woman smiled and rested her head on her hand, looking at her sideways.

  “It's just a gift for your trouble. After all, you had to waste your precious time to meet me here.”

  May knew it was nonsense. She didn't even try to use convincing arguments. Was she really as wise as La Xia claimed?

  “This necklace...”

  “It's something that will be useful to you,” she said with a smile on her face. “It's a magical item that allows you to store Qi inside, so you can keep a supply of mana just in case. It can store up to a two hundred units of Qi.”

  May was shocked. Such items were not cheap. Even the cheaper ones were worth a few thousand [mu].

  “This gift... It's too precious...” she said, but secretly she didn't want to argue about it.

  Did the Elder think she could be bribed with expensive items? If so, she was right. She didn't care that much about becoming Ze Yun's disciple, she wasn't interested in the military, and if she was going to get expensive items in return...

  “As I said, it's a sign of my goodwill,” she said.

  She herself had never planned to buy anything like that. She always had a lot of Qi energy, so she didn't need such items, which tended to be for people with a small amount of Qi. Using such items was not very convenient, but she wasn't going to refuse the gift. She could always sell it; a few thousand wasn't a bad deal.

  May decided to use the system to check the item's description! As long as the item belonged to her, she could check its description. The woman had given her the necklace as a gift, so May already considered it her own property.

  May felt a shiver run down her spine, but she knew she couldn't show it. She had to keep a straight face; she couldn't let the woman notice anything. The woman decided to waste as much as 8,500 [mu] on her. What could May speak about that was so valuable, what could interest her so much? Of course, such an amount was not that large for the Elder Sect, but it was still not a small sum.

  She heard Minnie's laughter in her head. May didn't mind, though. The system was truly irreplaceable.

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  But...

  She didn't understand.

  Why did she want to eavesdrop on her? If she was persuading her to become Ze Yun's disciple, it would make sense. It would mean that she wanted to wiretap him, but in this case, she was doing the opposite. She didn't want him to be her master. So why did she want to having her on the wiretap?

  She was hiding something. Maybe she just liked to be in control? She wanted to know all about everything? But risk it with eavesdropping?

  May, however, did not understand her motive in the slightest. However, it was not the right time. May bowed.

  “Thank you, Elder, for your gift,” she said, as if nothing had happened. The woman continued to smile warmly.

  I am lucky to have the system. If it weren't for it, I wouldn't have a clue. There really are all kinds of things in this world.

  That was a problem for later.

  She was really dangerous. After just a few minutes of conversation, the woman set her first trap for May. No one else, and certainly no one her age, would have been able to see through it.

  May felt in danger. She hoped that the woman hadn't noticed anything, neither her expression nor her hidden emotions.

  Luckily for her, Elder continued talking, which gave May a moment of relief.

  I don't think she knows that I know.

  “But let's get down to business. I'm offering you a deal. Don't accept Ze Yun's offer. If you value your life, stay away from that man. He had many talented disciples, but most of them ended up dead.”

  “They died in the war, didn't they, Elder? They knew what they were getting into when they joined the army,” May replied. She wasn't doing it to defend him, but she wanted to hear her response.

  “They knew what they were getting into, you say. Let me tell you something: they knew nothing. They didn't die because they joined the army, they died because they chose Ze Yun as their master. Don't make that mistake,” she said with annoyance. “But that's not what I wanted to talk about. If you don't do it, I'll give you the Sect's Gold Card.”

  “A Gold Sect Card?” May asked, hearing about such a thing for the first time. It sounded like something important, though.

  “Yes. Sect Cards are awarded for achievements and have different values. The Gold Card is one of the most valuable. They can be exchanged for items, but also for favors from the sect. It is actually invaluable. With a Gold Card, you could even order the sect to kill someone at the Foundation Establishment stage. “While it’s not as valuable as having a Golden Core master, I think you’ll be getting a much better outcome.”

  “Elder, I am truly grateful for all of this, but… Why?”

  “Do you know how to rise to the level of High Elder of the Sect? You have to be able to make good decisions, even with incomplete information.” She said with a thoughtful look.

  May pondered her words.

  It could have meant many things. Perhaps it was about her, or perhaps it was about someone else. For some reason, however, she decided it was worth the effort. She considered May a threat, or an opportunity. It was impossible to tell.

  That said, do I have any reason to believe her?

  Sure, being Ze Yun's student was dangerous, but he'd admitted that himself and didn't hide it; on the contrary, he was downright adverse to the idea. Maybe she was right, but at least he was honest. Her motives, on the other hand, remained hidden. The chances that she was doing it out of the goodness of her heart were virtually non-existent.

  Why does she care so much about it?

  “However, I'm not forcing my will on anyone. Do as you see fit,” she said. “Now go. Xing Hao will conduct the test at the Spiritual Qi River.”

  “Elder, I thought you would conduct it yourself...” May blurted out suddenly. Since she had gone to so much trouble to meet her, she expected her to want to see for herself how great her talent was.

  “Why would I observe the talent of some stranger's child? Don't you think it's something worth paying attention to?”

  “Yes... Please forgive my intrusive question, Elder...”

  After all, Xing Hao will tell her everything anyway. There's no need for her to go there herself. However, that's definitely a lie. If she didn't care about me, she wouldn't try to eavesdrop on me through that necklace.

  May, having no intention of prolonging the meeting any longer, bowed and left the room. Xing Hao was standing right outside the door, guarding it. Her instructor was standing in the distance.

  May passed on the Elder's instructions to Xing Hao. He nodded, presumably expecting this, and began to lead them. May noticed that La Xia glanced at her from time to time on the way, but did not say a word.

  It's a shame I didn't have time to improve my talent even more.

  She felt a slight regret, but she knew it didn't matter anyway. She had to be satisfied with what she had.

  They walked uphill, climbing rocky paths. The journey took longer than she thought, and she could see the estates from above.

  “We're almost there,” Xing Hao said suddenly, clearly concerned about their comfort. He didn't seem like a bad person.

  Suddenly, May became curious about something.

  “Why does this test have to take place on this estate?” she asked Xing Hao.

  A river that could test talent, yet was located on private property? It would seem that it should be the property of the sect.

  Xing Hao continued walking and only answered her after a moment.

  “The river was discovered quite recently. A hundred or so years ago. Spiritual Qi Rivers are quite rare, so the discovery of this natural heritage delighted the entire capital of the Inner Court,” he explained. “However, this area was owned by the Hao Clan. A conflict broke out... But in short, the Clan moved its headquarters here to strengthen its ownership rights, with the condition that the river be made available to the entire sect.”

  “But you omitted one piece of information. The sect has to pay your Clan for its use. That's how this previously insignificant clan became influential,” La Xia suddenly interjected with displeasure.

  “Every Clan has to make money somehow, senior, and the Yun Clan, which you so faithfully serve, is no exception.”

  “Although your words are correct, earning money is one thing, but earning money from something that should be for the common good of the sect? That is simply exploitation.”

  The man just shrugged, although the tense atmosphere was palpable.

  “The land was legally owned by the Hao Clan back when it was considered just a useless stretch of mountainous land. For hundreds of years of the sect’s existence, no one knew about the existence of this river. If it weren’t for the clan, it’s possible that no one would still know about its very existence.”

  “So you think that gives you the right to exploit the rest of the sect, Junior?” The older man was agitated.

  “First of all, Senior, I don’t think it’s your place to judge that. The case is officially closed.”

  La Xia just snorted. May slightly regretted her question. If she had known what an argument it would cause, she wouldn't have said anything. But now she was trapped between two angry men, in an awkward silence.

  Finally, they arrived at their destination. Xing Hao led them to a place hidden between valleys and crevices in the mountain. It was truly hidden.

  Torches were lit outside, and two guards stood in front of the cave entrance.

  The entrance was basically a hole in the ground, easily missable. There was, however, a steel ladder, albeit one that was slightly rusty. This was not what May had expected.

  After a moment of conversation between the guards and Xing Hao, who showed them his Elder's signet ring, they let them pass. Xing Hao went first, followed by May. The ladder stretched down, and May couldn't see the bottom.

  She placed her hand on the first rung of the ladder and felt the cold, rough metal. Then she placed her feet on the lower rungs and began to descend.

  She had never been afraid of heights, but this was terrifying. She couldn't see the bottom or what was below her. A minute later, the light from the surface was also becoming less and less visible.

  She could only sense Xing Hao's presence below her and La Xia's breath above her. Only now did she deeply regret bringing up that topic. No one wanted to speak now, and she could have used a few words of encouragement.

  The lower they went, the more humid the air became, and her hands began to ache from the metal. She completely lost track of time.

  She didn't know how long it took, but finally she was at the bottom, sweaty and breathless. It certainly wasn't just a few minutes.

  However, this was only the beginning. They still had a long way to go to reach the Spiritual Qi River itself.