Chapter 1: Becoming Strong is as Simple as Drinking Water
Golden patterns slowly illuminated the ancient stone pillar.
As the young man’s palm lingered, the golden patterns climbed higher, shining brightly.
“Qi Xiu, fourth level cultivation!” announced the elder on the platform, his knife-like brows revealing a hint of satisfaction.
Upon hearing this result, the surrounding disciples were in an uproar.
“Junior Brother Qi has broken through again this month.”
“I remember he just broke through to the third level last month; it seems as easy as drinking water for him.”
“Isn’t there a mistake? Qi Xiu was still at the first level just a few months ago, and he was the lowest in cultivation among the sect…”
The disciples in the stands were discussing in a flurry, either shocked by the young man’s rapid progress or jealous of his current cultivation.
It must be known that Qi Xiu had been an unnoticed errand boy in the Sword Clothing Sect half a year ago, with a low status, a lazy demeanor, and weak cultivation.
But just in a mere three months, he had become a well-known figure in the Sword Clothing Sect.
At this moment, Qi Xiu looked at the stone pillar and did not show a hint of joy at his progress in cultivation.
Dressed in a long green robe that fluttered in the wind, his handsome face was mixed with a complex expression that was hard to describe, and ignoring the idle chatter around him, he walked straight off the platform.
Behind him, the elders wore expressions of joy marked by the creases on their aged faces.
“This kid Qi Xiu has made such progress in just a few months; even Ling Yuetai can’t be much better than this.”
“Blessed by the Ancestor, our Sword Clothing Sect has another genius; given time, he will surely lead the sect in opposing the Demon Cult!”
Hearing the discussions of the elders behind him, Qi Xiu sighed quietly and quickened his pace.
“Congratulations, Junior Brother Qi!”
As Qi Xiu stepped down from the platform, a young girl nearby leaned in closer.
This girl was not very old, only about fifteen or sixteen, with a petite and delicate figure and a porcelain-doll-like face. Her hair was tied into two ponytails, and her thin frame was dressed in an oversized white robe, which dragged on the ground yet miraculously did not gather a speck of dust.
As she congratulated him, she made to snuggle into Qi Xiu’s embrace.
Qi Xiu quickly pressed down on the girl’s head with gentle words: “Alright, how did your test go?”
“What else could it be? Just first level cultivation. Brother, you know I’m not cut out for cultivation, unlike you, now the favorite of the Sect Leader.”
Mentioning her pityingly low cultivation, the girl could only awkwardly laugh and twirl her braid while poking at Qi Xiu’s chest.
To this, Qi Xiu was not surprised.
His little junior sister, Xie Yiyi, had been at the bottom since joining the Sword Clothing Sect, and after two years, her cultivation still hovered at the first level.
Qi Xiu had also been a useless cultivator stuck at the first level, so he shared a strong bond with Xie Yiyi.
“Brother, do you think Senior Sister Ling can break through to the sixth level this time? If she doesn’t, will the Sect Leader give more resources to you? Treasures and artifacts—will you get your own cave?”
Clearly just wishful thinking, the girl showed a determined expression, as if she were the one expecting a generous reward instead of Qi Xiu.
Qi Xiu did not respond to this impractical question, merely smiling.
Following Xie Yiyi’s words, he looked toward the group of elders who cast him approving glances.
Those old fellows all wore smiles reminiscent of an aunt, their joy even making their wrinkles seem to lessen a bit.
Under the gaze of these old folks, Qi Xiu felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
Counting the time, it had been over two years since he infiltrated the Sword Clothing Sect.
Two years ago, as a disciple of the Demon Cult, Qi Xiu was assigned a crucial task to act as an undercover agent within the Righteous Path, cooperating with another undercover agent.
Qi Xiu resolutely accepted the mission, becoming a proud undercover operative.
Of course, in order to hide his identity and prevent revealing information about his accomplices, Qi Xiu and the other undercover agent could only communicate through magic artifacts, not knowing each other’s identity or strength within the Sword Clothing Sect.
What he could confirm was that the other undercover agent was his superior, and all his actions followed orders from his superior.
His superior had two decades of experience as an undercover agent in the Sword Clothing Sect, thus Qi Xiu chose a method of infiltration that wouldn’t attract attention.
As the saying goes, fools in an organization are never discarded; only the lazy ones are.
Qi Xiu aimed to be that lazy person.
As long as he was lazy enough and messed around enough, the sect would kick him aside, not to chase him away but to treat him like he didn’t exist.
So for the past two years, in order to avoid attention, Qi Xiu mixed with Xie Yiyi, the perennial bottom feeder, slacking and joking to the utmost, with cultivation that was truly pitiful.
It turned out that Qi Xiu’s plan was a success.
At least three months ago, not many people in the Sword Clothing Sect remembered him.
But unexpectedly, things changed in these three months.
Now, Qi Xiu had become the talented disciple highly regarded by all the upper echelons of the sect.
——His unassuming, low-key life had ended.
It was unclear since when Qi Xiu found that just brewing a pot of tea early in the morning, leaning against an old tree for a nap, would lead him to break through in his cultivation.
Even taking a shower could bring moments of enlightenment amidst the steam.
Even simply breathing in fresh air posed a risk of inadvertently breaking through cultivation bottlenecks!
As the saying goes, what you love becomes your life.
Qi Xiu swore he did not love cultivation, yet it clung to him like a plaster.
Such fortune would be equivalent to soaring to greatness for an ordinary cultivator, but the key was…
Qi Xiu was an undercover agent!
A disciple of the Demon Cult shining brightly in the Righteous Path sect?
If this continued, the upper echelons of the sect would surely keep a close watch on him, cradling him in their hands as though afraid he might drop or dissolve.
Then would he still be able to function as an undercover agent?
Not to mention if he made any small moves or if they really uncovered something, how would this group of righteous ones treat him?
No matter how exaggerated his progress, he was still only at the fourth level. The path of cultivation rose from one to the ninth level, while the Sect Leader was at the seventh level and could easily squash him.
The Sect Leader and elders were still holding onto the notion of having picked up a treasure, not overly suspicious of him.
But the sect’s senior sister, Ling Yuetai, was a different story.
This woman, known as the Demon Path obsessive, would investigate anything related to the Demon Path with relentless zeal. Throughout the year, she was either working to eradicate the Demon Path or hunting down demon cultivators.
If the heads of Demon Cult disciples were counted as achievements, then Ling Yuetai would be the Sword Clothing Sect’s collector’s trophy.
Every time he saw that woman from a distance, Qi Xiu instinctively felt his neck chill.
He always thought that if he didn’t hold his head firmly, he would end up like his colleagues, becoming just another statistic in Ling Yuetai’s anti-demon campaign.
“Brother, don’t feel too pressured; this is the treatment a genius of the sect deserves.”
Seeing Qi Xiu not responding, Xie Yiyi mistook it for his inability to adapt to his current status.
The girl said, noticing a figure in the distance, and pointed that way.
“Senior Sister Ling is the epitome of a genius; she never interacts with us ordinary disciples and wouldn’t even glance our way, so proud and aloof.”
Following Xie Yiyi’s finger, Qi Xiu looked over.
That tall and graceful figure, carrying a long sword, had appeared atop a tall building without him noticing.
The woman stood still, her fairy-like dress swaying in the wind, outlining a vaguely enchanting silhouette.
From such a distance, Qi Xiu could not see Ling Yuetai’s features, but he could distinctly feel a cold, scrutinizing gaze sweeping through the crowd, quickly retracting.
This gaze lingered slightly as it passed over him…
