Chapter 2: There Is an Undercover Among Us
His gaze was sharp as a sword, but after a moment of scrutiny, it quickly withdrew.
Faced with Senior Sister Ling Yuetai, Qi Xiu couldn’t help but feel pressured. Perhaps it was due to their instinctive rivalry; he always felt a chill creeping up on the back of his neck.
However, he was a professionally-trained undercover agent of the Demon Cult and soon managed to calm his emotions.
He thought that Ling Yuetai’s concern for the Righteous Path might stem from the fact that he had been shining too brightly lately, drawing her attention.
As long as there was no evidence of him being an undercover agent, this woman wouldn’t do anything to him.
“Senior Brother, it seemed like Senior Sister Ling Yuetai was looking at you just now.”
Xie Yiyi tugged on Qi Xiu’s sleeve with her little hand, glancing towards Ling Yuetai in her snowy white robes in the distance, then back at her Senior Brother Qi.
“Perhaps it’s just her delight as a Senior Sister,” Qi Xiu said, as the hand grasping his sleeve began to shake gently.
“I’m afraid she feels threatened. After all, it’s not a secret that Senior Sister Ling has stagnated in cultivation for so many years, and with the Immortal Alliance selection coming up soon, if Senior Brother suddenly appears, wouldn’t that mean she has to relinquish resources in the sect to you?”
Xie Yiyi shook even harder, her speculation making Qi Xiu sway left and right along with her.
He smiled lightly, “The Sword Clothing Sect is a major sect, and I haven’t reached the level to compete with Senior Sister Ling. It’s not too late to discuss that when the day comes.”
Of course, Qi Xiu hoped that such a day would never come.
For every Demon Cultivator, being able to extinguish the flames of the Righteous Path and have its talents grovel in submission beneath them was surely a dream.
But Qi Xiu’s primary task was to hide his identity and preserve his life, cooperating with his superiors. It would be absurd for an undercover agent of the Demon Cult to fight with Ling Yuetai.
Lost in thought due to Xie Yiyi’s shaking, Qi Xiu heard the testing for cultivation levels call out Ling Yuetai’s name from afar.
The cultivation testing of the Sword Clothing Sect was in preparation for the upcoming selection of the Immortal Alliance, which all the ten major sects of the Righteous Path would participate in, primarily to boost morale against the Demon Path while redistributing resources and power among the various sects.
Ten years ago, a fairy from the Sword Clothing Sect won first place for their sect and obtained a secret lineage.
She was the most outstanding talent of the Sword Clothing Sect, filled with righteous indignation, with a heart devoted to upholding the Righteous Path.
However, over the years, her stagnant cultivation gradually dulled the brilliance of that time.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Ling Yuetai’s figure had already descended from the high ground.
She appeared in front of the crowd, her flowing dark hair moving with the wind, her long alabaster legs touching the ground, and a pair of jade pendants jingling at her slender waist.
With no moon in the day sky, beneath her long eyelashes, her sparkling eyes resembled a late-arriving bright moon—serene and cold, yet as proud as the moon, elevated high above.
The original noise abruptly ceased, and the gazes of the surrounding disciples instinctively focused on this fairy.
Even a few elders, including the Sect Leader, stood up with piercing gazes.
They were all eager to see if today Ling Yuetai would surprise the sect like Qi Xiu, the late bloomer.
If so, the position of the Sword Clothing Sect within the Righteous Path would be even more solidified, shining like the midday sun.
“Senior Sister Ling Yuetai, you may begin.”
With the middle-aged elder’s words, the silence fell, and even the surrounding air seemed to solidify.
Ling Yuetai’s clear eyes fell upon the stone pillar.
She was fully aware of what those gazes represented.
Her cultivation had lingered at the fifth level for far too long, eroding the trust and expectations of the sect.
At this rate, let alone attaining the position of Sect Leader, she might not even be able to participate in the Immortal Alliance.
Proud as she was, she couldn’t accept this.
Becoming the Sect Leader of the Sword Clothing Sect—it was her mission as an undercover agent for the Demon Cult.
For years, Ling Yuetai had devoted herself to cultivation, striving to surpass those talents, all to one day become the Sect Leader and dismantle the Righteous Path from within.
Over the years, she had disguised herself as someone who detests evil, frequently launching hunts against the Demon Path to gain the trust of the Righteous Path.
Ling Yuetai believed this was a necessary sacrifice before achieving great things.
She had to be enough like a practitioner of the Righteous Path, even becoming the most dazzling talent among them, stealing the spotlight and ensuring all their attention remained on her.
The determination in her eyes blazed more fiercely as her hand rested upon the stone pillar.
Golden light shot out, instantly engulfing the crowd.
However, a moment later, the result came.
“Ling Yuetai, fifth level…”
Just as it had been ten years ago, it was an expected outcome that the disciples of the Sword Clothing Sect were unwilling to accept.
None of them dared to speak up, merely looking at Ling Yuetai with regret.
Ling Yuetai’s expression was cold as frost.
She bore the task of becoming the Sect Leader of the Sword Clothing Sect, and the sect intended to cultivate her as the successor.
Yet no matter how she performed or what her attitude toward the Demon Path was—without talent and cultivation, she could only miss the Sect Leader position.
“Alright, don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” the testing elder said, seeing Ling Yuetai standing there in a daze, offering words of comfort.
Even if Ling Yuetai could only maintain the fifth level of cultivation for her lifetime, she was still a considerable force for the Righteous Path. Conversely, if she let high expectations lead to a Heart Demon, ultimately becoming useless, that would be a loss.
Ling Yuetai didn’t look at him, nor did she pay any attention to the regretful gazes around her, and just like when she arrived, she quickly left.
On the high platform, the elderly elder looked at Ling Yuetai’s results, a hint of sorrow flashing in his dusty eyes.
“Were the expectations too high?”
“It seems that Ling Yuetai has really reached her limit. How about letting her assist Qi Xiu in the future? Either of them inheriting the sect’s legacy would be a boon for the Righteous Path,” another elder suggested.
“The Sword Clothing Sect already has two direct disciples, but with Ling Yuetai’s limited talent, should our Sect Leader consider taking Qi Xiu as a direct disciple?”
“What do you think? If Ling Yuetai were to use that secret technique, would there still be hope for her improvement?”
“That dual cultivation technique? Ha, putting aside how hard it is to find a male cultivator with such a physique, even if we do, we must ensure that the other party has a lazy and wasted cultivation level. I mean, if you had that kind of physique, would you be able to resist not cultivating?”
“Moreover, this child Ling Yuetai is wholeheartedly devoted to the Path; she hasn’t had any affairs with men. Even if we brought her a furnace, she wouldn’t entertain any thoughts.”
The elders talked back and forth, while the current Sect Leader, holding an ancient long sword, cast her gaze elsewhere.
Her eyes fell upon the young man in a blue robe who had only recently begun to shine.
After a brief internal comparison with the other two direct disciples, she slightly nodded.
It seemed it was indeed time for the Sword Clothing Sect to cultivate other talents.
