Capítulo 26: Doomed To Failure
Core Elder Su Nian stared at the piece of paper in his hand with the gaze of a hawk, trying to unveil the secrets it held. All to no avail. He sighed and put it back down.
"Has the situation been confirmed?" He asked.
Sitting before him was an old man with a messy beard and an even messier mop of hair. He held his head low, his bearing subservient.
"There's been no further updates aside from what we were able to dig superficially."
Hearing the words of the old man put a sour taste in his mouth. He was not feeling desperate, but curiosity was gnawing at his mind.
"We can just pay a direct visit and put forward our questions in a straightforward manner." The old man offered.
Su Nian looked at him with narrowed eyes. He then sighed and shook his head. "Maybe you're right. Nothing will come out of brooding in my room."
"Then, should we leave?"
"Let's go meet this kid." He nodded and made to stand up.
As the duo left the room, they marched down the hallway and down into the main room. Standing there was a huffing form of his servant, who leaned against a wooden beam trying to catch his breath.
"What happened?" He frowned as he strode toward the panting disciple.
The young man was startled to hear those words, not having expected the elder to come down. "Elder Su!" He bowed deeply.
"Speak." He ordered with a stern voice.
The disciple tried to control his breathing and answered. "The disciple you told me to keep an eye on, he's entered the Hall of Truth."
Su Nian's eyes brightened. "He's there to undergo his rank evaluation."
There could be no other matter taking place. After all, the Hall of Truth was where the disciples were tested for their talent and cultivation.
"We must make haste; let's go."
With a hop in his step, Core Elder Su Nian left his residence, followed by the old man.
***
Hall of Truth.
Every time a Trial Disciple met the requirement to ascend, this was the place they would visit. Here, in this grand and sky-reaching tower, was a group of cultivators who were tasked to judge a disciple's rank. It was, to many, a place where they underwent nirvana.
Inside the main hall of this tower, gathered among a group of elders, stood Lin Fei.
He took in each of their features and felt their powerful auras that rivaled and even exceeded Elder Song of the Hall of Wisdom. There was a disparate silence that prevailed in the atmosphere that would've made anyone uncomfortable.
Not Lin Fei, though.
They know, his mother supplied. Now you only have to follow the script, and things will go as we planned.
A plan to acquire resources and backing. Very simple in terms of execution. And he wouldn't have to do anything but let them make their own judgments.
Really, it was amazing how the human brain supplied the missing dots. Weaving a story to fit their own logic, as if finding comfort in their persuasive lies.
One of the elders spoke. "State your name?"
"Lin Fei."
"Age?"
"21."
"How long have you been a trial disciple for?"
"Eight years and three months."
"Very well." Another elder stepped forward. "Put your hand on this stone and try to channel your Qi."
There wasn't a hard barrier that existed between the Dantian Establishment and Qi Gathering. Once a cultivator had opened their dantian, they would easily be able to channel and store Qi.
Lin Fei had already forged his dantian and that too using the Dantian Forging Pill. That was not taking into account the presence of Elemental Essences that had merged into his channels and body, effectively tainting his dantian.
The Qi that he stored in his dantian was a mixture of pure and elemental aspects. Which enhanced the potency of his Qi by several degrees.
He stepped forward and rested his palm against the Qi Siphon Stone. It would take Qi from the cultivator's body and produce a luminous intensity, signifying the cultivator being at the peak of Mortal Foundation or higher.
As he felt his Qi being absorbed from his body, a radiant glow suffused through the entire room. The elder standing beside raised a brow in surprise.
"That's quite an exceptional amount of Qi." He praised.
What the elder didn't know was that Lin Fei didn't possess more Qi than an average cultivator right after they had completed their Mortal Foundation. It was just that the purity of his Qi was higher.
"Alright, pass for cultivation evaluation now—" Before the elder could finish his next words, the doors to the hall opened with a bang, and each of their attentions was focused on the pair of newcomers.
"Core Elder Su Nian!"
"Why is he here?"
"An interesting turn of events..."
While most of the elders were expressing their surprise, a few had a sly gleam flash in their eyes. Lin Fei didn't have to be a genius to guess who had supplied this elder with the news.
"Elder Su!" As the elder walked forward, others bowed. He didn't stop, however, not until he was standing mere inches from Lin Fei.
Lin Fei cupped his hands, bowing slightly. "Greetings, Elder Su."
His calm voice piqued the elder's interest, but he was here on a mission.
"So, you're Lin Fei?"
"Yes."
"I have heard about you." Su Nian spoke tentatively, observing Lin Fei's reaction with the gaze of a hawk.
Lin Fei smiled inwardly while wearing a mask of calmness over his features. "What do you mean by that, Elder?"
"Let's do away with the formalities and commune truthfully." Su Nian spoke. "Were you the one who sold Tier 1 Talismans at the black market?"
His words sparked another hushed conversation among the gathered elders. They were trying to figure out why a prestigious figure like this elder was here. Hearing his words, it seemed he had come to interrogate this young disciple.
Calm anticipation coursed through him, reveling in the feeling of having things under control. The plan was proceeding as he had been hoping it would.
Lin Fei had the script memorized. Now he would have to reveal the truth about his 'master' and then go on to show his talent in Elemental Essence. Once they became certain of his enigmatic backing, it would only be a matter of time before they promoted him and took the backseat.
However, as the saying goes: 'Man plans and Heaven laughs.' This plan of his was also doomed to failure from the beginning.
(Author's Note: Hope you have enjoyed reading thus far. I have two things to say
1] If you like this story, please leave a comment and definitely leave a review
2] I have an announcement to make about my new work that will be participating in WSA. It will be out in a few days. That said, it may effect the release schedule of my other novel, but My Dual Cultivation will maintain its update rate.
Thank you!)
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