Chapter 1265 - Shrouded in Secret

Every trace of law in the room vanished the moment Liu Wuxie's eyes snapped open. A razor-bright gleam flashed from his gaze, so intense it seemed it could ignite space. He drew back his aura, steady and controlled, at the fourth level of the Origin Conversion Realm.

In cultivation, the first to third levels marked the initial phase of a realm, the fourth to sixth levels the mid-phase, and the seventh to ninth levels the late phase. Now that he had stepped into the fourth level of the Origin Conversion Realm, Liu Wuxie had entered the mid-phase, and his strength had transformed.

When he slid the door open and stepped out, three pairs of eyes swung toward him in unison.

"What are you all looking at?" Liu Wuxie asked.

"How did you do it? How did you make the Great Five Elemental Mythical Art manifest as a five-colored divine dragon?" Old Blindie exhaled, still reeling. Raising the Great Five Elemental Mythical Art to such heights within days was unbelievable; many would spend decades and never achieve it.

Liu Wuxie rubbed the bridge of his nose, a little sheepish. He couldn't exactly admit that all mythical arts originated from immortal arts, and that he had merely woven the shadows of those immortal arts into the mythical art.

"Since it's inconvenient for you to say, I won't pry. What do we do next?" Old Blindie said, tactfully changing the subject. No one would casually lay bare the mythical arts they had comprehended.

In any case, his granddaughter had already acknowledged Liu Wuxie as master; sooner or later, she would learn from him.

These past few days with Liu Wuxie made Old Blindie feel as if a second spring had arrived, stirring an urge to accomplish something great together. They resolved his granddaughter's condition; with no more worries, he had nothing better to do than throw himself into Liu Wuxie's plans.

"The Myriad Race Ceremony is about to begin, and I've already signed up. I can't remain in Mount Dragon City," Liu Wuxie said. With He Yingwu's current talent, he did not qualify to take part, so he would not be joining.

At the news of his departure, Old Blindie and Xiao Luo both looked crestfallen.

"Master, are you leaving?" Xiao Luo asked, clutching Liu Wuxie's sleeve as tears welled. In these few days, their bond had deepened; the thought of parting churned her heart.

The Heavenly Dragon Sect forbids outsiders from entering. Without formal permission, Old Blindie and Xiao Luo could not follow him back—rules were rules.

"I'll only be gone for a while. Before I leave, I have a few tasks for the three of you," Liu Wuxie said with a nod. The Myriad Race Ceremony concerned the life and death of the True Martial Continent; whatever the difficulty, he had to fight his way to a strong result.

It was also his chance to prove his value—a lever he could use to negotiate with the Heavenly Dragon Sect to establish the interstellar teleportation array.

"What do you need us to do?" Old Blindie asked, his expression hardening the instant he had work to do.

"To be frank, I've founded an organization called the Heavenly Dao Society. It isn't based here, but it may expand to the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain. I need you to lay the groundwork for that expansion," Liu Wuxie said. He wouldn't force them; if they were willing, he would welcome their help. Everyone had the right to choose.

Besides, Old Blindie had done more than enough for him this past month; Liu Wuxie felt only gratitude. He would not shamelessly heap more burdens on him.

"The Heavenly Dao Society? Interesting. Bold of you to choose a name like that," Old Blindie said, smacking his lips, amusement glinting in his eyes.

Liu Wuxie had chosen the name to honor the Heavenly Dao Book and his master, the Heavenly Taoist.

"Master, what do you need us to do?" Xiao Luo asked anxiously. She could hardly sit still. She would complete anything he asked, especially after learning her three senior brothers were also part of the Heavenly Dao Society.

Old Blindie didn't speak, but emotion rippled across his features.

"Gather information," Liu Wuxie said. "I need monthly figures for the Indigo Bamboo Star on alchemy, artifacts, spiritual talismans, and other cultivation essentials."

Once the Heavenly Dao Society settled in, there would be no time to gather those numbers.

He intended the Heavenly Dao Society to take root in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain the very moment it arrived. He would not repeat the mistakes of the Central Plains in the True Martial Continent, where countless forces targeted them and the three great clans wiped them out multiple times. He had learned that lesson, and he would not repeat it.

"That's all?" Old Blindie asked. He had expected orders to expand territory; simple information-gathering sounded far too easy.

"It only looks easy," Liu Wuxie said. "What we see may not be real; it may be what others want us to see. I need accurate data, not rumors."

He knew precisely what Old Blindie was thinking—ask around, and he could easily gather that information. However, things were never that simple. What they heard could be precisely what others wanted them to believe. No force willingly would reveal precise figures.

He needed numbers as exact as possible. If necessary, he would even plant spies.

"Leave it to me," Old Blindie said, thumping his chest, already determined to have everything gathered before Liu Wuxie returned.

Liu Wuxie nodded and turned to He Yingwu. "Stay in Mount Dragon City for now and assist Senior."

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Since He Yingwu had chosen to follow him, Liu Wuxie would not treat him poorly. If left alone in the Heavenly Dragon Sect while Liu Wuxie was away, He Yingwu could stumble into danger and die without even knowing how he had died.

Old Blindie could guarantee his safety.

He Yingwu nodded. He understood Liu Wuxie's good intentions and that he could not return yet.

"Xiao Luo, I have no special demands for you. Cultivate exactly as I taught you. Within a year, you'll see results," Liu Wuxie said earnestly. He could only lead her to the threshold; he could not remain forever to guide every step.

"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, master," Xiao Luo said, voice catching as she fought back sobs.

Knowing farewells always cut deep, Liu Wuxie turned and left without hesitation.

Watching his figure disappear, Xiao Luo crouched where she stood and broke into tears.

Old Blindie could only sigh. He knew Liu Wuxie's care for his granddaughter was no less than his own.

For years, Xiao Luo had shut herself off from the world. Liu Wuxie had given her a second life, like a second parent.

With just two days left to the one-month deadline, Liu Wuxie set out for the Heavenly Dragon Sect. He had left as an eighth-level Transcendent Realm cultivator and now returned at the fourth level of the Origin Conversion Realm.

He hadn't reached the high levels of the Origin Conversion Realm as planned, but his harvest was vast. If not for the mysterious figure's interference that night, he might well have broken through to the fifth- or even sixth-level Origin Conversion Realm.

The Heavenly Dragon Sect looked unchanged, yet the river of history never slowed; it rolled forward without pause.

Talk of Liu Wuxie had already faded as new prodigies surfaced daily to claim attention. Disciples lived in obscurity, then rose to prominence overnight, sweeping aside their peers. Such tales unfolded every day across the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain—rare pills and fruits acquired by chance, guidance from reclusive masters, sudden bursts of insight.

Liu Wuxie did not return to his quarters. Instead, he walked straight to Elder Long's residence.

Elder Long rarely left his home and spent most days in his courtyard, but preparations for the Myriad Race Ceremony had been keeping him unusually busy; he would be attending as well, after all.

When Elder Long saw Liu Wuxie, he nearly failed to recognize him. Aside from his unchanged features, everything else about him had changed.

"What did you do in Mount Dragon City? How did you reach the fourth-level Origin Conversion Realm so quickly?" Elder Long asked, shock written across his face. He had registered Liu Wuxie only for the blacksmithing event, which required little cultivation; even a Transcendent Realm disciple could participate.

"It's a long story—hard to explain in a sentence or two. I came to ask about someone," Liu Wuxie said, taking a seat. At this point, Elder Long knew most of his circumstances, and the events in the mysterious palace had shifted their bond to somewhere between master and friend.

"What do you want to ask?" Elder Long sat as well. Pleased by Liu Wuxie's rapid advances, he admitted the Myriad Race Ceremony had tied him up over the past month, and he had set Liu Wuxie aside.

"Hua Feiyu," Liu Wuxie said.

Elder Long hissed and shot to his feet as if trodden on. Thinking he had misheard, he asked, "Repeat that name?"

Only Liu Wuxie had heard the mysterious black figure call out Hua Feiyu that night; the blast hurled Old Blindie away, and He Yingwu was still in the courtyard.

"Hua Feiyu," Liu Wuxie repeated. He knew this person stood at least at the high levels of the Heaven Gaze Realm.

"Where did you hear that name?" Elder Long's gaze pinned him. The name hadn't surfaced in many years; even many inner elders didn't know it. Only the sect's upper echelons did.

"I'm asking out of curiosity. If you know anything, tell me," Liu Wuxie said. Hua Feiyu had saved his life; he wanted to know who the man was so he could one day repay the debt. Without that intervention, the mysterious black figure would already have killed him.

"That is the name of the Heavenly Dragon Sect's current sect master," Elder Long said, casting a meaningful look at Liu Wuxie.

No one had dared speak Hua Feiyu's name for thousands of years. The younger generation knew him only as the sect master of the Heavenly Dragon Sect, not by name, including disciples from other forces.

Elder Long himself was an example—elders and disciples addressed him as "Elder Long," while only those close to him, such as Old Blindie, used his personal name.

"What?!" Liu Wuxie surged to his feet, stunned. He hadn't expected the white hand from that night to belong to the Heavenly Dragon Sect's sect master. Realization flooded him—the sect master had been watching all along. Whatever the reason, Liu Wuxie would never forget that life-saving grace.

"Wuxie, are you alright?" Elder Long asked, watching his face change.