Chapter 1353: The One Elder Gui Has His Eye On

"This matter still needs the Sect Master to make the final decision. Aside from that, the Blood Shadow Alliance's objective this time appears to be the Desolate Emperor Seal hidden within our Dongling Immortal Pool."

The Flowing Flame Hall Master spoke in a low, grave voice.

"There have indeed been rumors that the Desolate Emperor Seal was once placed here by the Desolate Emperor of old. However, after several thousand years, no one in Dongling Immortal Pool has ever discovered it."

The white haired elder spoke slowly. "In this old man's opinion, the legends surrounding the Five Emperors Seal are elusive and unreliable. They should not be taken as truth."

"Regardless of whether the legends are true, the Blood Shadow Alliance's actions suggest that they have already found certain clues. It is very likely that the Desolate Emperor Seal is indeed hidden somewhere within Dongling Immortal Pool."

The Flowing Flame Hall Master narrowed his eyes and continued calmly. "From today onward, strengthen the external barriers of Dongling Immortal Pool. As for searching for the Desolate Emperor Seal, we can begin dispatching disciples to investigate. If we can locate it first, we may be able to lure those Blood Shadow Alliance bandits into walking straight into our net!"

"All right, let's end it here. I will personally report the specific matters to the Sect Master."

The Flowing Flame Hall Master flicked his sleeve. A trace of seriousness lingered between his brows as the elders all responded in agreement and rose to leave.

"One more thing. Elder Xuanzhen, pass down the order. Mobilize outer sect disciples and coordinate with the inner sect and affiliated inner sects to strengthen patrols in the surrounding areas. If enemy traces are discovered, follow the example of this mission team. Strike swiftly and decisively. Capture the enemy leader alive if possible. We may be able to trace further leads and obtain more intelligence on the Blood Shadow Alliance!"

The Flowing Flame Hall Master issued the command.

"Yes!"

The elders nodded repeatedly. Elder Xuanzhen laughed and said, "This mission was handled quite well. With minimal losses, you managed to capture the enemy leader alive. Very good. Elder Li, you chose a fine group of disciples!"

Li Dechao was the Flowing Flame Hall elder who had organized the team that day. He was the one who had personally appointed Wang Ruquan and Li Fei as team leaders. Even he had not expected Wang Ruquan and the others to perform so effectively.

"

Hehe,

it was mainly Ruquan and Li Fei who acted decisively," Li Dechao said with a smile.

"

Oh?

In that case, those two disciples have indeed made notable progress. Elder Li, reward them properly on my behalf."

The Flowing Flame Hall Master spoke indifferently.

"Yes, Hall Master!"

Li Dechao immediately bowed deeply. After the Hall Master and the elders departed, Li Dechao, wearing a satisfied expression, ordered that Li Fei and Wang Ruquan be summoned to the side hall to receive their rewards.

Before long, Li Fei arrived at the side hall. Seeing that Li Dechao had already been waiting for some time, she quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"Greetings, Elder. May I ask why you have summoned me?"

Li Dechao frowned slightly when he saw that only Li Fei had arrived.

"Where is that brat Wang Ruquan?"

"Senior Brother Wang may have been delayed by something and did not return with us," Li Fei replied softly.

"

Oh?

Is that so? So be it."

Li Dechao smiled faintly. "We shall distribute the rewards separately. Li Fei, you performed well on this mission. The Hall Master has instructed me to reward the two of you on his behalf. I will also allow you to select one item from the Flowing Flame Hall treasury as an additional reward."

"

Uh...

"

Li Fei waved her hands hurriedly and said, "This disciple truly does not dare to accept such honor."

"How could that be? You completed the mission excellently. You captured seven enemies alive, including the opposing leader. You personally crippled their cultivation. Your decisiveness earned high praise from the Hall Master."

A look of embarrassment appeared on Li Fei's face.

"Elder, you may not be aware. Among the seven captives, six were captured by a single person. Even the black-clad leader was subdued by that same individual."

"

Oh?

"

Li Dechao was momentarily stunned. "Among the dispatched disciples, aside from you, only Ruquan should have such ability. If it was not you, could it have been Wang Ruquan?"

"Wang Ruquan?"

A trace of disdain flashed through Li Fei's eyes. "During this operation, Senior Brother Wang contributed nothing at all."

"Is there another who rendered such great merit?"

Li Dechao's expression changed, and he looked visibly surprised.

"That is correct. I was preparing to report this to you. The one who captured the enemy leader and made the greatest contribution was not an inner sect disciple. It was a newly promoted outer sect disciple and currently serves as the two hundredth earth-tier Mingjian Tower, named Ling Feng."

"Ling Feng?"

Li Dechao's eyelids twitched violently. "That... That Spirit Sea Realm kid?"

"Yes. It is Junior Brother Ling."

Li Fei nodded. "In my view, although Junior Brother Ling's cultivation is relatively low, his strength is outstanding and his thinking is meticulous. This mission avoided greater losses entirely because of him. I believe it may be worth considering a special promotion for him into the inner sect."

"It is rare for someone to earn such praise from you."

Li Dechao looked at Li Fei deeply before speaking slowly. "I did not expect that an outer sect disciple I selected at random would turn out to be such an interesting youngster."

After a moment of contemplation, Li Dechao nodded slightly.

"Very well. I will report this matter to the Hall Master. If the Hall Master is willing, granting him an exception and promoting him into the inner sect would not be impossible."

"Thank you, Elder!"

Li Fei was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

"It is also rare that you are not greedy for credit and are willing to relinquish merit to speak the truth."

Li Dechao nodded. "Since that is the case, the reward will be postponed for now and left to the Hall Master's decision."

"Yes."

Li Fei performed a fist-and-palm salute. Although she lost the opportunity to select a treasure, she felt no particular disappointment.

What belonged to her would naturally remain hers. What did not belong to her was not something she would covet.

Such a mindset was truly rare.

After Li Fei withdrew, Li Dechao stroked his beard and murmured to himself, "This Ling Feng is indeed quite interesting. Still, how did such a talent end up in the outer sect?"

Afterward, Li Dechao paid another visit to the Flowing Flame Hall Master and reported the full sequence of events truthfully. However, after the Hall Master mentioned a single name to him, Li Dechao no longer dared to bring up the matter of Ling Feng's promotion to the inner sect.

It was as though the incident had never occurred at all. Any talk of rewards or commendations gradually faded with time.

All because the Flowing Flame Hall Master had said one sentence to Li Dechao.

Ling Feng was someone Elder Gui had his eye on!

...

On the other side, Ling Feng himself had never expected any sect rewards. Obtaining an Earth Emperor Token was already more than enough for him.

The following day, because Meng Guizang failed to appear for the wager duel, Ling Feng won without a fight. He claimed the ninth sky-tier Mingjian Tower and Meng Guizang's Earth Emperor Token.

As a result, Ling Feng became the talk of the entire outer sect. Having joined Dongling Immortal Pool for less than a month, he directly occupied the ninth sky-tier Mingjian Tower. Such an achievement could only be described as unprecedented.