From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

The icy water splashed on his face, and Yao Mengkang let out a muffled groan at the opportune moment.

His eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly "woke up".

He looked bewildered for a moment, then his eyes quickly focused, scanning the dimly lit cell and the shadowy black-clad guards outside the bars.

His face displayed just the right amount of fear, anger, and a hint of feigned composure.

He struggled to sit up.

But it seemed to aggravate the "injury" in his left arm, causing him to gasp in pain and break out in a cold sweat.

He leaned against the cold wall, panting heavily.

His gaze swept across the entire underground space quickly and discreetly once more, finally settling on the few cells in the distance where the disciples of Qinglu Academy were imprisoned.

His mental energy was like the finest comb, meticulously combing through every detail of this place.

Besides the academy disciples, there are also seventy or eighty other young men and women being held here.

Judging from their clothing and demeanor, most of them come from distinguished backgrounds and should be young talents from Baiwei City and even the surrounding areas.

They too were under the influence of drugs, their bodies weak, their eyes filled with despair, fear, or numbness.

However, Yao Mengkang paused slightly when his gaze swept over an inconspicuous cell in the corner.

There, a girl who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old was huddled up.

She was dressed in simple cotton clothes, her hair was a little messy, and her face was dirty. She looked just as weak and frail as the other prisoners.

But Yao Mengkang keenly noticed something different—her eyes.

The eyes of the others were either dull and lifeless, or filled with fear of their unknown fate.

And this little girl, though her eyes were also downcast, seemed helpless.

But deep within those eyes, a barely perceptible glint of intelligence and... scrutiny flickered.

She doesn't seem like a real prisoner.

Rather, he is an observer who remains detached from the situation.

Carefully assessing everything around him, waiting for something.

This feeling... Yao Mengkang's heart stirred; it was somewhat familiar.

Just like himself at this moment, he is playing a role, secretly observing this place.

Yao Mengkang compared his own condition with that of the little girl.

He himself "performed" weakness and panic through strong willpower and precise control.

And this little girl seems to have acted even more flawlessly.

That feeling of weakness seemed to emanate from the very bones.

If it weren't for the Chaos Chakra granting me powerful perception and sensitivity to the unusual...

It was almost impossible to detect the fleeting strangeness in his eyes.

"Could it be... that she is too?" A thought arose in Yao Mengkang's mind.

This young girl is probably an undercover agent who infiltrated this place, just like me!

But which side does she belong to? The City Lord's Mansion? Or some other force that noticed the anomaly and sent people to infiltrate as well?

Putting aside his doubts for the time being, Yao Mengkang turned his attention to the twenty-two guards.

This careful observation stirred a strange feeling within him once again.

These guards were clearly emanating spiritual energy fluctuations unique to cultivators at the Spirit Sea Realm.

The intensity of its aura is much stronger and more solid than that of the Opening Meridian Realm.

But... the intensity of their auras was almost exactly the same!

They look like they were made from the same mold!

Moreover, Yao Mengkang secretly made comparisons.

He had met cultivators at the Spirit Sea Realm, such as Zhou Tong and Zhao Qian, and even the Star Beasts at the Spirit Sea Realm in the secret realm.

Although their spiritual power varies in degree, they all possess a unique "activity" and "characteristic".

The spiritual power of the guards in front of them, although barely reaching the level of the Spirit Sea Realm, was somewhat different from theirs.

Yes! It's "rigid" and "empty".

It lacks the unique charm that belongs to an individual life.

It could even be said that they gave Yao Mengkang the feeling of being even "weaker" than the Star Beasts at the first level of the Spirit Sea Realm!

It's not a weakness in strength, but a fundamental "superficiality".

This is highly abnormal! It seems like these cultivators at the Spirit Sea Realm...

It was created or copied by someone using some special means.

"Who...who are you people? What do you want with us?"

Yao Mengkang raised his head and looked at a guard patrolling outside the fence, his voice carrying a hint of weakness and feigned composure.

He portrays the image of a "senior brother" who is trapped in a desperate situation but still tries to figure out what's going on.

The guard glanced at him indifferently and ignored him.

Yao Mengkang, however, was not discouraged. As if to dispel his fear, or as if he was truly unwilling to give up, he continued to talk to himself.

"We are disciples of Qinglu Academy! The academy elders are surely searching for us with all their might! If you release us now, perhaps we can still..."

"Shut up!" another guard approached and shouted sternly.

"What are you shouting about, you prisoners!"

Yao Mengkang timely revealed a look of "fear" and shrank his neck.

After a while, he couldn't help but put on a bitter smile that seemed to indicate resignation.

He addressed the guard who appeared to be the leader.

"My lord, I know that if I fall into your hands, my chances of survival are slim."

"But... before I die, could you at least let me die knowing why?"

"Why have you gone to such lengths to capture us young disciples? And who is behind this?"

His tone was sincere, carrying a hint of pleading in his despair; his acting was impeccable.

The guard leader paused, his cold gaze falling on Yao Mengkang. He seemed to find the request of this "dying man" somewhat ridiculous, but he only looked Yao Mengkang over for a moment.

He didn't speak, but smiled slightly.

"There's hope!" Yao Mengkang thought to himself. Since that was the case, he decided to continue testing the waters.

Yao Mengkang spoke again.

"As a powerful expert at the Spirit Sea Realm, is it possible that this lord cannot even grant us such a small request to die knowing the truth? Or perhaps... he dares not?"

Perhaps he found Yao Mengkang's provocation laughable, or perhaps he wanted to completely crush his hopes.

The guard leader actually spoke, his voice hoarse and low.

"Hmph, Qinglu Academy? What good would it do to tell you?"

"In this City of a Hundred Flavors, what difference does it make if it's just a mere elder of the Azure Peak Academy, or even if the Dean of the Azure Peak Academy himself came?"

"Do you think the Crimson Flame Army is just for show? No one can save you! Just wait and see; it's your honor to become 'material' for the 'Lord'!"

"My lord? Materials?" Yao Mengkang's face showed "confusion" and "fear" at the right moment, but his heart was filled with trepidation.

At the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he keenly caught sight of the little girl who had been "weak" and curled up in the corner.

Upon hearing the words "Crimson Flame Army," "Lord," and "materials," the fingers resting on his knees twitched almost imperceptibly.

Beneath those lowered eyelids, a knowing look of "I knew it" flashed across his face.

Recalling the discussion last night, Shangguan Hong had secretly given him a tiny insect, the size of a grain of rice, with a crystal-clear, jade-like body.

This insect is called the "Concentric Beetle," a mother-and-child insect with strong vitality. Although it has no fighting ability, it has a remarkable effect.

There is a connection between the offspring and the mother insect that is almost imperceptible and difficult to sever.

No matter how far away they are, the offspring will always return to their mother and carry simple mental messages that are extremely difficult to detect.

Shangguan Hong solemnly gave his instructions at that time.

"This worm is now entrusted to you. In critical moments, it can concentrate what you see and hear into a single thought and bring it back."

"Remember, we will take action once we receive your message, so please make sure to confirm the key information before proceeding."

Yao Mengkang pretended to cough by turning to the side, concealing the movement of his hand, and quietly forced the "heart-to-heart beetle" out from his fingertips.

The insect silently disappeared into the damp straw beneath it, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

He focused his mind on everything he had just observed.

The guard's aura was unusual, and his strength was strange.

That little girl with bright, alert eyes, who seemed to be an undercover agent.

The information about "the Lord" and "the materials" revealed by the caretaker leader.

All this key information, including the approximate location of the place, was condensed into a clear thought and transmitted to the spirit insect that had quietly departed.

After doing all this, Yao Mengkang seemed to have exhausted all his strength.

He leaned back against the wall, closed his eyes, and his face showed only despair and exhaustion.

Yet, my heart was filled with both coldness and clarity.

The waters have been stirred up, the bait has been thrown out, and now it's just a matter of waiting for outsiders to haul in the net.

And... what kind of changes will that "fellow prisoner" also bring?

The spirit insect carries crucial intelligence.

Like a glimmer of light in the dark night.

They stealthily made their way towards the inn.