Gou Zai Xian Men Dang Void Workshop Master

"Chen Yiqiao, the personal disciple of Qi Wushuang, the second elder of Xuanshuang Peak?" Chen He asked.

"Yes," Lin Hongye nodded, "After she obtained the Penglai Token, she immediately told Elder Qi, and Elder Qi reported it to the authorities."

"Hou Tianpeng was the only inner disciple who personally came to the sect and forcibly conducted an inspection in the name of Ziyun Mountain," Gong Huixin added. "It caused quite a scene at the time."

"Is Xuan Shuang Peak inferior to Zi Yun Peak?" Chen He asked thoughtfully.

"Since the peak master is in seclusion and hasn't come out, Xuan Shuang Peak has no Nascent Soul elders," Lin Hongye said. "Elder Qi is only a half-step Nascent Soul cultivator; she chose to back down under pressure from Zi Yun Mountain."

"This choice has its pros and cons!" Chen He instantly understood.

"That's right," Lin Hongye said calmly. "Although Xuan Shuang Peak's reputation has been damaged, Zi Yun Mountain's domineering attitude is even more deeply ingrained in people's minds, and there have been quite a few negative comments within the sect."

"So he still wants to attack my brother?" Chen Miao said with dissatisfaction.

"Of course we wouldn't dare now, but before, Fellow Daoist Chen was just an outer disciple, and only had a pseudo-spiritual root of the Five Elements," Lin Hongye said. "They didn't take Fellow Daoist Chen seriously. If Fellow Daoist Chen hadn't stayed home and the Penglai Token hadn't had to be lifted voluntarily, they would have already gone for the kill."

Chen Miao remained silent and did not utter a sound.

"The Five Elders Peaks are the elders' peaks, with numerous lineages, enough to protect Fellow Daoist Chen," Fairy Lin said. "So there's no need to worry. Even if Hou Tianpeng is domineering, he won't lay a hand on Fellow Daoist Chen. The crisis has been resolved."

Chen He smiled but didn't say anything.

He picked up his teacup, clinked it with Lin Xianzi's, and suppressed his anger.

How could Chen He possibly let someone who had ambushed and killed him without provocation, especially within the sect, get away with it?

Danger averted? Impossible.

Now that the other party has started, it's up to Chen He to decide when it ends.

There's no need to voice these thoughts; the maturity and composure of an adult lies in being able to control their tongue.

Next, Fairy Lin introduced the layout of the Five Elders Peak and some information about the inner disciples before taking her leave.

She has achieved her goal for coming today. As a disciple of the Wood Vein, she cannot enter the Fire Vein without her master's written authorization.

Lin Xianzi was most fortunate that she started chatting with Chen Miao out of boredom, and they chatted for a long time, eventually becoming friends.

Because of this, she was able to maintain her relationship with Chen He, and with this relationship, she could live well in the Wood Vein.

The master giving her the warrant was just the beginning. As long as she maintained this relationship, her master's attitude towards her would completely change, and she would no longer be a cultivator who was bullied and ignored.

Only low-level cultivators could understand the true value of Chen He's apprenticeship. Among the three from Tianhe Academy, perhaps only Gong Huixin truly understood that Chen He was still too young.

But this is also her opportunity. She will not scheme against Chen He or Chen Miao. On the contrary, she will treat people sincerely. She will say what she should and shouldn't say, and she will never hide anything.

Only by being sincere and open will she have a chance to gain Chen He's approval in the future, a fact she is well aware of.

Gong Huixin's position is coveted by all the outer sect female cultivators, even Lin Xianzi is envious. Just the environment of Tianhe Courtyard alone makes her feel jealous.

Just wait, there's plenty of time!

……

"Brother?" Chen Miao saw Lin Xianzi off, then turned back to Chen He and asked, "Is it really over?"

"At least for now, there's nothing we can do," Chen He smiled. "I need to work hard at cultivating, and you need to work hard at feeding the spirit fox."

"Yes," Chen Miao nodded, "I will work hard to cultivate my magic and I will definitely not hold you back or become your weakness."

"You're not my weakness, so you don't need to say that anymore." Chen He patted her forehead. "You're a cultivator now."

"Got it, hehe!" Chen Miao stuck out her tongue and ran off with the six spirit foxes.

After Chen Miao left, Chen He put down his hand, looked up at Gong Huixin, and said, "Tell me about Hou Tianpeng. Tell me as much as you know."

"Hou Tianpeng is no ordinary cultivator. He comes from a top family. His great-grandfather was the Grand Elder of Ziyun Mountain and is currently at the Purple Mansion Realm."

Gong Huixin was not surprised. She calmly told everything she knew: "The Hou family cultivators make up 60% of the total population of Ziyun Mountain. There are also Hou family cultivators on other mountains. They are deeply rooted in Lingyun Immortal Sect."

"This person isn't a true disciple? He's only a Purple Mansion cultivator?" Chen He raised an eyebrow. "What's the reason?"

"There is no fixed time limit for the true disciples of Lingxiao Immortal Sect," Gong Huixin paused slightly, "Only when the previous generation of true disciples of the sect breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage, creating a gap in the true discipleship, will the selection of the true disciple sequence begin."

"The true inheritance sequence?" Chen He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Gong Huixin nodded, "There are only nine true disciples of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, representing nine different lineages and inner sect peaks."

"I understand," Chen He said, suddenly realizing, "So the competition for the Nine True Disciples is a power struggle between the forces behind the scenes, and also a contest for the right to speak and future influence."

"That's right." Gong Huixin nodded. "Forty years ago, the Lingxiao Immortal Sect launched the selection process for the True Disciple Sequence. Only those who successfully form their Core within sixty years and whose Core is of superior quality are qualified to compete for the sect's True Disciple position."

"So, Hou Tianpeng is actually at the Purple Mansion Realm, and he deliberately suppressed his cultivation to avoid breaking through?" Chen He pondered.

"That's probably what most people outside are speculating about, but we can't prove it yet," Gong Huixin said. "But he is indeed the inner disciple with the best chance of winning the true succession, and many people are betting on him. Xuan Shuang Peak isn't just worried about Zi Yun Mountain."

Both are elder-level peaks. While Ziyun Mountain is indeed powerful, Xuanshuang Peak is not to be bullied either. The reason for their retreat is that Hou Tianpeng has gained considerable influence.

To put it bluntly, Elder Qi was concerned about the future and the selection of true disciples. He couldn't afford to offend a future true disciple whom everyone was betting on.

"I see." Chen He's heart was filled with mixed feelings. He never expected that a small Penglai Token would make him the target of such people.

"The Gong family has gathered intelligence and believes that the people who intercepted you were members of a squad under Bai Wujia of Ziyun Mountain," Gong Huixin said.

"Bai Wujia?" Chen He asked blankly.

"He is Hou Tianpeng's junior brother and right-hand man, specializing in handling matters in secret," Gong Huixin said. "Bai Wujia has two teams under his command, one for intelligence and the other for assassination. My Gong family provides intelligence to both of them, reaching both inside and outside the sect."

"I can understand not harming him if the sect wants to select a true successor, but what about the other candidates?" Chen He stood up and asked, "Are they happy to see Hou Tianpeng like this?"

"You should know that there are nine true disciples," Gong Huixin said. "At least within the sect, no cultivator who wants to compete for a position as a true disciple is willing to offend him."

"Doesn't this mean that Hou Tianpeng becoming a true disciple is a foregone conclusion?" Chen He clenched his fist, his voice somewhat cold and hard.

"We also need to consider the quality of the core," Gong Huixin carefully reminded. "A top-grade core is the rule and the standard. If it doesn't meet that standard, it's not convincing, and the sect won't recognize it."

"In other words, even if his Core Formation quality isn't as good as others, as long as it's still top-grade, his becoming a true disciple is a certainty." Chen He loosened his fist and smiled. "No wonder Xuan Shuang Peak didn't dare to stop him, so that's how it is!"

Everything is now clear.

Only someone with such background and ability would dare to ambush and kill disciples within the sect.

Even if they had successfully intercepted them, no one would have intervened, not even the Five Elders Peak, since no one from the Five Elders Peak would have appeared.

Chen He wasn't an inner disciple of the Five Elders Peak at that time, so his being ambushed and killed can only be attributed to bad luck. The Five Elders Peak had no reason to confront him.

But now the situation is different. Chen He is an inner disciple, so theoretically he is also qualified to compete for the true discipleship!