Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

Soon after, Murong Fan received orders from Wang Juechu to lead several fellow disciples, including Li Feiyu, to spy on the Wild Wolf Gang's movements.

The Wild Wolf Gang, entrenched on the outskirts of the Black Wind Mountains, was ruthless and made its living by robbing caravans and nearby villages. They had a long-standing feud with the Seven Mysteries Sect. Murong Fan, along with Li Feiyu and the others, changed into the coarse clothes of ordinary martial artists, concealed their presence, and cautiously made their way towards the Wild Wolf Gang's stronghold—Black Wind Village.

Black Wind Village is built against the mountain, in a strategic location with towering walls and strict defenses.

"Senior Brother Murong, the Wild Wolf Gang's defenses are quite tight. We definitely can't force our way in." Li Feiyu lowered his voice. Murong Fan didn't speak, but his brows furrowed slightly as he scanned every corner of the stockade wall, trying to find a weak point in the defense.

He is now a top-tier martial artist with senses far exceeding those of ordinary people. He can faintly detect subtle sounds within the stronghold, even the breathing of the guards.

Suddenly, he noticed a relatively sparsely guarded area at the northwest corner of the stockade. "There," Murong Fan pointed in that direction, "we'll try to sneak in from there."

Li Feiyu looked in the direction he pointed and nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to Senior Brother."

The group exchanged hand signals and stealthily crept forward like cats. Murong Fan took the lead, channeling his inner strength, his steps as light as falling leaves, and in a few leaps he was already close to the stockade wall. He listened carefully for a moment, confirming that there were no patrolling guards nearby, then took out a specially made thin rope from his robes, with a small iron claw at the end.

Murong Fan seized the opportunity, raised his arm, and the iron claw flew out with a "whoosh," accurately hooking onto a protruding rock on the stockade wall.

He gently tugged at the wall to make sure it was secure, then nimbly climbed upwards like a gecko. Li Feiyu and the others followed closely behind. Before long, the group had silently scaled the wall.

The situation inside the stronghold was even more chaotic than outside. A moment later, a drunken gang member wearing a wolfskin vest stumbled by, cursing under his breath. Murong Fan gestured for everyone to crouch low and move quickly along the base of the wall, trying to avoid the patrolling guards and the intoxicated gang member.

Their target was the main hall where the Wild Wolf Gang regularly gathered, a place where key members of the gang usually congregated, where they might be able to glean some important intelligence. Along the way, thanks to Murong Fan's extraordinary perception and caution, they avoided danger several times.

Finally, they reached the vicinity of the hall. The hall was brightly lit, and the sounds of clinking glasses and rough laughter could be faintly heard. Murong Fan signaled the others to wait outside, while he quietly approached the window, moistened his finger with saliva, poked a small hole in the window paper, and peered inside.

Inside the hall, a burly, bald man with a fierce face sat in the main seat, with a voluptuous woman sitting on either side of his legs. The two women, jealous of each other, kept pouring him drinks.

The other equally menacing gang leaders were all drinking and playing drinking games with beautiful women in their arms. That bald, burly man must be Jia Feilong, the vice leader of the Wild Wolf Gang.

"Vice Leader, have you heard anything from the Seven Mysteries Sect lately? I have a feeling they won't let this go." A one-eyed underling put down his wine bowl and asked with some concern.

Jia Feilong snorted, took a big gulp of wine, and said disdainfully, "What's there to be afraid of! Those bastards from the Seven Mysteries Sect, all they know is to hide in their mountain gate and pretend to be something they're not. If it weren't for their numbers last time, I would have wiped them out long ago! But I heard they recently took in some new closed-door disciple named Murong Fan, who is said to have some skills."

"Murong Fan? Never heard of him. What can a mere kid like him amount to?" another leader sneered.

Jia Feilong waved his hand: "No matter who he is, if he dares to block our Wild Wolf Gang's path to wealth, I'll make sure he dies a horrible death! By the way, in a few days, the leader of the 'Broken Water Sect' will personally come to discuss a big deal with us. With him joining us, even if the Seven Mysteries Sect wants to touch us, it won't be so easy!"

Upon hearing the words "Broken Water Sect," Murong Fan's heart stirred slightly. The Broken Water Sect was a medium-sized heretical organization in the vicinity. Although its power was not as great as the Wild Wolf Gang, its leader was extremely ruthless. The fact that the Wild Wolf Gang had colluded with the Broken Water Sect was indeed important intelligence.

Just as he was about to continue listening, suddenly, an elderly man who had been silent all along, with a sinister look in his eyes, abruptly turned towards the window. He was an elder of the Broken Water Sect. He shouted sharply, "Who goes there?!"

Murong Fan's heart skipped a beat; he knew he had been discovered! He made a decisive move, shouting in a low voice, "Retreat!"

Hearing the commotion, Li Feiyu and the others outside the window reacted immediately. Murong Fan no longer concealed himself, smashing through the window and swiftly throwing a knife at the nearest leader. Caught off guard, the leader screamed and collapsed, clutching his neck.

"There are spies! Seize them!" Jia Feilong was both shocked and furious. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

Chaos erupted in the hall as the gang members drew their swords and surrounded Murong Fan. Murong Fan, skilled and daring, wielded his longsword with incredible speed and precision, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, each strike aimed precisely at the enemy's vitals. Now a top-tier martial artist, dealing with these ordinary gang members was like slicing through melons.

"Junior Brother Li, you go first, I'll cover the rear!" Murong Fan shouted to Li Feiyu while parrying the oncoming enemies.

Knowing this was not the time to hesitate, Li Feiyu gritted her teeth and said, "Be careful, Senior Brother Murong!" She then led the others to break out of the encirclement.

Murong Fan channeled his inner energy to its limit, his figure elusive as he weaved through the crowd. He wasn't interested in lingering in the fight; he simply wanted to escape the entanglement as quickly as possible. The sinister old man was clearly a tough opponent, wielding a ghost-head saber whose sharp blade whistled through the air, each move ruthless, and he was actually evenly matched with Murong Fan.

"You brat, daring to trespass on my Wild Wolf Gang, leave your life behind!" Jia Feilong roared, brandishing a machete, and joined the battle.

Facing two opponents alone, Murong Fan immediately felt immense pressure. Especially the sinister old man, whose profound inner strength and unpredictable swordsmanship made him quite wary. Murong Fan thought to himself, "This place is not safe to linger; I must finish this quickly!"

His eyes narrowed, and he held back no longer. The internal energy within him, tempered by the Golden Marrow Pill, suddenly erupted, and a faint golden light emanated from his longsword.

He stopped fighting the two men and suddenly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding Jia Feilong's "mountain-splitting axe." As he threw out a smoke bomb, his longsword shot out like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, stabbing at the sinister old man's ribs at an incredible angle.

The sinister old man clearly hadn't expected Murong Fan to be so fast. His reaction was a little slow, and with a "thud," the short blade had already pierced more than an inch into his ribs. The old man cried out in pain, and his attack immediately faltered.

Murong Fan pressed his advantage relentlessly, flicking his wrist to draw his longsword and deliver a fatal blow to the throat. Using the momentum, he leaped backward, escaping the battle and sprinting towards the edge of the stronghold.

"Chase him! Chase him! We must bring him back!" Jia Feilong roared in exasperation, supporting the injured, sinister old man as he watched Murong Fan's figure disappear into the night.

Murong Fan ran wildly and quickly shook off his pursuers, meeting up with Li Feiyu and the others at the agreed location.

"Senior brother, are you alright?" Li Feiyu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Murong Fan return safely.

"It's nothing," Murong Fan shook his head, but his eyes were somewhat serious. "The situation is more complicated than we imagined. The Wild Wolf Gang and the Broken Water Sect have colluded, and someone from the Broken Water Sect will be coming in a few days. We must bring this news back to the sect as soon as possible."

Without delay, everyone hurriedly returned to the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Upon returning to the sect, Murong Fan immediately reported the matter to Sect Master Wang Juechu. Wang Juechu's expression turned extremely serious upon hearing the report: "The Broken Water Sect… they've actually intervened as well. It seems things won't be peaceful in the Black Wind Mountain area."

He pondered for a moment, then looked at Murong Fan: "Murong Fan, you've done a great job this time, not only figuring out the Wild Wolf Gang's movements but also uncovering such important intelligence. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Murong Fan's mind raced. What he lacked most right now was the resources to offer sacrifices at the altar. He bowed slightly and said respectfully, "This disciple dares not presume to ask for any reward. I only hope that the sect leader will allow me to go down the mountain to gain experience if I have the opportunity in the future, so that I can better complete my mission." His words seemed humble, but in reality, they were paving the way for him to use the altar to "obtain better offerings" in the future.

Upon hearing this, Wang Juechu's eyes flashed with approval. He had already intended to cultivate Murong Fan, and seeing that he was not greedy for external things, but instead focused on his own cultivation and experience, he was even more satisfied.

"Good! That's ambitious!" Wang Juechu stroked his beard and laughed. "Disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect should not be confined to the sect. Since you have this ambition, from today onwards, apart from sect affairs, you can arrange to go down the mountain for training on your own. The sect's resources will also be allocated to you as appropriate."

"Thank you, Sect Master!" Murong Fan was overjoyed and quickly bowed in gratitude. He knew that this might be his chance to break through his bottleneck and allow the altar to play a greater role.

Disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect are usually not allowed to enter or leave freely unless they are on a mission. But now that the sect leader has given special permission, wouldn't that mean they have "unrestricted access and unlimited resources!" Thinking of this, Murong Fan felt even more delighted.