Shen He kept glancing discreetly at the sky, but no one appeared.

He couldn’t help but cast a suspicious look at his necklace.

‘Master, where are they?’ he asked, confused.

“Hmm… I stopped observing them so as not to reveal our position, so I’m not sure. But perhaps they became cautious upon seeing me?” The master was also confused, but found a reasonable explanation.

‘And now?’ Shen He subtly nodded in agreement and asked what the next step would be.

“Just wait. Let’s see what they have up their sleeve.” The old man in the necklace, with an unreadable expression, narrowed his eyes slightly, waiting patiently.

…

“Why did we stop?” Rihai, next to Aotian, murmured in confusion.

Aotian remained silent, deep in thought.

The elders were gathered in the captain’s room of the flying ship.

In the center, Ren Shiming, the inner elder of the Mission Pavilion, was recording something into a jade slip pressed against his forehead.

[Mission: Recruit Disciples at Black Rock Mountain

Description: Conduct the recruitment at Black Rock Mountain, under the threat of an unknown high-level artifact.

Participants: Half of the sect’s inner and outer elders, Ancestor Bao, All disciples.

Danger Level: —]

Aotian checked the description once more, then activated Ren Shiming’s Danger Intuition ability.

[Mission: Recruit Disciples at Black Rock Mountain

Description: Conduct the recruitment at Black Rock Mountain, under the threat of an unknown high-level artifact.

Participants: Half of the sect’s inner and outer elders, Ancestor Bao, All disciples.

Danger Level: Safe]

‘Safe…’ Aotian sighed in relief upon seeing the danger level shift to safe.

But he didn’t stop there. He kept testing, changing the mission.

[Mission: Steal High-Level Artifact

Description: Steal the high-level artifact at Black Rock Mountain.

Participants: Half of the sect’s inner and outer elders, Ancestor Bao, All disciples.

Danger Level: —]

Then he activated the ability.

[… Danger Level: Fatal]

‘Damn! That treasure is no joke. I still have to be cautious.’ Aotian’s eyes turned serious.

It was supposed to be a normal mission, but suddenly, a treasure beyond what should exist in the desert appeared, messing everything up in a frustrating way.

‘Haah… I should’ve expected this. Has there ever been a story I read where the danger level stayed normal and everything went smoothly for the protagonist? No! Especially in Xianxia, where gods love to descend into the starter village.’ He sighed, internally exasperated.

He knew he should be grateful that things had gone smoothly so far, but when you believe your backyard is safe and suddenly discover there’s a live mine there, you can’t walk around carefree anymore. That was how Aotian felt.

He then tried other mission variations but didn’t get much new information. After all, the ability only informed the level of danger. Still, two missions gave him interesting results:

[Mission: Recruit the Holder of the High-Level Artifact

Description: Recruit the holder of the high-level artifact at Black Rock Mountain.

Participants: Half of the sect’s inner and outer elders, Ancestor Bao, All disciples.

Danger Level: Safe]

——————————-

[Mission: Refuse Recruitment of the Holder of the High-Level Artifact

Description: Refuse the recruitment request of the holder of the high-level artifact at Black Rock Mountain.

Participants: Half of the sect’s inner and outer elders, Ancestor Bao, All disciples.

Danger Level: Safe]

Aotian also tried more complex missions, like ‘Recruit the Holder of the High-Level Artifact and Dominate the Desert with the Sect,’ or ‘Recruit the Holder of the High-Level Artifact and Develop the Infinite Dao Sect in Safety,’ but as with previous complex missions, these involved too many parameters, and the ability didn’t work.

He also had no idea if the artifact’s holder wanted to join the sect or was just there by coincidence, but he still tried to generate the mission to ensure total safety.

‘Looks like the Divination Pavilion is still needed in the sect. Even though it’s already very useful, Danger Intuition still has its limitations,’ Aotian reflected and then paused to make his decision.

Going apparently didn’t represent danger, so he resumed the ship’s journey.

The disciples were confused by the sudden stop, but the ship soon resumed its course. Though they whispered among themselves, no one cared much.

‘Now, the question is whether the one with the treasure is interested in joining the sect. And if they are, is there any risk in letting them in? As much as the mission shows it’s safe to recruit them, I don’t know if that refers only to the immediate danger of recruitment, or the future risk of their presence in the sect. I believe it refers more to the former, since the danger level relates to the mission itself.’

‘So here comes another question: is it advantageous to let them in? What do I gain in return? Could rejecting them cause future trouble? Hmm… let’s meet them first, then I’ll decide.’ Aotian concluded but remained cautious about the upcoming events.

…

The massive black ship began to hover over the mountain, and the crowd immediately erupted in excitement.

“They’re coming! They’re coming! It’s the Infinite Dao Sect!”

Cries rang out, and many people filled with joy, looking with admiration and hope toward the imposing ship.

But there were also dark gazes hidden in the crowd.

“The demonic sect has arrived,” muttered a man with an arrogant and grim expression from the corner of the square, his voice dripping with disdain.

“Young master, even if that’s true, it’s better not to say it out loud. After all, it’s still a powerful sect,” warned an older man beside him, his expression serious.

“Hmph!” The youth snorted with contempt, watching the happy people in the crowd with scorn.

He was a so-called genius with a single-element low-grade root and had always been considered an absolute talent in the city. However, with the rise of the Infinite Dao Sect, he felt disregarded seeing those he once called “trash” meeting the recruitment criteria of a Golden Core-level sect — while he did not.

When word spread, four months ago, of the disciples’ rapid progress in the Infinite Dao Sect, rumors soon followed — that it was a demonic sect, using blood-burning techniques to advance far beyond even what a single-element root of perfect quality could achieve. He didn’t hesitate to believe, and to spread, those rumors.

Thus, the main supporters and disseminators of those rumors were, in fact, young masters like him — who felt left behind.

These rumors, although they spread quickly, didn’t go far beyond the perimeter of Black Rock Mountain and its neighboring cultivation towns. As for the other sixteen cities and their surrounding areas, they had no contact with the rapid progress of the disciples from the Infinite Dao Sect, so such rumors were minimal. There was only confusion and some estrangement regarding the, until then, unprecedented recruitment requirements of the Infinite Dao Sect.

Under the eyes of the crowd, the massive ship slowly came to a halt, hovering over the center of the plaza, and disciples began leaping from it, landing lightly on the ground as if they were feathers.

Soon after came the outer elders, then the inner elders, and finally, Lie Zheng — the expedition leader and inner elder of the Punishment Pavilion — was the last to jump. While still in the air, the ship behind him began to shrink until it was the size of a palm, then shot like a streak of light into his storage pouch.

The crowd watched the sect’s arrival in awe, but without a doubt, everyone’s attention was focused on the disciples, who were the talk of the town.

“I knew it was a lie! Haha!” A man in the crowd, trembling with excitement, looked with shining eyes at old Hui Lang among the disciples — the oldest disciple of the Infinite Dao Sect and the one who previously led Aotian and Rihai to their cave-mansion.

Hui Lang stood there, dressed in gray, hands behind his back, with an unreadable expression on his face. He exuded the air of a seasoned expert and complete indifference to everything around him.

Yes… he was blatantly showing off.

Another man, standing near the one who had just exclaimed, looked at him with caution and suspicion.

“Fellow Daoist, would it be inconvenient for you to tell me what was a lie?” Stepping closer, he whispered nervously, seeking information.

He was one of those who wanted to join the Infinite Dao Sect, but the rumors had left him conflicted. Now, hearing the exclamation of that man made him think he might have discovered proof that the sect was lying and truly demonic.

Called by the question, the first man snapped out of his excitement, but upon understanding the nature of the doubt, smiled again, animated.

“I figured it out,” he declared with a triumphant smile, stroking his chin with a wise look. “Those malicious rumors about the Infinite Dao Sect are pure nonsense,” he said with firmness and conviction.

His words didn’t just catch the attention of the man beside him, but also of several nearby people who were discreetly listening in.

The second man was surprised to realize he had misinterpreted it: the lie was not from the sect, but from the rumor.

“Fellow Daoist, please, enlighten me,” he said, cupping his fists and bowing respectfully.

“No need for that. Soon, everyone will notice, so it’s no secret.” The man smiled, pleased with the courtesy, and began to explain, “See that older man among the disciples? To the left, farther up, next to the guy with the slightly bigger nose.”

The crowd began turning their heads, following the directions and trying to locate the person.

“The one with the messy topknot?” the second man asked after spotting someone.

“No! Wait… you think that guy’s nose is slightly bigger? Looks normal to me. But it’s not him. Two people to his right.” The first man shook his head upon identifying the mistake.

Once again, the crowd followed with their eyes and finally spotted the correct man.

“Ah! I see him! His nose really is a bit bigger. But what about him?” the second man asked, still confused.

“It’s not about him. It’s about the old man to his right,” the first man clarified, and they soon located him.”His name is Hui Lang. He was a friend of my late father, so I know him well. Four months ago, he was 99 years old and had nearly no vitality left. But look at him now: he looks healthy and strong, with an authoritative gaze. I remember my father used to say that Uncle Hui Lang was a very good person, but liked to show off in his youth. Over time, as he aged and weakened, that boldness faded until it vanished.”

Those around listened attentively but still didn’t fully grasp it. The smarter ones, however, started connecting the dots, and their eyes lit up with excitement.

Among them, the second man also caught on.

“You mean to say…” he began, surprised.

“Yes, you must’ve understood. Old Hui Lang, who shouldn’t have any vitality left, is there, healthy, vigorous, and with that expert’s aura. In fact, I can’t see the aura of any of the Infinite Dao Sect’s disciples, but all of them — including the older cultivators — look fine, healthy, mysterious… they look strong.” The first man clenched his fists in excitement.

The people nearby immediately understood and widened their eyes.

“The rumor said they traded vitality for cultivation. But how could someone who burned their vitality still be here, thriving and full of health? Evil techniques leave obvious traces: pale faces, weak bodies, aggressive and grim moods. But there’s none of that in them. They’re practically glowing in comparison. Even if they managed to hide it, it wouldn’t make sense to accept someone so old and hopeless as a disciple — and for him to still be alive and well in front of us.”

“So it was a lie!”

“Of course it was! I always knew it.”

“Hey, weren’t you the one who firmly claimed the rumor was true just a minute ago?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I never said that. You must’ve misheard me…”

The discussions began to spread, becoming more and more chaotic.

As these types of conversations popped up in various spots across the crowd, it became increasingly evident that the Infinite Dao Sect might have been the victim of a great misunderstanding — one fueled by malicious opinions and narrow-minded people.

Of course, there were still those who held onto their suspicions, but that wouldn’t significantly affect the outcome of the recruitment.

Meanwhile, the disciples of the sect, who had just arrived, listened to the growing chaos of the surrounding discussions and couldn’t help but wear strange expressions as they glanced at each other, bewildered.

“Since when were we a demonic sect and didn’t know it?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep