Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-411

Enlightened Master Cao glanced at Guo Xuan-Shan, and inquired curiously, “Senior brother, don’t you think we should reconsider our choices? Maybe we can start looking in other directions?”

Guo Xuan-Shan locked his eyes with Enlightened Master Cao. He smiled, and as if he was testing Enlightened Master Cao, he asked, “What do you have in mind, Junior Brother Cao?”

Enlightened Master Cao gave it some thought, and then proposed, “It’s about Xuan-Ying’s cause of death. We’ve been focusing on the target that encouraged Xuan-Ying to plot against Lu Ping’s monster pet, thinking that the mastermind is trying to tie up loose ends. We investigated the clues and traced everything back to Senior Brother Xuan-Yun. Unfortunately, he unintentionally alerted Senior Brother Xuan-Yun, giving him a chance to betray the sect. After his betrayal, we then focused on the monsters and spies from the other sects, completely ignoring Lu Ping, who had a motive to kill her.”

Guo Xuan-Shan nodded in satisfaction. “What are you suggesting, Junior Brother Cao?”

Enlightened Master Cao continued, “Given that Lu Ping was still on Ice Frost Island when the murder occurred, there’s no way he could have been the one who murdered Xuan-Ying. However, his little girlfriend, Hu Lili, one of Senior Sister Xuan-Chen’s students, was on Tian Ling Mountain during the murder. From what I know, the disciples of Senior Sister Xuan-Chen never got along with each other. The seniors would always look down on the juniors. Additionally, Xuan-Ying and Hu Lili are the leaders of the senior and junior disciples under Senior Sister Xuan-Chen, respectively. If that’s the case–”

“If that’s the case,” Guo Xuan-Shan spoke, interrupting Enlightened Master Cao. “Hu Lili is very suspicious. She’s now our primary suspect, right?”

Unable to understand what Guo Xuan-Shan was thinking, Enlightened Master Cao hesitated briefly, and replied, “Yes. That’s what I’m thinking. I’ve also secretly placed a Heavenly Eye Formation in front of Tian Ling Palace, allowing me to detect the movements in a cultivators spirit pet pouch.”

“What did you say? How could you! If someone found out about this, the sect would be thrown into chaos! Dismiss every single formation you placed right away! No, wait. Leave the Heavenly Eye Formation on the subordinate islands intact.” Guo Xuan-Shan’s expression immediately twisted. Although he wasn’t particularly angry, his tone was incredibly serious. On the other hand, knowing that Guo Xuan-Shan was reprimanding him for his own good, Enlightened Master Cao agreed instantly. After all, prying on the secrets of others was more than just offensive; Enlightened Master Cao could be in deep trouble if someone discovered this.

Guo Xuan-Shan asked, “When did you place the Heavenly Eye Formation? What did you find out?”

Enlightened Master Cao shook his head, and replied, “It’s a shame. I only noticed an unusual activity coming from Junior Brother Xuan-Bo. I never thought that he would actually pledge loyalty to the monster race and become a human pet.”

Unwilling to waste any time on Xuan-Bo, Guo Xuan-Shan smiled, and asked, “That little girlfriend of Lu Ping left Tian Ling Mountain two days ago. Did you find out anything?”

“No. I only noticed the Amethyst Bees. But before that, she went to Tian Ling Palace to meet Lu Ping when he returned to Tian Ling Mountain. The only problem was that she wasn’t within the Heavenly Eye Formation’s coverage; otherwise I would have been able to find out something.”

“So you’re saying Hu Lili passed the spirit pets to Lu Ping?” An indescribable emotion flickered in Guo Xuan-Shan’s eyes.

At that, Enlightened Master Cao said nothing, his silence seeming to agree with the statement.

Guo Xuan-Shan ran through his thoughts again, and continued, “All right. That’s enough. We’ll stop here.”

Guo Xuan-Shan’s stance greatly surprised Enlightened Master Cao. He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he shut it and kept quiet.

Seeing this, Guo Xuan-Shan explained, “We’re only at the stage of suspecting them. If they are in fact the ones that murdered Xuan-Ying, what are the chances that Lu Ping leaves behind any loose ends now that he’s back? He will definitely wrap things up perfectly for Hu Lili; she may be smart, but she’s too inexperienced. Don’t you know about the bodies that Lu Ping has accumulated throughout his adventures. Despite being overwhelmed and pursued by the monster race, Lu Ping emerged victorious and returned stronger. Have you ever thought about the chances of such an outstanding individual leaving behind any loose ends?”

“But–” Enlightened Master Cao uttered something.

Before he could say something, Guo Xuan-Shan waved a dismissive hand, and interrupted, “The sect will treasure talents like him at all costs.”

A moment of realization struck Enlightened Master Cao, but he still couldn’t hold back his urge to say, “What if he’s the one that sent Hu Lili to kill Xuan-Ying? Are we going to sit back and watch as they walk away unscathed after committing such a crime?”

“Junior Brother Cao, how much do you know about the incidents surrounding Senior Brother Jiang and Senior Sister Liu?”

“A little.” Enlightened Master Cao couldn’t understand why Guo Xuan-Shan was bringing up something that happened over fifty years ago.

Guo Xuan-Shan continued, “Take a guess as to why Senior Uncle Tian-Xiang almost declared war against many sects just to protect the two of them. After all, they had claimed the lives of many Core Forging Realm cultivators of multiple sects, leaving countless others injured. They even laid a trap and baited a Great Ancestor into it.”

“They even set up a trap for a Great Ancestor? S-So, the sect wants to protect Lu Ping just like how they protected Senior Brother Jiang and Senior Sister Liu. Do they think so highly of Lu Ping’s potential? " As he knew only a little about what had happened, Enlightened Master Cao was shocked.

“That’s right. But there’s more to it. They want to buy his full loyalty!”

Enlightened Master Cao was dumbfounded. “To think that there’s another person on par with those two… Wow!”

What Guo Xuan-Shan was trying to convey was as clear as day. He wanted the investigation to be called off because there was no longer a need for it. Even if they continued with it, the investigation would inevitably prove fruitless with Lu Ping involved. The stronger cultivators might even step in and interfere in this matter as they would never allow a Core Forging Realm cultivator with limited potential to hurt a Core Forging Realm cultivator with extraordinary potential.”

“But this is a little too much, isn’t it? What if he stirred up even bigger trouble? What if he became someone like Senior Sister Xuan-Qin? He–”

Guo Xuan-Shan’s expression darkened, “That’s enough. Junior Sister Xuan-Qin’s matter is a different one.”

Enlightened Master Cao realized he had crossed the line and hurriedly stopped talking. Guo Xuan-Shan noticed that his tone was a little inappropriate, so he said, “Don’t worry about it. Junior Sister Xuan-Qin is a proud person. From her point of view, there’s barely anyone in the sect of note. I mean, even someone like Senior Brother Liang is… Anyway, Lu Ping is different. Aside from the kindness and grace showered on him by Senior Brother Jiang and Senior Sister Liu, there’s also Senior Uncle Tian-Hu and Tian-Jiang, who have aided him on many occasions. Senior Uncle Tian-Xiang, the other junior brothers, including myself, hold him in high regard. Those in his faction are also considered outstanding in the sect. With the help of the sect, they managed to claim Huang Li Island and have started developing it. All of these are things that anchor him to our sect. The Zhen Ling Sect is everything to him. There’s no way he will betray us!”

Lu Ping was unaware of Enlightened Master Cao and Guo Xuan-Shan’s discussion and the agreement they reached. However, even if someone continued the investigation, Lu Ping was confident that his arrangements were more than enough to tie up all loose ends. While no one knew about the identity of the snake trio, it was no secret to some that he owned a couple of spirit snake pets. But the people that knew of this were all close friends or allies to him. He was confident that the likes of Yao Yong would never sell him out.

Meanwhile, Lu Ping rushed towards the Pavilion of Alchemy, after Tian-Hu summoned him.

After entering Tian-Hu’s residence, Lu Ping noticed Tian-Jiang, “Could it be…”

As if reading his mind, Tian-Jiang cheekily said, “Hey, little rascal. Do you think it’s that easy to craft a cauldron mystic treasure? Your River Inclusion Cauldron is indeed something spectacular. All we need is another couple of years. Once it’s complete, the sect will have a mystic treasure-level cauldron, bringing the overall strength of our sect to the next level.”

Tian-Hu added with mixed feelings, “Exactly. Senior Brother Tian-Xiang would be in the Late Avatar Realm right now if we were capable of speeding things up back then. Senior Brother Tian-Kang would also have a much longer lifespan.”

Hearing that, Tian-Jiang turned silent. However, after glancing at Lu Ping, he said, “Little rascal, we summoned you here because we wanted to discuss something with you.”

Lu Ping hurriedly bowed, and replied humbly, “What do you need from me, junior granduncles.”

Lu Ping was very afraid that they were going to ask for a favor from him. Previously, when the two of them asked for a favor, he ended up handing over the River Inclusion Cauldron to them. Although they reimbursed him with a top-tier cauldron, he still preferred his own River Inclusion Cauldron.

Tian-Hu smiled, “The River Inclusion Cauldron is bound to become a mystic treasure . It’s just a matter of time. Once it becomes a mystic treasure , I wish to hold onto it for another two years. I’ll return it to you once you become a Grandmaster Alchemist. What do you say?”

Knowing that there was no difference between a top-grade cauldron mystic instrument and a cauldron mystic treasure before reaching the grandmaster level, Lu Ping agreed to the suggestion despite having mixed feelings. After all, it was a waste of resources if Tian-Hu returned the River Inclusion Cauldron to him when Tian-Hu was the only one in the sect that was capable of drawing the full potential of the River Inclusion Cauldron. Hence, instead of letting it be wasted in his hands, Lu Ping decided that it was better to let Tian-Hu use it to contribute more to the sect. Besides, even without his permission, the two elders could always take it and use it as they pleased. The reason why they specifically summoned him and asked for his permission was to allay his worries. The sect knew that he was the rightful owner of the cauldron.

“Of course!” Lu Ping nodded.

Tian-Hu and Tian-Jiang nodded in satisfaction. After exchanging a glance, they smiled. “Brilliant!”

Lu Ping decided to take his leave after an agreement had been reached, so he said, “Then, please excuse me.”

Just as he was about to walk out of the chamber, Tian-Jiang waved his hand and stopped him. “Wait. There’s something else we need to talk about.”