Chapter 310 - 208: In a Fog, Don’t Take Risks

Chapter 310: Chapter 208: In a Fog, Don’t Take Risks

「Ruyun Peak, Inner Courtyard.」

Xie Yuan returned to his small, cliffside courtyard and shut the door. He took a moment to calm himself, then brewed a pot of tea to soothe his frayed nerves.

’It’s over... right?’

Xie Yuan sat by the window, frowning in thought.

Lin Cheng and the others had left the peak on the first day. Even Huang Yifeng had.

’And I stayed up there for a full nine days...’

Xie Yuan sighed. Anyone could tell something was off.

Not to mention, the perception of Sword Dao Grandmasters had always been exceptionally keen.

But...

Xie Yuan hesitated.

’Why did Li Xingtuo just ask a few questions and then dismiss me?’

’If I’ve really been exposed—an undercover agent who snuck in from the outside and entered the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect’s most critical restricted area, the Sword Peak—shouldn’t I have been captured on the spot and interrogated to see if I’d discovered any of the Sword Sect’s secrets?’

’He was even considerate enough to tell me to get some proper rest... treating me just like one of their own disciples.’

’That’s not at all how you should treat an infiltrator.’

’Could it be that, actually...’

’They didn’t overthink it?’

’They just think I’m some kind of heaven-sent prodigy?’

Xie Yuan found it a bit unbelievable, but that explanation seemed to make sense, too.

The Celestial Concealment Skill was a miraculous technique from ancient times, capable of obscuring heavenly fate and seizing one’s destiny—unheard of in the contemporary Martial Dao. With his Celestial Concealment Skill at the Minor Success stage, Xie Yuan was quite confident he could fool an ordinary Grandmaster.

However, he wasn’t entirely certain if it could fool a top-tier Grandmaster like Li Xingtuo, who was approaching the next stage of the Grandmaster realm.

’From the look of things, maybe it actually worked?’

Xie Yuan’s mind was in turmoil. The attitude of Li Xingtuo and the other Grandmasters had left him utterly bewildered, and he had no idea where he stood.

’Whether you’re going to kill me or torture me, just give me a straight answer...’

’Forget it. I should just make a run for it.’

The moment the thought occurred to him, Xie Yuan shot to his feet. He was ready to pack his valuables and just escape down the cliff right in front of him.

However, just as he stood up, he slowly sat back down and shook his head.

’If I could get away that easily, I’d truly be treating Li Xingtuo like an idiot. With his incredible speed, he could let me run all the way down the mountain and still be waiting for me at the main gate...’

Since he couldn’t figure out what the Sword Sect’s leadership was thinking and he couldn’t escape, he figured he might as well eat first.

After nine days without food or drink, even the transformed body of a Martial Artist couldn’t take it. Xie Yuan felt that while his spirit was strangely energized, his stomach was about to stage a rebellion.

He couldn’t resist rushing up to the cafeteria at the summit of Ruyun Peak. There, with a speed and appetite that made the cook’s heart pound and hands tremble, he devoured a basin of noodles, a bucket of rice, ten eggs, and a large pot of vegetable and meat stew.

Even though it was his first time here, he had to admit that the food in the Inner Sect was far better than in the Outer Sect. Even a simple vegetable and meat stew was much more fragrant than what the Outer Sect served.

’Then again, it might just be because I’m starving...’

Xie Yuan kept his head down, focused on wolfing down his food, but he could faintly hear people around him whispering:

"That’s Zhang Mountain, right?"

"Yeah, that’s him."

"He can really eat, huh?"

"You’d eat this much too if you spent nine days on Sword Peak..."

Sensing the many whispers and strange looks directed his way, Xie Yuan remained silent. He finished his meal and left, the eyes of everyone in the room following his retreating back. The moment he was out of the cafeteria, a roar of discussion erupted behind him.

A number of people had wanted to approach Xie Yuan and strike up a conversation, but they didn’t know him well. Besides, his intense focus on his food had convinced them to leave him in peace for the moment.

Hearing the commotion behind him, Xie Yuan sighed silently. ’I’m really famous now.’

’Becoming the center of attention for the entire Sect is terrible news.’

Back in his small courtyard, Xie Yuan leaned back in his chair and carefully considered his situation.

’I originally came up this mountain with Mu Chaoyun to escape Lu the Third’s pursuit. Then, the two of us discovered that the Sword Peak actually held the Black Celestial Book, and we were instantly tempted. On top of that, the Spiritual Qi here is abundant and perfect for cultivation, and the Sword Sect’s Cultivation Techniques are masterful—ideal for a Loose Cultivator like me who lacks a proper heritage. So, after Mu Chaoyun left, I stayed behind to continue my training.’

’I have to admit, my reasons for infiltrating Cloud Mountain under a false identity weren’t exactly pure... It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I came to steal their techniques, which is a cardinal sin for any Sect.’

’I was just too desperate to get to the Black Celestial Book and the Sword Peak. The moment the opportunity arose, I couldn’t resist going in to have a look, and now look where it’s gotten me.’

Normally, just comprehending the Black Celestial Book shouldn’t have caused him to become so completely immersed that he lost all awareness of the outside world; that kind of state usually only occurred during a breakthrough. When he went in this time, the book was still nearly four hundred points from completion, so he never expected to enter that state.

Thinking back, he had gained four hundred points of progress in less than ten days. The speed was unprecedented, far faster than even holding the Eight Trigrams Lotus in his hands. It was likely related to that strange state he had entered.

Xie Yuan closed his eyes slightly, trying to recall.

From the very beginning, he had entered a space similar to the one he touched upon during every breakthrough with the Black Celestial Book—a place he had tentatively named the ’Celestial Book World.’ If the Eight Trigrams Lotus was a flower that held countless Secret Techniques, this was a mountain of blades where Sword Intent howled. The Celestial Book World contained all the phenomena related to this page of the Black Celestial Book, and its Cultivation Techniques were practically his for the asking.

’But before, it only ever happened for an instant during a breakthrough. Why did I enter it from the very beginning this time?’

Xie Yuan frowned, deep in thought, and suddenly recalled that this time seemed different from his last breakthrough in the sword grotto.

Last time, what he had perceived was a pure mountain of swords, surrounded by howling sword-winds, its essence composed entirely of the symbols of Swordsmanship.

This time, although he also saw the mountain of swords and its materialized sword-winds, with the same unending gales swirling around, there seemed to be something more—

the sharp swords that filled the sky, dancing within the sword-winds, and the various phantoms on the stone platform. These were different from the figures that demonstrated Swordsmanship; none of this had been there before.