The Ultimate Weapon: Confrontation at the Hall of Clarity

She was dressed in a long gown as pure as the moon, adorned with purple-gold cloud patterns that shimmered with faint golden spiritual light, and covered by a light purple magic robe as thin as mist.

Merely standing there, her entire demeanor exuded an elegant, ethereal quality.

Lin Mo observed closely, realizing that Grand Elder Qing You was standing in empty space, three feet off the ground, supported by a faint, almost imperceptible circle of light purple spiritual energy that shrouded her feet.

As she took a step, the spiritual energy beneath her rippled outwards in expanding circles, causing the surrounding spiritual energy to gently resonate. With just a soft step, her entire being drifted forward like flowing clouds and water, her robes fluttering gracefully.

‘Such a high-class aura…’

Lin Mo couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

The two masters were at odds, yet they had brought Liu Ruyan to visit, which likely boded ill. Mu Qingli, in particular, was already so furious that she had crushed a window; Lin Mo figured he would be in deep trouble after they left this time.

It felt much like relatives visiting during the New Year, bringing their exceptionally talented children to show off.

‘Look! My child is so good at piano, their English is excellent, they can sing and dance!’

However, that was a matter between Mu Qingli and Grand Elder Qing You.

He only needed to face Liu Ruyan now, this sweet little sister whom Lin Mo quite liked.

Liu Ruyan was gentle and considerate; other than tricking him into the Xuan Nv Sect, Lin Mo had no complaints about her.

“Sister Wan’er, how have you been lately? Ruyan has broken through to the ninth layer of Qi Condensation!” Liu Ruyan’s crisp voice brimmed with uncontainable joy.

If Grand Elder Qing You had said it, it would have been a boast, but coming from Liu Ruyan, it was simply a desire to share the happiness of her growth.

Her eyes curved into crescents, and her smile was brighter than the early spring sunshine. “Master praised my rapid progress and specially granted me one wish, so I asked Master to bring me to see you, Sister Wan’er.”

As she spoke, she held up the exquisite bamboo basket in her arms as if presenting a treasure, lifting a corner of the cloth covering it. A fragrant aroma instantly wafted forth, revealing neatly arranged, beautifully crafted pastries inside.

“Look! Sister Wan’er, I made these especially for you! They’re my family’s ancestral specialty snacks, even my Master says they’re delicious.”

Lin Mo’s heart warmed. Besides Yang Po Po, it seemed there was now another person in the world who cared for him. Or so it seemed.

“Good,” Lin Mo said, his brows relaxing. For a moment, he forgot the predicament he was in. “Oh, good, I’ll try some right now.”

Lin Mo reached for a pastry, but his hands were covered in sticky mud, and his sleeves were smudged with dirt, making him appear somewhat disheveled.

It was then that Liu Ruyan noticed Lin Mo’s appearance—his face smudged with dirt, and not just his hands, but his clothes were also quite dirty.

Understanding immediately, she set down the bamboo basket, then picked up a pastry herself. Tiptoeing, she personally fed it to Lin Mo’s mouth. “Sister Wan’er, what were you doing? Why are you covered in dust?”

“Oh! I was… building a stove and preparing to cook.”

“Eat first, no rush, Sister Wan’er. Tell me after you finish eating.”

Lin Mo wolfed it down, barely tasting the sweetness of the pastry before swallowing it whole.

There was no other way; without seasonings, the only thing he could make was roasted food, which was bland and tedious. Thus, the pastries Liu Ruyan brought were like timely rain after a long drought for Lin Mo.

“I was building a stove myself, planning to cook my own meals.”

“Sister Wan’er can cook too? Can I try some?”

“Of course,” Lin Mo said, his heart softening at the young girl’s eager expression. “What do you like to eat, Ruyan?”

“Me?” Liu Ruyan tilted her head, counting on her fingers. “I like so many things! Sweet, fragrant, sticky…”

“It’s alright, I’ll make them all for you. Oh, Ruyan, have you grown taller?”

The disciples enjoyed their harmonious interactions, while between their masters, separated by the wall, the atmosphere was like congealed ice.

Mu Qingli stood inside the wall, gritting her teeth as she watched through the window.

Grand Elder Qing You, however, stood outside the wall, hands clasped behind her back, and directed a piercingly cold sneer at Mu Qingli. “Heh, a talent my sect sees once in a thousand years, now covered in mud, neglecting cultivation, and making such a mess of herself here. Acting Sect Master, you certainly are a unique kind of master.”

Grand Elder Qing You saw Mu Qingli’s fingertips turn slightly white from clenching, realizing she was probably so choked with anger that she couldn’t speak. Feeling even more smug, she continued, “You forcibly snatched a disciple, yet you’ve allowed a bright pearl to be covered in dust. Acting Sect Master, by misleading your students in this manner, you will likely soon make the entire cultivation world turn the Xuan Nv Sect into a laughingstock. This Sect Master of yours, though you are only a—”

“Grand Elder Qing You?! What are you doing here?” Mu Qingli’s exclamation, sharp as a blade, abruptly cut short Grand Elder Qing You’s unfinished words.

This sudden cry caused Grand Elder Qing You to frown slightly, a surge of doubt rising in her heart.

‘What trick is this woman playing?’

She had been standing there for a while, and her aura hadn’t even been deliberately concealed. With Mu Qingli’s cultivation, even if she was terrible, she shouldn’t have failed to sense her. Moreover, hadn’t she walked right up to her face?

Otherwise, why would Mu Qingli have such a furious, teeth-gritting expression?

Oh, Grand Elder Qing You understood.

It must be a ploy to conceal her own predicament.

“Acting Sect Master,” Grand Elder Qing You’s voice instantly turned cold. “If you delusionally imagine that such clumsy acting, feigning madness and confusing perceptions, will allow you to slip by, then you truly disappoint me. I once thought you still had some use for your brain.”

“Feigning madness? Confusing perceptions? Who has the leisure to play such games with you?” Mu Qingli’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Answer me, what are you doing here?” Her final words carried a trace of spiritual energy, shaking dust from the wall, and causing pieces of the shattered purple sandalwood window to continuously fall to the ground.

Grand Elder Qing You observed Mu Qingli’s expression, which didn’t seem feigned; it was as if she genuinely hadn’t seen her.

‘How strange.’

However, Grand Elder Qing You had no time to delve deeper. She had come not only to fulfill Liu Ruyan’s wish but also to deliver a notice.

“More than a month has passed. Lin Wan’er should now come out of the Sect Master’s residence.” Grand Elder Qing You began to use a voice transmission.

“Come out? Heh, if you can’t snatch her, you plan to steal a disciple this way? Grand Elder, your shamelessness is truly remarkable.” Mu Qingli also knew these words shouldn’t be spoken in front of disciples; after all, as a teacher, arguing would be undignified.

“Snatch?” Grand Elder Qing You’s voice was laced with ice, a faint, yet bone-chilling mockery curving her lips. “What good is a disciple to me if you’ve given her a low-tier cultivation method like the Bright Jade Profound Yin which harms one’s foundational dao and obstructs future progress? And, have you forgotten that it’s time for her to enter the Hall of Clarity (TL Note: A specific training hall within the sect)?”

Her words struck Mu Qingli’s heart like a heavy hammer.

Mu Qingli’s face instantly drained of color. She had indeed forgotten! Forgotten that new disciples, one month after entering the sect, must collectively enter the Hall of Clarity for a three-month intensive training session covering sect rules, precepts, and basic dao cultivation! This was an ironclad sect rule, designed to assess a disciple’s aptitude and compatibility with cultivation methods!

“Have you forgotten even this sect rule, Acting Sect Master?” Grand Elder Qing You’s voice was not loud, yet each word was like a knife, precisely piercing Mu Qingli’s greatest weakness at that moment.

Mu Qingli’s mind buzzed.

Although the Profound Yin energy from her Bright Jade Profound Yin cultivation, once mastered, was like maggots clinging to bone, extremely difficult to eradicate, it wasn’t impossible! Lin Mo was still in the Qi Condensation stage; his meridians had not yet fully solidified.

By paying a huge price, forcibly removing the Profound Yin energy growing within him, and then severing and recasting his meridians, Lin Mo could specialize in other cultivation methods.

While the cost of recasting meridians was exorbitant and consumed vast resources, it might not be deemed necessary for ordinary disciples.

But… Lin Mo was no ordinary disciple.

Innate phenomena, a dragon’s roar for a thousand li… this was enough for the Xuan Nv Sect to pour all its resources into him.

And what filled Mu Qingli with the most chilling dread was this: the Xuan Nv Sect inherently possessed the ultimate right to intervene in the cultivation method choices of new disciples!

One of the core purposes of the three-month intensive training in the Hall of Clarity was for the Transmission Elders and Protectors to jointly monitor and record each new disciple’s progress, adaptability, spiritual energy conversion efficiency, and performance in practical combat exercises with their initial cultivation methods.

Detailed data would be compiled and evaluated.

If it was ultimately determined that a disciple was highly incompatible with their cultivation method, the sect had the right to forcibly demand they change it! This was originally a safeguard established by the sect to prevent throwing pearls before swine and missing out on good talent.

Now, it had become Grand Elder Qing You’s legitimate and ultimate weapon to snatch Lin Mo away!

Everything she had done so far was utterly meaningless.

As long as Grand Elder Qing You tampered with things in the Hall of Clarity, causing Lin Mo to fail the test… then Lin Mo would surely be taken away. With Grand Elder Qing You’s methods, achieving this would be far too easy.

She had thought Grand Elder Qing You had made no moves this past month, assuming she had given up. She never expected her to be waiting here all along!

No wonder she had been so quiet, probably afraid that she would remember this…

That b*tch!

After forcibly changing his cultivation method, she would probably plan to snatch Lin Mo away from her, just like her disciple!

Those two bitches!

Her enemies were beginning to multiply.