Of course he could lie through his teeth with his eyes wide open, but fooling an old fox like Yu Taikang was easier said than done. One wrong move and he would only end up outsmarting himself—and if Yu Taikang came to see him as an enemy with ulterior motives, that would be a real disaster.

"This Wei Zhao you speak of—he's from the Cangwu Sect of North Island? I've never heard of him before," Yu Taikang said with a frown. There was no need for Xue Jianming to keep sowing discord; from the moment he heard that Wei Zhao had meddled in the Xuejian Sect, the two of them were essentially destined to be enemies.

"He was originally a primordial spirit left stranded in the mortal world. Only because of this training excursion into the mortal realm did he get the chance to return to the Cangwu Sect of North Island. In just a few short months, he's already killed the Grand Supreme Elder Chen Jiu and become the Cangwu Sect's true new master. And now he wants to stretch his hand into our Xuejian Sect as well—this one's ambition is on another scale entirely." Xue Jianming explained while continuing to pile on the embellishments.

He had known about Chen Jiu's death at Wei Zhao's hands from the very beginning—after all, Chen Jiu was his source for samples of that level of power. It was only that, according to what Chen Dongcheng and Lu Ping'an had said at the time, Chen Jiu had been killed by a scheme hatched by Wei Zhao and his people, so he hadn't taken it too much to heart. Otherwise, he would never have dared to put on such airs in front of Wei Zhao even if it killed him.

Unfortunately, knowing it now was already too late—his left arm was ruined.

"Outrageous!" Yu Taikang was indeed provoked to fury once more. Having failed to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage, he had been stewing in anger all along, and at times like this he was all the more prone to a violent temper. Still, it was only a temper—he had not yet lost his reason.

In fact, Xue Jianming's words had backfired spectacularly. If Yu Taikang had still harbored some doubts about Wei Zhao's strength a moment ago, then upon hearing that Chen Jiu had been killed by Wei Zhao, the last trace of that doubt vanished without a shadow of a trace. After all, he had dealt with Chen Jiu of the Cangwu Sect of North Island plenty of times, and he knew Chen Jiu's strength inside and out.

Although Yu Taikang's current strength far surpassed Chen Jiu's, when it came to seniority among Nascent Soul monsters, Chen Jiu's was far the deeper. Back when he himself was still at the peak of Foundation Establishment, Chen Jiu was already a well-known Nascent Soul monster. That he had now been overtaken proved not only that Chen Jiu's aptitude and fortuitous encounters were inferior to his own, but also another thing entirely: Chen Jiu's foundation was absolutely solid!

Looking across the entire Tai Gu minor Jianghu, at the level of peak early Nascent Soul, if Chen Jiu claimed second place,恐怕 no one would dare claim first. The likes of Xue Jianming were simply not comparable.

Since this Wei Zhao, whom he had never even met, could kill Chen Jiu, then his strength was at least mid Nascent Soul—that much was certain, and he might even be stronger still. Especially since this one was an ambitious sort, Yu Taikang could not rashly descend the mountain at such a time. At the very least, he had to wait until his injuries healed.

After waiting a long while and seeing that Yu Taikang had nothing more to say after that one "Outrageous!", Xue Jianming was dumbfounded. He shot the Grand Supreme Elder a frowning glance and said, "Elder Yu, you're not... afraid, are you?"

"Nonsense!" Yu Taikang's old face flushed despite himself, and he glared. "I am a peak mid Nascent Soul expert in my own right—across the whole Tai Gu minor Jianghu, those who could best me can be counted on one hand. How could I fear some nameless nobody!"

"Then what is this?" Xue Jianming said nothing harsh, but his expression said it all—suspicion plainly mixed with contempt. To be looked at that way would anger anyone, let alone someone as perpetually high and mighty as Yu Taikang.

Yet in the end, Yu Taikang restrained himself. "One must never act on impulse; think thrice before acting. I am injured now. Going down rashly would do nothing but put me at a disadvantage for no gain. As you said, this Wei Zhao will not be able to slaughter our Xuejian Sect wholesale for the time being, so it would be better to bide our time—wait until my injuries heal before descending the mountain. There's no rush."

"And how long will that take?" Xue Jianming could not help frowning.

"Haste makes waste. You're a peak early Nascent Soul expert now, so how is it you have so little patience?" Yu Taikang's look toward him was instead somewhat displeased. He paused, then said, "From what you just said, since this Wei Zhao wants to get his hands on the Xuejian Sect, he won't be leaving anytime soon. What does it matter if we wait a month or so?"

"This..." Xue Jianming was stumped, and he silently cursed his own miscalculation. Had he known, he would have framed it more urgently. He knew perfectly well that Wei Zhao had no such leisure as to covet the Xuejian Sect—if they waited a month before descending the mountain, the man would be long gone...

"What? Don't tell me you're hiding something from me?" Yu Taikang asked suspiciously at the sight. He was a fox grown cunning with age, and his vigilance was beyond question. Though Xue Jianming counted as one of his own, whose background he knew well, the sudden leap to peak early Nascent Soul was, after all, a deeply bizarre affair. Given Yu Taikang's suspicious nature, it would not be easy for Xue Jianming to win his complete trust.

"No, no! Absolutely not!" Xue Jianming was startled—if they fell out face to face, nothing good would come of it for him. He hurriedly rolled his eyes and changed the subject to extricate himself. "Actually, I know of a wonderful place—not only can it help you recover from your injuries quickly, Elder Yu, it can also raise your cultivation another level in a short time!"

"What place?" Yu Taikang was taken aback, his expression somewhat skeptical.

"Speaking of which—in less than two short years, I broke through from peak Foundation Establishment all the way to peak early Nascent Soul as I am today. Doesn't that strike you as strange, Elder Yu?" Xue Jianming said, struck by a sudden inspiration.

"Of course it's strange." Yu Taikang's interest was immediately roused. That had been his very first question, only for Xue Jianming to fob him off with a laugh and a vague answer. From the look of things, was the boy actually willing to reveal the true reason now?

"The reason is simple: I joined a powerful organization of unfathomable depth. It was by relying on the organization's strength that I completed my astonishing transformation!" Xue Jianming's tone brimmed with smugness. Joining the Center was, to him, practically a turning point of fate. True, he could not avoid being controlled by the poison gas, but compared with the supreme power that lay within easy reach, what did that small flaw amount to!

"An organization?!" Yu Taikang's eyelid twitched at the words, and his whole aura turned somewhat hostile. His tone was unfathomable as he said, "You joined another organization? In other words, you have now betrayed the Xuejian Sect?"

To join any other organization, be it a sect or a clan, was by nature considered a betrayal of one's sect—there was no disputing it.

"Elder Yu, calm yourself. If after hearing me out you still think I've betrayed the sect, it won't be too late to start shouting for my death then." Xue Jianming showed not the slightest sign of alarm. (To be continued.)