The disciples scattered like a pack of hungry hyenas, leaving the Outer Hall empty. Only Zhang Zhenking remained in the wide and glamorous hall, his hands clasped behind his back, his spine ramrod straight.

Having watched almost all of his outer disciples depart, he knew the Purple Moon Sect would face trouble. They were, after all, the ones tasked with the most mundane and numerous missions. Moreover, since the treasure hunt race included every disciple, the production of pills, weapons, and talismans had also halted. He had been serious when he declared that every outer disciple needed to gather, regardless of age or combat ability. Everyone needed to gather gifts for Hao Yun. This was, in his mind, a truly urgent matter, even if his definition of urgent differed from that of his disciples.

Turning around, Zhang Zhenking walked toward a golden gate that connected the outer court and the inner court. The gate opened as he approached and closed behind him once he passed through.

Several meters in front of him, a kid stood with a smile on his face. This kid wore a dark blue cultivator robe that matched his blue hair and blue eyes. He put his hands behind his back and puffed out his chest as if trying to appear bigger. "Elder Zhang Zhenking, what a coincidence to meet you here!"

In the Purple Moon Sect, elders held greater status than the Patriarch's son, yet even Zhang Zhenking did not dare to harm this kid. This was Hao Yun, the son of heavens, the most talented human being on the continent. The Demon Kid. If given a choice, Zhang Zhenking would have avoided interacting with this kid altogether.

"Indeed, what a coincidence," Zhang Zhenking replied.

Hao Yun grinned, hands now behind his head. "Perhaps it's fate! Since you couldn't attend my tea party due to this urgent matter, I thought we would only meet next week during the Twelve Elders meeting. But here we are, meeting by chance."

"It was the will of the heavens," Zhang Zhenking humored the little devil.

Zhang Zhenking resumed walking, his steps measured and purposeful. Hao Yun, not wanting to be left behind, quickly fell into step beside him. The elder and the Patriarch's son moved forward together.

Hao Yun grinned wider. "It's true! I was just exploring the sect when I got lost, and then I ended up here when you announced that race. Speaking of that race, I'm so excited! Three thousand gifts, and they're all for me! It's a shame I couldn't join the race. I should have stayed in the outer court longer. Perhaps I could transfer to the outer court and become an outer disciple. That way, I could join the race!"

"Please don't joke around."

"Hehe. I'm joking. While it was a shame I couldn't join the race, it was still exciting, especially your hidden agenda."

"It is not my hidden agenda. It is our sect's hidden agenda," Zhang Zhenking stated.

"But you were the one who formed the plan and executed it, so I say this was your agenda."

"I don't agree with your assessment, but you can think whatever you want. Just know that I am loyal. Everything I do is for the sect."

"I didn't question your loyalty. I'm sorry if I offended you."

"I'm not offended," Zhang Zhenking said.

He had already decided to devote his life and give his loyalty to the sect. The enemy of the sect was his enemy, and he would destroy his enemies.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"I thought this plan of yours was brilliant." Hao Yun gave a thumbs up.

Seeing this gesture, Zhang Zhenking nodded. "Thank you."

"The preparation for war, disguised as a race to get as many gifts as possible." Hao Yun grinned. "The icing on the cake was that it was for my birthday! How amazing is that?"

Zhang Zhenking controlled his expression. He knew that his plan was not a secret for the upper echelons of the sect, but hearing someone say it out in the open somehow felt wrong, as if his secret was now exposed. "Don't forget your engagement too."

"Ah, right, I forgot. It was just that the birthday party was more special to me since it was dedicated only to me, not shared with someone else." He pouted. "I still wonder why I was the one getting engaged, not my brothers."

Zhang Zhenking was sure this kid knew the reason. But unlike him, Zhang Zhenking would not talk about secret matters out in the open.

"Anyway, since you had already made the preparations, did you already know who those mysterious enemies were?" Hao Yun asked nonchalantly.

In front of them stood a statue of a golden lion. This statue stood in the hallway as if to scare off anyone who tried to pass by. But when the lion saw that it was Zhang Zhenking and Hao Yun, it bowed, its eyes glowing, and the wall to its right slid open, revealing a secret passage right into the innermost deep area of the sect, where the most important people lived. Zhang Zhenking was one of them, just like Hao Yun.

As he walked down this short passage, with light glowing at the end of the hallway, he finally answered Hao Yun's question. "No. I still don't know who they are."

This fact made Zhang Zhenking restless. He was not the most intelligent person among the Twelve Elders, but since the seventh seat was now empty, he was also in charge of information gathering. Two to three years prior, he had hoped Hao Yun would fill this seat, but right now, the chance of that happening was almost zero. Hao Yun would sit in a higher seat. And he, the one in charge of information gathering, presented with a wide-area information network, one of the best on the continent, still did not know who, where, or what the target of their enemies was. The only thing that helped him sleep at night was a fact he had stumbled upon about these elusive enemies: they were attacking all the great sects simultaneously, creating a multitude of seemingly unconnected accidents to destabilize all of the sects. Their main method of attack was targeting talented disciples, ensuring the weakening of great sects in the future.

The preparation he had executed was not solely intended to counter these mysterious enemies, but also extended to a far grander event, one destined to shake the world. This event was the real reason for his immense preparations.

"Do your best, I believe in you," Hao Yun said.

Zhang Zhenking turned his head and saw the small smile on the kid's lips. The smile looked genuine, and probably was, but he needed to remember that the seventh seat of the Twelve Elders was empty because of him.

"Anyway, this year's outer disciples are great! I saw some individuals worth our time. Have you already decided who your disciple would be?"

His mind flashed to three exceptional individuals and one anomaly. "I couldn't decide before the race was over. Also, who my disciples would be did not depend on my decision, but on the three who gathered the most gifts."

"Is that so? I thought you would choose that guy who could use your technique fully. What was his name again, Liu Xing?"

"Indeed, my Lightning Cloak had finally found a worthy user. But as I said, I couldn't decide about it. Moreover, if I had to choose, I couldn't just choose one disciple. And as the rule stated, to create a team is to consider everything, but the most important thing is harmony."

This Liu Xing was one of the least talented people in the outer sect. Usually, people like him would have died in a corner of the world, whether peacefully or gruesomely. But it seemed like he had found a stroke of luck and turned his life around.

Hao Yun sighed. "That's right. Other people had teams. Only I don't have one."

"That's because you don't need a team."

"Bullshit!" He pouted, and the two of them finally exited the hallway. They stood in front of a beautiful garden. Colorful birds chirped, flowers in many colors bloomed, and butterflies danced between the flowers. If someone looked at the sky, instead of seeing a roof, they would have seen a blue sky so clear there was not a speck of cloud in sight. And despite it being daytime, a moon, glowing with purple light, could be seen in the sky, watching everything below it, as if it was the eye of a god.

"Anyway, if that was all, we needed to part here. I have matters to attend to," Zhang Zhenking said.

"Ah, right, thank you for your time. I only have two questions left," Hao Yun said.

Zhang Zhenking remained silent, allowing Hao Yun to ask his questions.

"What would you do if the enemy was inside our sect?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.