Mo Tiange's smile froze. She stared at the three Core Formation cultivators, not uttering a word.
The three people before her—Elder Qingmiao frowned, Elder Qingxi wore a guarded expression, while Elder Qingyi still maintained a smile, as if what she had just said was merely a trivial matter.
Beside her, Wei Haolan's eyes widened in shock. "Elder, you mean..." She turned to look at Mo Tiange, then slowly took a step back.
Though her expression remained calm, countless thoughts flashed through Mo Tiange's mind.
Zhong Muling had once said that with the Concealing Spirit Pendant he had refined for her, she could even pretend to be a mortal without issue. He was a top-tier cultivator in the human realm who had reached the Deity Transformation stage thousands of years ago. In theory, even Nascent Soul cultivators shouldn't be able to see through it.
So why could these mere three Core Formation cultivators see through her true cultivation level?!
What should she do now? Fight? She wasn't arrogant enough to believe she could escape unscathed under the watchful eyes of three Core Formation cultivators, and there wasn't enough time to enter the Void Heaven Realm. What other options were there?
The three Core Formation elders either looked at her expressionlessly or with a smile, but their gazes all held a trace of wariness.
Finally, Mo Tiange smiled slightly. "Senior has keen eyes. But may I ask how you saw through it?"
"Little Friend Ye, you're quite composed as well," Elder Qingyi nodded with a smile. "Actually, there's no harm in telling you."
Elder Qingmiao beside her also smiled and took over. "Little Friend Ye, don't overthink it. This Dao-Attainment Pagoda was established by the founding ancestor of our Bixuan Pavilion as a sacred ground. It's filled with countless restrictions and mechanisms that even we, its inheritors, don't fully understand. One of them is that anyone who enters this pagoda will have all their illusion techniques seen through by cultivators with higher cultivation. Breath-Concealing Techniques are, in a way, also illusion techniques."
"So that's how it is..." This Bi Shui Yuanjun, originally thought to be an outstanding figure of her generation, now appeared to be a prodigious talent no less remarkable than the Purple Tenuity Hermit. Such restrictions were something she had never encountered, despite her extensive reading.
Thinking this, Mo Tiange silently warned herself that even though she now possessed exceptional aptitude and rare treasures, she should never underestimate other cultivators. How vast was the world, and how many extraordinary people existed within it? Even if their natural talent didn't match hers, there were countless whose intelligence and wisdom surpassed her own.
"You don't seem afraid at all," Elder Qingxi, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. Her tone was cool, her sharp gaze fixed on Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange raised an eyebrow and smiled. "At first, this junior was indeed somewhat afraid. I didn't expect to have my disguise suddenly seen through by three seniors. However, if the three seniors intended me harm, moving a single finger would be enough. Why would you still speak to me so politely? Besides, apart from concealing my cultivation, I haven't done anything detrimental to your esteemed sect, so I have no reason to feel guilty."
"Oh?" Elder Qingyi seemed quite interested. "Then how do you explain your act of hiding your cultivation level? Simply saying you mean no harm is hardly convincing!"
Mo Tiange replied unhurriedly, "The reason this junior concealed her cultivation is actually something Senior has already mentioned."
The three elders all showed puzzled expressions.
She continued, "When this junior said she was thirty-nine years old, all three seniors raised your eyebrows slightly... The reason this junior hid her cultivation is precisely because most people would think the same way as you three seniors did."
"Oh?" Elder Qingyi paused, exchanged a glance with the other two elders, and finally all three let go of their last trace of doubt. "With Little Friend's age, already at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment is indeed too shocking to the world. No wonder you were taken as a disciple by a Nascent Soul cultivator—such talent, even across the entire Tianji region, is hard to find once in a thousand years. A major sect... is ultimately a major sect..."
They were all seasoned experts who had navigated the cultivation world for centuries. While younger disciples might not have been to Kunwu, these three Core Formation elders had certainly seen the world. How could they not understand what Mo Tiange meant? Besides playing the pig to eat the tiger, there were considerations for self-preservation; if others misjudged your strength, they might leave you a sliver of life when plotting against you.
Observing Mo Tiange's behavior and listening to her words, Elder Qingyi sighed inwardly. Even though this child was still young, her handling of affairs was remarkably steady. Within Bixuan Pavilion, one could hardly pick out a few who understood the importance of caution. In comparison, how could this not be disheartening?
Elder Qingmiao and Elder Qingxi wore similar expressions. After dispelling their doubts, their faces turned grave once more. They were astonished to have encountered a once-in-a-millennium genius, yet they also thought of Bixuan Pavilion's current predicament. On another level, they pondered whether they should change their approach to managing the sect.
Thirty-nine years old and at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment—this was completely unimaginable to them. Although they resided in Linhai, they were connected to Kunwu by teleportation arrays and weren't behind on news. In Kunwu, even cultivators who formed their Core in a hundred years appeared less than a handful per millennium, each hailed as a genius. So, thirty-nine and at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment... estimating, she might form her Core in another twenty or thirty years. Forming a Core at seventy would make her a genius among geniuses!
Yet such a genius among geniuses, and the Xuanqing Sect let her roam freely, allowing her to venture out alone for training.
In contrast, their Bixuan Pavilion—forget producing such a genius—even when they finally managed to recruit a disciple with an Exotic Spirit Root, they kept them carefully by their side for over a hundred years, never letting them leave the sect. Even other Foundation Establishment cultivators with slightly promising futures weren't allowed to go out for training.
The three elders silently contemplated for a while, none speaking.
Wei Haolan, who had been watching them shift her gaze between them, couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward to ask, "Three Elders, Fellow Daoist Ye... is she truly at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation?"
Elder Qingyi nodded. "Haolan, it's best you know this and keep it to yourself. Don't leak it, lest it bring many troubles."
"...Yes," Wei Haolan replied softly. Then she turned her head, her gaze toward Mo Tiange filled with complex emotions, but in the end, she only let out a silent sigh and looked away.
Regarding this Fellow Daoist Ye, she had originally only envied her good fortune—to actually be a disciple of one of Tianji's top major sects. But that was all. Given her status as a sect leader, she really didn't need to dwell on it too much. Yet... now she learned that this Fellow Daoist Ye was so young and already a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator... This truly left no room for comparison.
"Little Friend Ye, being so young and already possessing such profound cultivation, how do you also have such exceptional alchemy skills?" Elder Qingmiao asked.
Mo Tiange thought of the answer in an instant. "To be honest with the three seniors, although my aptitude is considered excellent, my advancement after Foundation Establishment was due to a stroke ofOpportunity. I don't bury myself in bitter cultivation every day; I usually study alchemy techniques to regulate my mood. Moreover... although my alchemy skills may seem quite advanced in the eyes of non-alchemists, compared to an alchemy-focused sect like the Danding Sect, they really aren't anything special."
"Is that so?" Doubt still lingered in Elder Qingxi's eyes. "The three of us are not ignorant frogs at the bottom of a well. In the past, we also refined Azure Cloud Pills. At that time, we sought out an alchemist from the Danding Sect, said to have extremely high alchemy realm, yet he couldn't achieve a sixty to seventy percent success rate. Fellow Daoist Ye, why is it that you, not being an alchemist, have alchemy skills higher than those of Danding Sect disciples?"
"It's simple," Mo Tiange said without blushing or her heart racing. "Although the Danding Sect is an alchemy sect, not everyone there has higher alchemy aptitude than outsiders. If we're talking solely about alchemy aptitude, this junior is confident she is not inferior to others." To conceal the secret of the Void Heaven Realm, she had no choice but to boast a little. If she claimed poor alchemy aptitude, who would believe she possessed quite decent alchemy skills?
After a pause, she continued, "Moreover, three seniors, please don't take offense, but allow this junior to speak frankly. In the past, when the Danding Sect was at its peak, ranked among the seven major sects, they looked down on everyone. They probably didn't take cultivators from minor sects seriously and simply sent ordinary alchemists to deal with them..."
Though displeased, the three elders could only admit she spoke the truth. Even though they were all Core Formation cultivators, before the Danding Sect declined, they were quite arrogant. Even the Tiandao Sect and Xuanqing Sect often sought their help and treated them politely. Over time, how could they possibly regard Core Formation cultivators from minor sects with any importance?
As for the current Danding Sect, after the beast tide turmoil, their strength had greatly diminished. Being ranked among the seven major sects was merely a habit; they had now been reduced to the alchemy workshop for the other six major sects. This was also due to the Danding Sect's former overly haughty behavior. Otherwise, the other six sects wouldn't have tacitly agreed to deliberately delay rescue, and the Danding Sect could only swallow this bitter fruit.
In the cultivation world, conducting oneself and managing a sect followed the same principles. If you had outstanding strength, being haughty didn't matter much. But if your strength was insufficient, it was better to keep a low profile. If you had outstanding strength and remained low-key, that was even better.
"In that case, Little Friend Ye coming to our Linhai is also a stroke of blessing for us old folks. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to find a suitable alchemist for a while," Elder Qingmiao said with a smile after exchanging glances with Qingyi and Qingxi.
Mo Tiange modestly replied, "Regarding alchemy skills, this junior is only passable. In Kunwu, there are quite a few alchemy masters, even alchemy grandmasters. It's just that the three seniors have long resided in Linhai and have had little contact with them."
Hearing this, Elder Qingyi nodded. "Little Friend Ye is neither arrogant nor impatient. My sect's disciples really should learn from you."
The earlier coldness had vanished from Elder Qingxi's face, but she still asked with a serious expression, "Little Friend Ye, with you venturing out for training like this, can your teachers and elders rest assured?"
Mo Tiange showed slight surprise and raised an eyebrow. "This junior doesn't quite understand Senior's question. Why would my teachers and elders not rest assured?"
Elder Qingxi said, "With your aptitude, reaching Late-Stage Foundation Establishment at such a young age, you must be a key cultivated genius disciple in your esteemed sect, right? Aren't your sect's teachers and elders afraid something might happen to you while traveling outside?"
The words weren't particularly auspicious, but Elder Qingxi's tone was quite calm, so Mo Tiange didn't mind. She smiled faintly. "Senior may not know, but my Xuanqing Sect is a Daoist sect. Besides cultivation, we also emphasize mental state. My master often tells me that if one's mental state is insufficient, one should be cautious about advancing. This junior deeply agrees. If one fears something might happen and thus doesn't go out to train, then even a genius disciple can never grow into an outstanding cultivator. If one cannot truly grow, what use is having high natural talent? In the end, cultivation looks at cultivation level, realm, and combat ability—not that one can advance all the way to Nascent Soul relying solely on talent. So, even if there are losses, it's still worth it."