Originally, Mo Tiange had planned to interact more with the cultivators of the Jiuyan Sect after arriving in Tianxue City. Unexpectedly, Feifei's advancement had delayed her for over half a year.
When Feifei's matter was finally settled, Mo Tiange exited the Void Heaven Realm and was surprised to find several Sound Transmission Talismans floating outside her cave abode.
She collected these talismans one by one. Two were from fellow cultivators also residing in the Ling Family's cave abodes, merely greetings upon hearing a Foundation Establishment cultivator lived there. The last one, however, was rather strange. The sender was actually the Ling Family cultivator she had briefly met when renting the cave abode.
The content of this talisman was simple: it merely said to send a message back if she had left seclusion.
But Mo Tiange found it odd. She had already erased the Ling Family's surveillance restriction within the cave abode. How did this person know she was in seclusion? Moreover, it seemed this talisman had been waiting here for a long time. How did he know when she would reply? It was entirely possible that by the time she did, it would be useless.
After some thought, she still sent a Sound Transmission Talisman back, following the message left by this Ling Family cultivator.
Afterwards, she prepared to take a stroll around Tianxue City. However, just as she closed the cave abode, she saw another streak of firelight flash across the sky—another Sound Transmission Talisman flying towards her.
Mo Tiange caught the talisman. The spirit talisman ignited without fire, and a voice transmitted: "Fellow Daoist, please wait. I will arrive shortly."
Mo Tiange was taken aback. What did this mean? Was this person actually waiting for her reply? And why was he so urgently seeking her out? Was there some pressing matter?
Whatever it was, she would find out soon enough.
She waited patiently for a while. Suddenly, Mo Tiange looked up and saw a blue streak of escaping light, radiating powerful aura, sweeping across the horizon towards her. Then, a Core Formation cultivator in apricot-colored Daoist robes landed before her.
"I am Ling Yunhe. How may I address you, Fellow Daoist?" The man raised his hand slightly in a polite greeting.
Mo Tiange, however, was stunned. The person before her had a clean-shaven face, handsome features, and jet-black hair neatly tied into a Daoist bun secured with a hair crown. His apricot-colored Daoist robes were adorned with intricate cloud patterns, seemingly signifying an extraordinary status. The entire person appeared imposing and possessed an immortal-like grace.
Yet, despite this, she still found familiar traces on this face, and his manner of speaking also stirred her memory.
This person was actually the Ling Family cultivator who had handled her rental procedures when she leased the cave abode.
She never would have imagined that the unkempt, seemingly destitute Foundation Establishment cultivator from that day could look so different after changing his attire—not only much younger but also exuding an extraordinary presence.
Most importantly, this person, like her, had concealed his cultivation level. He was not at the Foundation Establishment stage, but at the Core Formation mid-stage.
Mo Tiange raised her hand in return salute but did not answer his question. Instead, she asked directly, "Fellow Daoist Ling, what business brings you here?"
Hearing her question, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, then a smile touched the corner of his mouth. "Aren't you going to ask first how I discerned your cultivation level, or why I also concealed mine?"
Mo Tiange looked at him calmly. "If Fellow Daoist is willing to tell me, of course I would like to know." The implication was that if he didn't want to tell her, asking would be useless.
Hearing her answer, the man laughed. "I indeed didn't seek out the wrong person." He glanced behind Mo Tiange and asked with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, won't you invite me in to sit?"
Mo Tiange thought for a moment. This person definitely had something to say to her. Judging by his attitude, it probably wasn't anything bad. She made a gesture of invitation. "Fellow Daoist Ling, please."
When the Ling Family rented out this cave abode, they had already prepared the daily necessities. Therefore, Mo Tiange directly invited him into the small reception hall.
The two sat down as host and guest. The Ling Family cultivator surveyed the cave abode and said with a meaningful smile, "Fellow Daoist's mastery of formations is truly profound. This defensive formation is quite extraordinary."
Mo Tiange smiled slightly but did not reply. She had erased the surveillance restriction from the Ling Family's formation. Presumably, this person had noticed at a glance. As a Core Formation cultivator, there was no reason for her to allow others to spy on her casually. She had nothing to feel guilty about.
There was no tea for the guest, and Mo Tiange's attitude was not particularly warm. This person probably sensed he wasn't entirely welcome and looked slightly awkward. He coughed and asked for the second time, "How may I address you, Fellow Daoist?"
Mo Tiange paused before answering, "My surname is Qin, given name Wei." Not clear about this person's intentions, Mo Tiange fabricated a name on the spot. Qin Wei—a homophone for 'Qing Wei' (Qingwei).
"Ah, so it's Fellow Daoist Qin." The man showed no suspicion and nodded. "Although this isn't our first meeting, last time both of us concealed our cultivation levels, so it doesn't really count as an acquaintance. This time, allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Ling Yunhe, a cultivator of the Ling Family in Tianxue City, and also an elder of the Jiuyan Sect."
"Fellow Daoist Ling, I've long heard of you." Mo Tiange politely saluted again. She had already roughly guessed his identity. The Ling Family belonged to the Jiuyan Sect. Since this person was a Core Formation cultivator, he must also be an elder of the Jiuyan Sect.
Ling Yunhe returned the salute. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, and he said with a sincere tone, "Fellow Daoist Qin, my sudden visit is rather presumptuous. However, please rest assured, I absolutely harbor no ill intentions."
Under his gaze, Mo Tiange was momentarily stunned before suddenly understanding his implication. Did he think that, as a single woman, she was wary of men?
Mo Tiange found it both amusing and exasperating. Back in Tianji, she had initially disguised herself as a man. Later, when she resumed her female appearance, she had the identity of Dao Lord Jinghe's disciple. No one had ever felt the need to explicitly state their intentions because she was a woman. She never expected to encounter such a situation after coming to Yunzhong.
She found it inwardly amusing and instantly felt a slight favorable impression towards this Ling Yunhe. Regardless of his purpose, without knowing her identity, he had shown her sufficient respect.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange showed a smile and said, "Fellow Daoist Ling, please don't take offense. It's just that when we first met, you were merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, vastly different from today. Moreover, we have no prior acquaintance. You suddenly requested a meeting via Sound Transmission Talisman and saw through my cultivation level, so..."
"I understand." Ling Yunhe waved his hand with a smile. "Regarding this matter, I can explain it to you point by point."
He paused before saying, "To be frank, the cultivation technique I practice is extremely sensitive to the perception of spiritual energy. If there is an aura of spiritual treasures nearby, it basically cannot escape my notice. When I met Fellow Daoist Qin that day, I sensed you were surrounded by many spiritual treasure auras, indicating you possess numerous treasures. These spiritual treasure auras do not belong to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Therefore, I deduced that you are actually a Core Formation cultivator who has merely concealed your cultivation level."
"Oh?" Mo Tiange was surprised, thinking to herself, does Yunzhong actually have such a peculiar technique? Her Breath-Concealing Technique, aided by the Spirit-Concealing Pendant, could not be seen through even by Nascent Soul cultivators. Yet this technique didn't need to see through her concealment to infer her true cultivation level.
"It seems Fellow Daoist has not encountered such a technique before," Ling Yunhe said with a smile. "That's not surprising. This type of technique is rather unorthodox. In the entire Yunzhong, you couldn't find more than a few sets."
"So that's how it is." Mo Tiange calmed down. "Then why didn't you expose me that day?"
Ling Yunhe shook his head. "Why expose you? There are so many cultivators in the world. How many who travel abroad don't have some secrets? Our Ling Family merely rents out cave abodes. As long as they harbor no ill intentions towards Tianxue City or our Ling Family, we don't care how many secrets they have."
"Is that so?" Mo Tiange smiled but did not refute him. The reality certainly wasn't as simple and detached as Ling Yunhe made it sound. Otherwise, why would the Ling Family set up surveillance restrictions in the cave abodes? If there were secrets among these cultivators that could benefit the Ling Family, they definitely wouldn't stand idly by, playing the part of benevolent onlookers. However, what he said also held some truth. If it posed no harm to Tianxue City and the Ling Family, they probably wouldn't bother meddling in others' affairs.
"As for why I concealed my cultivation level..." Ling Yunhe shook his head, a hint of sorrow appearing on his face. "To be honest with Fellow Daoist Qin, this involves matters of power within my Ling Family and the Jiuyan Sect. I was forced to conceal my cultivation level."
"Oh?" Mo Tiange raised an eyebrow.
Seeing her expression—a faint smile, neither immediately declaring she wouldn't interfere in their sect's affairs nor pressing for details—Ling Yunhe felt somewhat uneasy.
Thinking of his purpose for coming, he gritted his teeth and spoke frankly, "Fellow Daoist must know that our Jiuyan Sect is currently facing the once-in-a-century selection of a new sect master. And I am one of the candidates for this position."
"I see." Mo Tiange nodded lightly. So this Fellow Daoist Ling not only came from an extraordinary background but also held a rather important position.
Although in major sects, the First Seat Supreme Elder held the most important identity, the position of sect master was still not one just anyone could occupy. Generally, the First Seat Supreme Elder was the highest-level cultivator in the sect. But precisely because of this, they often immersed themselves in cultivation and rarely left their cave abodes. Therefore, they only made decisions on major matters. Daily sect affairs were handled by the sect master.
As a candidate for sect master, talent, background, connections, and ability were all indispensable. After all, the sect master represented the face of a sect, so their talent couldn't be too poor; at the very least, it had to be presentable. Furthermore, this position was often the result of balancing various factions within the sect, so someone without a background definitely couldn't sit in it. Additionally, the sect master handled daily affairs. Without connections and ability, such a sect master would be practically useless.
Since this Fellow Daoist Ling could be listed as one of the sect master candidates, he must be quite extraordinary, definitely not the drunken, slovenly figure she had seen during their first meeting.
Seeing Mo Tiange's calm expression, Ling Yunhe couldn't help but feel somewhat frustrated and began to doubt if he had come to the wrong person. If this Fellow Daoist Qin wasn't completely ignorant of sect politics, then she was too shrewd. The calmer she was, the more passive he became. Should he say it or not? He began to hesitate.
While he was still hesitating, it was Mo Tiange who, composed and at ease, asked first, "Fellow Daoist Ling, is the purpose of your visit related to this?"