"Hmm? What’s that?"

"A bird? What else?"

"R-Right... But do birds usually fly this fast toward us—ACK!"

—BOOOOOOOOOM!

Xuan abruptly landed onto the Martial Training Grounds, shattering the entire platform and sending nearly every single monk flying into the bells and mountains.

He didn’t stop there, however, as he Void Stepped twice, arriving in the disciple’s quarters where he had stayed. At the far end of the hallway, there was an open infirmary that overlooked the other mountains below.

When Xuan entered, he spotted an old man whom he had come to know as Yinuo Heng. He had a long gray beard, and he currently sat on the ledge, drinking rum. But once he heard steps coming toward him, he swiftly threw the flask of rum down the mountain, erasing all evidence.

Clearing his throat, he stood up, then slowly turned around. His expression was calm, but once he spotted the person in Xuan’s hands, he took a step back, nearly falling off the mountain.

"Is that the Jade Flower Xue Hanbi? What in God’s name happened?" Yinuo asked.

"No time for an explanation, old man," Xuan said sternly and placed Hanbi down on one of the infirmary beds.

"She was stabbed through the chest. The blade might’ve been poisonous, so work your magic, old man," Xuan added, stepping back.

Yinuo stared wide-eyed. "Kid... If she was stabbed through the chest, then—"

"She is still breathing," Xuan cut him off, his voice growing cold as he took a few steps closer to Yinuo, looking down on him.

"I won’t take ’no’ for an answer. Do everything you can, and do it now."

Hearing that, Yinuo straightened his back, his cockroach-like survival instincts kicking in.

"I can’t promise you anything, kid. The only reason I was able to heal you was because you were sturdy... As for this lass... She’s as fragile as glass." Yinuo approached and placed a hand over her wound. "It’s bad... But she’s stable."

"Try to heal her enough so she can wake up. She’s a healer herself, so she should be able to do the rest," Xuan instructed and turned around.

Yinuo tilted his head. "Where are you going? Ain’t you going to stay here and wait for her to wake up?"

"I need to have a chat with the Head Monks. Don’t mind me. I’ll be back very soon," Xuan replied cryptically and Void Stepped out of sight.

Although old man Yinuo looked like an unreliable drunk, he was also one of the few people he could trust here. Even after he came back battered and bruised, Yinuo offered ointments and all sorts of snacks.

He was like the grandfather Xuan never had, and that warmed his heart slightly.

But more importantly, Xuan closed his eyes, using Void Sense. Its purpose was not only to detect spatial cracks, but also presences. And as it so happened, there were two extremely powerful presences in the main hall.

So without even a second thought, Xuan Void Stepped straight into it. Immediately, he spotted Huizhen sipping on his tea, not paying Xuan any mind. As for Chen Shun, the first Head Monk, his expression was blank.

He simply sat in his seat, a hand resting on his chin as he had his eyes locked onto Xuan, as if awaiting an explanation.

Chen Shun was a Spirit Lord, so it wasn’t strange if he knew what happened. But by now, he was sure that Huizhen knew as well.

So for that reason, Xuan decided on the no-filter approach.

"Way to go, sending a deranged Spirit Grandmaster after us," Xuan said, narrowing his eyes. "But I have a feeling that at least one of you knew what he was up to. Isn’t that right, Chen Shun?"

An uncomfortable silence descended, but it didn’t last long.

Chen Shun began tapping his chin, which, to Xuan’s surprise, seemed to match the beat of his heart. His heartbeat increased, and so did Chen Shun’s tapping. However, despite Xuan calling him out, he didn’t reply.

Instead, Huizhen took another sip of his tea and, without turning to Xuan, began speaking.

"Foyan was a close friend of ours. He and I were disciples of the Grand Jade Temple at the same time, but he wasn’t talented like me. He wasn’t even a fighter, but a master alchemist."

"Poisons, potions, pills... Foyan could do it all." Huizhen lowered his gaze. "But given his lack of talent, he looked for ways to increase it. Dark and questionable ways, I might add."

Demonic stuff. Yeah, hard to miss, Xuan thought, rolling his eyes at the explanation.

At the end of the day, it was just Huizhen reminiscing about the type of person Foyan was.

But alas, Huizhen’s image of Foyan wasn’t real. The real Foyan was a jealous manipulator who tried playing off his misdeeds. And honestly, had Xuan been a little weaker, that might be what had happened.

And in the end, Chen Shun and Huizhen here would have protected Foyan.

So as Huizhen was getting immersed in his explanation, Xuan tapped his foot on the floor. A large crack spread out from his heel and stopped right before Chen Shun.

"As much as I understand loss... I truly don’t care," Xuan stated. "He might be Foyan to you, but to me, he’s the bastard who tried to poison and kill us. He almost killed Xue Hanbi."

Chen Shun stopped tapping his chin, and with a faint smile, he spoke up.

"Do you not wish for an explanation?"

Xuan scoffed. "Of what? How you allowed this entire fight to happen?"

Chen Shun smiled. "In truth, I had watched the entire fight of yours unfold... I could’ve swooped in and saved Foyan, but I chose against it. With my interference, you would not have grown stronger. So I’m very glad you made it out just fine, Xuan."

"What...?" Xuan muttered in disbelief, his anger boiling. "So all this shit really was planned by you. Was Xue Hanbi being stabbed also a part of your plan? Was Foyan’s death also something you took into account?"

"Truthfully, I believe neither Foyan, Huizhen, nor I expected Foyan to be killed... Not by you of all people." Chen Shun cupped his hands. "But for the prosperity of the Grand Jade Temple, it was a worthwhile sacrifice."

"You possess all the traits to replace Foyan. I have his alchemy journal, so by learning it, you can become an alchemist just like him."

Slowly, a sadistic smile began to tug on his child-like face.

"So what do you say to becoming the second Head Monk in Foyan’s stead, Xuan?"