Hidden Moth-Chapter 399 - 223: Step by Step Through the Path in the Clouds

"So how is the identity of a secret disciple verified?" He Kao finally asked a question he was very concerned about.

Gu Chun laughed, "For a secret disciple, the master also needs to report and register with the sect archives. According to Magic Sect traditions, only the Sect Leader has the authority to review the specific records, and it will not be disclosed to the public."

He Kao: "For example, if I were your secret disciple, and someone applied to the Ancestral Hall to verify my identity, what would the result be?"

Gu Chun: "The result would be that it cannot be found; you would not appear in the publicly available disciple registry. Otherwise, the concept of a secret disciple loses its meaning."

He Kao: "Wouldn’t that make me a Jianghu Wanderer?"

Gu Chun: "A Jianghu Wanderer doesn’t break the law, nor does it violate any Magic Sect rules!"

He Kao: "What if I did something bad?"

Gu Chun: "No matter who uses technique for evil, once discovered by the Ancestral Hall, they will deal with it. If you were my secret disciple, I would be the first to strike you dead... So, are you afraid?"

"I’m just speaking hypothetically!" He Kao joked and then asked, "Under what circumstances can someone request to verify my identity as a secret disciple? For instance, if there’s a rumor in Jianghu that I’m your secret disciple."

Gu Chun: "Even going to the archives to check someone’s records requires a legitimate reason, and must be signed and confirmed by the supervising leader. Otherwise, who would let you check at will?

The identity of a secret disciple can indeed be verified, but you must provide sufficient reason, otherwise it’s making enemies! Not only with you but with me as well.

In truth, you’re still unsure about yourself. Let me tell you honestly, you’re not only my secret disciple but also the secret disciple of Jiang Daozhen and Li Xiuyuan. Your records are registered in the Heart Plate Sect, Lingxi Sect, and Xingshen Sect."

He Kao was slightly surprised. Isn’t this situation a bit odd? When did he become a real secret disciple and get registered? The three elders never told him directly—does this count as acting first and informing later?

But then, reflecting on cultivation being based on karma, he truly is the secret disciple of these three elders... Traditionally, even the disciple himself might not be aware initially.

Back then, he also performed the disciple rites as he bowed to Elder Jiang... Remembering this, he immediately stood up and performed a grand bow ceremony to Elder Gu, bowing his head without saying anything.

Gu Chun did not stop him and sat there watching with a pleased smile. The more he watched, the more satisfied he felt. The kid’s mind is very clear; some things don’t need to be explicitly stated, and he knows what to do.

Once He Kao finished the grand ceremony, Gu Chun waved him up, "Get up quickly, don’t make it so awkward! It’s not easy to come all the way here; do you have anything else you want to ask me, old man?"

What do you mean by ’not easy to come all the way’? He Kao is Hidden Moth and can teleport here instantly. But he did not rebut, standing up and asking in an inquiring tone, "What about those three rumors from a thousand years ago?"

Gu Chun slightly glared, "Are you Hidden Moth or am I Hidden Moth? That’s a question for me to ask you!"

He Kao: "But I have no idea about any tracking mark and don’t possess such abilities."

Gu Chun: "No, you should have!"

He Kao: "I really don’t have it!"

Gu Chun spread his hands, "Then I don’t know what’s going on. Anyway, I’ve told Fabre everything I know about the situation truthfully."

The old man telling Fabre was equivalent to telling He Kao, since he had conveyed his exchange with Fabre using Divine Thought Heart Seal just now to He Kao.

He Kao: "Yet you just said— I should have it?"

Gu Chun: "Perhaps because your cultivation is not yet sufficient, currently only Tier Four. Maybe wait until you break into Tier Six and see?"

He Kao: "Didn’t you say the same thing to Fabre?"

Gu Chun: "But we are not the same person. I have no ill intentions toward you; rather, I’m very curious."

He Kao scratched his head, "You’ve got me confused. Do you really believe what he says?"

Gu Chun: "Whether believed or not, I only know there are inaccuracies in the rumors, but many people believed them a thousand years ago."

He Kao: "Why, were their heads all defective?"

Gu Chun glared, "Don’t speak like that; those were ancestors!"

He Kao: "But those ancestors had internal conflicts, especially with a group of ancestors who jointly killed the ancestor of my Hidden Moth Sect. Whom should I speak for?"

Gu Chun: "Before the facts are clear, you may choose not to speak." Then he pondered, "Fabre isn’t good, but he isn’t an idiot with such cultivation, and the ancestors from a thousand years ago weren’t either.

They actually believed the rumors, which also led to turmoil within the Magic Sect, so there must be a reason. I can now confirm that even with control over Grotto Heaven, sect leaders cannot leave tracking traces for disciples.

Perhaps only Hidden Moth can do it.

Perhaps the ability of Hidden Moth threatened many people within the Magic Sect at that time, which led to the turmoil... Or maybe Hidden Moth did something so outrageous."

He Kao sighed, "You said it without saying... What exactly happened a thousand years ago?"

Gu Chun also sighed, "The times are distant and records are missing; it’s difficult to figure it out. Old Man Jiang has been collecting and organizing sect classics and various scattered rumors over the years, with the most profound research on this issue.

He believes that there may be inaccuracies in the rumors, but they might not be entirely fictitious. Historically, disciples from the Hidden Moth Sect, whether Yin Niang or Kong’Er, truly excelled at tracking.