The No.1 Undercover in the Immortal World-Chapter 436 - 426 Zhenren’s Ambition
After parting with Lin Yun, Zhen Li had Big Fur return to the gates of Taiqing Daoist Temple.
There were matters of urgency, she planned to first report the events that occurred at Taiqing Mountain to Yuxuan, and then go to the grassland to deliver the letter to the Snow Maiden.
As she passed through the front mountain, she saw Zhenren sitting gloomily on a rock, seemingly troubled by thoughts.
Under normal circumstances, Zhen Li would have certainly offered him some consolation, but with important matters at hand, she pretended not to see him and hurried towards the direction of the Observatory Platform.
"Junior Sister, wait."
Zhen Li turned her head and looked at Zhenren. "What’s wrong?" she asked.
Zhenren’s face was a mixture of emotions as he said, "Can you answer a question for me?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"Um, let’s talk after I’ve seen Master, okay? I have very important matters," Zhen Li replied.
For fear of causing unnecessary trouble, Zhen Li did not rashly disclose the Demon Summoning Well, the Demon Race, and the matter regarding Lin Yun. This issue was too significant, and it was better to let the Sect Leader make the decision.
"The Master is not at the Observatory Platform; he is in Yangxin Hall. Earlier, he had instructed that no matter what the issue or who it is, no one should disturb him. If there are any matters, you can look for Uncle Yuquan or me," Zwenren said.
As Zhenren spoke, a tinge of melancholy appeared on his face.
Clearly, there was a story behind this. He did not share it himself, apparently waiting for someone to ask so he could reveal it.
But Zhen Li’s mind was preoccupied with matters concerning the Demon Race and Lin Yun, leaving no room to comfort him. She merely asked, "Then where is Uncle Yuquan?"
Zhenren: "..."
Junior Sister is so heartless.
"He’s at Jingxin Hall."
"Then I’ll go find him. Brother, I’ll come look for you later!"
Saying this, Zhen Li, with Big Fur in tow, headed towards Jingxin Hall.
Knowing that Yuxuan was in Yangxin Hall, Zhen Li felt somewhat relieved. Perhaps the Master was adjusting his state, meditating in seclusion, which was why he hadn’t noticed the incident at Taiqing Mountain. It made sense.
Since he had ordered not to be disturbed, she would see how Uncle Yuquan planned to handle things.
Zhenren watched as Zhen Li quickly left, his emotions growing even more complex.
"Am I really that inadequate that neither Master nor Junior Sister like me..." he wondered.
"I’ve been trying so hard, and from the beginning of my cultivation, I’ve been a good example, never bringing shame to Taiqing Daoist Temple!"
Suddenly, a voice inside Zhenren’s head spoke up, and he knew it was his own conscience.
He had indeed been diligently striving, and was considered a talent. Furthermore, he was a kind person who respected his seniors and cared for his fellow disciples.
But recently, Yuquan had informed him of a harsh truth.
The night before, Yuxuan had spoken with Zhenren. After the competition for the Sect Leadership, Yuxuan planned to let him succeed as the Sect Leader.
Zhenren had been worried that he would have to wait until Yuxuan’s death to become the Sect Leader, but to his surprise, Yuxuan had suddenly begun to delegate authority.
The good news came so unexpectedly that he hadn’t slept all night.
Excitement overwhelmed him!
All night, he was filled with dreams of becoming the Sect Leader, marrying a fairy, and reaching the peak of his life.
After an exhilarating night, he conceived many plans for managing the Taiqing Daoist Temple.
The Taiqing Daoist Temple was the strongest, but this most powerful sect had not been leveraging its advantages. People respected Yuxuan more than they did the Taiqing Daoist Temple, which was fine because respect for the powerful was natural. However, the Taiqing Daoist Temple wasn’t just about Yuxuan.
In these tumultuous times with the world divided and in chaos, Zhenren saw it as a golden opportunity for the Taiqing Daoist Temple to play a role in worldly affairs. It wasn’t that he desired to become Emperor, but he envisioned leading the Taiqing Daoist Temple to new heights of glory.
He could assist another in becoming Emperor. Future imperial successions could be dictated by the Taiqing Daoist Temple. As a neutral party selecting the ruler, they would naturally prioritize competence, preventing hereditary succession, thus benefiting the world.
His noble spirits and far-sighted vision filled Zhenren with pride, and that night, his excitement grew.
It was fortunate that cultivators could go without sleep, as he even started drafting a ten-year development plan for the Taiqing Daoist Temple.
However, that very morning, as he toured the Taiqing Daoist Temple with joy in his heart, he encountered Yuquan.
Seeing Zhenren’s cheerful demeanor, Yuquan knew he had already been informed about his forthcoming role as Sect Leader. His emotions were written all over his face; already becoming complacent, how would he manage to effectively lead and oversee such a large institution as the Taiqing Daoist Temple in the future?
Managing the members of the Taiqing Daoist Temple wasn’t the biggest challenge; those who joined were of good nature.
Internal issues were not the major concern, but the external environment had changed drastically. If Zhenren couldn’t be more composed, he would be unable to shoulder the responsibilities.
Although Yuquan verbally belittled Zhenren, he still cared about him deep down and wouldn’t fully dismiss him just because Zhenren was momentarily elated. After all, Zhenren was still young, and it was normal to feel excited about becoming a Sect Leader.
But Yuquan intended to make him aware of the stakes, so he spoke of the matter of becoming Sect Leader.
Instead of silently testing and then informing Zhenren of the trial afterwards, it would be better to let him know what challenges he would face from the beginning, including the requirements to be a Sect Leader.
Yuquan didn’t expect Zhenren to be exceptional, just that he understood the responsibility that came with his position.
However, he didn’t tell Zhenren that Zhen Li was also arranged as a backup Sect Leader, only that Zhenren’s position could possibly be revoked.
Yuquan’s good intentions felt to Zhenren like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, almost sending him into seclusion.
So there was still a trial to face...
I can understand that, but Zhenren still became anxious, worried that he might encounter great difficulties that he couldn’t resolve, and that the coveted position of Sect Leader would slip through his fingers.
In his anxiety, he inevitably began to curse heaven, earth, and himself. Sometimes he blamed his own incompetence, at other times he blamed his master for being too strict, so when a thought appeared in his mind, he didn’t even question it.
"Since this is a test, I must find a way to get through it and show them that I am fit to be Sect Leader," Zhenren said to himself, but the inner voice countered, "Among my peers, whether in terms of cultivation aptitude or temperament, I am considered the best, with only Zhen Xiu posing a slight challenge to me. If there are no other candidates, wouldn’t my position as Sect Leader be even more secure?"
Zhenren was startled by his own thought. It was too dangerous. He quickly shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought, but his mind uncontrollably drifted towards how to eliminate rivals.
In Yangxin Hall, Yuxuan shook his head reluctantly.
He had told Yuquan not to let others know of his arrangement, and although Yuquan hadn’t been specific, he had hinted as much to Zhenren.
A good intention doesn’t necessarily lead to a good result.
"It seems, destiny cannot be reversed," Yuxuan thought, feeling helpless. He really hoped Zhenren could maintain his resolve, but the situation didn’t look optimistic.
Elsewhere, Zhen Li had already met with Yuquan and told him all about what had happened at Taiqing Mountain.
Yuquan couldn’t help but think of the Sword Embryo he had discovered yesterday at Yuqing Mountain, which Lin Yun had later snatched away. But it was very possible that the item wasn’t Lin Yun’s to begin with.
Why did such evil things suddenly appear on Mount Sanqing, and so coincidentally at the same time? There had to be something strange going on.
"Is there something else you need to do?" Yuquan felt that Zhen Li couldn’t contribute much to the matter and dismissed her.
Zhen Li nodded and said, "I have to deliver a message to Mountain and Sea Pass, so I’ll be leaving first."
After leaving Jingxin Hall, Zhen Li went back to look for Zhenren, having promised to answer his question.
However, by the time she went to find Zhenren, he was nowhere to be found, and Zhen Li didn’t want to waste any more time.
"I’ll look for my senior brother when I get back," she decided.
Zhen Li gave Big Fur a kick, signaling him to speed up.
They had already wasted a lot of time, and it would be difficult to return today and participate in the competition for the leadership position tomorrow.
This time, Big Fur didn’t play hard to get and faithfully carried Zhen Li northward, leaving behind a trail of dust.
However, the very person Zhen Li wanted to deliver the message to was currently climbing a mountain with Lin Yun.
Zhen Li hadn’t been introduced to the Snow Maiden by Lin Yun before, and with her limited knowledge of martial arts affairs, she didn’t recognize the Snow Maiden. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had to make the trip.
In the mudslide on Shangqing Mountain, Lin Yun and the Snow Maiden had been busy for a long time but ultimately found nothing.
This time, Lin Yun didn’t tell the Snow Maiden the truth either.
Thinking that the Snow Maiden was so innocent, he couldn’t deceive her, Lin Yun ended up doing so time and time again...
But it couldn’t be helped. Lin Yun didn’t want to reveal that he had taken a Witch as a servant. Knowing too much about such matters wouldn’t be good for the Snow Maiden, so he simply misled her.
He just hinted that since there were treasures on Taiqing Mountain and Yuqing Mountain, it stood to reason that Shangqing Mountain might have some as well.
On this mere speculation, the Snow Maiden had joined Lin Yun in digging for half a day.
Since there had been a mudslide the previous night, Lin Yun knew that the giant hand had been washed away by it. Following the trail of the mudslide led to nothing.
"It seems that this item is not destined for me," Lin Yun sighed inwardly, finally deciding to give up. Acquiring one out of three treasures wasn’t too bad.
The problem was that if the item fell into the hands of the Righteous Path, it was still manageable, but if the Demon Race got hold of it, it would make future confrontations even more troublesome.
Lin Yun seemed to foresee the events of the future: the fragmented Central Plains Dynasty would eventually unite, but with the Demon Race exploiting the war, gathering enough life force and blood energy to break the Four Spirits Barrier. At that moment, the protagonist would receive his calling, sacrifice himself, and solve the great crisis...
This is how TV dramas play out, right?
But Lin Yun felt this was wrong.
With his luck and the makings of a protagonist, following this script would mean he’d end up sacrificing himself?
He had to struggle against the Demon Race to the end. Fortunately, he had already planted a spy within the Demon Race.
He wanted to meet with Hu Yuling, but the Snow Maiden was full of energy right now.
Lin Yun needed to distract her to carry out his plans.
"Sister, there may be great turmoil in Central Plains soon, and it’s not safe to stay here any longer. Let’s hurry back to the grasslands!" he said.
"Okay!" the Snow Maiden readily agreed, elated at the thought of Lin Yun taking her home immediately. She didn’t even pay attention to the first half of his sentence.
However, what Lin Yun said next deflated her spirits.
"But I have a few friends in Central Plains I would like to visit alone first."
The Snow Maiden: "..."
Are the friends you’re talking about those pretty girls?
