Chapter 292

Chapter 292: The Observer

With twenty-three days remaining until the Haotu Sect recruits disciples, Li Hui stood at the northern foot of Longmen Mountain.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…” The giant crane landed, creating a fierce wind that drew a chorus of complaints.

“Hey! Don’t you see there are people here? Flying your bird to Longmen Mountain, aren’t you something!”

“Cough, cough, cough! I’m trying to comprehend the Dao here, and you just blew a storm my way? Sand in my mouth—compensate me for my medical expenses!”

Li Hui leaped down from the giant crane, scanning the crowd with a frown. There were too many people! From the sky, it looked like an endless sea of heads, and now on the ground, it felt even more crowded.

The masses were gathered like a mountain of people. It was not exactly shoulder to shoulder, but nearly so.

Some set up tents, some created sleeping places, and others released magical tools to make makeshift pavilions, leaving no room for privacy in eating, drinking, or sleeping. The smell wafting through the air was hard to bear.

Longmen Mountain lay to the east of the Haotu Sect. Huang Tongliang hinted to Li Hui that this place might be a good chance to find a token to become a miscellaneous disciple. It would serve as insurance against being left empty-handed and having to return home in shame, unable to lift his head. Of course, Huang Tongliang didn’t need it for himself but planned to catch a token and sell it to the royal relatives, setting his price at will.

Li Hui came to help Chef Zhao and the others obtain their identities. The Haotu Sect was deeply rooted; once they entered, there would be many benefits, including finding compatibility with their cultivation methods.

The grand atmosphere of the sect was incomparable to the Jade Symbol Sect. Becoming an Inner Sect Disciples or a true successor would elevate one’s status to the level of a top scholar, allowing them to walk confidently across Yunzhou.

“Boss! Wait for me!” Chef Zhao exclaimed, securing the giant crane in his beast harness, squeezing over with Huo Qiniang and the others, drenched in sweat.

“No need to follow me. You all can find a place to rest; we’ll leave before dark,” Li Hui said as he moved ahead. To others, it felt like a gentle breeze passed by him, but in reality, every inch of land around him held no secrets. Could the tricks of the Haotu Sect compare to the Wan Nest Island formation?

In just the time it took to burn three incense sticks, Li Hui’s hands clinked with sound. He found the first token hidden behind a cliff, extracted the second from a concealed restriction, collected the third from a giant bug, and snagged the fourth from a man’s shoe.

This man displayed a corner of his clothes that matched the patterns surrounding the words “Longmen Mountain” on the nearby cliff; he was testing observational skills.

Sorry, but he stood there unaware that he had already lost his token.

“Four tokens, just one more to go.” Li Hui slowed down, a golden light flashing across his forehead as everything around him reflected in his mind for static observation. He noticed that the sunlight hitting a large tree near the mountain revealed unusual shadows on the stone wall.

At this moment, a voice called from behind: “Huang, I’m here; behind you!”

Huang Tongliang approached with over ten hulking young men, chatting as they came, “Did you just arrive today? I told you to come earlier. Wen Shaobao found two tokens, and a guy named Li Changtian popped up out of nowhere with three. Why can’t I find any?”

“Ha ha ha!” Li Hui laughed heartily, pulling out two jars of good wine, saying, “Come, let’s drink to celebratory wine! My sworn brother is getting married, so I arrived late!”

“Celebratory wine? Good, good, let’s drink together, brothers!” Huang Tongliang was thrilled, introducing those beside him to Li Hui. For him, a drink felt like brotherhood, but since this brother arrived in a cheap way, he didn’t take it too seriously.

After half an hour of drinking and chatting, a loud crash echoed as the tree Li Hui was about to explore broke and fell. He thought, “This isn’t good.”

“Quick! It seems someone found a token!” Li Hui shouted loudly, causing chaos among the crowd. He pulled Huang Tongliang forward, racing away, splitting from the group, and activated his Ideal Body to shoot ahead.

Moments later, he broke into the formation and spotted a familiar figure moving carefully—it was He Liu Ying.

“Who’s there?” He Liu Ying suddenly turned, making Li Hui’s heart stop. He thought, “What keen hearing! She can even catch my faint movement sounds.”

He accelerated suddenly, knowing that no matter how sharp her ears were, she wouldn’t see his form.

In a few breaths, Li Hui snagged two tokens, with one left in the formation. If He Liu Ying got it, it would be her destiny.

“Whew, whew, whew…” Huang Tongliang rushed over, clutching his chest and gasping for air, saying, “There are too many people! I bumped into a big guy, and that bastard was wearing armor. You’re really quick, brother!”

“Just luck—I found a token,” Li Hui extended his hand and smiled, “You have connections to sell it for a high price. We can split the money; I’ll take mixed-colored Miao Jade, the more obscure, the better.”

“My goodness!”

Huang Tongliang quickly stashed the token away, carefully glancing around to ensure no one noticed them. He let out a breath of relief and said, “You’ve really got great luck! It turns out the Haotu Sect hid a token in the big tree. Someone actually looked for it earlier and missed it! Haha, fantastic! But brother, are you really going to sell it? Don’t you want to keep it as a safety net? I do have channels to get a high price for it.”

“Confident! I’m going for the true successor!” Li Hui clapped Huang Tongliang on the shoulder and turned, waving, “Let’s go. We’ve seen Longmen Mountain; let’s wait outside the Haotu Sect’s gates. Deal with your things and find me afterward.”

“Such ease and confidence! That’s how we cultivators should be.”

Huang Tongliang stood still, lost in thought, unaware of a woman standing at the mountain’s peak watching, murmuring softly, “Senior brother, there’s a little brat claiming he wants to be a true successor! Listen to his tone; our true successors at the Haotu Sect seem as accessible as cabbages by the roadside, easy to buy!”

“Humph! A younger generation with no skills shouting wildly? Is it worth mentioning?” a voice carried on the wind.

“Not quite! I observed him moving quickly; he got six tokens and sold one. Hehe, quite interesting. This year, with an expanded recruitment range, some impressive younger talents have indeed arrived.” She flicked away a bit of dust from her robe with her delicate jade-like hand, puzzled as to why there was dust on her beautiful flowing sleeve.

“Six tokens?” The voice quieted for a moment before asking, “How long did it take this kid?”

“The first four were grabbed quickly, in less than three incense sticks. Then he took time to drink with people; he must have locked onto the shaded area around the big tree. There was a little girl using her ears to break the formation; he only took a few breaths to grab two tokens, leaving one in the space. Tsk tsk, such a principled kid is quite annoying! Just like you, senior brother, though this little fellow is quite handsome, putting you to shame.”

“Less chatter; keep observing and send an image over.”

“Understood, senior brother.” The woman looked at her robe, feeling a slight unease at the dust she just flicked away, wondering if she was overthinking.

At this moment, Li Hui sat atop the giant crane, thinking, “I can’t let this matter go to waste. There’s someone at the mountain summit invisibly observing. Judging by the pulses coming from five Tings Void Dust, it should be a woman.”