Elder Yao let out a quiet breath, her gaze drifting toward the distant peakline. "I was quite the cultivation genius back then," she said with a faint smile, as if amused by her own memory. "Things came easily. Qi flowed without obstruction, my breakthroughs arrived early, and many thought I'd be the one to lead the next generation."
Ling Ruxin nodded silently, her curiosity deepening.
"It was a good time," Elder Yao continued, her voice softer now. "I was still young when I was promoted to an elder position. Too young, maybe. I thought rising to the top would grant me more freedom, but it only buried me in expectations."
She paused, brushing her sleeve as if clearing dust that wasn't there. "It was around that time I started taking care of him."
Ling Ruxin glanced over. "You mean Lao Xie?"
Elder Yao gave a small nod. "He had no backing. No talent either, or so they all believed. He was quiet, distant, but never caused trouble. And for some reason… I found myself keeping an eye on him."
Ruxin tilted her head slightly. "That's… unexpected of you."
Elder Yao chuckled. "It surprised me too. Maybe I pitied him at first. Maybe I just saw something others didn't. But I used to bring him food, share tea, even check on his injuries. It became a small part of my daily life."
She paused for a moment, then glanced at Ruxin. "Surely you've heard the story about the time the Sect Leader brought a child back from the mortal world, right?"
"Yes, Elder Yao. I was still an outer disciple back then."
She paused again before continuing. "At first, everyone thought the child was a prodigy. They assumed the Sect Leader had discovered some rare talent and brought him back for that reason. People treated him well — warmly, even."
"But that didn't last long. Despite being brought in personally by the Sect Leader, he still had to take the talent-evaluation test."
"A test everyone must go through eventually, to become an official disciple of Silver Crescent Mountain Peak. Well, you've experienced it yourself, so I won't waste time explaining."
"To keep it simple — he failed the test. He couldn't even light up a single star of the Talent-Evaluation Pillar. That meant he had no spiritual roots… no talent for cultivation. In other words, a mortal. And just like that, the admiration disappeared. People turned on him. The kindness faded, and what remained was ridicule and rejection."
"...That kid in the story—was it Lao Xie?" Ling Ruxin stammered.
Elder Yao nodded. "Mhmm."
"That can't be…" Ruxin muttered. "If he was truly talentless… it's impossible for him to be this strong."
"I know," Elder Yao agreed softly. "That's what's been bothering me. I was there during the test. I saw it with my own eyes — the pillar didn't respond to him at all."
"...Maybe the pillar malfunctioned when it was his turn?" Ling Ruxin suggested, though her voice was careful.
But Elder Yao shook her head immediately. "Impossible. That stone pillar was passed down since the time of our founding ancestor. It's been here since the very beginning of the sect. Some even say it's an artifact from a higher realm."
She paused for a long moment.
"But very recently, he hinted that he'd come across some sort of… fortunate encounter. Something that changed his fate."
"Maybe he really did," Ling Ruxin said, her tone thoughtful. "Like one of those legendary immortal inheritances — the kind that appear only for those fated to find them."
"Mhm… not impossible," Elder Yao murmured. "But still… it's hard to believe."
Her expression grew distant, shadowed with a complex emotion that even she couldn't quite name.
"A few weeks ago, I went outside to complete a mission from the Commission Hall," Ling Ruxin began. "Everything went smoothly… at first. But just when I was about to return to the sect, a second-stage demonic beast suddenly appeared and attacked me out of nowhere."
Elder Yao's eyes sharpened slightly. A strange sense of deja vu flickered through her mind. "Wait... a second-stage demonic beast?" she repeated.
She paused, then asked, "Was it a demonic fox?"
Ling Ruxin blinked in surprise. "Huh? Yes, it was. A demonic wolf. But… how did you know, Elder Yao?"
"I remember Lao Xie came to the Resource Pavilion not long ago," Elder Yao said, brows drawing together in thought. "He handed over a demonic fox corpse. Was that related to you?"
"Oh! The Resource Pavilion! I completely forgot about that!" Ling Ruxin suddenly sat straighter, her hand waving slightly in the air.
With a brief flick of her wrist, several items appeared on the ground beside her — a few beast corpses, some gathered herbs, and several beast cores.
"Oh no…" she muttered with teary eyes. "These corpses are totally untradeable now. I went through so much to get them too…"
She sighed and paused before continuing, her voice softer now. "I nearly died that day, Elder Yao. That demonic wolf's strength was overwhelming. I was barely hanging on when Lao Xie suddenly appeared out of nowhere."
Elder Yao remained silent, watching her closely.
"I saw how he fought the wolf. I was completely in awe," Ruxin said, her voice growing more animated. "His movements were elegant — even dashing. He overwhelmed the beast so easily, like it wasn't even a challenge."
She paused, her tone shifting. "When I tried to probe into his cultivation… I couldn't sense his realm at all."
"Mhm… quite an intriguing story," Elder Yao replied, her expression unreadable.
Elder Yao took a slow sip of her tea, but her gaze didn't leave Ruxin.
She set the cup down gently.
"You said he easily defeated a second-stage demonic beast?" she asked, her voice calm but laced with a trace of disbelief.
Ling Ruxin nodded. "Yes. It wasn't even close. That demonic wolf was aggressive and fast… but Lao Xie? He didn't panic at all. It was like he knew every move before it happened."
Elder Yao narrowed her eyes, thoughtful. "You really couldn't sense his cultivation base?"
"I tried," Ruxin admitted, furrowing her brows slightly. "But it was like trying to see through fog. No qi fluctuations, no hint of pressure. Just… nothing."
"That only leaves a few possibilities," Elder Yao murmured. "Either he was using some kind of artifact to mask his realm… or he's already at a higher cultivation stage than you."
Ruxin blinked. "But that… would mean he's already at the Qi Refinement?" she said, disbelief creeping into her voice.
"Or maybe beyond," Elder Yao replied softly.
Silence settled for a moment.
A soft breeze passed through the garden, rustling the leaves above them. Elder Yao's fingers brushed against the rim of her cup, her expression distant again.
"That day in the garden... when I brought him here."
"He sat across from me. Calm, quiet, never raising his voice."
"Even I couldn't sense anything from him."
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"I couldn't sense it either," she finally said aloud.
Ling Ruxin looked up. "You too, Elder Yao?"
She gave a small nod. "When he came to speak with me, I tried probing out of habit. But there was nothing. Not even a ripple of qi. At the time, I thought he might still be unable to cultivate… but then he shows the demonic wolf corpse, saying how he had a method to kill it himself…"
She trailed off, staring into her tea like it held answers.