Chapter 107: Progress of One Month (3)

  (A/N: Sorry, guys. I know I’ve already dragged this title on for long enough, but I consider this important for the upcoming secret realm arc. Still, if you believe Xu Mo should directly show the techniques during the arc, feel free to comment below.)

  "Then... would my identity be revealed?" Xu Mo finally asked the last question.

  The part that concerned him most was the risk of his peaceful life being disturbed by the exposure of his secret—one that could draw new dangers toward him.

  Long Bai wore a conflicted expression, and after a deep sigh escaped his lips, he finally decided that it was better to mentally prepare Xu Mo than to spring this on him right before the secret realm opened. It would help him come to terms with it early on.

  "Yes," Long Bai said after a moment. "You’ll have to wear the robe of a True Successor and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Saintess during the secret realm."

  Seeing Xu Mo furrow his brows at this, Long Bai offered a few words of comfort, hoping to ease his concerns.

  "This was bound to happen someday. And Xu Mo, you can always use that Qi-hiding technique you usually rely on—it could even fool the Ancestor. How could it not work on those young fledglings? If you're worried about the world discovering your true strength, then just crush those who question you. Your real strength is already far beyond your current realm."

  "Would revealing my identity help the sect?" Xu Mo asked again, unable to suppress the thought.

  "Yes."

  "...Then alright." Sigh—

  Xu Mo agreed with a sigh, believing that perhaps it would lessen his worries, even if only slightly.

  "Good boy," Long Bai said with a chuckle, once again raising his hand to pat Xu Mo’s head.

  But Xu Mo instantly used Grey Wind Step and reappeared on the other side like a gust of wind.

  "Please, Elder, don’t," he said quickly. "My hair is sweaty from all that training—it would dirty your hand."

  What Xu Mo said wasn’t entirely untrue. He knew that the Head Elder treated him like a real son and wouldn’t mind touching his sweat-dampened hair. But even so, he didn’t like the idea of dirtying Long Bai’s hand.

  "Stupid. A man’s sweat is his pride," Long Bai muttered.

  Xu Mo simply ignored it. He knew the Head Elder was a training maniac, so it wasn’t unusual for him to use such strange metaphors to drag others into his mindset.

  "Elder, I will take my leave now. Please excuse me," Xu Mo said, cupping his hands and lowering his head slightly—just a respectful 5 or 10 degrees, like a courteous nod.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  On the way back, Xu Mo couldn’t help thinking about how his skill percentage had increased by two percent from continuously using Quiet Sheath Form. He had intentionally chosen techniques that aligned with his Dao of Silence. But now, his skill percentage had stopped increasing just through comprehension. Looking at what had just happened, it was clear—he had reached the limit of what could be achieved through theory alone. From now on, he needed practical experience to further improve his skill mastery.

  Just as he crossed the wall that separated the outer and inner sects, a thought struck him—he had forgotten to ask about Long Chen.

  Well... that probably just showed how little importance his subconscious gave to Long Chen.

  ‘He should be alive and kicking. Knowing how good he is at influencing crowds, he’s probably off somewhere in this enormous world, trying to woo some new beauty.’

  He paused for a moment in thought.

  ‘What should my current skill level be, compared to the world’s classification of technique levels? It couldn’t be the Initiation Realm—I’ve long surpassed that. It might be somewhere between... or even beyond the Flawless Realm and Perfection Realm.’

  Creak—

  Xu Mo opened the gate to his house, still thinking about the new problems that might arise soon.

  In truth, he didn’t care much about his identity being revealed—if only she hadn’t threatened him.

  If only she hadn’t told him to live like he was dead from now on... or else she would come and kill him herself.

  It was all in the past.

  What truly worried him was the possibility of news about him becoming the True Successor reaching that giant’s ears.

  And if that happened... the whole region could be drenched in blood. It was even possible that the Supreme Sect of their region would capture him and hand him over—to her.

  Where she was waiting.

  He shook his head.

  Everyone had parts of their past they didn’t want to remember.

  And that time... that helplessness and betrayal... was what he never wanted to recall.

  ‘Father, Mother... wish me luck. I’ll be needing it sooner than I thought.’

  Xu Mo looked up at the thick clouds blanketing the cold, grey, yet still bright moon. But even though the clouds tried to cover it, the moon always found a way to shine through—always able to get past the darkness.

  Next Day

  While I was out for my usual morning run, I noticed a large crowd gathered near the outer sect's entrance gate. Disciplinary hall members and guards were pushing the crowd of disciples aside, keeping the path toward the gate clear.

  Was someone important scheduled to arrive today?

  Soon, the huge doors opened. Several disciplinary members on horseback appeared, followed by a wooden cart. On the cart lay four white, blood-stained cloths wrapped tightly around... something.

  But I wasn’t a stranger to this.

  It didn’t take long to understand that those were four dead bodies.

  And if they were being brought back like this, they must’ve been disciples of the sect.

  "Xu Mo, you’re here too," Wei Rong’s voice called out from behind me.

  I greeted him and glanced at his expression. He clearly knew something.

  Why was I always the last one to know anything?

  Seriously—where did people even get their news?

  "Whose dead bodies are those?" Xu Mo asked in a low voice, glancing at Wei Rong standing beside him.

  Wei Rong, slightly taller—perhaps because he came from a noble family, even if only a branch one—had always enjoyed a better living standard. That might’ve been why he was taller than Xu Mo, despite them being nearly the same age.

  Still, growth spurts lasted until twenty. He had time to catch up.

  "These are the bodies of inner disciples who went on a mission with a core disciple named Long Chen," Wei Rong replied.

  Xu Mo kept his expression in check, though the familiar name sent a ripple through him. Despite last night’s badmouthing, he couldn’t help but worry that Long Chen might have died too.

  The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  "The bodies were damaged beyond recognition. They could only be identified through their identity tokens. Long Chen’s remains... weren’t found."

  Wei Rong lowered his voice, leaning in.

  "People are saying it was the work of some wild beast. But I’ve got insider news—it was the work of some evil cultivator."

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