[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star":3,"chapter-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-35":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After Fifteen Years of Secret Cultivation, I Start as a Top-Grade Ultimate Peak!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2282143,4464,"Chapter 35: Clues","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>The grand hall was now in ruins, its former opulence reduced to a pile of debris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin, the four senior eunuchs, and Gong Lishan were severely wounded; the other guards and eunuchs also suffered serious injuries, while the rest were in complete disarray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gray-robed elder scanned the room once more, but ultimately did not pursue the armored soldier—he was unsure if the man had accomplices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the current state of Jiguang Pavilion, if he left, the enemy might strike again, and almost no one here could stop them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet no one noticed that as the armored soldier departed, Li Muxian had also quietly vanished from the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After fleeing Jiguang Pavilion, the young armored soldier swiftly moved through a network of secluded alleys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He condensed his Qi over his wounds to staunch the bleeding from his severed arm, all the while vigilantly watching his rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the gray-robed elder did not follow, the young soldier visibly exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leapt into a courtyard and began stripping off his clothes, preparing to don the garments hanging there to disguise himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the noise in the courtyard drew the owner’s attention—a woman rushed out of her room to investigate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight of the armless soldier stealing clothes, she was instantly terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young soldier’s gaze turned ruthless; he immediately prepared to punch the woman dead to silence her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet as he raised his hand, a young figure suddenly appeared before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young soldier’s pupils shrank sharply—he recognized the newcomer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re running for your life, so why bother changing clothes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian shook his head, seemingly displeased with the young soldier’s actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young soldier stepped back sharply, sizing up Li Muxian with caution, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you? When did you start following me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Li Muxian’s gaze shifted as he stroked his chin and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I told you I’m on your side, that I followed you to save you, would you believe me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the soldier narrowed his eyes and suddenly launched a punch, sneering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’d believe you if pigs could fly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sigh of regret sounded beside the young soldier’s ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, he saw the woman, who had been frozen in the courtyard, vanish from his sight, while the surroundings rapidly receded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did he realize he was being dragged by the collar of his armor, moving at an unimaginable speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young soldier was instantly horrified and tried to resist—but only now did he realize he couldn’t move at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, Li Muxian dropped the young soldier into an empty alley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young soldier opened his mouth in shock—he found he could speak again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian tossed him carelessly onto the ground, thought for a moment, then cut straight to the point:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have the key to open the Tianqi Secret Vault?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had followed this man precisely because of his identity as a remnant of the Great Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the people most familiar with the Tianqi Secret Vault were surely those of the Great Qi Dynasty itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such remnants, obsessed with restoring their fallen empire, might very well possess one or more keys to the vault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re after that thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young soldier stared at Li Muxian for a moment, then grew bold, saying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Untie my meridians first, then I’ll decide whether to tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Li Muxian frowned and nodded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t have it, then? Fine—I’ll just throw you back to Jiguang Pavilion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached out to grab the man’s collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the young soldier cried out urgently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait! If you hand me over, you’ll never get the key to the Tianqi Secret Vault!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have limited time. One chance only—speak now, or say nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young soldier fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the next moment, Li Muxian seized him and sprinted toward Jiguang Pavilion, sneering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Time’s up. You’ve missed your chance to live.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young soldier paused in surprise, but said nothing—he assumed Li Muxian was bluffing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet as Jiguang Pavilion drew nearer, he began to panic and finally spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t have the key!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Muxian unmoved, and now only one street away from Jiguang Pavilion, he grew even more desperate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, the young soldier fell silent again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized that the more he spoke now, the less valuable he became—and the closer he was to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still stubborn, eh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian moved, carrying the young soldier to the rooftop of Jiguang Pavilion’s five-story tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From here, he could see more Tianjin Guards arriving in the distance—soon, the entire pavilion would be sealed like an iron fortress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to Li Muxian, even the tightest guard formation was as open as an empty field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Turns out I’m not very good at interrogating people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian shook his head, carried the young soldier into his Room 17, and dumped him carelessly under the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, in the young soldier’s stunned gaze, Li Muxian vanished from the room entirely—leaving only the door slowly closing on its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of terrifying speed was this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young soldier opened his mouth to speak—but found he could not speak again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grand hall of Jiguang Pavilion remained chaotic; some youths and a few eunuch guards were providing basic aid to the wounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin, Gong Lishan, and several other experts were focused on healing their injuries through Qi cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yuanling searched everywhere for Li Muxian but found no trace of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, she assumed he had fled in panic and hidden somewhere else in the pavilion, but as time passed without finding him, she grew increasingly anxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the moment she turned, Li Muxian appeared silently before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Li, are you alright? Where did you go just now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yuanling immediately examined him, and upon seeing he was unharmed, visibly relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was too chaotic earlier—I just wandered around to clear my head.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian waved his hand, distracted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The armored soldier likely carried clues to the Tianqi Secret Vault’s key—he could not hand him over to the Tianjin Guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he must seek out Cang Yin Yue; after all, that girl came from the Hidden Spy Bureau—she could pry open even the hardest lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I can’t rely on her forever. When I have time, I’ll study a martial art similar to the ‘Life-Death Mark’—then everything will be solved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Muxian thought this, he scanned the hall and turned to Li Yuanling:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Li, this place is too crowded—let’s step aside and speak privately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1104,"2026-06-20T01:43:38.503Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e40ac09d16487f6b13b03a87b4457088ce87e7cd595fce842c3c4d7a08ee08f1","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-36","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-34",259,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-cover.jpg"]