019 Phoenix Feather

019 Phoenix Feather

Jiang Zhen rarely had a chance to sneak away from the Sect andhave fun.

Most of the time, the Elders either threw a tantrum orthreatened him with suicideif he eventhoughtabout it.

"Sect Master, if you leave now, I will set myself on fire."

"Sect Master, if you disappear again, I will starve myself to death!"

"Sect Master, we are still recovering from last time! What if another demonic beast appears?!"

Jiang Zhen sighed.

It wasn'thisfault they were so dramatic.

This time, though, he had adecent excuse.

A Sacred Beast calledLake Marigold—a Fourth Realm spirit fish—had turneddemonic. As the leader of the Isolation Path Sect, it was hisdutyto handle it.

Which, of course, he did.

Easily.

With the problem swiftly dealt with, Jiang Zhen saw anopportunity. Using hisShapeshifting Technique, he infiltrated a group of Sect disciples and an Elder who were traveling toYellow Dragon City. Officially, the trip was fordiplomatic relations.

Jiang Zhen knew better.

It was about an auction.

Some treasure had caught the Sect's attention, and the Elders wanted to acquire it beforeanyone else.

Jiang Zhen, however, couldn't care lessabout some random treasure. The Elders could handle that messthemselves.

Instead, his interest lay elsewhere—

Sellinggoldfish.

More specifically, theoffspringof Lake Marigold.

Each fish carried a trace of spirituality, andone in a thousandhad the potential to awaken theirspark. It was a harmless little experiment. Jiang Zhen wasn't amonster. He didn't force anything upon the fish—if one of them was destined for greatness, then so be it.

Of course, none of this would befunif he sold themnormally.

So, naturally—

He pretended to be amortal.

An ordinary old man.

And thus, hisgoldfish arcade stallwas born.

A little game ofchance. A test offate.

It was purely for research.

It wasdefinitelynot about having fun.

…

Maybe.

And then walked in the strange guy.

Jiang Zhen had seenmanycultivators in his time.

But this one?

This one wasweird.

At first glance, he almost mistook the young man for atrue mortal. His stealth technique wasalmostas good as Jiang Zhen's own, an impressive feat for someone soyoung.

Almost.

Unfortunately for the kid, Jiang Zhen wasn'tblind.

The boy's body wascompact, refined, and deceptively powerful. His muscles weren't those of a simple laborer—they hadintent, the kind honed throughBody-Tempering techniques.

Andthatwas the problem.

Stealth techniques and Body-Tempering techniques didnotmix well. A different kind of training was required, The Sword Canopy Sect had two famous ones—Iron SkinandSword Body—both of which made their practitionersphysically unshakable. But no matter how well one hid their presence, a trained eye couldalwaysrecognize the signs.

The way he moved.

The way his muscles responded to every small shift.

The natural stability in his posture.

Sigh.

The folly of youth.

As aresponsibleSenior, Jiang Zhen decided toeducatethe foolish young man who thought he could mixstealth and body refinement.

Rather thaneducation, though—

It was more of aprank.

Every time the young manalmostcaught a goldfish, Jiang Zhen popped the paper net with a subtleburst of qi, freeing the fish.

And then—

The kid tried again.

And again.

And again.

Fortwo entire days.

What kind of lunatic spenttwo daysplaying an arcade gameriggedagainst them?

Jiang Zhenofferedto justsellhim a goldfish. Thirty copper coins. Simple. Fair.

The boy ignored him.

Utterlyignoredhim.

Jiang Zhen squinted at the strange young man, trying to figure out what exactly waswrongwith him.

Why waste time playing when you should be cultivating?

Young people nowadays were sodaring and reckless.

Back in his day, fun was only allowed after one became anImmortal.

…

Er.

Or maybe after one became aSect Master.

Jiang Zhen had to admit—therewerebody-tempering techniques compatible with stealth arts.

The Isolation Path Sect, for example, had a few. Techniques that honed the bodywithoutmaking one move like a walking fortress. But whatever sect this kid had come from? Didn't have them.

The contrast was jarring.

The kid's stealth technique was brilliant. His presence melted into the surroundings with the ease of a seasoned assassin. It was as if the kid didn't have qi. If Jiang Zhen hadn't beenwho he was, he might've mistaken him for a simple, unassuming mortal.

But thatbody refinementstuck out like a sore thumb.

Jiang Zhen almost felt tempted to take the young man as a disciple, just tofixthe contradiction. Someone with this level of talent in stealth? If properly trained, he could be aninvaluableasset to the Isolation Path Sect.

"A second disciple isn't so bad."

Imagine, Jiang Zhen thought, a diamond in the rough, polished under my guidance…

And so, when the young man approached his stall again—

Jiang Zhen felt ahintof excitement.

…

Then he saw thedemonic cultivatorbeside him.

Jiang Zhen immediately sobered.

He wasold, but he wasn'tsenile. Moreover, his qi sensory was top-notch. The girl standing with the young man had the lingering scent of demonic cultivation clinging to her soul.

Not the type that could be washed away with repentance.

Jiang Zhen's first instinct was towarnthe young man—tell him tobe careful, to avoid unnecessary trouble—

But then—

The young manopened his mouth—

Andexposed him.

Jiang Zhen was speechless.

Ahundred thoughtspassed through his mind in an instant.

How did the kid find out?!

No one—not asingle soul—should've been able to recognize him!

For years, Jiang Zhen had perfected his mortal disguise. He was a master of deception, atrueexpert in blending in. And yet, thisbrathad waltzed up to him andtorn off his maskas if it were nothing!

This was bad.

This wasvery bad.

Hecouldn'tlet his sect members find out about this. They were in Yellow Dragon City right now, dealing with an auction… and probably a martial tournament. If word got out that he was here—playing arcade games—instead of back home, the Elders wouldriot.

He needed toretreat.

Jiang Zhen decided togo nuclear.

"Hah! Don't blame me if you can't win a simple arcade game!" he shouted, his voice rising. "It's definitely your fault, kid! Askill issue! Eh? Eh? What now? Gonna hit me?!"

Meanwhile—

Underneath his sleeve, he wascharging a hidden talisman.

This wasn't an ordinary escape talisman.

It was anIsolation Path Sect life-saving talisman—a technique derived fromdemonic artsbut refined into somethingfar more specialized. It couldn't be interrupted. It wasinstantaneous. The moment it fully charged, it wouldteleport him directly back to the sect.

It tooktimeto activate, sure—

But it was unbeatable.

Once triggered, nothingcould stop it.

He just needed a few more—

"Judgment Severance."

Jiang Zhen's breath hitched.

A goldencross-shaped rupturebrieflyflashedin the air between him and the young man.

Then—

Shatter.

Jiang Zhen felt it before he saw it.

The talisman under his sleeve—

It broke.

Likeglass.

Tiny, glittering fragments of golden dust drifted from his fingers.

The teleportation never triggered.

Jiang Zhen stared, utterly confused.

That was impossible.

Jiang Zhen reached for his face—

Andfroze.

Hisdisguise was gone.

The wrinkles, the frail-looking features—vanished. His previously all-white hair had recovered a few strands of black, making him look moremiddle-agedthan elderly.

The bystanders stared.

Jiang Zhen could feel their awe.

Not because he was handsome—though yes, he was absolutely handsome—but because of what his transformation implied.

He had been a cultivator all along.

And these people—fellow stall owners, city folk, simple mortals—had interacted with him likefamilyfor the past few days. They had gossiped with him, shared meals, played games, laughed, and treated him likeone of their own.

Now?

Their attitudes shifted instantly.

No one spoke.

No onedaredto approach.

Jiang Zhen sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sheesh… It was fun while it lasted."

Thankfully, no one recognized him as the Sect Master of the Isolation Path Sect. He rarely showed his face in public, after all. Even within his own sect, only the Elders regularly saw him.

But still.

Thedistancebetween him and the people around him felt palpable.

No matter how well he blended in—

At the end of the day, he was not one of them.

That realization left abitter tastein his mouth.

Jiang Zhen exhaled.

"No point lingering."

He turned toward theinfuriatingyoung man who had exposed him.

"Let's talk somewhere else."

Before the young man could respond, Jiang Zhen flickered—

—reappearing atop a high building some distance away.

He frowned.

The moment his feet touched the rooftop—

The young man appeared beside him.

At the same time.

Jiang Zhen's eyes narrowed.

I didn't even notice the fluctuation of his qi.

It was unsettling.

One of the most annoying things about stealth techniques was how difficult they made gauging someone's strength. It was usually Jiang Zhen himself who enjoyed this advantage—taking pleasure in others failing to see throughhispower.

But now?

He was the one leftguessing.

Jiang Zhen sighed.

This kid was noordinaryyoung man.

His voice took on a new edge of curiosity. "Your stealth technique is impressive… it's as if you have no qi at all."

The mysterious young manfaked a cough.

"Ah, don't think too much about it."

His tone was light, almost casual—

But Jiang Zhen couldfeelsomething beneath it.

It wasflustered.

Embarrassed, even.

Jiang Zhen narrowed his eyes further.

Nowthatwas interesting.

Jiang Zhen was a blunt man.

"What's your realm?"

The young man tilted his head. "Guess."

"I don't want to."

The young man smirked. "We should do introductions first, you know?"

Jiang Zhen almost feltoffended.

"You don't know me?"

"Wow, you are such a prick… introductions first, old man. It's nice to put a name to a face."

Jiang Zhen narrowed his eyes. "You go first."

The young man grinned. "Da Wei."

Jiang Zhen frowned. "I don't recognize your name."

"I'd be surprised if you did."

"A foreigner, then."

Da Wei chuckled. "Heh, don't leave me hanging."

Jiang Zhen crossed his arms. "I should apologize for leaving you hanging, but I don't want to."

"Wow, you are so childish."

Jiang Zhen sighed. "My name is Jiang Zhen."

Da Wei furrowed his brows. "Jangjen? Jamjin? Changcheng?"

Jiang Zhen's eye twitched. "It isJi-ang Zh-en."

"Got it, Changcheng."

Jiang Zhen exhaled slowly through his nose, suppressing the urge to flick the young man off the rooftop. "What do you want with the Isolation Path Sect?"

Da Wei rested a hand on his hip. "It's for my follower. She was forced into discipleship by a demonic cultivator—practically forced to learn a demonic technique that would kill her if she stopped practicing it."

Jiang Zhen's eyes flickered toward the girl in question. She stood a few rooftops away, head bowed, breathing harsh, shoulders stiff, and hugging the fishbowl as if it were a lifeline.

He returned his gaze to Da Wei. "And you believe her?"

Da Wei didn't hesitate. "I heard the Isolation Path Sect has a method to transform demonic techniques into non-demonic techniques. If the Isolation Path Sect is indeed righteous as they claim, they should be able to help her without discrimination, correct?"

Jiang Zhen let out a small chuckle. "The Isolation Path Sectisvery knowledgeable on everything demonic, but why would they help her? Why wouldIhelp her?"

Jiang Zhen scoffed. "As if you have anything I'd want—"

Da Wei pulled something from under his sleeve. A single crimson feather, brimming with life force and radiating pure fire qi, pulsed in his grasp.

Jiang Zhen's words caught in his throat. His eyes widened, jaw slightly open as he took in the feather's brilliance. The warmth it emitted wasn't just heat—it wasalive.

Da Wei tilted his head. "How about a trade? A life for a life. Seems fitting, doesn't it?"

Jiang Zhen swallowed, his mind racing. "What is that?"

Da Wei smirked. "Phoenix Feather."