Chapter 313

The pavilion was silent, and the cave entrance showed no reaction whatsoever.

Seeing this, Yun Cang sneered and closed his eyes to rest.

He Wenda was not surprised by this; after waiting a while longer, he spoke loudly with a blank expression:

"If Brother Wang is unwilling to fight, then I, He, will wait here for a month. During this period, Brother Wang may emerge at any time to fight—so no one can say I gave him no time to prepare, and that my victory would be unjust."

As soon as he finished speaking, the robed youth stepped over to the other side of the hall, sat cross-legged facing Yun Cang, and likewise closed his eyes in silence.

This disciple, now the most renowned among the Four Symbols Sect's Qi Condensation cultivators, truly intended to linger before Wang Yu's cave for a full month.

Several additional spiritual senses had gathered in the empty air outside the pavilion; after a silent exchange, they too remained nearby.

…

In a cave filled with bird song and blooming flowers, dotted with spiritual trees and spirit birds, a woman in a red dress, aged twenty-seven or twenty-eight, stood before a pale red sapling, extending a jade arm to tease a palm-sized, multicolored bird perched on its branch.

The woman had a graceful figure, dark curly hair, fair skin, and a black mole at the corner of her mouth, yet her face bore a languid expression.

"Cai Shang, the Yun family has made all preparations. Once Wang Yu relinquishes the True Disciple position, the Yun family's elders and allied Foundation Establishment elders in the Elder Council will jointly push Yun Wangshan to become the new True Disciple."

Standing before her was a fat, gray-haired old man who smiled warmly as he spoke:

"Uncle Seven, our sect currently has only nine True Disciples. The Yun family wants to claim two for itself—He Wenda is practically one of you. Doesn't that seem too conspicuous?"

"The Li family has only one True Disciple. Besides, I've seen 'Wangshan'—his talent is decent, but is he truly qualified to become a True Disciple?" The woman, Yun Cai Shang, retracted her arm and gazed coolly at the fat old man.

"We old ones know this well, but this time is different from twelve years ago. Back then, when we schemed for Yun Cang's True Disciple position, failure was just failure. But this 'Wangshan' is a rare prodigy from the main lineage—he possesses both Water and Earth elemental roots, and has awakened the 'Infinite Body,' a trait only the main lineage of the Yun family can awaken. With even slight cultivation, his spiritual energy capacity will exceed that of peers by over half, making him an absolute Golden Core seed." The fat old man replied without hesitation.

"The Infinite Body is indeed impressive, but at least seven or eight inner sect disciples possess special physiques. Pushing someone to True Disciple status solely on talent looks crude. Even if I persuade Li Yan, the Elder Council may still reject it." The woman shook her head.

"Then what do you mean, Cai Shang?" The fat old man paused, sensing the hidden meaning in her words.

"It's simple: have 'Yun Wang' take on several more missions soon, and arrange for him to accomplish great deeds for the sect. Then I can approach the Li family about this matter." Yun Cai Shang spoke lightly.

"Agreed. I'll return at once and speak with the sympathetic Executive Elder in the General Affairs Hall to assign these tasks to 'Yun Wang.'" The fat old man answered without hesitation.

"But all this depends on the True Disciple position actually being vacant. Are you certain He Wenda has a ten percent chance of winning?"

"I've heard Wang Yu, though mediocre in talent, is genuinely strong. I even heard that in the Jialan Secret Realm, he once held his own against Zhu Wuyan." Yun Cai Shang added suddenly.

"Wang Yu fought Zhu Wuyan, the demon, and survived? Is this true?" The fat old man's expression changed for the first time.

"I don't know if it's true. It seems the rumor originated from Zhu Wuyan's side. So no matter what plans you make afterward, first confirm this challenge ends in victory—otherwise, all your scheming is pointless." The woman replied calmly.

"Cai Shang, rest assured—He Wenda has prepared thoroughly for this challenge. He will win, and he must win!" The fat old man's smile vanished; his voice turned grim.

…

In a certain hall, Master Kang, seated in the main seat, had just finished reading the message displayed on his magic plate. He sighed and murmured:

"It's starting again. Being sect master is truly difficult. The Yun family is acting so brazenly, even daring to scheme against the Master's disciple. Clearly, the era of equal power between Yun and Li won't last much longer—unless Yun Cai Shang advances to late Foundation Establishment, that's another matter."

"Master, you're right. The Yun family's elders constantly rely on their seniority and show little reverence even toward Golden Core Ancestors. A major fall is inevitable."

"Silver Cloud Senior Uncle has long hinted that we must not let the Li and Yun families grow too powerful, lest their clan influence hinder the sect's normal development."

"Think about it—the founding ancestor's decree forbidding any living Golden Core Ancestor from establishing a family, and barring non-direct descendants from joining the sect, was truly wise. Otherwise, within a few centuries, our cultivation sect would have become the monopoly of a few Golden Core clans."

"Master, what new move have the Yun and Li families made?" The pale-faced scholar seated nearby nodded vigorously, his gaze curious toward the magic plate in Master Kang's hand.

"Take a look. The Yun family has persuaded He Wenda to block Wang Yu's cave entrance and demand a challenge." Master Kang casually handed over the magic plate.

"This is unbelievable—the Yun family's audacity is truly immense. If He Wenda wins and then proposes Wang Yu's removal in the Elder Council, the vote might actually pass." The scholar gasped, took the plate, glanced at it, and his face grew serious.

"Hah, but only if He Wenda can actually win. Though Wang Yu hasn't reached Foundation Establishment, he's been reclusive for years—but over ten years ago, he already withstood Yun Cang's strike. His current strength is truly unpredictable. Let's wait for the outcome of their duel before deciding anything else." Master Kang's eyes flickered.

"We can only wait for now. But I'll go and sound out others to learn the full situation." The scholar rose and bowed.

"Good. I'll leave it to you, younger brother." Master Kang nodded, offering no objection.

…

Half a month later.

In the pavilion halls on either side, Yun Cang and He Wenda sat calmly on the ground beside the cave entrance, meditating as if they truly intended to remain there for a full month.

Above the pavilion, the many spiritual senses that had once clustered together were now few and far between.

In the pool on the second floor of the pavilion, Da Lv, having received some order, had remained submerged, refusing to surface—acting like a turtle hiding, "I'm not here, you can't see me."

It was noon. The sky was clear, with a blazing red sun hanging high.

Suddenly—"Puh!" A muffled sound came from the mountain wall behind the pavilion. A massive, glowing red pillar erupted directly from Wang Yu's cave, rising over ten zhang high.

The colossal pillar spun once, then dissolved into countless crimson light veils that sank into the surrounding void.

The next instant—a loud "buzzing" sound erupted!

Above the cave, the pale red air began to swirl, growing faster and faster, forming a gigantic red funnel that spun wildly in the sky.

Simultaneously, within a radius of several miles, an unknown force caused countless multicolored light dots to appear—some no larger than a grain of rice, others as big as walnuts—floating and dancing everywhere.

"Spiritual Qi Manifestation."

Yun Cang, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the scene before him, exclaiming in disbelief.

The robed youth across from him also widened his eyes, but his face turned grim.