Chapter 115 - The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind

  Mu Yanyu made her way up the long stone steps of the Central Peak, the air growing cooler and denser with Spiritual Energy as she climbed until it began to affect her physically, despite her high cultivation.

  Mist coiled lazily around the jagged cliffs, and it only thinned and parted when she reached the broad stone terrace that surrounded the Sect Master’s private meditation pavilion. The structure was simple, especially for someone with his high status, consisting of polished wooden beams and a clay-tiled roof that was framed by tall trees.

  The interior of the pavilion was quiet, with the only sound coming from the faint rustling of the trees outside. In the center of the pavilion, sitting crossed-legged on a meditation cushion, was the Sect Master’s Avatar.

  His figure glowed faintly, while the edges of his image wavered slightly like ripples spreading across a pond. Even though it was just an avatar, the sheer force of his presence was undeniable.

  Mu Yanyu stepped lightly across the polished floorboards before bowing and greeting the Sect Master. Although it was only a fragment of his true self, she was still very careful to be as respectful as possible to him.

  The avatar stirred as she approached, and its eyes opened slowly. They took a moment to adjust to his surroundings before locking onto her with focused intensity.

  “Mu Yanyu.” The avatar’s voice was calm but carried the weight of mountains behind it. But, just like its form, its voice seemed to come from across a great distance.

  The faint transparency of the Avatar reminded her that the true body of the Sect Master was still locked in pursuit of the Demonic Cultivators. He was still scouring the region with the City Lord of Yunlai, and what she was speaking with now was only a projection of the Sect Master used to communicate over vast distances.

  Mu Yanyu unclasped her hands and righted her posture before replying.

  “Honoured Sect Master. I bring word from Inner Sect Disciple Jun De. He has received a letter from an Outer Sect Disciple, Mei Lian, who has discovered a newly revealed Secret Realm within the northern region of our continent.”

  “I believe this may be a good opportunity for our Disciples. If cultivated carefully, it could serve as a proving ground before the upcoming Inner Sect Competition.”

  The avatar’s eyes didn’t waver as she delivered her news. Though he was faintly translucent, his eyes still managed to pin her in place as she continued. She could see that he was intrigued, however, as he hung onto her every word.

  “With your permission, I believe we should send selected Disciples into the Secret Realm. They could temper themselves against its dangers, and their accomplishments within could be measured and scored as part of the competition itself. Not only would it sharpen their foundations, but it would also allow us to evaluate their strength in conditions that no arena could replicate.”

  The pavilion seemed to still as the avatar considered her words for a long moment. It was only when the avatar stirred, his robes brushing lightly against the cushion beneath him, that the silence was broken by the rustling of the trees outside once again.

  “A Secret Realm. For it to be revealed now…could it have something to do with Jun De’s fate?” The Sect Master’s voice echoed as he spoke his thoughts out loud. She was once again reminded of just how far away the Sect Master was from the Tranquil Mountain.

  ‘Jun De’s fate?’ Mu Yanyu thought to herself. She knew that Jun De was incredibly talented, but the Sect Master seemed convinced that Jun De’s future was under the control of fate and the heavens themselves.

  But, despite her questioning, the Sect Master had refused to clarify.

  “Secret Realms rarely appear without a reason. It may indeed temper our Disciples, and danger is an intrinsic part of cultivation. Do you understand the dangerous situation you may be placing them into?”

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  Mu Yanyu bowed again, and her resolve was firm.

  “I do, Sect Master. But, if they are to become the core pillars of the Sect and be a bulwark against the Demonic Cultivators, they must face more than just formal duels. The risks involved will hone their hearts and possibly bring out their true potential.”

  The Avatar’s form flickered faintly, as though the Sect Master’s true body had shifted its attention from elsewhere across the region to rest the weight of his will upon her.

  Its form solidified, and even Mu Yanyu would have had trouble recognizing that this was not the Sect Master’s real body in front of her.

  The avatar lifted one hand and began to slowly trace patterns in the air with his fingers. Each motion was deliberate and elegant, and Mu Yanyu was reminded of someone grasping at invisible threads from the air around him.

  A faint glow shimmered at his fingertips, tracing the patterns, before they flickered and collapsed again, never truly taking shape.

  Mu Yanyu lowered her eyes and didn’t dare to disturb him, nor did she want to inspect the Sect Master’s divination too closely. It took a firm will, strong Dao Heart, and impressive cultivation to divine fate and the will of the heavens.

  She knew enough to know that the Sect Master’s true body was also engaged in the same division, forgoing his pursuit of the Demonic Cultivators in order to pierce through the veil of the future.

  The avatar’s form began to waver once again, the edges of his figure unravelling like mist in the wind. A long silence stretched, with minutes becoming hours, before the wavering stopped and the avatar’s form coalesced again.

  But strangely, its expression showed confusion and displeasure.

  “My divination was obscured. No matter how I calculated, the threads scattered while the cause remained hidden.” The avatar’s voice carried a rare note of worry, something that filled Mu Yanyu with fear.

  Her heart tightened as she considered the consequences. For the Sect Master’s divination to be disrupted, the cause couldn’t be ordinary.

  Mu Yanyu waited for him to continue, but before he could speak, his gaze shifted. The avatar’s head turned, and his eyes lifted toward the peak of the Tranquil Mountain as though someone was speaking to him silently across the distance.

  The avatar’s form trembled again, reflecting that his true body’s attention had been seized from somewhere else.

  The tension lingered for a heartbeat longer, then the Sect Master’s avatar gave a single, sharp nod. All trace of displeasure and worry left his face as his expression returned to one of perfect serenity.

  It was as though the troubling obstruction to his divination had never occurred.

  “Very well.” The avatar announced, his voice echoing like the tolling of a bell throughout the pavilion.

  “You may lead an expedition to the Secret Realm and incorporate its exploration into the Inner Sect Competition. Announce to the entire Tranquil Mountain Sect that all worthy talents will be eligible to attend. Let every Disciple prove themselves within its trials.”

  Mu Yanyu bowed deeply, and her fear and unease were instantly dispelled by the Sect Master’s confident announcement. If he declared that it was appropriate for the Inner Sect Competition, Mu Yanyu trusted his word beyond any shadow of a doubt.

  “As you command, Sect Master.” Mu Yanyu replied as she withdrew from the pavilion. Her footsteps were light against the polished woods as she made her way down the pavilion steps and into the mist of the Central Peak once again.

  Once her figure vanished from sight, the serenity on the Sect Master’s face began to shift. His calm gaze sharpened, and his expression hardened. The tranquil stillness and serenity were replaced by a grimness that would have sent Mu Yanyu into a panic.

  It was as though the hidden weight of what he had glimpsed during his divination pressed heavily upon him, and he couldn’t contain his true feelings anymore.

  The wavering in the avatar’s form returned, intensifying until it broke apart into motes of light that scattered in the wind. The avatar dissolved entirely, and the mediation pavilion was empty as the Sect Master withdrew the fragment of spiritual consciousness.

  Far to the frozen north of the continent, the Sect Master’s true body sat cross-legged in an immortal’s cave he had carved out of rock and ice.

  When he finally opened his eyes, they flickered with light as his aura surged outward before subsiding once again as the recalled spiritual consciousness fused seamlessly into his body.

  “City Lord Han.” The Sect Master’s voice resounded out of the cave, carrying across the barren, snow-covered plain using his spiritual sense. In a moment, a figure wrapped in thick robes embroidered with cloud motifs appeared in the cave.

  “What have you found?” City Lord Han asked, knowing the Sect Master had been distracted by a conversation held through his Avatar. Knowing that the Sect Master wouldn’t lose focus at such a critical time unless it was important, he waited nearby.

  The Sect Master’s gaze lingered on the horizon, piercing through the curtain of drifting snow as though he were watching events unfold far beyond mortal sight. When he spoke, his tone was calm but heavy.

  “The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.”

  The Sect Master’s expression hardened, and even the cold wind around them seemed to sharpen as the two Nascent Soul experts disappeared into the sky.