World's No. 1 Swordsman
Chapter 75: Journey to Zhongnan

Chapter 75: Journey to Zhongnan

What exactly was the Fire Sage planning?

Wang Sheng received a call from Mou Yue while having dinner with his junior sister.

Once one had reached the Seed Formation Realm, they no longer required food to sustain themselves. However, letting Chi Wen eat unaccompanied would be too lonely. Just as his master and senior sister had accompanied him before, Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan now stayed by Chi Wen's side.

As the call connected, Wang Sheng casually put it on speaker, expecting it to be just a routine check-in. As he took a sip of porridge, Mou Yue began to give him a detailed report.

—Daoist Master Wang, a few hours ago, the Fire Sage used a deep-encryption network to publicly announce an auction for the middle and upper volumes of the Longhu Mountains' Daoist heritage, the Celestial Master Secret Scroll."

Pfft!

Wang Sheng almost choked on his porridge. He jolted upright and immediately asked, "Where is it being sold? How much? Only the upper and middle volumes?"

Hearing his senior sister laugh, Wang Sheng suddenly realized his response was inappropriate. He was no longer an unaffiliated cultivator in desperate need of techniques. Moreover, even if he got hold of the Longhu Mountains' greatest treasure, it wouldn't be of much use to him.

Mou Yue was momentarily speechless.

—Daoist Master Wang...

"Calm down. I just got a little shaken." Wang Sheng quickly composed himself and glanced at Chi Wen, who was beside him.

Listening intently, his junior sister pressed her lips together and frowned slightly.

Instead of telling her not to listen, Wang Sheng added, "How did the Longhu Mountains respond? You must have contacted them by now."

—We have. We've also learned more about the Fire Sage.

Mou Yue sighed on the other end.

—His Daoist name is Qianxing, and he was a disciple of the Longhu Mountains. He was under Daoist Master Tianzheng's tutelage until the sect expelled him.

Daoist Master Tianzheng? Isn't he Shi Qianzhang's master?

—The Longhu Mountains had no idea this was happening, which is partly our fault for not communicating with the various Daoist heritages in time. Had we done that earlier, we would have already learned more about the Fire Sage's background.

"As a former disciple of Longhu Mountains, he likely harbors resentment. Why was he expelled?" Wang Sheng asked. "If he had access to the Celestial Master Secret Scroll, then he was likely an official disciple."

—According to the Longhu Mountains, Guo Qianxing attacked his junior brother and attempted to steal the lower volume of the Celestial Master Secret Scroll, which led to his expulsion.

Mou Yue sighed again.

—Last time, you suggested we seek help from Mount Mao and the Longhu Mountains. We've since invited several Daoist masters from Mount Mao, but without any of the Fire Sage's personal belongings, they couldn't use Daoist arts to track him.

—Our captain also brought in two experts after that. They used divination to determine his general location, but every time we moved in, we came up empty-handed.

—Daoist Master Tianzheng will arrive tomorrow. The online auction is scheduled to begin in three days.

Wang Sheng spent a moment to think. He then asked, "Isn't the internet under police supervision?"

—The public internet is, but they're using deep-encryption networks on foreign servers, and they're supported by an advanced technical team.

Mou Yue sounded a bit embarrassed.

—Over the last twelve hours, the Special Investigation Unit and the cyber police have been in a cyber battle against them, yet the information continues to spread. Various Daoist heritages seem to have already gotten word about it through other channels.

Wang Sheng glanced at Chi Wen. "Does the Fire Sage have other support teams behind him? I thought most of the Supernatural Revelation Club members had been caught."

After stifling a yawn, Mou Yue gave an answer in Chi Wen's stead.

—It's likely an outsourced foreign group. Anyway, the Longhu Mountains are pressuring us through the Daoist Association. Our investigation unit's main responsibility is to maintain stability among Daoist sects, so we can't ignore their stance.

"When was the last time you slept?"

Wang Sheng heard Mou Yue laugh bitterly on the other end.

—I've slept less than twenty hours this entire week. Anyway, I know this is a lot to ask, but could you come down the mountain and help us again? I'm truly sorry to disturb your cultivation.

"Isn't Daoist Master Tianzheng already on his way?"

—not just him. We've already been informed that dozens of Daoist experts from different sects are on their way. Who knows how many more are coming without notifying us."

Wang Sheng sighed. "That makes sense. The Celestial Master Secret Scroll is the Longhu Mountains' foundation. It represents the true legacy of the three major talismanic sects. Even with only the upper and middle volumes, it's still extremely alluring to various Daoist heritages."

Mou Yue lowered her voice as she gave a reply that had profound implications.

—If this spirals out of control, it can lead to conflicts within the cultivation world. We have to prevent that at all costs. Losing control of this will put the entire cultivation world in turmoil. To stabilize the situation and prepare for the worst, we need all the help we can get.

After a few seconds of thought, Wang Sheng said, "I'll head to the Zhongnan Mountains. If I can find my master and he has already completed his seclusion, I'll ask him to oversee the situation."

—Wouldn't it be better if you came instead?

Mou Yue sounded vulnerable.

"My seniority is too low," Wang Sheng replied. "Since Daoist masters from various sects are gathering, my senior sister and I won't have any authority. My master has to be there. Also, this matter ultimately concerns the Longhu Mountains the most, so you should focus on working closely with them.

"It'll be for the best if they send more of their own Daoist masters. After all, if their heritage's core scriptures are leaked, they will suffer the greatest losses. They're probably more anxious than anyone else right now."

—Haaa... Well, you do have a point. To be honest, a few Daoist masters from the Longhu Mountains are reportedly working as instructors for the combat division. They have some strong connections among the higher-ups..."

"You're saying too much," Wang Sheng reminded.

—It's fine. I know we can trust you with this information.

Mou Yue's exhaustion had seeped into her voice.

—Besides, soon enough, none of this will be a secret. The higher-ups have been planning to send a warning for a while now. They might use this opportunity to demonstrate the government's capabilities and intimidate the increasingly restless evil cultivators.

"That's actually not a bad idea," Wang Sheng replied with a smile. "A stable country is better than one in chaos. Get some rest. I'll set off for the Zhongnan Mountains first thing in the morning to find my master."

—I appreciate it. I'll inform our captain accordingly.

Wang Sheng thought about it for a moment. "No. For now, don't tell the mistress. It'll be better if my master appears in front of her unexpectedly. Besides, I might not even be able to find him, and even if I do, he could still be in seclusion."

Mou Yue hesitated for a while before reluctantly agreeing.

After hanging up, Wang Sheng remained deep in thought while eating his now room-temperature porridge. There were a few things that didn't quite add up in his mind.

What exactly was the Fire Sage trying to do?

First, he set up the Supernatural Revelation Club to make money. He then gathered a group of unaffiliated practitioners under the pretense of forming an alliance, only for the Special Investigation Unit to hunt them down like a stray dog.

Now, he was trying to launch a desperate counterattack? No, this was more like setting himself on fire.

The three great talisman sects had great influence within the Daoist world. Currently, the Longhu Mountains were among the top five strongest sects, and in a few years, they would have even more experts emerging. If a Daoist heritage or individual dared buy the Celestial Master Secret Scroll, the Longhu Mountains would undoubtedly take them down.

Moreover, Wang Sheng knew that the truly powerful talismans in the Celestial Master Secret Scroll were in the lower volume. The upper volume contained the basics, the middle volume extended upon them, while the lower volume had the most precious techniques.

Fortunately, the Fire Sage had never been qualified to access it.

Among the younger disciples of the Longhu Mountains, only a dozen or so could study the lower volume, and most of them belonged to the bloodline of the Celestial Master Sect.

Is the Fire Sage doing this for money?

If that were the case, why make such a spectacle of it? He even hired a technical team to conduct a public auction online when he could have just sold the scriptures to an evil cultivator organization in private.

If money wasn't the motive, then what was?

Holding his bowl, Wang Sheng fell into deep contemplation.

Meanwhile, Mu Wanxuan carefully pulled out her phone and continued reading her unfinished manga, completely unbothered by the worldly affairs that he was concerned with. Leaving all the concerns to him, she lived worry-free.

"Senior Brother," Chi Wen called softly, "will you be able to find my dad?"

"I'll give it a try," Wang Sheng replied with a smile. "You stay here and keep our senior sister company. I should have some news in a day or two."

Mu Wanxuan tugged at Wang Sheng's sleeve, her bright eyes seemingly asking why he was leaving her behind.

Wang Sheng gently reassured, "Our junior sister's Daoist arts aren't fully developed yet. It's not suitable for her to travel. You should stay here and look after her."

"Oh..."

Mu Wanxuan seemed a little sulky, but when she noticed the concern in Wang Sheng's gaze, she quickly understood. Chi Wen certainly needed someone by her side to prevent her from making any rash decisions.

Since Wang Sheng was setting off for the Zhongnan Mountains the next day, Mou Yue arranged his train ticket for the morning even before he could say anything, covering all his expenses.

Hence, he managed to spend the night meditating, reinforcing his understanding of Dual-Polarity Sword Intent. During his meditation, he kept pondering the Fire Sage's erratic actions, trying to discern his true objective.

Even though Wang Sheng lacked concrete evidence, he had a strong gut feeling that the Fire Sage was working on a grand scheme—one that the Supernatural Revelation Club was merely a part of.

If it wasn't for money, and it wasn't just to embarrass the Longhu Mountains, then what was his real goal?

Was he merely trying to stir up chaos? Did he want to muddy the waters of the cultivation world so he could reap the benefits? What exactly could he gain from that, though?

The more Wang Sheng thought about it, the more his head hurt. The Fire Sage's intentions remained an enigma. In the end, he decided to stop dwelling on it.

Once he found his master and told him about the mistress and their junior sister, he could just put all this in his master's hands. Unfortunately, it remained to be seen whether he had broken through or was suffering from qi deviation.

At dawn, Wang Sheng shouldered his backpack, grabbed Abyss Listener, and quietly left the courtyard.

Mu Wanxuan wanted to see him off, but he stopped her with a simple gesture. The night before, he had secretly instructed her to stay by their junior sister's side at all times once he had left.