Silence fell over the crowd; no one dared say another word, and they dispersed one after another.
The incarnation walked at the very back.
"A forbidden ground? Has it become an open forbidden ground, or was it sealed away somewhere unknown?"
He muttered inwardly. He could sense that the secrets surrounding Douniu Peak ran deeper and deeper. The Landou Sect seemed hushed and terrified at the very mention of it, which only made him all the more curious about what the peak's true legacy scripture was really like.
Returning to his stone chamber, he finished refining today's spiritual materials, then left the stone hall alone and returned to his cave dwelling to continue condensing the Yin-Yang Armor. Early the next morning, he steered a magic tool and flew toward a peak in the Landou Sect resembling Pagoda Peak.
Clusters of wooden halls stood upon the mountain, a repository for the sect's classic records.
Passing through areas where low-ranking disciples were active, the incarnation merely exchanged greetings whenever he encountered familiar faces, flying up the mountain without pausing.
Entering the mountain, he paid the spirit stones and began browsing through the texts inside.
Over the next few days, he frequented this mountain regularly.
Newly initiated disciples were only permitted to read the records on the pagoda's first floor. Though the books contained many Canglang Sea secrets he had not known before, he found nothing of what he was truly searching for.
Closing a bamboo scroll, the incarnation wore a pensive look. "It seems I must condense the Yin-Yang Armor as soon as possible and become a true legacy disciple of Yin-Yang Peak. Only true legacy disciples have the privilege of entering and leaving the sect's forbidden grounds. Fortunately, Yin-Yang Peak's standard for accepting true legacy disciples isn't Foundation Establishment; one need only condense a fully formed Yin-Yang Armor to prove their talent is capable of cultivating the Yin-Yang Heavenly Dipper Secret Art. Otherwise, even if I am confident I could cultivate to the thirteenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage and establish my foundation within a year or two, such speed would be far too shocking. It would definitely raise suspicion..."
With that thought in mind, the incarnation tarried no longer, returning to his cave dwelling to focus entirely on condensing the Yin-Yang Armor.
His cultivation speed was not in the least inferior to those highly gifted new disciples. As time passed, more and more yin-yang qi condensed over the surface of his body, and the embryonic form of an armor gradually took shape.
On this particular day, the incarnation suddenly received a transmission from a senior brother informing him that someone outside the sect was looking for him.
After delivering the message, that senior brother wore an ambiguous, teasing smile.
"The incarnation has had almost no contact with cultivators outside the mountain gate. Who would come looking for me? Could it be..."
A thought stirred in the incarnation's mind. Flying outside the mountain gate, he saw Fang Ting standing there, graceful and charming.
"Brother Zhang!"
Seeing the incarnation, Fang Ting's eyes lit up, and she waved vigorously. But once the incarnation landed before her, her expression grew restrained, and she stammered with a trace of awkwardness, "Senior Brother Zhang, I'm sorry. I didn't know Master would..."
The incarnation waved his hand. "Junior Sister, there's no need to say that. I know your intentions were good! Besides, Senior Chen wasn't necessarily targeting me. Perhaps he was planning to arrange a good place for me, only to be interrupted by Grandmaster Huayang's sudden arrival..."
Given the relationship between the Landou Sect and Yanmiao Pavilion, addressing each other as senior brother and junior sister was entirely fitting.
"Senior Brother, you don't blame me! That's wonderful!"
As if a great weight had been lifted from her heart, Fang Ting let out a long breath of relief and beamed with joy. "I was terrified that Senior Brother would misunderstand me, which was why I hesitated for so long. Otherwise, I would have come to visit you long ago!"
"I am not someone who cannot tell kindness from malice," the incarnation smiled faintly. "However, Junior Sister, did you ask Senior Chen for permission before coming here?"
Fang Ting pouted slightly. "Senior Brother, deep down you still blame Master. But that's understandable. You'll realize later that Master isn't a bad person!"
At this moment, Fang Ting suddenly lowered her voice and pointed toward the Landou Sect, whispering mysteriously, "Master has been fuming ever since he returned. Right now, he's in closed-door seclusion, swearing that he'll break through to the mid Core Formation stage..."
Hearing this, the incarnation understood. Anyone who had suffered such humiliation in the Yanmiao Pavilion's Ancestral Hall would find it hard to swallow their anger.
Cultivator Chen's sect could not possibly stand up to Old Daoist Huayang, so he could only strive with all his might, hoping to surpass him in cultivation before having a chance to repay the humiliation.
Seeing that the incarnation truly bore no grudge over what had happened, Fang Ting returned to her usual lively demeanor.
The incarnation showed her into the sect and gave her a tour. From her words, he also learned that Cultivator Chen had taken notice of Fang Ting long ago and accepted her as his disciple.
However, she had not known Cultivator Chen's true identity beforehand either, only learning the truth after joining Yanmiao Pavilion.
Having finally seen off the reluctant Fang Ting, the incarnation could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"That girl holds an exceptionally high status in Yanmiao Pavilion, and Old Ghost Chen is fiercely protective. Likely very few peers in her sect dare get close to her, so she took this incarnation as a friend. Playing this identity is quite a hassle; I have to deal cautiously with anyone who drops by. Finding Douniu Peak's true legacy and leaving as quickly as possible is the proper path. Once the hurdle of the third level of Heavenly Demon Form Refining is solved, my true body can find a safe cave dwelling to meditate in peace for several decades, quietly waiting for the Hall of Seven Kills to open..." the incarnation muttered to himself.
Although he was still some distance from truly condensing the completed Yin-Yang Armor, after some thought, the incarnation decided to pay a visit to Martial Uncle Yang. He headed straight for Yin-Yang Peak, soon arriving at the foot of the mountain.
The spiritual energy here was several times denser than on Jade Finger Peak outside, showing that it was indeed one of the sect's finest spirit vein locations.
Stopping at the foot of the mountain, the incarnation retrieved a medallion and channeled spiritual power to activate the restriction upon it.
Before long, an escape light flared in the mountains, revealing the figure of the Daoist boy.
His expression was somewhat displeased, as though irritated that the incarnation was disturbing him at this time. He scolded, "You have only just joined the sect. Instead of cultivating diligently, why are you running around all over the place?"
The incarnation put on a fearful look, speaking meekly, "Reporting to Martial Uncle Yang, this disciple has just condensed the embryonic form of the Yin-Yang Armor, but I feel I have hit a bottleneck. There has been no progress for several days, so I wanted to ask Martial Uncle for guidance on a few questions..."
"What?"
Hearing the incarnation's words, the anger vanished from the Daoist boy's face, replaced by astonishment. "You condensed the embryonic form of the Yin-Yang Armor so quickly? Release it and let me see!"
The incarnation formed an incantation gesture as instructed. Gray qi roiled over his body, barely holding together, yet faintly revealing the outline of armor.
Under his deliberate control, his condensing speed was not the absolute fastest in the Yin-Yang branch, but it certainly ranked among the finest.
Seeing the embryonic armor upon the incarnation, the Daoist boy's surprise deepened. "It seems I underestimated your talent after all. This result is even better than mine back then! In that case... you might even make it in time for the Dongming Island Dharma Assembly."
The Daoist boy looked thoughtful, his final words uttered in a low murmur, almost to himself.
Even so, the incarnation caught those few words.
This Dongming Island Dharma Assembly was something he had never heard of before.
The Daoist boy lifted his eyes and said in a grave voice, "Condensing the Yin-Yang Armor is meant to test talent. In truth, once the embryonic form of the Yin-Yang Armor is born, one can already begin cultivating the art. That you could condense an embryonic form so swiftly is clear proof of your remarkable talent, making further testing superfluous. Even if we pass the true legacy to you now, it would be entirely justified. Master said before that pressing circumstances warrant expedient measures, and right now, when we are short on hands, there is no need to stick rigidly to convention..."
Chapter 889