The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS

The mechanical bird flew silently, its mechanism undetected by the true Qi fluctuations of nearby individuals. To say nothing of being discovered by Divine Thought—that was even less likely.

If someone were to covertly probe the residence of the Supreme Daoist without permission, it would undoubtedly be an act of declaring oneself a lifelong enemy of the Supreme Daoist.

Overall, the method of sending messages via this mechanical bird was quite ingenious.

However, the sender hadn't anticipated that the Qingyu Association would directly uncover the item hidden inside the bird, crushing it before it could even eject the message cylinder.

Of course, this unforeseen detail was not a major issue; it didn't affect the purpose of sending the message.

But the second oversight was slightly more amusing.

"In one hour, meet me in the small forest behind Taizhen Palace. — Qing Yu."

"Ha, since when did I develop a habit of writing letters to myself?"

That's right, the message carried by the mechanical bird was signed Qing Yu. A letter from Qing Yu to Qing Yu.

The sender had accurately gauged Xuan Du's character, using Qing Yu's name to send a letter and invite him to a meeting.

Every time Xuan Du appeared in worldly society, he would challenge high-level cultivators of the same realm. The consecutive successes noted on the public announcement board in Kaiyang City were Xuan Du's exploits after advancing to the True Pill Realm.

Among those challenged, the majority were Taoist cultivators. It seemed due to his origins from the same Taoist roots, Xuan Du always made clear progress after battling with these Taoist experts.

With Xuan Du's current strength, Qing Yu, ranked tenth on the Earth's list and known as a practitioner of the Demon Path of the same realm, would be an attractive target.

Of course, that assumed the recipient of the letter was Xuan Du.

"To lure with the name of Qing Yu points to malevolent intentions with a probability higher than seventy percent."

Qing Yu lightly closed his hand, obliterating the scrap of paper into dust with his True Qi, "A gentleman stays away from a crumbling wall; best to skip this appointment."

Were it Xuan Du receiving this dubious letter, there was indeed a chance he would go to the meeting.

The Supreme Daoist was cold inside, unencumbered by worldly attachments—in a way that could be seen as another form of disregard for others. Simply put, he was proud.

In his detachment from love and affection, he also severed negative emotions, including fear. Fear is one of the most basic human protective mechanisms.

Thus, Qing Yu estimated that Xuan Du's chances of attending the appointment could be at least fifty percent.

However, if it were Qing Yu, a ten percent chance would be generous. Despite often being audacious, without sufficient benefit, he wouldn't risk even the slightest danger.

Especially with a letter like this, where the sender's malice was evident, it was wiser to risk less. The current state of Taizhen Palace was anything but peaceful on the surface.

Internally, the sects were embroiled in cutthroat competition; externally, the Blood Demon Sect was lurking with covetous eyes. A moment of carelessness and even a cultivator at the Divine Communication Realm could fall here.

Furthermore, the small forest behind Taizhen Palace simply did not sound like an auspicious place.

"Anyway, better to cultivate," Qing Yu said, resigned.

There was no choice. Xuan Du's nature was well-known, making it unsuitable for him to go out and gather information. That was a big reason why Qing Yu had taken control of Wu Yi the previous night.

Compared to the prominent Xuan Du, a little Taoist from Taizhen Palace would not attract any attention.

With nearly one and a half hours left before the Debating Conference began and Qing Yu not going for a meal, there was nothing left to do but cultivate.

"Is the Daoist there? I am Xuanming from Zhenwu Sect. I just heard some disturbance here, may I know if anything unusual has happened?" Xuanming's voice came from outside the courtyard.

Disturbance?

Qing Yu's gaze shifted to the broken window, a result of his use of True Qi to capture the mechanical bird.

Although it hadn't been long since the paper window was torn, they shouldn't have been so late to notice. It seemed that this Peak Master of the Zhenwu Sect, Xuanming, had been in talks with Xuan Chen before finally deciding to come over and inquire.

Qing Yu waved his hand to open the main door, his figure flickering as he instantly appeared at the entrance to the courtyard, "No harm done. It was merely some vermin wreaking havoc with a mechanical bird, which has been destroyed by me."

Saying that, Qing Yu added indifferently, "I appreciate the concern of Fellow Daoist Xuanming."

People of the Taoist sects always used the realm as a standard for addressing others rather than seniority.

The reason for this was that over the long course of time, seniority had become very complicated, while basing it on realm was more appropriate for addressing one another.

Just like True Master Tianyang and Hua Yufei before. True Master Tianyang, in principle, was a senior to Hua Yufei, but they still referred to each other as fellow Daoists.

Of course, within the same sect, seniority was still the norm. Or if you feel respect for those of the same realm who are your seniors, you could address them as a "senior."

"Know you who was so brazen?" Xuanming asked, his expression one of shock.

Then, with an oath-like promise, he said, "Do not worry, Fellow Daoist, our Zhenwu Sect will certainly investigate thoroughly to find the culprit."

Qing Yu merely glanced at him indifferently, giving no response.

The Zhenwu Sect's gesture was an attempt to curry favor with the Supreme Taoist Sect. Regrettably for Xuanming, his overtures would remain unrequited.

Leaving aside that Qing Yu was not the actual Supreme Daoist, even the genuine Supreme Daoist Xuan Du could easily perceive Xuanming's intent and ignore it outright.

So, the Zhenwu Sect's attempts to ingratiate themselves were like performing for the blind.

"Such coincidence, Fellow Daoist Xuanming is also here," came a voice from afar, belonging to an ordinary-looking middle-aged Taoist.

"I am Xuan Wen of the Shenxia Taoist School, greetings to both Daoists," said the True Core Realm Martial Artist from Shenxiao Taoist School, offering a greeting with a light smile.

"Xuan Wen..." Xuanming frowned in thought, struggling to recall this Shenxiao Taoist's identity.

This should not have been the case. While Shenxiao Taoist School kept a low profile due to their association with Dragon Tiger Mountain, this was only true for their main base; their disciples were still active in the worldly society.

Take the Zhengtian Taoist, for example, his name as True Man Zhenlei was widely recognized.

But Xuanming had not heard a single rumor about this unremarkable Taoist. The only impression he had of this person was from the previous day's gathering in the square when the Shenxiao Daoists had been led by him.

'Zhang Xuanji, it seems this identity as the Supreme Daoist really is a coveted one,' Qing Yu thought.

This middle-aged Taoist, Xuan Wen, was none other than the disguised identity of Zhang Xuanji. His reason for seeking Qing Yu was not because Qing Yu had revealed his true identity to him, but because Shenxiao Dao also wanted to foster relations... or more aptly, to win over the Supreme Daoist.

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Du, our Shenxiao Dao has pioneered unprecedented techniques in the Thunder Skill, standing at the peak of the world today. Would you be interested in discussing and verifying our skills?" Zhang Xuanji said with a beaming smile.

Although Shenxiao Dao originated from Dragon Tiger Mountain, their dedicated focus on the Thunder Skill over the years had surpassed the mountain. Otherwise, they wouldn't have the confidence to vie with Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Zhang Xuanji didn't believe that the Supreme Daoist could resist the allure of their world-leading Thunder Skill.