Chapter 63
Chapter 63: A Slip-Up
Hearing that, Shao Heng lifted her gaze as well.
The moon was a thin eyebrow crescent, sharp and pale in the sky.
Her expression barely changed. She didn’t fake delight or force curiosity. Ji Xuan Yin and Ji Fei Guang were both peak First Realm cultivators, true prodigies. Overacting in front of them would only look cheap.
Shao Heng voiced her conclusion. “Senior Brother Ji, if the moon in the sky is formed from a Tai Yin fragment and holds Ling Jiang’s inheritance…”
“Then to obtain it, would someone have to pluck the moon?”
“But with the strength of First Realm cultivators like us, trying to shake the core of a small world on the scale of the Mystic Moon Secret Realm is pure delusion.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “So there must be a medium. A key. Something that lets a cultivator come into contact with the Tai Yin fragment and enter the inheritance site.”
Ji Xuan Yin laughed and, too familiarly, linked her arm with Shao Heng’s left arm.
“My brother didn’t want me to tell you any of this,” she said brightly, tilting her head toward Ji Fei Guang, “but look, Brother—Shao Heng already guessed eight or nine parts out of ten.”
Shao Heng’s mind kept turning on one steady axis: the Ji siblings were strangers she’d met today. They wouldn’t hand her an opportunity for free.
Ji Fei Guang gave Ji Xuan Yin a look, then said to Shao Heng, “Then, Junior Sister Shao Heng, why don’t you guess what this key is?”
Shao Heng didn’t hesitate. “Shattered Moon.”
Ji Fei Guang shook his head slightly. “It’s Shattered Moon, but it’s also not Shattered Moon.”
“In the secret realm there are creations condensed from yin qi—yin ghosts, yin snakes, and sinister dragons. Kill them and gather the yin qi to build an altar. Shattered Moon powers it, and then you can—”
“Go to the moon,” Shao Heng finished.
She gently pulled her left arm free from Ji Xuan Yin’s grasp and cupped her fists. “Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Ji.”
Ji Fei Guang watched her for a moment before speaking again. “Junior Sister, you don’t need to worry. We’re telling you this without any intent to harm you.”
“Our sect and the Star-Inquiry Sect have explored this secret realm many times. We’ve gathered a great deal of information.” His tone remained even. “Once your cultivation advances and you become part of the sect’s core, you’ll learn these things too.”
“As for Ling Jiang’s inheritance… people have already tried exploring that Tai Yin fragment before, but with no results.”
“According to our seniors’ explorations, once you enter, the first thing you face is a Bronze Gate. It needs to absorb enough spirit-sense power before it will open.”
“Beyond the gate are layer after layer of illusions that steal the mind and snatch the soul. One misstep, and you lose control of your spirit.”
“The heart is the foundation of the Dao. If your Dao heart is thrown off balance, your foundation is crippled. No matter how high your aptitude, you’ll never step into the mid Third Realm.”
“Because of these illusions, no one has obtained Ling Jiang’s true inheritance to this day.”
Ji Fei Guang’s eyes settled on her. “Junior Sister Shao Heng, you were born with strong spirit sense, weren’t you?”
His pupils were dark and deep, like swirling black holes that pulled at the mind.
“I used a mind-bewildering art the moment we met,” he said. “You didn’t react at all. You spoke clearly. That means you’re directly immune to it.”
Shao Heng’s spirit sense had been exceptional since birth. And after training the Great Expansion Spirit-Refining Art over the last days, it had sharpened further.
She met his gaze without lowering her eyes. “I understand what you mean, Senior Brother Ji.”
“The Bronze Gate must require an enormous amount of spirit-sense power. And once too much spirit sense is consumed, it becomes easier to lose control in the illusions.” Her tone remained steady. “So the more people you bring to open the gate, the higher the chance of getting through.”
Ji Fei Guang nodded, a faint smile appearing. “Junior Sister Shao Heng, are you interested?”
“You only need to bring three Shattered Moon of your own.”
Shao Heng shook her head. “Senior Brother Ji, you flatter me. So far, I’ve only found a single Shattered Moon.”
“And for Ling Jiang’s elusive inheritance…” She smiled politely, with no warmth behind it. “I doubt I can compete with all the senior brothers and senior sisters. I’d rather keep what I have and use it to advance my cultivation.”
Ji Xuan Yin opened her mouth, clearly wanting to argue. Ji Fei Guang raised a hand, stopping her.
“Of course,” he said. “This is entirely voluntary. Since you’ve made your choice, Junior Sister Shao Heng, we won’t force you.”
“Still, the secret realm is open for six months, and not even one month has passed yet. Our two sects’ disciples have agreed that in the final month, we’ll build the altar together and ascend to the moon to search for the inheritance.”
“If you change your mind by then, you can go to the Grasping Moon Peak on your own.”
“Grasping Moon Peak?” Shao Heng repeated.
Ji Xuan Yin pointed as if she could see it through distance and terrain. “There’s a tall peak shaped like a hand reaching toward the sky. So we call it Grasping Moon Peak.”
“And even though the terrain changes each time, past disciples found that Grasping Moon Peak is always where the yin qi is thickest, making it easier to build an altar.”
Shao Heng nodded. “Thank you for the guidance, Senior Sister Ji and Senior Brother Ji.”
She’d only just climbed out of the lake. Her spiritual power was still depleted. After a brief farewell, she turned and left to find a place to recover.
Once she was gone, Ji Fei Guang looked at his sister. “Did Shao Heng tell you she’s an inner sect disciple?”
Ji Xuan Yin shook her head, puzzled. “Could she be an outer sect disciple? No way.”
“Her life aura is so young. One glance says she’s not even twenty, yet her cultivation is mid-stage First Realm. She should have Mid-Grade aptitude. How could she be outer sect?”
“By rights, she shouldn’t even be able to get a Moon-Inquiry Token.”
Ji Fei Guang watched the direction Shao Heng vanished. “Won’t it be clear once we check after we return to the sect?”
Shao Heng walked quickly, putting distance between herself and the lake. Only when her back was turned did her expression darken.
Once she was far enough away that even Ao Chuan’s Dragon Pupil Art didn’t detect anyone shadowing her, Ao Chuan finally asked, “That inheritance of Ling Jiang’s… you really don’t want to go?”
Shao Heng didn’t answer immediately. She let out a slow breath, irritation and fatigue pressing at her temples.
“I just revealed a flaw,” she said at last.
“Ji Xuan Yin has Spirit Eyes. She saw through my disguise art.”
“When I was disguised as a young man, my aura wasn’t hidden. It matched mid-stage First Realm. After she broke the art, I worried she might have some lie-detecting method, so I gave my real name.”
Her gaze sharpened, cold and annoyed. “But earlier, when I used Yun Jiang’s face to offend people, I used my own name on purpose. That was part of the plan.”
“Now, because of Ji Xuan Yin’s interference, once they compare notes, I’ll look the most suspicious.”
“And Ji Fei Guang isn’t simple. If I stayed around them longer, I’d expose even more cracks.”
Her head throbbed. She rubbed her brow.
There was no panic in her eyes—only weariness and a simmering edge.
Before, she’d chosen to cultivate in the outer sect to avoid exposing Gray Cocoon.
But during the trip to Dan Yang Mountain, through Yin Liu, she’d learned Gray Cocoon’s built-in concealment could fool even a Seventh Realm venerable.
And from what she’d gathered, the current Sect Master of the One Yuan Sect was also at the Seventh Realm.
Once the secret realm ended and she entered the disciples’ grand competition, she would stop hiding her cultivation.
Aside from Gray Cocoon, her talent was genuinely innate. The Source-Appraisal Jade Disc had measured her as Lower-Grade aptitude.
That useless thing was the problem.