Chapter Seventeen: Let’s Watch Together

The next day.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, spilling over the wooden floor. Xu Zhe, who had forgotten to draw the curtains before going to bed the previous night, rose from his slumber. Still, he felt remarkably refreshed.

In his previous life, ever since stepping into the Nascent Soul stage, his divine sense had become so powerful that he had all but bid farewell to sleep altogether. The very first step on the path of cultivation was to train oneself to do without sleep; only then did one pursue longevity. Now, with his soul returned to a mortal body, Xu Zhe could once again savor the blissful comfort of sleeping soundly until dawn.

It seemed his divine sense had grown slightly stronger during the night. He realized he would have to limit its use in the future, lest he lose even the ability to sleep.

He rose from his bed and walked to the window. The streets below bustled with throngs of people. Across the way, the Prosperity Inn was as lively as ever, showing no signs of any altercation. Everything appeared perfectly ordinary, as though the events of the previous night had been nothing but a dream.

This city of Tianhe was growing ever more intriguing.

Xu Zhe caressed the small iron token in his hand, a smile tugging at his lips. He was certain that what had transpired last night was no dream. Upon returning to the Heaven’s Pride Pavilion, he had absorbed all the ghostly Yin energy from the token, tempering his body. In just one hour, he had exhausted the token’s dark energy and completed the refinement of his flesh, reaching the “Bronze Skin” stage of the “Bronze Skin, Iron Bones” technique.

According to tradition, it was said that one needed three years to achieve Bronze Skin, ten for Iron Bones—yet he had attained Bronze Skin in merely an hour.

Musing aloud, Xu Zhe’s expression suddenly grew odd. He quickly hurried over to the mirror.

Staring at his reflection, he saw a countenance as gentle as jade, lips like red lacquer, and features both striking and deep-set. He was, as always, exceptionally handsome.

But Xu Zhe recalled that once a body cultivator attained Bronze Skin, their complexion would turn the color of brass, only regaining its fair luster after shedding the old skin upon achieving the Overlord Body. Yet his own appearance was unchanged.

So it was true: other body cultivators relied on brute force and medicinal baths to forge their bodies, inevitably resulting in skin that was yellowed or darkened. But by using the Righteous Qi Demon-Sealing Sutra and refining himself with Yin energy, not only had his complexion been unaffected, it had grown even fairer.

He gazed at his reflection, and the longer he looked, the more guilt he felt.

He had never believed in love at first sight, but every time he looked in the mirror, his conviction wavered.

“This is truly not good. I must hold fast to my principles, remain true to myself, and practice self-discipline if I am to grow stronger.” After some serious self-examination, Xu Zhe lowered his handsome head in shame.

He tore off a piece of cloth and draped it over the mirror, resolving that since his peerless looks could not be changed, the mirror itself must go.

At that very moment, Tianhe City was a hive of activity.

Countless cultivators in identical attire, their chests embroidered with the words "Heaven’s Secrets Sect," bustled through every street, alley, mansion, and cottage.

Inside the Prosperity Inn, a group of cultivators sat drinking tea, watching the Heaven’s Secrets disciples scurrying about, and began to complain.

“Those Heaven’s Secrets people really are everywhere.”

“Well, as some of the prodigies have said, Heaven’s Secrets is a double-edged sword—there’s good and bad to their presence.”

“That’s true. They’ve revealed many hidden truths to us.”

“But they’ve also exposed some of our own secrets.”

“Still, if you have nothing to hide, there’s nothing to fear. The real issue is that they charge fees.”

“And if that wasn’t enough, they’ve started a membership system. No membership, you have to watch ads. I’ve had the Sword God Li’s ads drilled into my brain lately.”

“That’s nothing. I have a relative in Heaven’s Secrets, and I’ve heard they’re planning to launch ‘Premium Previews’—members have to pay extra to see the latest secrets several days before everyone else.”

“No way. Which relative told you that?”

“My distant cousin’s mother’s nephew’s dog’s neighbor’s uncle’s second cousin.”

“Wow, then the rumor must be true. Heaven’s Secrets is really shady.”

As they grumbled, two Heaven’s Secrets disciples in white robes, their chests displaying the name of their sect, entered the inn. The crowd immediately fell silent.

These days, it was unwise to cross Heaven’s Secrets. Someone had once criticized them openly on the Myriad Phenomena Net, and the sect had retaliated by exposing all their scandals—including several unsolved cases. In the end, the person met a tragic fate at the hands of those seeking justice.

Now, seeing Heaven’s Secrets disciples, everyone was careful with their words, daring only to curse them in secret.

The two disciples entered and, without preamble, joined hands to form a series of intricate seals. With a final flourish, several streaks of light shot forth to all corners of the inn. Soon, the lights returned to their hands, transforming into dozens of square spirit jades.

But several of them were already covered in cracks.

“Senior brother, three of the guest rooms’ All-Seeing Jades have been maliciously damaged,” one disciple reported, frowning.

“That’s normal. I checked the records—one was used by people from the Jade Pool, one by the Vermillion Bird Army, and the last… hmm, there’s no record. Well, who knows which big shot sent them.”

“Some people are unreasonable. If they’d just informed us, we’d have removed the jades ourselves. Why go to the trouble of destroying them?”

“Haha, it can’t be helped. They have their own prodigies, too. Forget it, these are trivial matters.”

“Heaven’s Pride Pavilion hasn’t installed any jades, so our retrieval task is complete, right?”

“Right. The collection point is here at the inn. We’ll wait for Senior Brother Lin and the others to join us.”

With that, the two found an empty spot to sit, closed their eyes, and rested.

The others watched and, one by one, silently raised their cups, drinking their tea as if waiting for something.

Before long, other Heaven’s Secrets disciples arrived, bringing more jades.

Finally, a slightly older man with stubble, his cultivation at the late Core Formation stage and a giant sword strapped to his back, strode into the Prosperity Inn. All the disciples of Heaven’s Secrets rose to their feet.

“Greetings, Senior Brother Lin!”

Many other cultivators also stood, cupping their fists. “Daoist Lin Xiu, it’s been a while.”

“Be at ease, junior brothers. And to all my fellow Daoists, thank you.” Lin Xiu, the white-robed man, laughed heartily and returned the salute.

Soon, a disciple presented a ledger. “Senior Brother Lin, all the All-Seeing Jades in the city have been retrieved. None were accidentally damaged; three were deliberately destroyed, all in guest rooms here.”

“Good. According to protocol, we must inspect the records to check for any omissions.”

Lin Xiu nodded, then turned to the others. “Fellow Daoists, my Heaven’s Secrets Sect needs to review some confidential material. May I ask for your discretion?”

The cultivators immediately protested, the room erupting with noise.

“Daoist Lin Xiu, that’s not very gracious of you.”

“There are no big secrets in Tianhe City. Whatever you record, we know about it too. No need for such secrecy.”

“Besides, for nearly a thousand years, you’ve reviewed the Night of the Soul Suppression records without asking others to leave.”

“We came early just to join the fun and see the footage.”

“That’s right, let’s all watch together. With more eyes, you might even catch useful details you’d otherwise miss.”