Chapter Twenty: The Token Concealing Hidden Secrets

Within the registration area.

As tranquility returned once more to the sky, the disciples gathering for registration, under the guidance of members of the sect, formed long lines again. Watching the elder descend with calm composure, Tianming, Pei Xu, and the others gazed upon him with reverence. This journey had not been in vain; they had witnessed the legendary Elder Le in action. His intervention, though brief, had been dazzling, forcing the mysterious figure in black robes to retreat with a single stroke of his sword.

“Thank you, Elder, for saving my life!” Tianming bowed slightly as he addressed the elder before him.

The elder nodded. “Just call me Elder Le. Some of you will become members of the sect in time. You must stand united against our enemies and resist temptation, lest the Black Demon Clan strike again. As long as you hold fast to your hearts, there is nothing to fear from them.” Stroking his beard, Elder Le smiled warmly.

Whether by accident or intention, Elder Le cast a meaningful glance at Pei Xu and his companions after speaking.

“We will not fail in our duty!” they replied in unison, their voices ringing with conviction.

Beside Tianming, You Ao and the others also nodded respectfully toward Elder Le.

Tianming…

Surrounded by such fervor, Tianming felt somewhat out of place.

“My young friend Tianming, will you not reveal your true identity?” Elder Le suddenly turned to him with a gentle smile.

“Ah!” Not only was Tianming surprised, but Leng Yuansheng and Pei Xu’s group looked on with curiosity as well.

“I am simply myself—a spark unlike any other. Is there truly a difference?” Tianming replied, spreading his hands in feigned bewilderment.

Though surprised, Tianming showed no sign of panic, his demeanor openly puzzled.

Elder Le, momentarily taken aback, shook his head at the boy’s utterly befuddled expression. Then, with a wave of his aged hands, he summoned the energies of heaven and earth; from his robes emerged a golden token, radiant and majestic, its brilliance growing ever more mysterious and noble as it floated in the air.

A token?

“Elder Le, how did you know I had this token?” Tianming asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Such things cannot be revealed,” Elder Le replied serenely, shaking his head.

Tianming regarded Elder Le with undisguised skepticism—he suspected this “cannot be revealed” was simply an excuse for the elder’s own limited power.

Pei Xu and the others…

Unlike Tianming’s indifference, Pei Xu and his companions were visibly unsettled. After all, to become an inner sect disciple one required at least the cultivation of the Spirit Void Realm, at which point one’s vital energy would transform into heaven and earth qi. Yet Tianming had not even reached Foundation Establishment; how could he possess such a token? Clearly, it had been given to him by someone else.

“Isn’t that the token for an inner disciple of the Heavenly Evolution Sect? Tianming, who gave it to you?” Unable to contain his curiosity, Leng Yuansheng pressed him for an answer.

“I don’t know. The one who gave it to me was as inscrutable as Elder Le... I can’t recall what he looked like. All I know is that suddenly this token was in my hand.” Attempting to recall the white-haired elder, Tianming winced, clutching his head in pain.

“What’s wrong?” Leng Yuansheng asked, helping him up, concern in his voice.

Tianming…

Shaking his head, Tianming looked toward Elder Le. “It’s nothing. Every time I try to remember that person, my head throbs and my mind goes blank.” After a brief silence, Tianming spoke again.

As he forced himself to stop dwelling on the matter, the pain faded away—clearly, the mysterious figure had done something when leaving.

“My young friend Tianming, your token is no ordinary thing!” Elder Le, unable to bear Tianming’s helpless expression, finally spoke.

While observing Tianming’s reaction, Elder Le had realized that the token was crafted by a being of unfathomable cultivation—only a select few could achieve such a feat, and such a token was never made for mere display.

“Oh?” Tianming looked at Elder Le with expectation.

“Drip a drop of your blood onto it, and you’ll see,” Elder Le instructed.

“Very well.” Without hesitation, Tianming nodded.

He turned, drew Leng Yuansheng’s black iron sword from its sheath with a metallic ring. “Brother, I’ll borrow this!”

Before Leng Yuansheng could react, Tianming had lightly nicked his finger with the blade, blood welling up instantly.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint.” With a flick, Tianming sent a stream of blood flying toward the golden token floating in the air.

The moment his blood touched the token, a massive golden radiance burst forth, flooding the entire Han Cheng district with light, lasting just three seconds before fading away.

The golden token, as if possessing a will of its own, returned to Tianming’s hand.

“So that’s how it is!” As Tianming gazed at the token in his hand, he felt a surge of familiarity. The light had not affected him—perhaps because he was its master. He also noticed that Elder Le, too, was unharmed, watching him serenely, which sent a chill down Tianming’s spine.

“Well?” Leng Yuansheng, shielding his eyes, asked, unable to look directly at the light.

As the golden glow faded, Pei Xu and the others looked at Tianming with curiosity.

“Not bad,” Tianming replied with a faint smile, an odd expression of satisfaction and pride on his face.

For Tianming had discovered the token was truly extraordinary. Every day, it could shield him from one attack below the Golden Immortal level—Golden Immortals not included. Every seven days, its teleportation ability would reset, allowing him to return to the sect from anywhere. Each month, he could select three items from the Celestial Pavilion—techniques, skills, magical tools. Most importantly, he had one opportunity per year to enter the secret realm of the Celestial Pool for training.

It was, in short, a miraculous token—Tianming’s most immediate impression.

Leng Yuansheng…

“Not bad?” He was speechless.

“Can’t you even tell us?” You Ao, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

“It’s complicated—difficult to explain. As they say, some secrets cannot be divulged, right, Elder Le?” Tianming spread his hands nonchalantly, casting a meaningful glance at Elder Le and offering him a knowing smile.

Elder Le’s mouth twitched, and he gazed at Tianming with a mix of amusement and resignation—so this was the game.

Still, Elder Le smiled and nodded.

…

Deep within a dense forest.

Whoosh!

In a place where forest and lake intertwined, the sky suddenly darkened as a black wind swept in from the distant horizon.

“Thank you, my lord, for sparing my life!”

On the grass, a figure shifted from shadow to substance, exuding an aura of darkness that withered all vegetation within a three-mile radius, sapping every trace of life.

Had Tianming been present, he would have recognized Xie Xin. Yet now, Xie Xin’s body was suffused with dark energy.

“Very good, Le Zhengsheng!”

At that moment, a colossal black skull appeared in the sky, swirling with streams of dark energy. An oppressive wind radiated outward, filling the surroundings with dread.

Boom!

Dark energy mingled with the laws of heaven and earth, transforming the qi of the land into black essence. The elemental beasts that had been drinking or dozing scattered in terror. The earth trembled, waves as tall as mountains crashed against the trees…

Hordes of beasts surged in chaos.

Xie Xin…

Kneeling on the grass, Xie Xin trembled, utterly at the mercy of others.

“You ought to have paid for your failure with your life, but you are still useful to me. Rise!”

Six shadows materialized around Xie Xin, each one clothed in black energy, their forms blending with the air yet remaining eerily distinct, their movements so fluid that their secrets could not be discerned.

Xie Xin kept his head bowed.

“Proceed as planned.”

With the last chilling words, the darkness in the sky dissipated.

Relieved of the unbearable oppression, Xie Xin, drenched in cold sweat, finally rose and departed.

As he left, the black shadows vanished with the wind, leaving no trace, as if they had never existed.

From the sky, pale motes of light floated downward.

Before long, a white-haired elder appeared where Xie Xin had just stood.

Awooo! Awooo…

The elemental beasts, upon seeing the elder, tensed, gathering in numbers that rivaled skyscrapers, encircling him. Their roars shook the heavens, each movement threatening to topple mountains and overturn seas—these were the ancient beasts drawn by the earlier celestial anomaly.

The elder seemed oblivious to his surroundings, paying them no mind.

As the mighty attacks of the beasts neared him, his deep eyes shone with unfathomable brilliance—like a sea of stars.

“Still.”

All things froze in place.

Countless streams of white energy swirled around the elder, their force pushing the ancient beasts away in an instant. The complex seals in his hands turned round and round, sending out wave upon wave of white energy ripples.

Above, the dense energy of heaven and earth mingled with everything below. Wilted grass, dried lakes—life returned to all. The once-frenzied elemental beasts stood still the moment the energy touched them.

Witnessing the elder’s actions, the beasts knelt in reverence, the air filled with their jubilant howls, a chorus of gratitude and joy.

The white-haired elder nodded kindly, and with a final gesture, vanished into the snow-like landscape, leaving the world restored behind him.